Going Against the Flow: Chapter 1- A Leo's Pain

"Dammit! He won't give up!" Rys' sword clashed against his foes scythe. White flames eminating from the sword's blade raised the temperture to unbearably high levels. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and caused his eyes to burn as they trickled down. The Joker killed so many people and made so many monsters into Lost Discs, Rys wondered how his foe could live with himself. "How do I live with myself? Day by day, of course! You shall join your comrades in their death!" "He can read my thoughts?!" "Yeah, so what of it?" The Joker brought down his scythe to Rys' head. Rys blocked it easily with his sword. The Joker pushed down harder. "My people... My friends... My family... Why? Why did you lead all those Jokers to massacre my people?!" "Master Moo needs your kind destroyed, Leo! You are a living symbol of pride and honor! For that, you must be killed!" The Joker flew backwards and raised his right hand. Energy started to form on his palm. "Death Energy!" Swirling blades of black energy flew out from his robe. Rys did all he could to dodge the swirling blades. He deflected with his sword, flipped over some, but some still managed to nick his body. He bled from over 35 cuts to his body. "Damn! White Heat!" He swung his blade at the Joker, and a huge blast of flame eminated from the sword. The Joker sidestepped it easily. "You're getting lazy, Leo!" Rys knew he was right. He had been fighting for over 3 hours. And before that he had returned from a long journey, only to find his city burned to the ground and Lost Discs everywhere. There were about ten Jokers left. Now there was only one... Damn he was tired. "I shall fight until you're DEAD!" The Joker dissapeared. "What the...?! Show yourself!" Rys was knocked back by a blow to the mouth. He could taste the metallic tang of blood. He spit out a tooth. "Crap! One of the good ones. Holy Sight!" Rys' eyes glowed white, and everything was surrounded by a white light. He could see the Joker to his left. He could tell that the Joker was unaware that he could see him. That was the opening he needed. "Energy Blade!" In one quck smooth movement Rys pointed his sword at the Joker. A sword made of energy shot out, and stabbed Joker straight through the abdomen. He immediately turned into a Lost Disc. Rys fell to his knees, exhausted. He looked to the sky and offered up a prayer for his people's souls. Rys then got up and walked to the city. He still couldn't believe it. A whole city of Leo, caught off-guard and killed. "Moo, you shall pay for this treachery. I swear it." Rys stabbed his sword into the dust and knelt down on one knee in the street. "I shall avenge you, my people. May your rest be peaceful." Rys turned and walked out of the city, sheathing his sword. A wind rustled the leaves on the trees, a cold wind, carrying the stench of burning wood. "Moo, your head is mine."

Going Against the Flow: Chapter 2- Spirit of the Wind

The majestic creature stood beneath the waterfall. Slim and toned, you could barely see the rise and fall of his chest as he meditated and focused his energy. He opened his eyes suddenly. A growing sphere of energy started eminating fom him, pushing back the cascading water and the water in the bay. The gali mask tatoo on his chest started to glow, as he reached for his swords. His focus: a large boulder about 100 yards away. "Wind Blade!" He whipped out both of the swords strapped to his sides and sliced an X through the air before him. An X made totally of wind energy, barely visible save for the shimmer it made, rushed forward and cut a clean X through the boulder. He then jumped off of the rock he was standing on and swam to the shore. Upon arriving, he shook himself off. He was a Cheetal, a cheetah monster. He had a tatoo of a Gali mask on his chest and wore a Gali's cape around his waist. Stapped to each side were two slender Feather Swords. Named so for their easy use and low weight, they were the weapon of choice for most Cheetals. "Lorin!" Lorin turned toward the source of the voice. It was Gorn, a young Cheetal not more than 13 years of age. Concern and terror were etched on his young face. "Gorn! What's the matter?" Gorn stopped running and tried to catch his breath. "Moo's forces...city...come quick...danger...attacking...!" Surprise and disbelief flashed across Lorin's face. "WHAT?!" Lorin set off on all fours, running at speeds in excess of 85 sectas per hour. Gorn's eyes widened. "Wait for me!" He said as he ran after the warrior. * * * 10 minutes later, less than 1/6 of the time it took to get to the waterfall from the city, Lorin ran through the city gates. Members of his city were fighting Jokers that wore the crest of Moo himself. He saw one of his friends, Jorak, barely hanging on to life. A large pool of blood was forming under him, growing bigger ever so slowly. Lorin knelt beside his friend and held his head. The blood soaked intothe white cape around his waist. Jorak opened his eyes. His breathing was barely audible. "Lorin..." Lorin gave a small smile. "What happened here? Pick a fight again, Jorak? Lorsha's not gonna be too happy about that.." Jorak gave a smile in return. "Lorsha...my dear wife...I'm coming to see you soon..." Jorak then breathed his last. Lorin stood, blood dripping from his waistcape. "Rest well, old friend." He knelt down and closed his friend's eyes. Jorak then turned into a Lost Disk. He heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Gorn, eyes wide open in terror. "Lorin..is he...was it?" Lorin pulled out each sword and turned to face Windspirit's Square, the heart of the city. The sounds of battle could be heard loudest from its direction. "Yep. Jorak. He and many others as well have been lost to Moo's forces. Go to the mountains, Gorn. Hide in one of the many caves. When the sounds of battle fade away, go to Grayrock City. Go to the inn there and ask for Yugan. Tell him my name and what happened here. He will take care of you." Lorin turned and looked at Gorn. Gorn had tears streaming down his face. "Okay. Be careful..." He ran out of the city and headed toward the mountains. Lorin gave a loud battle cry and rushed toward the square. Along the way, he saw hundreds, maybe thousands of Lost Disks and buildings everywhere were on fire. He then saw the heart of the battle ahead of him. There were about 30 or so Jokers fighting amongst 20 Chitals. 5 of them wore the Gali crest on their chest and wore waistcapes of white. Many of them were bleeding profusely from wounds, but too stubborn to lay down their arms and die. Lorin was amazed. "20 Chitals left? Out of THOUSANDS? God..." He rushed behind a Joker and stabbed him through. Black blood coated his blade, and spilled onto the ground. The Joker then turned into a Lost Disk. A Cheetal turned to look at Lorin. "Lorin! You're back!" Lorin gave a smile. "Kall! How's it going?" Kall and Lorin each fought back against a Joker of their own. "Pretty bad...Everyone's dead. They attacked by surprise. None of us were ready for it. We're the last..." His sentence was cut short as a scythe flew and drove itself into his back. It could be seen exiting through his chest. He turned into a Lost Disk as the scythe flew back to its owner. Lorin took each sword and stabbed the Joker he was facing and the Joker Kall was fighting before his death through their hearts. He looked around. There were 4 or so Jokers left. He was alone. The last of a mighty Cheetal tribe. He pointed both swords out and started to concentrate. A bluish light eminated from each blade. The Jokers stepped back. As he continued to focus his energy, the swords grew brighter and brighter. He then spun in a circle. "Wind Slice!" A clear, shimmering circle burst out from him and sliced the remaining Jokers in half. Blood poured over the stoney street as their top and bottom halves fell and turned into Lost Disks. He started to walk aimlessly through the streets of the city, still in shock of what has happened here today. A shooting pain coursed through his right arm. "Aaaargh..." He looked at his arm. A large gash issued out blood. He was surprised he never noticed it. A Joker must have sliced him. He sheathed each sword and sat at a bench. Lorin pulled out a roll of bandages from a pouch at his waist. As he nursed his wound, he started thinking to himself. "A whole city. Laid to waste. Another to be added to Moo's horrible crimes. I must have revenge. He will not go unpunished." He tied up the bandage and started for the exit to the city. "And I will be your executioner Moo. The blood of my comrades cry out from the soil for revenge. Their cries will not be in vain, I swear it." He exited he burning city, ready to hunt his prey.

