《Warrior Academy Episode 5 - Hiro's Rising》 Chapter 1 - Track 1 CHAPTER 1 TRACK 1 ¨C ¡°All students head to the dormitories in an orderly¡­¡± Ichigo Miyamoto¡¯s voice was drowned out as the NRE fleet chose that moment to fire their batteries. Cannon fire ripped through the dawn air, overshadowing the din of the alarm¡¯s klaxon cries. Tuki and I watched in growing horror since my enhanced vision and senses let me see the dozens of fiery explosions blossomed before my eyes. I saw the shots before I heard them moments later, luckily for us, the ships were all bow facing, so that limited the number of shots coming our way. That would change when the shark like ships turned broadside to fire. ¡°Hiro!¡± Bron¡¯s voice broke me from my thoughts. ¡°We have to go!¡± His words were punctuated by the now landing cannon shots. Which were bouncing off the school¡¯s force shield, each bang sounding like a giant gong, banging in a staccato rhythm? ¡°He¡¯s right boss, we have to go. It¡¯s not safe here.¡± Tuki chimed in, echoing Bron¡¯s sentiment. Just then Headmaster Miyamoto¡¯s voice amplified and sounded out over the racket of the cannonballs smashing into the shield. Each hit causing the invisible dome to flare translucent blue with every successive strike, looking like a giant strobing disco light, accentuating the teacher¡¯s words. ¡°Faculty and students, Defense Plan Lock Down Alpha 1 is in effect! Initiate immediately, details are being sent to your AR2¡¯s. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!¡± The Headmaster called in a loud but calm voice. My AR2 dinged and I spared a moment flicking my attention to the message. DEFENSE PLAN LOCK DOWN ALPHA 1 INITIATED¡­ ATTENTION ALL SCHOOLS FACULTY AND STUDENT BODY ALL FACULTY MEMBERS FORM DEFENSIVE AND OFFENSIVE BATTERIES ALL STUDENTS IN GRADE SOPHOMORE CLASS S FORM GUARD SQUADS AND FALLBACK TO POSITIONS A THROUGH D ALL STUDENTS IN GRADE SOPHOMORE CLASS A AND BELOW, AND FRESHMAN CLASS S AND BELOW, FALL BACK TO PREDETERMINED SHELTER SECTIONS 1 THROUGH 3, FOLLOW THE ROUTES ON YOUR AR2¡¯S I closed the message just in time to watch as every member of the faculty burst out in different color lights and streaked towards their positions and the incoming enemies. Ms. Parker¡¯s aura shined a crisscross of light blue air and dark red fire, Mr. Samson was the dark brown of the earth, while Mr. Joker¡¯s was a fluctuating rainbow of colors that never settled on just one. My gaze trailed over the rest of the faculty, Mr. Austin the pure white of snow and ice, Ms. Smith was bright pink like glowing cotton candy, and Mr. Strange was an almost clear color that was just a haze in the air. My fellow classmates and I cheered as the Faculty got into position. Ms. Smith, Mr. Strange, and Mr. Joker reinforced the barrier lending their magic, while the rest passed through the barrier and streaked towards the enemy brining the attack to them. In just a few seconds the three teachers were streaking through the sky, dodging the incoming cannonballs and closing in on the ships and ABBA¡¯s. When the teachers were almost in range of the enemy things took a rapid turn for the worst. Ninja Commandos, I don¡¯t know what else you¡¯d call someone wearing ninja garb that was patterned off green camouflage, appeared behind each faculty member. There were three for each teacher, nine in total, each wielding glowing weapons, which they held pointed at the teachers who seemed oblivious to their assailant¡¯s presence, they were so focused on the shield and enemy in front of them. I looked closely at the weapons and my AR2 dinged, I glanced at the information in the corner of my eye. AFFINITY NEGATION STUNNING ASP Weapon Type ¨C Retractable Stun Baton Name ¨C ASP Class ¨C Unique Durability ¨C 100/100 Upgrades ¨C Affinity Negation, Reverse Affinity Stun Known Characteristics ¨C This weapon was created to nullify a person¡¯s Affinity Power and render them incapacitated. Made of the same material as Affinity Ball this weapon reverses the polarity of the material and instead of taking on the properties of the Affinity wielder, it instead sucks the Affinity Power from those targeted. Affinities ¨C Null, Zero Affinity I went to call out to the teachers, but the enemy Ninjas acted before I could. Fear gripped me as the Ninjas attacked the teachers in unison. Nine Asps flashed out, almost faster than the eye could see, each hitting a different vulnerable spot on a teacher. All three dropped without any sounds but grunts and thuds of hitting the ground. Closing the information bubble, I looked at my friends standing by my side and all around us. All of Class S, even Justin and his crew had come within speaking distance, while the other members of the Freshman and Sophomore classes streamed towards the shelters. The exception was the Sophomore¡¯s Class S, who were separated into the A-Ball trio¡¯s and were racing towards the Ninja Commando Attackers. The Mirror Triplets reached the first trio of enemies, the ones that disabled Ms. Smith, all three struck simultaneously in a perfectly time ballet of badassery. Meryl, Beryl, and Sheryl each targeted a different attacker, their silvery auras shining like armor around them, then as one they yelled their attacks. ¡°Mirror Triple Strike!¡± The triplets cried. Suddenly, the triplets tripled. Three versions of each girl appeared separating from the original in a split-second, and turning from opaque to fully corporeal, then all nine flared their silver auras as they hit. The three shining silver kicks blasted into each Ninja Commando. My AR2 dinged as I watched. MIRROR TRIPLE STRIKE (LEVEL 3) ¨C This attack is a triple threat that can only be completed by members of the Mirror clan. By completed syncing the wavelength of their Affinity Powers, the triplets make mirror images of themselves that are three times the power output of the single member, then their power is tripled again by fusing each members own Affinity Power creating an AP pool that is exponentially stronger. This ability lasts till the triplets AP is expended. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. By the time I flicked the information closed the other Sophomore groups had reached the other Ninjas and had engaged them, already getting the upper hand with their surprise attack and A-Ball tactics. My group cheered as the Ninjas Commandos fell under the Sophomore onslaught one by one, until they were all down and incapacitated. Anna caught my eye and I gave her a thumbs up, which she returned with a fierce and triumphant grin. I motioned to my group and gestured towards the Sophomores, then we all ran over to help our sprites leading the way. Skidding to a stop a few feet before I reached Anna, followed along by the rest of my class. The gorgeous girl was directing her fellow classmates then turned as we reached her, while the rest of the Sophomores picked up the Asp¡¯s and unconscious teachers, ignoring the downed enemies. ¡°What¡¯s the plan sis.¡± Justin called, walking up to stand next to her and their brother Blake. ¡°We need to get the teachers to the infirmary first, Bron, Dwayne, and Blake, each of you grab a teacher then¡­¡± Anna began saying, as she finished directing hers and our teams, the rest of her words lost on me though, as another barrage from the NRE ships hit the barrier. The lead ships information flashed up on my AR2 NRE FAST ATTACK AIR GUNSHIP SHORT RANGE ASSAULT CRAFT ¨C 150 FT LENGTH ¨C 50 FT WIDTH ARMAMENT ¨C FIVE PORT AND FIVE STARBOARD BROADSIDE CANNONS, DUAL FORWARD AND STERN MOUNTED AFFINITY CANNONS ARMOR ¨C N/A CREW MAX ¨C 50 The Neo Rus Empire¡¯s military is based on the concept that the best defense is a good offense. NRE-FAAG¡¯s are the epitome of this philosophy. Highly armed, extremely maneuverable, and very fast, all at the expense of shielding and armor. Designed to resembled sharks made of iron and wood, they are propelled by an Affinity powered steam engine that can use crew members as fuel to extend its capabilities. These ships are usually used in fast attack squadrons that operate in short range from a base of operations with a longer tactical range. There large armament and ability to hold a large crew make them a very effective at surprise assaults. I closed the window as I caught my balance. The world shook visibly around us all, as the cannonballs struck the shield. This was the largest and strongest attack yet. The ships had turned to their broadsides and were now firing five more shots per ship. I watched in morbid fascination as what looked like a rain of cannon fire exploded against the shield, causing it to flicker and shake in rapid spasms and bursts. If this kept up, I wouldn¡¯t bet on the shield lasting that much longer. As if echoing my thoughts, Maggie grabbed my shoulder and gestured towards the rest of the group, who were already headed off full speed, unconscious teachers over broad shoulders. The whole group moved quickly but safely. Anna had us in a formation with the teachers in the center surrounded by the rest of us with Maggie and me pulling up the rear. No one spoke, nothing needed to be said, we knew where we needed to go, besides the world around us was speaking plenty. I glanced back and saw Ms. Parker, Mr. Samson, and Mr. Austin were still shining and flying around the group of ships and ABBA¡¯s. From this distance they looked like glowing florescent ping pong balls bouncing back and forth wildly through the sky. Even though they were way outnumbered every time they struck another NRE combatant fell from the sky. I grinned and was about to cheer out loud when