Chapter 4

"Where is he?" Kento questioned again, this time turning his full attention on Malaca.

The rest of the Ronin's, who had been watching from the door step walked up to surround her and to hear her story. Mia, had woken up from her nap and stood leaning against the door frame. She tried to figure out all that was going on.

Malaca started her story unsure where to start, "Ryo and Salee, the Warlord of Tundra, had apparently been fighting when I arrived. Ryo lay unconsious on the ground and Salee was bent over him suffocating him. I yelled out for him to stop and he disapeared. How he did that I have no clue. I saw Ryo on the ground unconsious, so I took him to my campsite. He was badly injured and weak. He lay unconsious for several days. He finally awoke and took his armor off so that I may finish bandaging his wounds. He's recovering was recovering very slowly. So he demanded that I leave him to find you all."

"So you're saying you left him to find us?" Kento asked still unsure if he trusted the girl.

"Yeah," Malaca said uncomfortable.

"Look," Malaca started seeing their anger beginning to build, "I've got to go to him soon. Two of you can come with me or you can stay here. Either way I have to go before Salee or something else finds him."

"Why only two of us?" Rowen questioned as he started to feel Kento's distrust.

"Well, if five young teenagers hitchhick all the way to the mountains, don't you think that will atract Salee's attention. As far as I know, Salee still thinks I'm with Ryo in the mountains."

"I believe you," Sai said again.

"Yes, we might as well investigate," Sage started.

Kento sighed knowing he couldn't change his friends minds.

"I'm not going. You two are going to need me free when you discover this all is a Dynasty trick," Kento stated walking away.

"I'm with Kento. Someone has to stay here and guard the fort," Rowen said sensibly.

"Well, that just leaves you and me, Sai," Sage answered.

Malaca nodded, "Follow me."

She walked off in the direction of some trees. Sage and Sai looked at each other and shrugged as they ran to catch up with the girl. Reaching far away from the house as to not be seen, Malaca turned around to confront the two warriors.

"I lied to you both when I said we were going to hitchhike. I can teleport us all directly to Ryo. I couldn't teleport all of you that's why I insited only two could come. I need to get to Ryo quick, because I fear something has happened," she said.

Sai looked at Sage and then answered, "We'll go with you."

Malaca nodded as she closed her eyes and focused on the power of her armor. Green and red sparked energy plummeted from the sky and ingulfed all three warriors, banishing them from sight.

The light released them in the middle of what was once Malaca's camp. The camp lay in shabbles. Ryo was nowhere in sight.

"Ryo," Malaca cried softly.

Her eyes darted around the camp as she focused what remained of her energy on Ryo's spark.

"Hey, where are we?" questioned Sage.

"Where's Ryo?" Sai asked.

Malaca ignored both questions as Ryo's lifeforce flared up shortly in her mental vision. She took off running in the direction his body. Sai and Sage just shrugged and followed Malaca at a run.

"Ryo's body is nearby, I can feel it," Malaca thought, "Oh-, I hope nothing happened to him."

"Over by the stream, he is. I can make it if I hurry!"

Sage followed Malaca silently, knowing in his heart he trusted her as much as Sai did. Sai had a feeling that she told the truth.

Sai smiled grimly, "Ryo's got to be nearby!"

Malaca stopped suddenly as Ryo's lifeforce wavered. She cocked her head sidways almost as if she were listening to something and then took off in a different direction more to the North. She ran nonstop, across a small stream and through the maze of trees, till she reached a small clearing. There she saw Ryo's body sprawled on the ground.

"Ryo!" she yelled running over to his side.

She felt for a pulse and found one. Ryo slowly struggled to turn over, signaling to Malaca that he was consious. He turned over and smiled at the sight of her.

"Malaca?" he said weakly.

"It's me Ryo," Malaca answered.

"How did you get back so fast?" he questioned.

"How did you get over here?" she joked back.

Sage and Sai reached the meadow at the same time and saw Ryo with Malaca.

"Ryo!" they both yelled.

Ryo smiled as he heard his friends.

"Guess who I brought back?" Malaca said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Ryo's two friends ran over to his side. They were disapointed to find a battered body and a worn out face.

"Ryo, what kind of trouble have you gotten into?" Sage questioned as he fell to his knees beside his friend.

Malaca moved away from Ryo allowing Sai to fall down beside him. She slowly walked away so that she may get some water from the stream she had earlier ran through. They would need water to rebandage Ryo's wounds. The stream was quiet in her wake, nature calmed her nerves and for once Malaca relaxed.

"Where did Malaca go?" Ryo questioned seeing his friend disapear.

Sai shrugged. Ryo struggled to sit up and failed. Sage pushed him back down completely.

"Relax, Ryo. She probally went to scout the area or something," Sage said uncertainly.

"Either that or she went to salvage some supplies," Sai said pointing back towards the destroyed camp.

Ryo grinned, but then groaned in pain. He slitted his eyes as he held the pain.

"Ryo!" they both said in concern.

"I'm okay," he grunted.

"Not for long," a cold voice came from behind them.

Sai and Sage turned around to see a strange warrior wearing dark blue and black armor.

"Who are you?" Sage questioned.

"Salee!" Ryo grunted, "Why are you here?"

"Why to destroy you, Wildfire!" Salee said with a smirk upon his face.

"We'll see about that!" exclaimed Sage as he and Sai switched to their sub armor.

"Wait!" Ryo muttered before he fell unconscious.

"ARMOR OF HALO! TAO CHI!"

"ARMOR OF TORRENT! TAO SHIN!"