Going Against the Flow: Chapter 3- A Meeting Planned by Fate

Lorin knelt among the underbrush of the forest, smelling the wind for any scents that might come his way. He had heard that Moo's forces had a camp stationed in these woods and decided to come and get information. After he caused a ruckus. His arm hurt like hell. The bandage needed to be changed again. "Time to move to a different spot." As he started to move, he heard a loud roar come from the woods. It sounded like a Leo. The Leo were hated by the Chetal. The Cheetal have hated them since the Red Wars. The wars were over 155 years ago, but prejudice ran deep among the two tribes. Lorin was an exception to the rule. A group of Chetals realized that they must put the past behind them and had merged with a Gali to symbolize the need to merge with the Leos as friends. Their group had been small, however. They called themselves "The White Capes" because of the white Gali capes they wore around their waists. Other Cheetals called them Betrayers. Lorin rushed toward the sound. As he got nearer, he came upon a clearing in the woods. A Leo fought among many Zuums, Dinos, and Jells. He held a long slender sword in his hand which was covered with a white-hot flame. Lorin recognized him as a member of the Leo Holy Order, a group of Leo that also put the past behind them. Only Leos belonging to that sect wore a silver cross earring and could cover their swords with a Holy Flame. Lorin unsheathed his swords, rushed forward, and cut a Jell in two. He pressed his back to the Leo's. "We will fight better if we fight back to back!" He yelled. The Leo kept fighting off his attackers with his blade. "Gotcha! Holy Flame!" A large white flame erupted from his sword and enveloped a group of mosters. It raised the tempurature to high levels, but there was no smell of burning flesh. The mosters caought in the holy blaze screamed in agony and torture, as not only their bodies but also their hearts and souls experienced excruciating torment. He was suddenly blindsided by a Jell and fell to his knees, stunned. A Dino raked his claws across the Leo's back. The Leo's eyes grew wide open, the pain being so great that it cut through the haze of his dazed state. Lorin turned around. He jumped up and sliced the Dino in two. The Leo got up, blood streaming from his back. They went back-to-back again. Lorin could feel his ally's blood against his back. The Leo turned his head. "Fall back a bit! I have an idea!" The two inched their way to the back of the clearing, fighting off attackers as they came. The Leo yelled out, trying to be heard over the din of battle. "Cover me! When I say move, you had better move out of the way!" Lorin yelled out, "All right!" and started to fight off the attachers by himself. Both of his swords was a blur as he hacked and slashed at his attackers. Behind him, the Leo had put away his sword. He was bending at the knees a bit and a white glow enveloped his body. White orbs of holy energy rose from the ground at his feet and faded away as they reached eye level. He put put his palm and started to concentrate. A small ball of white energy formed on his palm and started to grow. It grew to the size of about a cantalope, then a large pumpkin. Lorin yelled with a hint of desperation. "You done with whatever it is you're doing?" The ball was still expanding and beads of presperation formed on the Leo's forehead. "Almost! Just hold them off a bit..." He felt a small sensation within his head, almost like a cosmic sort of PING!, giving him the signal that the attack was charged and finished. The fairly large ball of energy slightly glowed around the edges with a blue light. "Done! Run out of the area! Get away! This is gonna be a HELL of a blast!" Lorin ran out of the clearing as fast as his legs could carry him. The Leo jumped up with a backward flip, tossed the ball of energy at the enemies and ran in the direction of the Cheetal. He saw the Cheetal laying on his stomach with his hands on his head and the Leo did the same. A large pillar of light erupted from the direction of the clearing and shook the forest woth a large explosion. A strong wind blew from the exposion's direction, blowing dirt, twigs, and small rocks over the two warriors. Eventually the pillar of light started to get smaller and finally dissapear. The two looked at each other, got up, and walked to the clearing in silence. When they got there, it was if a small meteor had crashed into the area. All that remained of the site was a crater about 3 feet deep and as wide as the clearing. The camp of Moo's followers was completely destroyed and lost discs were in and around the crater. Lorin turned toward the Leo and put out his hand. "An awsome attack if I ever saw one. Name's Lorin. What's yours friend?" The Leo grabbed Lorin by the wrist and Lorin did the same. They pumped their arms up and down in a traditional greeting. "My name is Rys. The attack was called the Holy Lion Bomb and takes a great amount of energy to use. As well as a good amount of time needed to charge up." Rys heard a river in the distance and looked at the bloody bandage on Lorin's arm. "You seem to be wounded and I hear a river. Let's go and sit by the water and rest." They walked for about tem minutes and came upon their destination. Lorin sat and unwrapped the blood-soaked cloth around his wound. "One of the damn Zuums ripped my wound open afresh while I was holdin them off." Rys looked at the slashes and scanned the area. He spotted a Ukrai bush, a bush upon which green, fragrant berries grew. He walked over, pulled a berry off, and ate it. It was tart and sweet. "Perfect. These should help." He gathered a handful of the berries and squished them between his claws, making a green, strong-smelling paste. He walked over to Lorin and opened his hand with the mushed-up berries. Lorin sniffed them. "Yeah. Ukrai berries. So?" Rys took Lorin's arm in his other hand. "Most people don't know this, but, well, this is gonna sting." Rys smeared the berries on Lorin's wound. Lorin drew in a sharp breath from the sting of the berries. "Most people don't know, but when ukrai berries are at the peak of their ripeness, they make a type of acid that helps in the healing of wounds and aids in keeping off infection. Luckily these were in the right season." Lorin wrapped another piece of cloth around the wound. "Thanks, but what were you doing here fighting against Moo's forces by yourself?" Rys started gathering sticks and twigs for a fire. "Moo's Joker army decimated my city. I swore revenge. I heard from a reliable source that one of Moo's armies were stationed in this forest and I decided to start avenging my people here." He made a fire with his sword and a piece of flint from his pocket. His back was to Lorin and Lorin noticed Rys's back. It has a long slash wound, and most of the blood was dry, but it still bled a bit. "Good thing I came. Your back is bleeding from that Dino's attack. You want some bandages? I seem to have just enough left." Rys walked toward the river. "No. Save it, we may need it later. And besides, the pain has all but dissapeared. So why were YOU here, Lorin?" Lorin looked down at the dirt by his feet. "Moo also destroyed my city and my people. I am the last one, are you the last of your race as well?" Rys stood in the middle of the river, and grabbed at fishes by his feet. "Yes, I am also the last of my race. But let's not talk about these things." He fished with his claws and eventually caught four fish. He gutted them with a small knife that he kept in his pocket. Lorin was sleeping, recuperating from the battle. "Good." Rys thought. "He needs the rest. That was a mean wound on his arm." He then put fillets of the fish on sticks and put the sticks in the ground, in a way so that the fish hung over the fire. Rys took off his pants and started swimming in the river, cleaning off the dirt and sweat from the battle. His back ached from the wound he had suffered at the claws of the Dino. "Hope it doesn't get infected. When I get out, I'll sit with my back close to the fire. The heat will help fend off infection." He swam around for five more minutes, got out, put on his pants and sat with his back to the fire, letting the heat warm his golden fur and brown mane. The fish started to smell just about cooked and the odor woke Lorin from his sleep. Lorin looked at the fish over the fire. "You actually caught some fish! Is it done yet?" Rys took a bite of a fish. "Yep. Eat up. It's rather good." The two ate in silence and then went to bed. But sleep was not easy for them, as scenes of their burning city and dying friends haunted their dreams. Early the next morning they got up, put out the fire, and headed west; letting fate and the sun guide their way.