another ship broke through the cloudbank and my cheer caught in my throat. All that came out was a strangled croak. The largest ship I had ever seen appeared from behind the attacking NRE-FAAG¡¯s and ABBAs. This ship was huge, easily as large as all the attacking ships combined. It was a steam belching, fire breathing dragon of a vessel, replete with cannon protruding from every side and a runway with a massive air control tower on top. I was reminded of the movies my Sensei like about World War II with their aircraft carriers. This was a flying version of that mixed with a steam powered destroyer. NEO RUS EMPIRE BATTLE AFFINITY DREADNAUGHT NAME ¨C NRE VLADIMIRPUTIN CLASS ¨C LEGENDARY LONG RANGE FORWARD ASSAULT CARRIER ¨C 770 FT LENGTH ¨C 83 FT WIDTH ARMAMENT ¨C FIFTY PORT AND FIFTY STARBOARD BROADSIDE AFFINITY COMBO CANNONS, THIRTEEN FORWARD AND STERN MOUNTED AFFINITY COMBO CANNONS, HANGAR FIFTY ASSAULT ABBA ARMOR ¨C AFFINITY REINFORCED STEEL PLATING CREW MAX ¨C 350 The Neo Rus Empire¡¯s military flagship. The Putin is a fully functional flying fortress and operating forward base. The Putin has all the necessary equipment and supplies to keep their army and ships supplied for six months. The vessel also has the armament equivalent of an entire fleet of ships. With their fast attack ABAB¡¯s and FAAG¡¯s, they have a blitzkrieg ability that is second to none. I took in all of this in a moment, then closed the screen and kept moving, catching back up with my classmates who had also seen the monster ship, and were now moving even faster. Then thunder struck, louder than I had ever heard in my life, so loud that I involuntarily put my hands over my ears, along with the rest of my classmates. Maggie¡¯s eyes were wide as she stared over my shoulder, looking almost comical with her hands covering her ears, I turned following her gaze. ¡°You gotta be trumping kidding me¡­¡± I whispered. Clouds of smoke blossomed from the side of the giant warship, in all the different Affinity colors, that were so large they obscured the huge ship from view. Then I saw the cannonballs streaking in, but these were Affinity powered shots, radiating Affinity Magic. There was ice, fire, earth, wind, and all the other Affinities, I watched them all as they traveled almost in slow motion, with a terrible feeling growing in the pit of my stomach the whole while. Luckily or not, I didn¡¯t have to wait long. The combined barrage of FAAG¡¯s and the Putin, almost a hundred cannonballs and Affinity cannonballs struck the schools shield. Time slowed to a crawl and I watched each individual shot hit the shield, causing the light blue Affinity power to flash while all the different Affinities colors exploded like fireworks on a perfectly placed tableau, it was beautiful. Then the shield overloaded and exploded shooting a backlash of Affinity Power that was so bright and loud the world disappeared around me, and everything went black. I slowly blinked my eyes open and smacked my mouth open and closed, tasting blood and dirt. A loud ringing was the only thing I could hear. My vision and hearing began to return, albeit at a snail¡¯s pace, thankfully my wits came back quicker. I was lying on the ground I realized, as I pushed myself up to feet and looked around. All my classmates were in a similar state as me, to varying degrees. The last thing I remembered was the shield exploding. I shook my head, clearing it, and got back in the game. Once on my feet, I helped Maggie up and then headed to the rest of my friends and classmates. No one was hurt, just shaken up, Anna caught my eye and nodded, then we all began moving again. Our goal, the Infirmary was just in sight and we moved even faster, everyone glancing behind them in fear as we ran. A look back and I saw the teachers and now all three headmasters holding off the NRE invaders, already they were forced back to the parade ground. I turned and refocused on our destination and quickly ran inside along with everyone else, bringing up the rear and shutting the door behind me. The Infirmary was large enough that all of us fit in comfortably. The teachers had already been placed in Healing Pods and Anna had a Holo-Screen up in the center of room, which everyone had gathered around and watched intently. The Holo-Screen was amazing, showing an aerial birds eye view of the entire battle, along with zooming in everywhere that the action happened and showing popups with information on combatants and different attacks and moves. I stepped up next to Maggie and she grabbed my hand not taking her eyes off the screen, which I stared at as well, taking in the view of the battle raging just outside our room. The action on screen was riveting. The Headmasters and Teachers fought like devils, and even though they were outnumbered over a hundred to one they held off the attackers, a testament to their strength and battle prowess. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I whispered, returning my full attention back to the unfolding battle. Track 2 TRACK 2 ¨C ¡°Bankai!¡± Ichigo yelled, his form changing immediately The Headmaster of SNES flared his power and his orange and silver streaked Affinity Power surrounded him, flashing blindingly for a moment then absorbing back into Ichigo. His ninja garb was gone and wasn¡¯t replaced by samurai armor, instead the Master Ninja wore a long orange kimono, laced with silver and blue tinged lightning bolts. The hair on his head turned to flame and his became fiery pits with arcs of hissing electric arcs. Even his swords had changed, becoming long slender Katanas of equal size, matching the Headmasters colors of fire and lightning. BANKAI (LEVEL MASTER) ¨C Host uses their Affinity Power to change their appearance and Affinity level to their most powerful, third and final form. The hosts strength, speed, skill, and power to their maximum limits. This is skill is known only to the Miyamoto Clan. ¡°No fair Ichi, you always change first!¡± Headmaster Siegfried called, beginning his own transformation. ¡°For Justice and Vengeance!¡± Like his fellow Headmaster, Siegfried¡¯s transformation was different this time. Gone was the heavily armed and armored Knight. When the golden glowing Affinity Power faded there stood Siegfried Draconis, brimming with power and standing like a vengeful god of old. He stood bare chested with a golden metal kilt and his hammer was gone, in its place was a shining golden axe. He truly resembled his legendary namesake, the barbarian hero of old Siegfried the Dragon Sayer. My Master loved old Conan the Barbarian movies. This was the living embodiment of that fierce warrior. LEGENDARY AVATAR (LEVEL MASTER) ¨C Host sacrifices a portion of their consciousness in exchange for becoming an avatar for a legendary hero. By doing so the power of the legendary hero and the host merge and become a multiplication of both. The new being takes on the visage of the legendary hero. ¡°Come on Simon boy-o, time waits for no man!¡± Siegfried called, swinging his axe in a huge arc, flaring his Affinity Power, and leaping off into the air, streaking towards the NRE ships and fighters. Following the trend set by his two friends, Lord Belmonte nodded stoically, and power shot out of him, enveloping him in his Affinity Power, black, silver and white light encased the giant man. ¡°FF Limit Break!¡± Damon Belmont called, as his voice and AP trailed behind him like an after image. FF LIMIT BREAK (LEVEL MASTER) ¨C By defeating the godlike FF beings the host completed the contract with those beings of the Affinity Plane. Host takes on attributes and gains power of the FF beings but retains all control over his mind and body. Hosts Affinity Magic and Affinity Power become almost immeasurable in the normal realm. He was already streaking after Ichigo and Siegfried before his Affinity Power had stopped flashing. When it finally resolved itself and flowed into his skin, it revealed the Headmaster¡¯s new form. One huge feathered wing, as black as night, but shimmering with silver light and crackling with sparks of white energy, protruded from Damon¡¯s bare back. Gone was his trench coat, now he was bare chested and wore only his battle pants and boots. Covered in glowing Affinity Energy, Damon stopped in between his two friends. The Neo Rus attackers began to pull back, all the ships and ABBA¡¯s even the Dreadnaught, when the Headmasters entered the fray. The three teachers, who had been fighting against almost overwhelming odds, received a respite, as they moved over to Belmont and the others. ¡°Nice of you boys to join us.¡± Ms. Parker, also known as Lady Death, quipped as she arrived, a wry grin of relief across her face.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Mr. Samson and Mr. Austin arrived with similar looks right behind her. The group hovered in the air and watched the retreating enemy. ¡°It looks like¡­¡± Damon Belmont began, but stopped as the enemy stopped retreating and a new Affinity Power, the color of a bloody sun, erupted on the deck of the Dreadnaught. The view zoomed in and showed a humungous man in the center of the Affinity Power¡¯s blossom. His power was enormous, at least as strong as that of the Headmasters. He wore clothing that made him look like an officer straight out of WW2 movie, except the cape that hung from his broad shoulders. The man looked like a posterchild a warrior from those movies, even the scars crisscrossing his cheek screamed SS. ¡°Good Afternoon gentlemen and lady.¡± The huge man¡¯s voice boomed out across the whole aerial battlefield. ¡°Thank you for having us for breakfast.