Both of the young warriors calling upon their armors, were transformed.

"Now it's time for you to leave," Sage stated as he raised his no-datchi.

Salee merely chukled, obviously amused by their display of protectiveness of Ryo.

"Come and try it little men!" Salee calmly stated.

"All right, you asked for it," Sai answered.

"THUNDER BOLT CUT!"

"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"

Salee grinned as the attacks neared his body. His whip charged with energy opposite to that of the attacks Sage and Sai tried. The energy whiped out and canceled both Sage's and Sai's attacks. Both were slammed back hard.

"Ah-," Sage groaned, "He's tough. Are you okay Sai?"

"I will be, eventually," Sai answered between his teeth.

Both warriors struggled to sit up. Salee walked over to Ryo, ignoring the other two's struggle to reach him and prepared to kill him with a lash from his whip. Salee's whip was intercepted by Malaca. The whip wrapped around her arm. Salee grunted as he tried to throw her forward. Malaca held her stance, pulling back equally as hard.

"What's wrong, Salee, can't get a grip?" Malaca joked.

"You little worm will cower at Master Talpa's feet," Salee screamed in fury.

"Not likely," Malaca answered as the whip loosened it's grip.

"Catch!" she mocked while she tossed his whip back at him.

"You little!" the warlord screamed.

"Little what?" Malaca taunted.

Salee fumed his anger, trying to get a grip on the situation.

"Leave my friends alone!" Malaca screamed as he body ignited with fire from her power. Salee was knocked back further as Malaca used the fire to transform into her sub armor.

"Time to get serious," Malaca stated as she prepared to transform into her armor. Sage and Sai sat back in shock for she was the warrior in the market place.

Malaca smirked as she called her armor, "ARMOR OF THE DRAGON! TAO KON!" The armor formed quickly around her body as she prepared to blast Salee out of the way of her friends.

Salee chuckled, "Do you really think you can save your friends?"

"Think? I know. I'll give you one chance Salee, leave or feel the wrath of the dragon!"

"What wrath?" Salee asked as he charged Malaca head on.

"Suit yourself," she said, "DRAGON BLADES CUT!"

Salee grinned as he saw the power of her attack. The same attack used against Kazul. He formed his whip into a simliar weapon and held it high over his head as he copied the power of Malaca's armor. The powers colided and held for a short minute before Malaca released her hold and jumped back.

"Somethings not right. How did he know how to cancel out my power? I have only used it once against the Dynasty."

Malaca's eyes widened as she realized the true meaning of Kazul's last message.

"He said he would come back to kill my family. He knew he could kill me if he found the opposite of my power. He already knew the opposites of the Ronin's powers, but he didn't know mine. Damn, why didn't I see this earlier?"

Salee grinned seeing Malaca's occupation attacked in full force.

"TUNDRA ICE BLIZZARD!"

Malaca caught off guard was thrown back from the force off his attack.

"Uhhh-" Malaca groaned.

"Now you can't help your friends!" Salee laughed as he walked up to Ryo to destroy him.

"No!" Malaca yelled as she struggled to get up.

"I don't have the strength," Malaca thought panicked, "I've got to do something! He's going to kill Ryo then us! Why can't I do something?"

Throughly upset Malaca went deep inside of herself and something surfaced from nowhere.

"FRIENDSHIP!" Malaca called her virtue out as her kanji flared up on her head.

She got slowly and began to focus her inborn powers.

"Salee, have you ever flown before?" she questioned as she called upon her powers igniting the exterior of her armor.

She raised her hands and mentally threw Salee across the meadow, away from Ryo. Salee rammed through many trees, leaving a clear aisle of demolished trees.

"Now, I repeat what I told Kazul. I will die if it means protecting people I care for."

"You can't save them, you are to weak!" Salee shouted, "I know all of your attacks, you can't possible win."

"That's where you are wrong, Salee. If you knew the true nature of my power you would be running away like a scared chicken!"

"Hahahah, you can't beat Master Talpa! You are a mere mortal!" he screamed back at her, throughly enraged.

"If you had a good memory, you would remember Kazul said the same thing before I blew him to oblivion. I do not like it when evil threatens this world."

"How dare you!" Salee fummed.

"Feel the wrath of the dragon!"

Malaca felt a new power within her and she called upon it, drawling upon it's strength. She connected her katanas at their hilts and began to twirl them expertly switching sides. She then called upon power she never knew the armor possesed.

"DRAGON SWORDS SCREAM!" she yelled stoping her katanas to point at Salee. Salee was blown away from the force of her attack.

Talpa grimanced as another of his warlords were blown to oblivion.

"I must recruit this warrior!" he yelled to anyone who would listen.

"It will be done my lord," his remaing Warlords breathed in reverence to their Master.

Malaca fell to her knees as all of her energy was drained in her attack. Her armor and sub armor disapeared leaving her only in her civilain clothes. Sage and Sai powered down to their sub armor, following her example. Sage went to Ryo's side and checked for a pulse. Sai went over to Malaca to see if she was all right.

"Are you okay?" Sai questioned her.

Malaca only nodded, not having the strength to answer back. Sai, seeing the direction of her glance, settled back to watch Sage. Sage looked over at them and nodded, Ryo was all right for now. Malaca took a deep sigh and then promtly fainted. Sai looked down at Malaca and grinned. It was almost she was holding out just to see if Ryo was alright.
"We might as well move camp over here," Sage said.

Sai nodded at his friend. Both started to settle down for the night and to wait for Ryo and their new found friend to awake.

To be continued...