Going Against the Flow: Chapter 4- A Challenge is Issued

The two friends walked on a road that was lined by a meadow on both sides. They were on a path commonly used by merchants and travelers between the cities of Joriol and Yoren. Now and then people crossed their path and gave friendly greetings, which they returned. Lorin looked up at the sun. It was too damn hot for travelling. He stopped and looked at Rys's back. "Rys, do you have ANY idea where we are going? Or are you letting the road and instinct take you along?" Rys stopped and turned toward Lorin. "I have heard that an oracle of sorts lives to the north and I wanted to ask him or her how we may go about defeating Moo. That's my destination." Lorin walked off the path and sat in the shade of a tree. "That's all good, Rys, but may we take a break? It's hot and I don't feel like walking right now." Rys looked up at the sun and shielded his eyes. A drop of sweat carved its way through the dirt on his face. "Okay. It IS a bit hot, isn't it?" He sat next to Lorin, took off the animal-skin canteen he had strapped around his chest,un-stopped it, and drank from the water in it. He passed the container to Lorin, who took a long pull of the liquid within and then passed it back to Rys, who put the cork back in and placed it back on. "So, Rys," Lorin began, "Were you present at the city when it was attacked?" A sad expression passed across Rys's face. "No. I had been returning from a trip to Anoran, a neihboring town, when I saw smoke rising in the distance, from the general direction of my city, Akairion." He began. "I ran to the front gate of the city and withheld a horrible scene. Buildings smoldering from fire, and some still burned. The acidic smell of burning wood filled my nostrils as I walked through the town in a total daze. It seemed as if a graveyard of sorts had sprung up overnight. I saw thousands of Leo Lost Disks. But I also saw many Joker disks as well, tipping me off to who had attacked the city. I walked toward Aka Square, the heart of the city. I percieved ten or so Jokers, wearing Moo's crest, drinking alcoholic beverages from our own stores. They seemed to be celebrating their victory. I overheard their ramblings. They were saying how they had surprised the city and overtook it with only a hundred Jokers. I was filled with such a rage that I took out my sword," he patted the samurai sword on his waist, "and killed nine easily enough; since they were so drunk from their drinking they were clumsy and weak. But one of them, obviously their leader, did not have the stench of alcohol on his robe like the others did. He obviously had none of the drinks that the others had. We fought for a good while, about two or so hours. He finally fell when he turned invisibe and I was able to spot him with my Holy Sight. He wasn't facing me and had no idea that I could see him. I fired an Energy Blade at him and it went through his body, killing him. I then swore revenge against Moo and left the smouldering city, ready to repay him for the lost souls of my family and friends." "What a touching and interesting story." Rys looked at Lorin, a confused expression on his face. "You said that, right?" Lorin shook his head. Suddenly, a black smoke filled the countryside. Lorin and Rys shielded their eyes and coughed as the smoke burned their lungs. As the smoke cleared, a person dressed in a black ninja costume stood before them. But they could see that he was not a person, for a black tail swayed back and forth behind him. Upon closer inspection of the tail, you could see black spots on it. He wore the crest of Moo on his chest. The ninja spoke up. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shakahn and as you probably know..." He patted the symbol on his chest. "I serve Moo. I hope you don't think that he doesn't know of what you two has done. He doesn't appreciate it when people destroy his followers and armies." Rys was filled with a rage that seemed to spring from his soul. He looked at the ninja. "And I don't appreciate it when armies destroy my people!" He jumped up and rushed toward the ninja, samurai sword out and glistening in the light of the sun. Shakahn held out his hand. "Shadow Stop!" Rys suddenly stopped in place, a black glow surrounding him. Lorin stood up, took out both his swords, and started ran toward Shakahn. The ninja pulled out two shuriken, seemingly out of nowhere, and flung them at the Cheetal warrior. They hit each hand and made Lorin drop his swords. "I will be taking your friend the Leo." Shakahn stated. "If you want to see him again, come to the Shadowkeeper's Temple in the west. I'll be waiting." He threw down several black balls and they exploded with a jet-colored smoke. Lorin hacked and coughed as the acidic smoke stung his eyes and burned his lungs. When the smoke cleared, Rys and Shakahn were gone.