¡± He laughed for a moment then began speaking again. ¡°My name is Commodore Vladimir Stalin. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially you, Lord Damon Belmont.¡± The glowing blood red man finished, flaring his power and leaping into the air, then streaking towards the Faculty. It was some sort of prearranged signal and all seven of the NRE-FAAG¡¯s began to glow a different color on the Affinity spectrum. The Dreadnaught, the WA Main Tower, and Commodore Stalin also began to glow brighter than ever. The ships spun in place, the retreat had been a ruse, and now they were in position surrounding the WA Faculty. The NRE Commodore flew through the sky, glowing with AP, stopping just a hundred feet from the teachers. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think you¡¯re doing¡­¡± Belmont started shouting, but the NRE Affinity Magic ¡°Just humor me Lord Belmont.¡± Commodore Staling yelled, cutting off the WA Headmaster. He raised his hands and his Affinity Power flared brightly, shooting out from him and the NRE ships. Giant lines of magical force, pulsing with Affinity Power, connected the ten different NRE enemies in moments. Each NRE-FAAG was connected and lines shot to the Dreadnaught, the Commodore, and then the Warrior Academy Main tower to complete a decagon. The WA Faculty were surrounded by glowing lines of Affinity Magic. ¡°This is bad.¡± Ichigo said to his friends. ¡°That depends on your point of view.¡± The Commodore¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°You see, from my position it is quite good. Now, on with the show! Gulag Affinity Teleport Enforcement!¡± GULAG AFFINITY TELEPORT ENFORCEMENT A mass creation spell, developed by the Neo Rus Empire, for imprisoning can transporting their dissidents and enemies of the state. By combining all different types of Affinity Magic and directing it, the GATE spell sends the targets of the spell into the Affinity Realm encased in a prison of Affinity Magic powered by the captives own Affinity Power. All three Headmasters flared their power and rushed the glowing Commodore, all three hit the man like freight trains, tri-colored AP exploding in blinding flashes of power. When the light subsided and the view cleared, shocked gasps and soft curses sounded around the Infirmary. I echoed the sentiments, shook my head and refocused on the screen. The glowing lines of force were still there, now twice as large and surrounding the Faculty on all sides now, in a three-dimensional decagon cage. Commodore Stalin was guffawing loudly while the Headmasters and other teachers were back in the center of the cage. When the NRE commander finally got ahold of himself he grinned malevolently at the trapped teachers. ¡°Goodbye Headmasters, I will take good care of your students.¡± Commodore Stalin hissed nastily, an oily smile across his face. He raised his hands and gestured, then the lines of the cage began to pulse and shine at a greater intensity then before. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this.¡± Damon Belmont raged at the NRE leader. ¡°Is that so? Well, you won¡¯t be around to see if that happens or not. So long losers.¡± Commodore Stalin said, waving and mocking them. The view centered in on the Headmaster of Warrior Academy and he turned as if realizing that we were all looking at him. His visage turned hard and his eyes looked like they were made of steel. ¡°Never surrender, ever, always fight, you are Warriors! Return and avenge us but for now¡­ run!¡± Lord Belmont yelled, thrusting his sword into the air, his gesture followed by Ichigo, Siegfried, Ms. Parker, Mr. Austin, and Mr. Samson. The cage started to shine like a miniature sun and then began to pulsate, in and out of reality, then a flash and strike of thunder sounding like the hammer of god, and they were gone. Track 3 TRACK 3 ¨C ¡°Dad!¡± Anna screamed, reaching out like she was going to grab her father through the viewing Holo-Screen. Strong hands reached out and held the grief-stricken girl, her brothers Blake and Justin, each of their faces mirroring their sister. The three wrestled for a moment but then the struggle was over, and they were hugging. Less than a minute later they released each other, all the grief that was plastered over their faces and in their demeanor was gone. Decisiveness and stoicism radiated from Anna and her siblings. Then the Holo-Screen caught everyone¡¯s attention again. The view centered on the NRE Commodore and the man knew he was the center of attention, he grinned broadly, then his amplified voice rang out. ¡°Students and remaining Faculty of the soon to be defunct, Warrior Academy, my name is Commodore Vladimir Rasputin Stalin, your new Headmaster.¡± The giant man paused. The ships had moved from their earlier positions and now were behind the Commodore in a perfectly spaced and even line with the dreadnaught in the center position. He floated down and landed on the bow of the giant ship, the other ships and dozens up on dozens of ABAB¡¯s floating up and coming into parade like formation. When they were all in position the Commodore held his hand up and hundreds of troops came onto the decks marching in lockstep and lining up in military dressed precision. A clench of the Commodores fist and the troops stopped, boots striking the ground in time, and then each one banged his chest in salute and flared their Affinity Magic, followed by all the enemies on ABAB¡¯s. The cacophony of different colored Affinities made the ships look like they were decked out in Christmas lights, albeit extremely dangerous ones. Bringing his fist down in another signal, each soldier reached down and grabbed one of the stun batons that the commandos from earlier had, and as one, hefted them in a perfectly timed salute. ¡°Now, as you can see.¡± Commodore Stalin said, holding his arms up and gesturing to both sides. ¡°I¡¯d like you to welcome your new fellow students, please give them a warm welcome.¡± The Commodore pointed toward the school and the NRE ships and ABAB¡¯s moved forward, along with all the students who could fly. ¡°Show anyone who resists how the Neo Rus Empire deals with detractors.¡± Commodore Stalin called behind his attacking forces, the echoes of his laugh following them. Anna turned off the Holo-Screen getting everyone¡¯s attention, fear and anxiety permeated the room. The young Belmont took control of the situation cutting through the emotions and giving everyone purpose, her commands sounded out like whipcords. ¡°You heard my father, we¡¯re retreating, grab the teachers, we are leaving right now. Defensive Formation Cover Zero All Out. Follow me!¡± Anna commanded, matching her words by moving towards the exit. I shared a look and squeezed Maggie¡¯s hand and moved out along with the rest of the group. Everyone knew the play. It was a last-ditch defensive maneuver meant to protect the game when you ahead. You controlled the end of the game by retreating and defending the ball with all the remaining strength you and your team had left. It¡¯s a good thing we moved out when we did, as the NRE were already halfway, the ABBA¡¯s even closer, and gaining faster than I was comfortable with. The infirmary was in between the coliseum and the dormitories, I saw dozens of kids leaving the dorms as we ran, heading towards the main gate and town, among many other directions. Someone needed to take control of them, then I realized all the teachers were either gone, or as in the case of the ones with us, otherwise incapacitated. It made sense to me that the Ninja Commandos we saw weren¡¯t the only ones. ¡°Hey boss, I¡¯ve been talking with the other sprites and things don¡¯t look so great.¡± Tuki said from his position just above my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re telling me brother.¡± I replied, scanning the area as we ran. The NRE students were still incoming fast, they were at the edge of the campus and meeting no resistance. I moved up to the front and ran next to Anna. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked, in between breathes. ¡°The Main Tower.¡± She replied. I stumbled and caught myself, then gave her an incredulous look. ¡°Isn¡¯t that heading towards the enemy?¡± I asked, trying to keep the skepticism out of my voice. ¡°They have ships and ABAB¡¯s, we can only run for so long before they catch us. Our only chance is to get on the RKP Scout Ship that is docked there.¡± She said, matter-of-factly. ¡°If we hurry, we can make it just before the NRE get there. I hope.¡± The last was said under her breath but I heard her. I was about to tell her what I thought of the plan but before I could say anything, we ran into a group of commandos as we rounded the corner of Knights Hall. Both of us were surprised to see the other group and everyone hesitated for a second. There were five of them and two of them were carrying a semiconscious Lord Rhys in between them. Before they could react, I flared my AP and flashed forward striking the closest commando with a fire covered fist. Almost simultaneously, Anna and the triplets also flared their AP and attacked a different commando. All five dropped in seconds.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Blake.¡± Anna called. ¡°Got it.¡± Her brother said, nodding and picking up the RKP Assistant Headmaster. The stun batons were looted from the unconscious NRE and divvied out to those without one, and then we were moving again. We were even more on edge now, with all of us knowing that time was running out for us if we were to make our escape. Everyone¡¯s speed redoubled as did our resolve. ¡°There it is!