Going Against the Flow: Chapter 5- A Powerful Wizard

Lorin walked over to his swords and put each in its sheath. "Due west... Guess the Oracle will have to wait." He started to run on all fours toward the western mountains, knowing that the clan of ninjas were fond of torturing their victims. Rys seemed to have no idea who they were; however, Lorin knew full well the background of his enemies. They were Shadow Pantara, black panther monsters. They trained in the arts of the ninja, who used the night as their cloak. They were very secretive and agile. They could come and go without you even noticing that they were there at all. The ninja usually did covert operations, like espionage and arson. They also sold themselves to the highest bidder, not caring who they hurt or killed. But they would never work for Moo, yet Shakahn was wearing his crest. "Something's wrong here..." Lorin thought to himself. Suddenly he caught a flash of light to his right. He stopped in his tracks. He started to creep up over the small knoll before him, being extra careful and even more silent. The scene he came upon was amazing. "A Rentok! I didn't know that they still existed!" The object of his fascination was facing off against about five dragons, who wore Moo's symbol. Lorin thought that Moo had killed all the Rentok off! They were his first targets because of their strong magic abilities that rivaled even his. Moo hit them all fast and hard. Ever since Moo's attacks, no Rentok have been seen. This one was quite unusual. He wore a red cloak that totally covered his body save for his eyes and a red hat with a white feather in it. A crystal staff floated before him. The crystal globe rested on the pinnacle of the staff. All previously known Rentok wore white and had a red feather in their hats. He decided to sneak in closer and watch. As he neared, he could hear what they were talking about. The dragon leader was speaking. "...so don't be stupid. Give us the Phoenix Medallion." Lorin's eyes widened. "The Phoenix Medallion?! This Rentok has it?" The Phoenix Medallion was said to exist in a parallel space and time of nothingness, sealed away because of its strong powers. Lorin still couldn't believe it. The Rentok spoke up. "Moo will never get this medallion. If you want it, you must pry it from my cold, dead fingers!" The dragon looked back at his comrades. "So be it." And the dragons attacked. Lorin jumped from his hiding place and landed right behind the Rentok. The dragons stopped in their tracks in surprise. The dragon's leader had a stunned look on his face. "A Cheetal? I thought we killed all of you!" Lorin looked at the dragon. "I guess you were wrong." Lorin looked at the Rentok. "I'm a friend. Name's Lorin. Yours?" The Rentok blinked. "Silve." Lorin turned toward the dragons. "Well now Silve. Shall we dance with these men? I have room on my dance card for at least one more jig." Silve stood beside Lorin and looked at the dragons. "Let's." The dragons resumed their attack. Lorin flashed out his swords and slashed at a dragon near him. The attack was so quick all you saw was a flash of light. The dragon stood stunned and looked down at his abdomen. Blood poured from a X shaped wound onto the grass. He then turned into a Lost Disk. Silve faced off against 4 dragons while Lorin took the other 4. Lorin looked around at the dragons that surrounded him. "Let's tango." *** Silve had problems. His crystal staff started to glow. "Crystal Double!" Instantly 2 doubles of himself appeared, one to his right, one to his left. All three split apart and started fighting. Silve flew up into the air while his doubles took on the dragons. Fortunately for him, the dragons though that one of the doubles was himself and never noticed Silve floating above them. His staff glowed with a bright blue light as he concentrated. "Crystal Ice!" A crystal-clear ice stalagmite impaled two of the dragons. Blood flowed from the fringes of their wounds. The other 2 looked at their allies in surprise, searching for the source of their comrade's death. One looked up and pointed at Silve. "Up there!" Silve's staff turned crimson. "Crystal Flame!" From the tip of his staff, a clear flame erupted forth, the only indicator of its presence was the shimmer it made. The flame hit a dragon dead-on. The great beast screamed in agony as his flesh burned away. He turned into a Lost Disk almost instantly. The last of the four dragons who faced off against Silve flew upward towards him. His great speed caught Silve by surprise as the dragon raked his claw across Silve's right shoulder. Silve starte to fall and struggled to stay upright to land on his feet. He landed and looked at his wound. It was bleeding from three slash marks. He looked up at the dragon, and a burning desire to see him dead raged within his soul. Silve then did what was as rare as finding a red diamond. He took off his cloak. The cloak kept a seal on his power, but with it gone, magical energy seemed to burst from his very spirit. He stuggled to remain awake, as the intence energies brought him to the edge of unconsciousness. The dragon saw what he was trying to do and dived. Silva closed his eyes and focused. A white sphere of energy that glowed with the colors of the rainbow started to grow in front of him and began to expand. It grew grew larger and larger, and any grass that came into contact with the magical force whithered and died. He opened his eyes, looked up at the dragon and upheld the sphere of energy within his hands in the dragon's direction. "Crystal Cannon!" The shimmering rainbow beam hit the speeding titan head on. A huge explosion seemed to rock the world as the dragon was caught in massive explosions of pure magical energy. Not even a Lost Disc fell from the sky. Silva struggled to regain his balance and ran as best he could to his cape and put it on. That great surge of power had drained him of energy, and he fell, unconsious, to the ground. "Let's tango." All four dragons charged at Lorin and started to attack him with their claws. He jumped, ducked, and dodged every claw, slashing with his swords whenever he could. Now and then a claw nicked him, but he paid the pain no heed. He ducked under a claw and cut it off of its owners arm. A dragon fell back, holding the bloody stump and roaring in pain. Lorin, dodging claws and tails, rushed forward and stabbed the dragon through the heart. He turned into a Lost Disk. Lorin turned around and faced the other three, who each bled from both slash wounds from his swords and the attacks from other allies. They were looking behind him. Lorin turned to see two dragons impaled on large spikes of ice. He turned his attention once again to his foes. "Guess he really didn't need the help." And resumed his attack. "Flash Cut!" He ran through the dragons and slashed at each one quckly in a blur of blades. Each one fell, one after another, and turned into Lost Disks. Just then he felt the earth beneath his feet shake and turned his atention to Silva. Great rainbow-colored explosions erupted in the sky, and he thought he could catch the faint outline of a dragon in the middle. He then saw Silva run unsteadily towards his cape. Lorin had never seen a Rentok without his cloak on. His head was like that of a dragon, two large tusks protruded from his bottom jaw, and one of them had a symbol engraved on it. Sylva put on his cloak, covering all but his eyes once again, and fell. His hat fell off, showing hair brushed back and colored a midnight blue. He also had two large, black horns growing out of his head. "That's unusual." Lorin thought to himself. "Rentoks have red hair...." But he had no time to dote on the oddity. The leader of the dragons, who had been hanging back and watching, started to advance toward Silva's still form. Lorin rushed forward and stood between the behemoth and Sylva. He pointed both swords at the dragon. "Leave him alone, dragon. Leave before you suffer your comrade's fate." The dragon stopped walking and spread his wings. "You'll be sure that Master Moo will hear about this!" He started to flap his wings and take off into the sky. Within minutes he was gone. Silva started to move. "Uhhnnn...Hmmmm? Wha?" Lorin looked down and pulled Silva up. "Well, friend, it seems that you probably didn't need my help much at all." Silva stood on unsteady legs and almost fell. Lorin caught him and kept him upright. "Whoah, there. Maybe we oughta sit down." He set Silva down and sat beside him. "Can you tell me why Moo's henchmen are after you?" Silva reached into the folds of his cape and withdrew a golden medallion. Engraved on it was a picture of the legendary Phoenix, with eyes made of ruby. "Moo's after this." He began. "This medallion is said to have the power to destroy evil and revive Lost Disks. It is also said that the soul of the Phoenix itself is sealed within this." Lorin stared at the trinket in disbelief. "This thing? This little piece of jewelry is supposed to have all this great power? Of course I have heard the legends, but still, I don't believe it." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Listen, its been fun, but I have to go. My friend is..." Silva interrupted him. "Being held captive by the Shadow Pantara?" Lorin smiled awkwardly. "Yes, that's right, but how did you...?" Silva tapped his temple. "I read your mind. I will come with you and help. You will not be able to save him yourself." Turned and started to walk away. "I can do just fine, thank you." Silva shook his head. "You are a great fighter, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to defeat the ninja by yourself. Plus you helped me. I need to repay the debt." Lorin stopped and turned back to face Silva. "Fine. Let's go. But keep out of my my head. I don't need you poking around in there."