¡± Cayden yelled. ¡°Shh!¡± Almost everyone called at once. The sandy haired boy turned crimson and he practically shrank in on himself, while trying to hide behind Dwayne. After a few more seconds of glaring we all returned our attention to the giant tower across the lake. It was just a few hundred yards from us, but we could see the NRE would beat us to it. It was so close yet so far away. ¡°What¡¯s the plan Sis.¡± Blake said, shifting Lord Rhys to his other shoulder. Anna was quiet for a moment while she studied the situation, we all were, but time was short, and she nodded to herself once and made her decision. ¡°We go all out and take out anyone who gets in our way. Once we get on the LDS we defend it till it¡¯s up and running and we get the obama out of here.¡± She said. ¡®I can help with that Hiro. I¡¯ll have the LDS up and running when you get there.¡¯ Robyn said to me. I cleared my throat and Anna, along with everyone else, looked at me questioningly. Well, not Ari and Bron, they had heard Robyn as well. ¡°I¡¯ll have the ship ready to go when we get there.¡± I said, looking Anna in the eyes. I decided to not tell them about Robyn yet. She raised an eyebrow as if saying, we will talk about this later, then nodded and turned back to the area between us and the tower. ¡°There¡¯s no time like the present. Let¡¯s rock!¡± Anna said, jumping up and running, while motioning for us all to follow. There was no hesitation, even though we were all students, we were well trained students on our way to becoming warriors. The whole group moved en masse at top speed, staying in formation. Then, we flared our power as we hit the water and picked up speed, our feet moving so fast we stayed on top of the glassy lake top. A good thing for us that the day was pretty much peaceful, excepting the attacking NRE army and stuff. Our formation spread out as we sped across the water, wakes shooting out behind us, rooster tails fifteen feet long and twenty feet high glittering in the sunlight. Unfortunately for us, our flared Affinity Power and couple dozen waterspouts, were like a beacon to the approaching enemy. The ABAB¡¯s were in the lead and all of them turned and headed straight for the tower and us. ¡°They¡¯ve spotted us!¡± Sarah called, pointing at the incoming enemy. ¡°Pick it up!¡± Anna yelled, flaring her power and going to level two, we all quickly did the same and the groups speed doubled, our trailing waterspouts shooting up higher into the sky. ¡°JV team secure the LDS and Tower launch pad!¡± Tiffany, Hadji, Michael, Serena, and the triplets, all ramped up their Affinity Power and hit level three, then rocketed off ahead of us, covering the last hundred yards in seconds. The seven sophomores made it to the tower just as the first dozen of the NRE ABAB¡¯s arrived. The upperclassmen immediately went on the offensive. ¡®We¡¯re close enough now Hiro, I¡¯m firing up the LDS, it should be ready to go when you all arrive.¡¯ Robyn told me. I relayed the information to Anna by screaming to her over the water, so she could hear me at our high speed, then flashes of AP caught my attention. The Sophomores ¡°Tidal Wave!¡± Hadji Ocean yelled. TIDAL WAVE (LEVEL 3) ¨C His skill was a level higher than his brother Johnny¡¯s. Hadji¡¯s Affinity Power looked like waves on the beach beneath him and he was riding them as if he was on a surfboard. His sea greenish blue AP coalesced around his fists and he shot dual jets of hypersonic sea water into two of the closest incoming ABBA¡¯s. Both NRE fighters took the blasts full on in their chests and were launched off their boards. The talented Sophomore finished his move by cutting his AP and landing on one of the recently vacated ABAB¡¯s, then taking control of the flying board. ¡°Shooting Star!¡± Serena Whitelight called out, SHOOTING STAR (LEVEL 3) Like Hadji, Serena¡¯s skill was at a higher level than her brother Dwayne¡¯s. Her AP flowed around her, cosmic rays of light surrounded the beautiful ebony skinned girl, millions upon millions of radiantly twinkling stars spun around her, while AP trail behind her like the tail of a comet. Serena¡¯s bleach white hair floated around her like a living thing, her eyes were glowing with starlight. In a flash she streaked up the tower and almost faster than I could see, then zigzagged striking three different ABAB¡¯s and knocking the riders into the lake below. ¡°Show off!¡± Michael Irons called out, flaring his power as he hit the base of the tower, where a half dozen ABAB¡¯s had landed and their riders were rushing the big Sophomore. ¡°Bring it on! Iron Sides!¡± Michael growled loudly. IRON SIDES (LEVEL 3) His Affinity Magic firmed and formed interlocking iron plates that snapped together while moving into place around the big students muscled body. With a loud clink the armor settled, then Michael rushed into the incoming mass of enemy students, just as his Affinity Powered armor clicked into place. All this happened in milliseconds and a flaring of Affinities caught my attention while Michael knocked the enemy aside like bowling pins. Meryl, Beryl, and Sheryl had reached the ship, it was they who had flared their AP and the few ABAB riders who had landed on the vessel were sent flying out into the lake. Their screams were almost comical, trailing behind them as they fell through the sky and then crashed into the lake a hundred feet below. Tiffany was right behind the three girls, but all the enemy had been knocked off the ship, so she beelined straight to the helm. That was all I saw because in the next moment we were at the base of the tower and ascending the stairs four at a time. Track 4 TRACK 4 ¨C ¡°You gotta be kidding me, there¡¯s a trump load of the bastards.¡± Dwayne swore. Ari elbowed her big brother in the side and I just nodded in agreement. He was right, there were hundreds of enemy students swarming the school as we pulled away. The teachers had all went unconscious again, those stun batons were no joke, and had been placed below decks in the crew¡¯s quarters. Now, all of us were on the deck and standing on the aft railing watching as the NRE forces overwhelmed our school, swarming over it like ants at a picnic. Robyn was as good as his word and the ship was fully powered and running when we go there. All Tiffany had to do was put the engine in gear and we were off. We were already pulling away from the tower as we reached the top and jumped on board the RKP Ship. Anna had been the last one to get on the ship, she had paused and stared at the swiftly closing Dreadnaught. ¡°Anna come on! We gotta go!¡± Blake called out from the ship¡¯s railing. The beautiful Belmont girl nodded to herself once and then whispered something to low for me to hear before turning and flaring her AP. Even though we were over thirty feet from the dock and growing, Anna only needed to quick steps and she leapt out off the tower and into the air. She soared through the sky, halfway to the ship her Affinity wings grew from her back and she flew the rest of the distance, landing softly on the deck of the ship. ¡°All right everyone, here is the plan.¡± Anna called out, her voice brooking no nonsense, as she used her A-Ball Captain voice while she strode past us across the deck and towards the helm. ¡°We¡¯re going to head to my family¡¯s lands. Once there we will do as my dad said train, prepare, and then we fight.¡± Everyone cheered at that and I was about to join them when motion from my peripheral caught my eye. Tuki noticed it at the same time and called out to me as I was turning. ¡°Boss, you need to see this, we got incoming.¡± Tuki said. He was right, from our rear over a dozen ABAB¡¯s were headed our way, along with one of the fast assault gunships trailing behind. Something was wrong though I enhanced my vision and then my eyes widened in surprise. The ABAB¡¯s were fighting amongst themselves, I began to recognize some of the riders, they were RKP and SNES students. ¡°Hey guys, we have company coming our way and some of our friends need help.¡± I yelled out, getting everyone¡¯s attention. Anna was at my side in an instant assessing the situation, among the many others trying to see what was going on. I refocused on the incoming riders and their continuing air battle. Affinity powered attacks flew back and forth, the outnumbered and beleaguered RKP and SNES fighters holding their own. I could tell it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed, already the gunship was closing in on them. When their firepower was added to the mix the students would fall quickly. Anna seemed to come to the same conclusion as she rapidly began shouting out orders. ¡°Tiffany slow us to half speed. Blake take the¡­¡± Anna said. ¡°Rest of the team and grab the ABAB¡¯s on board, ten-four.¡± Her brother called, with a small grin, and took off, his teammates in his wake. ¡°What about us?¡± I said to Anna. ¡°You and Justin go join Blake and the others. The rest of you get into firing positions and we are going to back up the ABAB Riders when we¡¯re in range.¡± She replied. I barely heard this as Tuki and I, along with Belmont and Commander, were already sprinting away after the Sophomores. Both of us glanced warily at the other, but on some unspoken agreement we didn¡¯t push or argue. We had more important things to do right now. Our personal feud could wait, it had to, everything had changed. All this ran through my mind as we ran and in seconds we were below decks and on the launching bay with the others. We arrived just as the triplets and Hadji were launching. Blake, Michael, and Serena were already on boards of their own and were about to follow their classmates. Blake saw us as we slid down the ladder and rushed into the hangar. ¡°The ABAB¡¯s are over there. Hurry up and join us there is no time to waste.