Going Against the Flow: Chapter 6- Saved From the Darkness

Rys was hungry. He had been in the basement dungeon of the Shadowkeepers Temple for the last two days and he was only given water since his arrival. His sword has been taken away and now Rys's only option was to wait. His cellmate wasn't that well of either. He was put in a cell with another Black Pantara ninja. They were the only two in the dungeon. They tried talking now and then, but mostly silence reigned down here. But he had learned qite a bit over two days. His cell mate's name was Rorik. He explained that the Black Pantara was a group of black panther ninja and owed allegience to no one. They mostly did undercover work for whoever paid the highest price. But one day Moo appeared to the leader of the sect, Shakahn. He offered gold and riches in exchange for loyalty. Shakahn was always a greedy leader and took him up on his offer. Rorik and a few others dissaproved, so they were thrown down into the dungeon. One by one his friends had whithered away. He told of being tortured, getting only one meal a week, and getting drink of water a day. He said that it's not so bad, once you get past the torturing part. Lorin and Silve hid in the forests surrounding the temple. They had arrived here that morning, but needed the cover of night before they could move. "Hold on Rys." Lorin thought. "You'll be out soon." The door to the dungeon opened and Shakahn walked through, followed by two ninja. One of them opened the door to the cell and Shakahn walked over to Rys. Rys stood, but the ninja forced him down to one knee. Shakahn spoke. "So. The last of the Leo wants revenge. Moo knows about you. And it seems that your Cheetal friend also saved a Rentok that Moo needed desperately. You two are nothing but trouble to him. But Moo wants to talk to you personally. But I want to know one thing. What's your name?" Rys remained silent and instead kept his thoughts to himself. "A Rentok? I thought they were all killed!" Shakahn motioned toward Rys and one of the ninja slashed Rys's his right shoulder with a ninja knife. "Aaaagh!" Rys screamed. Shakahn chuckled to himself. "I didn't think that you would speak up. No matter. Moo will arrive in a couple days and he will get some answers from you. Come!" Shakahn and his two ninja closed the door to the cell and left. Rys held a hand to his wound and the blood dripped down his arm. Rorik looked at him. "You alright? That's their main method of interregation. Pain. That's nothing compared to what they'll do later." Rorik stood, faced his back toward Rys, and lifted his shirt. Rys could see many slash marks and bruises where the black fur had been ripped out. He wondered how long he had to live. Night had fallen an hour ago. Lorin amd Silve slowly made their way to the wall surrounding the compound. Lorin seacrched the wall for a foot hold. Finding one, he started his climb. About half way up, he looked down at Silve. "Well? Aren't you coming?" Silve then started to float up the face of the wall. As he passed by, Lorin thought he saw a smile on Silve's face. "Show off." He climbed up the wall and jumped down the other side. The two quickly ran to the wall of the temple and paused. "Shhh." Lorin explained. "There's someone there." He poked his head around the corner and saw a ninja walking away from him. Lorin unsheathed a sword, ran up, and stabbed the panther through the heart. He turned into a Lost Disk. Lorin motioned toward Silva. "Come on." They walked around another corner and saw a window. They cautiously climbed in and started to move down the hall. Lorin stopped again as they approached a corner and peeked around it. Another ninja was standing guard at a door. Silva whispered. "I'll handle this." He looked at the ninja from his hidden position. "Spirits of time, stop all movement. Crystal Stop!" The ninja's body started to glow and a vacant look spread across his face. Lorin walked up and waved his hand across the panther's face. "Stopped cold. That's an awsome spell. Now, let's see what he was guarding." He opened the door and met with a spectacular sight. Money was everywhere, along with jewels and gold. Lorin whistled. "What a load. Huh?" A long, slender object caught his eye and he picked it up. It was a sword with an uncut emerald in its handle. "Rys's sword! Now I know I'm in the right place." He exited the room and spoke to Silve. "My friend is in here. Since you have the magic and can read minds, do you think...?" Silve nodded. "Folow me." Silve the preceded to lead the way through the fortress. They met up with ither ninja, but they were easily and quietly slain by Lorin. They eventually came to a stairway. "Through here." Silve motioned, and led the way. They came to a door with a huge lock that was guarded by two Black Pantara. "Time for another spell," Silve said. He closed his eyes. "Quiet the soul, make speech unknown!" He turned to Lorin. "Kill one, but hold on to the other." Lorin quickly jumped down the stairs and threw his sword at the ninja on his right. It embedded itself in the ninja's chest. Blood started to flow from the wound, but he quckly turned into a Lost Disk. Lorin ran up behind the other ninja and put his arm around the panther's throat. The Ninja tried so scream, but no sound came out. "Unlock the door. NOW!" Lorin barked. The ninja did as he was told. "Thank you." Lorin broke the guard's neck. He walked in and saw Rys, along with another ninja. Rys was sleeping. "Get up! We gotta go!" Rys mumbled. "Hmmm? Wha? Oh! Lorin! How did you...?" Lorin handed Rys his sword. "Later. Right now we have to get out of here." Rys stood and took hid sword. "Wait." He walked over to Rorik and put his hands around Rys's own neck. "Come on. We're getting out of here." Silve appeared through the doorway. Rys's eyes grew huge. "A Rentok! So Shakahn was right. You did save him from Moo's henchmen." Silve walked over and froze the lock. Rys shattered the brittle metal with a good kick. Rys looked at Silve. "Thanks, but we'll save the introductions for later. Let's go." "I don't think so." They looked toward the doorway. Shakahn stood there, along with about 13 ninjas, all in fighting stances and holding weapons. Swords, knives, and spears glinted with the light of the surrounding torches within the room. "I knew you would come and try to save your friend." He motioned toward the group and the ninja's attacked. Rys put down Rorik. He then took out his sword and held it in true samurai form. He held it with two hands at eye level, pointing the blade at his attackers. A white flame enveloped the blade. He parried attacks and slashed whenever he saw an opening. He heard a scream from Lorin. Lorin was holding his arm, blood seeping through his fingers. They has re-opened his wound on his arm. Rys suddenly barged through ninja, slashing as he ran, not paying any attention to his own safety. A ninja stood above Lorin, about to give the cheetah a final blow. Rys parried the blade and killed the ninja quickly. He saw flashes of light as Silve fried 5 more ninja with a bolt of lightning. Rys stood over Lorin, protecting his wounded friend as he fought off his attackers. As he fought and killed, the flame grew bigger. Blod flowed freely over the ground as more and more Lost Disks appeared. Finally, 3 ninja remained and ran towards Shakahn. Shakahn put forth his palm. "Shadow Energy!" A wide, black beam with black lightning swirling around it flew towards Rys. Rys started to spin his sword before him. "Holy Shield!" As the sword gained speed, it formed a round, whit shield before him. There was a loud boom as the beam crashed against the shield and fizzled out. Rys stopped his sword. It had never burned with such a bright flame. "Feel the pain of those you have killed without mercy! Holy Cannon!" Rys closed his eyes and held out his sword toward Shakahn. White orbs of energy flowed toward the blade as Rys's body stated to glow. A huge ball started to form on the sword, growing bigger every second. The ninja that remained ran out of the room, but Shakahn stayed. Rys opened his eyes and roared. The huge mass of gathered energy blasted forth and hit Shakahn with such force that he flew against the wall and was held in place. When the energy faded, all that remained was a Lost Disk. Rys quietly put his sword in its sheath and picked up Rorik again, who was unhurt thanks to Silve. He turned toward his friends. "Let's go." The group worked their way through the fortress. It seemed that the remaining ninja had turned tail and ran from the compound, so they met with no opposition. They exited the building and fled into the darkness of the woods, using the light of the moon to guide tham.

Going Against the Flow: Chapter 7-Noble Wings

"Talon! Talon! Could you come down here please?! TALON! Can you hear me!" "Snow" Krystal Lyyn Nicole Winters called upward at the Fierce that was flying high above her. She saw him look down. "Coming!" He folded his pure-white wings and dove straight at her, as if to attack. But Snow didn't move or even flinch. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her, at least, not on purpose. But he WAS coming in a bit fast.... Just before it seemed that he would crash into her, Talon spread his strong wings and flapped them hard once. The drag he created with the flapping of his wings pushed him back about a foot and he landed softly in the green grass. Snow scanned him from head to foot, proud at the way she had raised him and helped him grow into the strong monster that he was. Talon's head was like an eagles, with a yellow beak and was adorned with pure-white feathers. On each side of his beak were fangs that hung downward and were always out, even when his beak was closed. The wings were also like an eagle's, that spanned five feet each way when fully extended. The feathers gradually turned into fur on his chest and then became feathers again on his legs. His legs were also like an eagle's, with talons that could either crush bones or gently lift a kitten. But on his left leg was fur, instead of feathers, that went up his thigh. His arms were strong and muscular, but instead of hands he had talons. Except for his right hand. It was like a paw and had long black nails, and fur ran the length of his right arm, unlike the left, which had feathers. Another oddity was his tail. Instead of having the triangular tailfeathers of an eagle, he had a rusty-red fox tail with a cream-colored tip. And what made him really cool was his color. He was all white, except for the fur on his chest, which was cream-colored. He wore a plain white T-shirt and faded blue jeans. Strapped to his back was a staffblade, his weapon of choice. A staffblade consisted of a grip with a long blade on each side. The weapon is difficult to use, but once a person mastered its use, it was a deadly weapon. Talon could teach the masters a thing or two. "You wanted to see me, Master?" Snow lowered her head. He was also very noble, showed great respect, and a feirce loyalty for his friends. That noble-respect thing had a downside. He kept calling her "Master", despite her complaints to him. It was time to set things straight. "Talon," she began, "how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Master'? Call me Snow, or Krystal, or Iron Sushi Chef Momoihana for all I care. But PLEASE, not 'Master'." Talon ruffled his wings, as if directly insulted. "But that would be rude. You are my Master and teacher. You have raised me and cared for me all my life. I must show the proper respect that you are due." Snow took a deep breath. "Okay then, how about this. When you call me 'Master', it makes me feel like an old woman. I'm only 32 years old! I HATE feeling like an old bag! Plus, it also makes me sound like I'm some sort of mean, hard slave driver. And that makes me uncomfortable. Call me "Snow", like all my friends do. You don't consider me a friend?" Snow gave Talon a questioning look. He looked hurt. "Of course I do Mas-, I mean, Snow." Snow smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt so good to hear him call her Snow. "Thank you, Talon. I was thinking that today you could do the Pull exercise, followed by the Shoot and the Dodge exercises. But I'm gonna add an extra fifty pounds to the Pull exercise. I know you can do it." Talon stretched his arms over his head and cracked his back. "Let's go then, Snow!" The two walked over to a fairly large hill and at the base of the hill was a platform made of bricks. Attached to the platform were two leather straps that were slipped on over the shoulders. Near the platform were weights of different sizes. She put two fifteen-pound and two ten-pound weights on the brick platform. Originally, the platform weighed one hundred pounds, but she had extra bricks added to the platform so that the base weight was two hundred fifty. That made today's weight three hundred pounds. Talon put on the straps. "You know the drill Talon." Snow said. "You must pull the platform to the top of the hill. It's a bit heavier than usual..." Talon gave her a sarcastoc look. Snow smiled. "But I know you can do it. Ready....Set.....," Talon dug the back of his talons intothe ground. "GO!" He pulled with all his strength, muscles under the shirt bulging with the strain of the work. He didn't think that fifty pounds would make THIS much of a difference. Slowly, the platform started to move. He gave a good pull and started to run. The load gained speed and he pulled it up the hill, but once he almost lost