¡± Blake shouted and pointed. Then turned back forward launching his ABBA and flying out after the others. ¡°Over here.¡± Commander hissed. ¡°Boss!¡± Tuki called simultaneously. Both Justin and I rushed over to where the two AR-Sprites were circling grabbed a board and sped to the launch area. I placed the board into the launcher and hopped on, accessing my AR-2 and interfacing with the ABAB as I did so, pulling up the menu and selecting the correct options. Being used to the boards since the MOB Hunt and Justin having grown up with them, we both were locked in and ready as soon as the boards were in place. A second later we were flying out of the launch bay and towards the battle. In the minute or so that had went by the Sophomores had already reached the embattled fighters and were quickly turning the tide. Our ship slowing to half speed, let the battle close about a third of the distance, which meant we didn¡¯t have far to go to join the fight. The both of us were going at top speed and were just about to join in when I remembered the gunship. I quickly adjusted my direction to skirt the fight. Justin saw me and scowled, then saw where I was going and he immediately understood, and switched directions joining me. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Tuki, we gotta stop that gunship.¡± I called out to my friend. ¡°No obama sherlock. What¡¯s the plan?¡± Tuki snapped back, snarkily. I sent a mental image of my plan to him and his eyebrows rose, then he looked at me speculatively. ¡°That just might work, I¡¯ll go relay the plan to jerk face and the snake.¡± He replied, disappearing from my shoulder and reappearing next to Justin and Commander. ¡°Let¡¯s rock!¡± Tuki said, reappearing back on my shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re good to go.¡± I just nodded in response and focused myself on my current task, taking out that NRE Gunship. Already, we were almost around the aerial battle and closing in quickly on the target, which, judging by the activity going on the deck, was almost in range of the fight. If we were going to help our friends and get away, I couldn¡¯t let that happen. My plan was basic and straightforward, first we¡¯d split up and each attack separate sides of the ship, the bow and stern, as those were the least armed sides. ¡°Good luck loser!¡± Justin called, flicking me the bird and peeling off from me to his target, the bow. I ignored the jab, this was us getting along well, and sped off to the stern, now that I was within a hundred yards of the ship. Increasing my ABBA to full speed, I got low and laid down on the speeding board. My route took me on a wide arc around and above the ship, the plan was to come down with the sun behind me so the NRE crewman on deck couldn¡¯t see me coming. Justin had the same idea, because I could see him as a speck in the distance his route mirroring my own. ¡°Tuki do your thing!¡± I called to me sprite, as I hit the pinnacle of my arc and began streaking down towards the gunship¡¯s stern. Tuki gave me a mock salute and then was gone. The second part of the plan was for Tuki and Commander to get in the ship and knock out their Affinity Engine and their Affinity Weapons. The range to the ship was decreasing rapidly, only a few seconds had gone by and I was only a hundred feet away. The sun did its job, and no one noticed me yet, good, mentally I hit the airbrakes and the board flattened out and immediately began slowing down. The change in angle from hitting the air brakes caused my ABAB to cast a much larger shadow and now the enemy noticed me. That¡¯s ok, I was already moving, my AR-2 flashed and I glanced at the message. NRE FAAG CREWMAN (LEVEL 1) ¨C My expression changed from intense concentration to a shark like grin. As soon as I hit the brakes and started slowing, I had leapt from the board, keeping the sun behind to my back. The ABAB was the perfect distraction and the NRE crew fired shot after shot of different Affinity Magic at it. I landed on the stern railing just as the board exploded in flashes of AP, fire, and smoke. The enemy cheered and then I flared my AP. ¡°Fire and Ice.¡± I said harshly, my body exploding in a yin yang of fire on my left side and ice on my right. Then my expression turning wolfish. ¡°Nice job you guys, now its my turn.¡± FIRE AND ICE (LEVEL 3) ¨C Before the cheers and expressions of accomplishment could leave any of their faces, I flashed forward, fire and ice exploding in a cloud of steam that trailed behind me like a jet exhaust. There was no time to waste so I immediately went full throttle, moving so fast my feet didn¡¯t touch the deck. Ten enemies stood before me in a ragged mob less than ten paces away and spread out over a fifteen-foot area, perfect. ¡°Double Dragon!¡± I called, landing in the center of the crewman. DOUBLE DRAGON (LEVEL 1) ¨C Not stopping when I hit the deck, I continued my momentum and turned my crouch into a furious spin. Steam bled off me in waves but using my spinning motion I created a vortex of superheated air that sucked the oxygen from the air and began a sucking effect. The enemy around me began grabbing at their throats then losing their balance as the miniature steam powered tornado pulled them towards me like a magnet to a lodestone. Spinning faster now, my fire and ice blended into a seamless bright colored purple. All this happened in seconds and the ten enemy were all in range, I shot up from my crouching spin. ¡°Shor-Yu-Ken!¡± I screamed, as I leaped up in a rising uppercut, my burning, oxygen deprived Affinity Magic tornado exploded and turned the world white. SHOR-YU-KEN (Level 2) ¨C When the brightness, thunder, and cloud began to recede the fight was already over. My rising uppercut carried me twenty feet into the air, out and above my attack. I watched as all ten enemy were knocked flying in all directions, all of them ending outside the ships railing and falling into the bright blue sky, shouts of dismay trailing away as they fell. My attacks cloud dissipated completely as I landed back where I started. I stood tall and clapped my hands together as if wiping them off. The whole main deck had seen their fellows go flying and now thirty of the crew were staring murder at me, Affinity Powers charging and getting ready to fire my way. ¡°Oh hello, I just met some of your friends.¡± I paused and looked over each of my shoulders and then back at the enemy and pointed over my shoulder with my thumb. ¡°They had to leave though, so rude of them not to say goodbye right?¡± I held my hands up in a, what can you do gesture, growls and curses were my answer. ¡°Those were our comrades! Yeah, you¡¯ll pay for that!¡± Voices rang out. ¡°Well, say hello to my little friend, comrades.¡± I said, pointing up into the air as the world darkened around us. Track 5 TRACK 5 ¨C ¡°Black Hole Sun!¡± Justin Belmont screamed. The youngest Belmont floated in the air his familiar miasma surrounding him like black burning liquid fire. It grew in size until it covered the sun behind hit, that was the reason things had gone dark. Satisfied with the amount of AP gathered, Justin smiled cruelly, then raised his fist high. BLACK HOLE SUN (Level 3) ¨C ¡°Won¡¯t you come!¡± He called, flipping mid air and streaking down towards the deck like a demonic avenging angel. Before the crewmen could react, Justin plunged down into the center of the deck, his AP surrounding him as he hit and then the darkness imploded, sucking in on itself and everything around it. All the enemy fell to the deck as they were pulled inward almost to the point where they were going to crash into Justin. Then, space seemed to pulse and slow for a moment before it erupted out flinging people and Affinity Magic in all directions. Justin stood up and looked around him at the newly cleared deck, all the crewmen having been launched over the sides, as I walked down from the stern stairwell and met him in the center of ship. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Justin said. I raised an eyebrow at him and then shook my head. ¡°Whatever dude.¡± I replied. He opened his mouth but whatever he was about to say never came out, as the door to the Captain¡¯s cabin slammed open with a loud crack, grabbing both our attention. Out from the doorway strode a giant of a man. He was so large he had stooped to get out and now standing at his full height was two feet taller than Justin and myself. Our AR-2¡¯s pinged in unison and I looked at the information. NEO RUS AIR CAPTAIN ¡°Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing on my ship!¡± The Captain roared, then looking around suspiciously seemed to realize he was alone. ¡°Where the hell is my crew?¡± ¡°You want to take this one?¡± I asked, glancing sideways at Belmont. ¡°Pfft, feel free, this dude doesn¡¯t seem like the brightest star in the sky.¡± He scoffed. ¡°What did you say you damned brat?¡± The monster of a man roared again, and began striding towards the two of us, pulling two axes from his back as he came. ¡°You¡¯re dead, D, E, D, dead!¡± ¡°See?¡± Justin laughed, dropping into a fighting stance and holding his hands up and his Scythe appearing in them, Affinity Power coating the glowing curved purple-black blade. ¡°I hate agreeing with you.