it and barely kept it from pulling him to the base of the hill. At the top, with lungs heaving and muscles burning with the ache of being pushed to the limit, he un-strapped the platform from his back. Snow met him at the top and hugged his neck. "GREAT job, Talon! I knew you could do it! That fifty pounds was nothing for you!" She then had him do the Shoot and Dodge exercises, and Talon did extremely well in both of them. She pulled out a small bottle of Nuts Oil and had Talon drink it, to help his muscles heal from the strain of the Pulling and to relieve his fatigue. "That's all for today. Now go rest up. You need it." Talon went and lay down in the grass and closed his eyes. Next thing he knew, Snow was waking him up. "Talon, wake up and come into the house, please. I need to talk with you." She started towards the abode, and Talon noticed it was sunset. "Why is she being so serious? What did I do?" He slowly walked into the house. "Snow? Where are you?" He heard her from the dining room. "In here. In the dining room. Get in here. NOW." Eagle lowered his shoulders and drooped his wings. What exactly had he done? He walked into the room and looked up. He gasped with amazement. On the table was food. Lots of it. And in the middle of the table was a cake. In the middle of the cake were the words: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TALON! Snow walked up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Happy birthday Talon!" She sat him down and they had dinner and talked about things like how nervous Talon was earlier when she told him to get in the house, and about upcoming tourneys, and about other things. After dinner, she cut the cake and gave him a large piece. "I also have something else for you." She handed him a box with a bow on it. Talon opened it and inside was Snow's favorite brown leather jacket. Embroidered on the back, in silver, was the image of a Tiger howling at the moon. "Snow, this is your favorite jacket. I can't accept it." Snow shook her head. "No. It's my gift to you. And besides having a wool collar, look inside." Talon looked and pinned to the inside of the jacket were the Courage and Valor badges he has won. She had pinned them into the jacket. "Snow, I,...Thank you!" Snow smiled. "I'm glad you're happy. Try it on!" Talon stood up and tried on the jacket. It was a tad small, but it was a good fit. "Thank you so much, Snow. I'll always wear it." Snow gave him a beaming smile. "You're welcome, Talon. But you should get to bed now. It's late and you must be tired." Talon yawned in response. He walked out to his stable and before drifting off to sleep, fingered the material of the jacket. Talon was in a battle, a hard and drudging battle that seemed that it wouldn't stop. The Pixie he was fighting shot flame at him and he could smell the smoke.... Talon woke up. He could REALLY smell smoke! He charged through the doors of the stable and looked at the house. It was ablaze in fire! It came out of the ceiling and the windows. He scanned the area for Snow. He couldn't see her. "SNOW! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He ran near the house. "She couldn't still be... He ran inti the house. Flames licked at his clothes and his wings. "SNOW!" He ran room to room. "SNOW!" The ceiling caved in front of him. He jumped over the burning wood. "SNOW! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He heard a faint voice. "In....here...." He ran to her bedroom, the source of her voice seemed to come from there. He ram in and saw her pinned under a burning support beam. "*Cough*,*Cough*. Talon! *Cough!* Help me!" Talon bent down and paid no attention to the fire burning his hands as he srained to lift it. He threw it away from her and picked her up. "I'll get you out! Hold on!" He ran outside the house. Her breathing didn't sound good. He ran out and lay her down. Men came and started to douse the fire. She stuggled to breath. Her leg was twisted and broken. Her body was burned black in some places. "Talon...I..." Talon shook his head. "Don't talk. You'll be fine...." He felt a lump in his throat. Snow looked into his avian eyes. She was wheezing and stuggling to breathe. "I'm glad I was able to train you...and call you...friend...." She closed her eyes and breathe her last. "Snow....NOOOOO! SNOW! WAKE UP! OPEN YOUR EYES! SNOW! PLEASE BE JOKING!" She remained silent. She didn't move. She didn't breathe. His tainer, his best friend, was dead. He cave a piercing cry to the starlit sky, as if to call her back.

-- Celious (lionmage@hotmail.com)

-- Wheel Gator (MyersDCM@email.msn.com), March 12, 2000

Answers

Hey! What happened to Rys and Lorin? Did they kill Moo? What is the relation of Chapter 7 with the rest of the chapters?

That's all!

-- JCDA (caloyaurellano@yahoo.com), March 14, 2000.