¡± I responded, dropping into my own stance and activating Fire and Ice once again. ¡°But, yeah, he¡¯s a dumbass, let¡¯s finish this up, times running out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what¡­¡± Justin started to argue. ¡°Graaahhhh!¡± The Captain roared, cutting Justin off and banging his axes together, then flaring his AP and rushing us. The humungous man covered half the distance in a flash, the deck shook with each stomp of his massive foot, it was like an earthquake, the way the ship rocked. ¡°Heyyyyy youuuu guyyyssss!¡± A familiar voice rang out, catching all three of our attention. I turned to see a group of ABBA¡¯s heading our way and they were coming in hot. All of them were moving so fast I almost couldn¡¯t tell who it was, but my AR-2 helped. I recognized the RKP and SNES students along with the Sophomores who went to save them. Blake and Lancelot were in the lead, both burning with AP, and they jumped off their boards in unison at the NRE Captain, Superman style. The two boys were mirror images of each other, Blake with his right fist extended and Lancelot with his left, flew towards the Captain, who turned just in time to see the two students. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The big Neo Rus officer¡¯s eyes widened comically as Blake¡¯s glowing purple black fist and Lancelot¡¯s shining silver gauntlet smashed into both sides of his face. My senses were in overdrive due to activating my level three skill and I watched the attack in slow motion. The Captains face seemed to collapse in itself as the fists struck, his cheeks flapping backward like a skydiver¡¯s, and his head rocked back followed by the rest of his massive body. I released my Affinity Power and watched as the NRE Captain flew sideways, first his head then the rest of his body, all the way off the ship and out into the bright blue sky. Justin had powered down as well and we both watched the big man go until he was out of sight. Blake and Lancelot landed and high fived, while nodding and grinning at one another like best buddies. ¡°Nice one old chap.¡± Lancelot said. ¡°You to man.¡± Blake replied, as they high fived again, then he turned to Justin and me. ¡°Pretty cool right little bro?¡± ¡°That guy was mine Blake.¡± Justin scoffed, putting his scythe away and scowling at his older brother. ¡°Jeez, take a chill pill little bro.¡± Blake said, laughing and sharing a look with Lancelot. Just then Tuki and Commander reappeared. ¡°Hey boss, all done.¡± Tuki said, at my shoulder. ¡°Commander is a right snake, but he did his job as well. I know you said to disable the engines and weapons but both of us decided to just take them over, I mean the NRE AP systems are super primitive compared to ours.¡± ¡°Good job buddy, that changes things.¡± I told him, as the rest of the students landed on the deck. I strode forward and relayed the information that Tuki told me, Justin reiterated it with Commander, and new plans were made. ¡°Robyn can you fill Anna in.¡± I asked the AI. ¡°Oh, can you also interface with all the rest of the students? I think it¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Done and done.¡± He replied. ¡°Wow, that was fast.¡± I said, looking around the ship and seeing everyone pausing and accessing their AR-2¡¯s. ¡°What do you expect Hiro? I¡¯m a super advanced Affinity Intelligence with the processing power of¡­¡± Robyn began, but paused in his self-praise for a moment before continuing. ¡°It seems that Anna has already begun issuing orders. Ah, she also says that you and her need to talk about why we waited so long to¡­ never mind, you can talk to her yourself when we meet up.¡± ¡°Ah, that doesn¡¯t sound super good.¡± I said, under my breath. ¡°All right we got ourselves another ship. Let¡¯s get this tub moving!¡± Blake cheered, making the round em up gesture with his left hand, then he took the helm and the NRE ship began moving off towards our friends and the LDS. I made my way to the small group of students and a round of handshakes, high fives, daps, and hugs were given. Only six kids made it from the other schools. Lancelot¡¯s squad, which had Mordred and Nimue, and Kagero¡¯s squad, which had Oburo, and Tomoe. Of course, the psycho ninja girl was here, SMH¡­ ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± Lancelot said, walking up and pounding fists with me. ¡°You¡¯d have done the same.¡± I said, brushing the compliment off. ¡°Yes, thank you Hiro, Justin, and to all of you.¡± Kagero said, walking up and bowing, followed by her squad members and the other RKP students. After a few minutes we pulled up alongside the LDS and both our ships retreated at full speed. I watched from the stern as Warrior Academy shrunk in the distance. The Dreadnaught had docked at the Main Tower and the rest of the NRE-FAAG¡¯s had stationed themselves around the school and town. I could see ABBA¡¯s flying around the perimeter of the campus. They had taken over our school in less than thirty minutes. It was hard to believe. I replayed the events of the morning and what Lord Belmont had told us to do, then hardened my resolve. ¡°Tuki, we have a lot of work ahead of us.¡± I said to my sprite. ¡°You have the gift of understatement boss.¡± Tuki replied. ¡°It reminds me of the old man.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± I asked. ¡°Both.¡± He replied. We shared a quick laugh and then my mind drifted back to memories of my Master and Sensei. I thought about the training that was so difficult I thought I was going to die. Then something clicked in my mind and I knew what we had to do, what we all needed to do. ¡°Hiro, what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing hiding Robyn from me¡­¡± Anna growled landing at my side. ¡°Anna good, you¡¯re here. I have plan.¡± I said, turning to the beautiful Belmont girl and completely cutting her off. ¡°Wha¡­ wha¡­ what?¡± Anna stammered, my interrupting her throwing her off her angry tirade. ¡°I said, I have a plan. Gather everyone together, we should all discuss this.¡± I said, looking the girl right in the eyes to convey my seriousness. ¡°Alright.¡± Anna replied, looking at me a little askance but giving me the benefit of the doubt. ¡°Let¡¯s get somewhere a bit safer and then we will hold a meeting.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I said, staring back out at the now tiny school. ¡°I know just the place. Track 6 TRACK 6 ¨C ¡°That¡¯s the dumbest thing I¡¯ve heard today.¡± Justin Belmont growled, banging the table with his fist to emphasize his point. ¡°Like I keep saying. We need to head to our family¡¯s lands and Belmont Manor there we can...¡± ¡°No.¡± Lancelot cordially interrupted. ¡°The Isles is where we should go, the Royal Knights are there and¡­¡± ¡°That would be folly. The land of the Rising Sun and Mt. Fuji is the answer. The Samurai and Shinobi warriors are¡­¡± Kagero interjected, in her soft but firm voice. ¡°OMG! We¡¯ve saying the same thing over and over and over again.¡± Anna said, exasperated. ¡°Well, I have some new information that may help decide things.¡± Robyn said, from the Towers speakers. We were all in Tower 12, sitting in various positions around the main room. After leaving the battel I suggested we go to Tower 12 and regroup. For the last half an hour we had been arguing about what to do and pretty much gotten nowhere. Robyn had activated the Holo-Vid as he talked, and the room went quiet as we all focused on the images in the center of the room. The picture resolved itself and in the center was a man who looked similar to Commodore Stalin, but bigger, meaner, and more intimidating. ¡°Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to you all, depending where you are in the world. Most of you know me but for those of you who don¡¯t, my name is Emperor Zod, the ruler and commander of the Neo Rus Empire and all its military.¡± He paused, staring into the camera for a moment, before letting an evil grin creep across his face. ¡°Now, I¡¯m also the ruler and commander of all of you as well.¡± The screen changed and now it was a multi-view of different scenes which all had one theme in common, the Neo Rus Empire. Gasps sounded throughout the room as each of the students saw what was on the Holo-Vid. ¡°That¡¯s Belmont Manor.¡± Anna said softly. ¡°On no, that¡¯s RKP.¡± Nimue cried. ¡°SNES!¡± I heard Tomoe say. Every single student¡¯s home cities, Noble Houses, and other bastions of the different countries were under siege by the NRE. The views on the Holo-Vid kept changing until it seemed as if the whole world was under attack. The images switched back to Emperor Zod and a split screen with Warrior Academy next him. ¡°As you can see, the first bastion of many has fallen, your Warrior Academy is under NRE control, it is only a matter of time before the other defenders fall.¡± The Emperor said, gesturing at the conquered school, with all the ships and now a giant NRE flag waving from the Main Tower. The split screen changed, and the image of WA was replaced with Commodore Stalin. ¡°Emperor Zod, all of Warrior Academy is under our control, as is the town, all hail the Neo Rus Empire, all hail Emperor Zod!¡± Commodore Stalin cheered, saluting by banging his right hand on his chest. The Image zoomed out and showed a third person view of the whole of WA. On every ship and across the campus hundreds upon hundreds of NRE soldiers and students, chanted and saluted the Emperor. The image changed a few moments later back to the Emperor. ¡°Well done Commodore, all enemies of the Neo Rus Empire shall kneel before Zod!¡± The Emperor cheered, pumping his fist in the air. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that.¡± Robyn said, turning the Holo-Vid off. Silence reigned throughout the room and the feeling of futility and of already having lost permeated the mood. The gloom was so dark and thick it was almost tangible, it felt as if you could cut it with a blade. No time like the present, I thought to myself. ¡°It seems that our choice has been made for us.¡± I said, into the quiet, slowly everyone¡¯s eyes turned to me. When I was sure I had everyone¡¯s attention I continued. ¡°If we are to fulfill the Headmaster¡¯s wishes, all of theirs, we need to train and get stronger. Then we take back our homes.¡± Resolve began to take the place of despair as I looked around the room into the newly hardening faces, even Justin¡¯s morose mug turned hard. ¡°Good, here¡¯s the plan. We go to where I was raised and train¡­¡± I started. ¡°Why should we go to your training place, why not somewhere else?¡± Justin interrupted. He wasn¡¯t going to make it easy on me. Even running for our lives, he was a prick, I took a deep breath and blew it out gathering my center. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°If I may Hiro?¡± Robyn asked. I just nodded and let the AI take over. ¡°Master Belmont, the Island where Hiro was trained is actually an advanced training facility. I have created training regimens for everyone that will start once we arrive. First, we will do group training and after that we will break into teams and then individual based on each person¡¯s personal skill level.¡± Robyn explained. ¡°Hold on, how do you know our personal skill levels?¡± Blake asked. ¡°I took the liberty of assessing everyone¡¯s abilities when I was given access for communications.¡± Robyn replied. ¡°Try not to get bogged down in the semantics young Belmont. Now, does everyone agree that we should head to Isla de la Muerta?¡± ¡°Um¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean island of death?¡± Cayden chimed in. ¡°That is correct, I didn¡¯t know you knew Spanish Master Cross, well done. Once again though, try not to get bogged down in the details. This is the only option if you want to get strong enough to fight back against the Neo Rus Empire, and have any chance of freeing your countries, friends, and families.¡± Robyn explained. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough.¡± Anna stated loudly, standing up and looking around the room. ¡°I¡¯m on board with this plan. I¡¯m going to get my revenge against that M. Bison looking prick. Now, who¡¯s coming with me?¡± A chorus of, ¡®hell yeah!¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯m in!¡¯ and other variations there of sounded out. Anna turned to me and nodded once, then looked around the room again. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s load up the ships and get a move on. Time¡¯s a wasting.¡± Anna said. Orders were given and we all burst into action. Everything of use was taken from the tower and split between the two ships. The wonderful thing about WA, RKP, and SNES Affinity Technology was that it was all standard for the three nations. You could interchange parts from a WA ship with any of the other power¡¯s ships, very convenient for war and such, at least, that was Robyn¡¯s take on it. Twenty minutes later we on our way and Tower 12 was a speck in the distance. We left just in time because I could see NRE ships and ABBA¡¯s coming to our recently vacated rest stop. Anna had split us up into two groups, one per ship, keeping us in our teams of three. Due to the LDS being smaller than the NRE-FAAG more students were on the latter. ¡°So, tell me about your crappy island Qupie.¡± Justin said from my side. I sighed and shook my head. Anna split up the groups, putting the RKP, SNES, Justin¡¯s, and my teams on the LDS, and everyone else on the NRE ship, including the still incapacitated teachers. This was mostly due to the NRE ship being larger, but I also thought she was getting back at me for not telling her about Robyn earlier. Payback is a biznatch my Sensei always said. The first place we were going was to my friend Ricki¡¯s home and it was a long trip, so I decided to get it over with. ¡°It¡¯s where I was taught, my sensei always told me to come back if I needed to, the island would be there for me.¡± I explained quietly. ¡°Before he passed.¡± ¡°My teacher died when I was young as well.¡± Justin replied. Both of us just leaned on the railing and stared out as Tower 12 disappeared from view and we started entering the mountains. ¡°Anyway, I got over that a long time ago Qupie, your plan better work.¡± Justin growled, pushing away from the railing and walking off. Commander hissed at Tuki and my sprite blew a raspberry at the floating snake. Lancelot walked up and gave me a raised eyebrow as he watched Justin leave. I shook my head in the negative. ¡°You two getting along as usual?¡± He joked. ¡°I think we just bonded.¡± I answered, grinning at the young student knight. ¡°Damn, I just lost a bet.¡± He laughed. I joined in and we chuckled for a moment, then his face turned serious. ¡°What can you tell me about this Island of Death?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, I would also like to know.¡± Kagero said, walking up to us. She was followed by everyone else on the ship, except for Bron who was at the helm. Although, I could see that he had his head cocked toward the conversation. ¡°Actually, Hiro I may be best able to explain this to everyone, you included.¡± Robyn said. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I asked, skeptically. ¡°What do you know that I don¡¯t?¡± The AI was silent for a moment as if he was thinking about how to answer my question. ¡°I guess I should start at the beginning.¡± Robyn started. ¡°You see, I was created by the famous Inventor Cid and not only am I an Affinity Intelligence, I am the Affinity Intelligence for Warrior Academy.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Ivanka scoffed. ¡°It means Mistress Freeze.¡± Robyn said, somehow infusing sarcasm and exasperation into his tone when he said her name. The smarmy girl had the grace to look chagrined, Robyn continued. ¡°That I am basically a living history of the creation of Warrior Academy and all the has transpired since.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, you know about my Master and Sensei, more importantly¡­¡± I paused for a second taking a deep breath and then asked. ¡°¡­you know about my parents?¡± ¡°Yes Hiro, and it¡¯s time you did, it¡¯s time you all learned about the past so we can protect the present and the future.¡± Robyn intoned. ¡°What about the students on the other ship?¡± I asked. ¡°They are seeing and hearing this conversation as we speak.¡± Everyone¡¯s AR-2¡¯s pinged. ¡°I¡¯ve just sent everyone a memory, similar to an AMC, that should start to explain everything. Please access the memory when you are ready.¡± Robyn instructed. I did as he said, along with everyone else judging by the number of dings and lost myself in the AI¡¯s memory. Tuki and I were back in the movie theatre, but this time we weren¡¯t alone, every single one of the students and their sprites from both ships were here as well. Maggie was seated next to me and we shared a grin and held hands as the show started. Fresh buttery popcorn and ice-cold fizzing soda appeared, and the sounds of munching and slurping sounded out around the room. The blank screen changed, and an image began to resolve itself as the memory slash movie, started. The view started in the sky and I felt like I was watching the introduction to Flight of the Navigator. It zoomed through the clouds as if flying, and the screen was so large it felt as if we were as well. We flew down through the sky descending until a small dot began to resolve itself and an island appeared. As we closed in, I began to recognize it as the island we were heading to, Isla de la Muerta. Track 7 TRACK 7 ¨C The island grew larger as we approached and it looked like we were heading to the top of the tallest mountain on the island and subsequently, the area where my home was located. Tiny antlike figures were moving around on the mountain¡¯s plateau where I did a lot of my training with my Sensei. The difference though between when I was training there then and what we were seeing now, was night and day. There were about a dozen of them and they were all sparring in some sort of battle royal in a big fighting circle on the mountain. We were close enough now that I could tell they were all young, younger than us even, I was guessing about eleven of twelve. Although, I could tell they were all extremely skilled, even given their youth. Gasps sounded out around the room again as we got close enough to see who the figures jumping around were. Not only that, but AR-2¡¯s pinged all around me and names formed above each person¡¯s head as I accessed mine. All of them wore versions of monk garb, orange in color and baggy in style, it reminded me of Goku or Krillan from Dragonball, I mused before refocusing on the battle. ROSHI A younger version of my teacher was trading blows with his mirror image. YOSHI My other teacher was grinning maniacally, a look I never saw on his somber face in later years, as he fought with his twins and other companions. ARIANNA ¡°You two better pay attention!¡± Arianna, the petite fiery redhead said. She flipped in between the twins and struck out, kicking with both legs in a jumping spinning split. Roshi and Yoshi flipped backwards in unison out of harms way, landing five feet away as Arianna came down from her kick in a high fighting stance. CECIL ¡°Now cousin, you should head your own advice.¡± Cecil said. The massive boy came in with a powerful haymaker to the girl¡¯s blindside. Arianna¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as the huge fist rocketed in, but to her credit she reacted immediately. She jumped back while raising her arms in a cross guard blocking the blow. She reacted in time, but unfortunately for the small girl Cecil¡¯s punch was so strong the force of the attack launched Arianna backwards. Arianna flew through the sky with a look of surprise on her face, and her mouth in a small ¡®O,¡¯ she turned her body in midair as she sailed backwards. Her expression turned from surprise to a wicked grin as her block became a crossbody tackle taking her into the twins. Both Roshi and Yoshi grunted when she hit them. ¡°Gotcha boys!¡± Arianna cried gleefully, as she took the brothers with her on her way out of the circle. ¡°Sorry about that guys!¡± Cecil called, wincing as the three of them tumbled across the ground in heap of adolescent limbs and bodies. ICHIGO ¡°Ha ha! That¡¯s what you get for not paying¡­¡± Ichigo started, pointing and laughing at the trio on the ground. Another huge boy streaked in and slammed into the back of Ichigo, cutting him off mid jeer and sent him careening into the trio. Which had just started to rise but with the addition of Ichigo it was sent back sprawling to the ground once again. SIEGFRIED ¡°You should follow your own advice little ninja.¡± The giant barbarian looking boy said stoically. Ichigo glared at the bigger boy from his spot in the pile but quickly his expression changed to glee. Siegfried raised a quizzical eye at his rival who was already out of the game but acting completely opposite of the way he should. The little ninja boy extricated a limb from the mess and pointed behind his future best friend. Siegfried¡¯s eye¡¯s widened in understanding and he turned raising his guard just in time to see, not guard against, a pair of legs coming his way, from different directions. LITITH A pale raven-haired girl with piercing red eyes and a face already beautiful at her young age, attacked the boy almost twice her size with a leaping roundhouse from his right. YOENE An equally beautiful girl, but with bright white hair and ebony colored skin, attacked with the same maneuver from the left, both girls connecting with the bigger boy¡¯s chest and launching him out of the circle and a few feet from the pile of the other losers. The two girls shared a grin and a wink but kept their guard up facing out against the remaining combatants. Which was good because they were immediately attacked on both sides by two other girls, who were just as beautiful as the first two. The one was the proverbial ice queen, with long blonde hair and icy blue eyes, while the other was the girl next door, radiant with a healthy, full of life beauty. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. TANYA ROMANOV ¡°I could¡¯ve taken the big oaf out with one kick.¡± The ice queen teased, dropping down from her high kick and facing off against Lilith. ¡°Yeah, well you always did work harder and not smarter.¡± Lilith teased back, lashing out with a flurry of punches sending the other girl back a few paces. Yoene made as if to go help her friend but the other girl launched a leaping heel kick that forced the ebony girl to give her full attention to the new threat. STACY ¡°Sorry Yoene, it¡¯s you an me.¡± The girl next door joked, following her comment up with a series of punches and kicks. Each punch and kick blocked and riposted, the two girls fought back and forth looking to be evenly matched. As a matter of fact, both pairs fought with equal and high skill, they flipped, twirled, jumped, punched, and kicked. In seconds they had battled each other to a standstill. With one final series of blows the combatants separated and faced off again all wearing grins from ear to ear while breathing heavy with exertion. RYO CELESTIAL DRAGON ¡°All for one!¡± Ryo shouted ZOD ROMANOV DAMON ¡°And one for all!¡± Damon and Zod yelled in reply. The three boys called out from their attack position, high above and behind the girls, then hit the top of their leap and came streaking down towards the four surprised fighters. ¡°Sister you¡¯re mine!¡± Zod cried gleefully, coming down and smashing into Tanya with both feet. The girl raised her arms in time to block but the force of the blow rocketed her out of the circle. Lilith had only a moment to look surprised as Damon came down striking her in the back with a spinning tornado kick ¡°Bye Lil!¡± Damon joked, as the object of his mirth crashed to the ground and rolled out of bounds. The girl popped up as soon as she got disqualified and glared daggers at her attacker. ¡°Damnit Damon! I¡¯ll get you next time!¡± Lilith growled, shaking her little fist at the young Belmont. Stacy and Yoene took in all this in seconds, and sharing a quick nod decided to team up against the last attacker, which was a good idea. Unfortunately for them, it didn¡¯t make a difference. Just as the two girls began to turn out and face the three boys Ryo landed right in between the two. Reaching out lightning fast, he grabbed an arm from each girl and yanked them hard towards him. At the last second, he moved out of the way, swaying slightly back, and the girls slammed into each other with a loud crunch. Quickly letting go and reversing his grip, Ryo pushed out, sending both girls tumbling away in opposite directions, dazed and disoriented. Which, on their own, they could have recovered from, but Ryo not only pushed them, he pushed them right into his two waiting compatriots. Damon and Zod accepted the two gifts sent their way by their friend and grabbed the incoming girls. Then whipping them around like a lariat, launched them out of the ring and into the group of students that had just gotten up from the ground. Now, only three combatants were left in the ring. Ryo, Zod, and Damon fanned out, creating an equidistant triangle, each of them were ten feet apart. They dropped into fighting stances with grins stretched across their faces. The combatants who lost fanned out around the fighting circle jeering the three fighters, while watching the fight with interest. This was the second to last test before the final and who won, or depending on what position you lost, determined your spot in the last exam. The grins faded from the fighters faces and the rest of the students quieted down as the three fighters prepared themselves for the last fight. Normally, when three combatants are left two of them would gang up on the third. These three boys were such good friends, almost equally matched in fighting power, and each wanted to best the others fairly. ¡°Hurry up, we don¡¯t have all day!¡± Tanya yelled out playfully. Her sentiment was echoed by the other kids and the three boys tensed even more and readied themselves. ¡°You heard my sis¡­¡± Zod said, or tried to, because as soon as he spoke Ryo flashed forward striking out with his right fist. His punch was pulled short though as Zod leaped back and Damon attacked Ryo from the side with a flying scissor kick. ¡°Tch!¡± Ryo growled, blocking the kick and using the attacks momentum to flip backwards and out of range. As Damon attacked, Zod used the time to recover and then launch his own furious rebuttal. The white haired and pale white skinned boy stepped back and crouched then leaped high up into the air in a triple somersault going high above Damon and Ryo. His jump took him in front of the son and his shadow covered his two friends who looked up in time to see Zod flying down at them. Ryo jumped to the side and rolled away while Damon, the biggest and strongest of the three, stood his ground and opened his mouth in a wicked grin. Zod realized his error as he saw his friends face and tried to change direction at the last second, but it was too late, Damon was already moving. He reached out both hands as fast as a snake striking, and grabbed Zod¡¯s lead foot, not stopping he continued moving in a spin. Using the smaller boy¡¯s momentum to help him turn, he moved faster and faster, turning like a centrifuge, and Zod was the impetus. Damon let go and Zod flew towards Ryo screaming the whole way, not in fear but in glee. His face locked onto Ryo¡¯s as he closed in. ¡°I¡¯m not going out alone!¡± Zod called. The topknot wearing Samurai looking boy, Ryo, was not caught unawares and as Zod tried to grab him on his way out of the ring he instead got nothing but air. Ryo ducked his friend¡¯s outstretched hands, and instead latched onto Zod¡¯s legs while leaping up and spinning in the air in a front somersault carrying the helpless airborne boy with him. The two flipped, end over end, in a ridiculous parody of a circus act but this ended in a much different way. Ryo let go at the perfect moment sending Zod back the way he had come and careening into a dumbfounded looking Damon. Neither had time to react and with a loud smash and a couple of swearing rants, they tumbled out of the ring. ¡°There can be only one!¡± Ryo called, raising his arms up to the sky and laughing out loud at the top of his lungs. ¡°Oh, shut up Ryo.¡± Damon growled, extricating himself from Zod and rising while wiping the dirt from his hands. ¡°Besides, that was a lucky throw, it was me throwing the little ice prince first¡­¡± ¡°Who¡¯re you calling an Ice Prince you overly muscled Conan reject.¡± Zod shot back, rising as well. The three shared a laugh and shook their heads. ¡°Damn Ryo, Damon, I¡¯ll get you two next time.¡± Zod joked, as the three boys grinned and high-fived each other. ¡°Tripod for the win!¡± Ryo cheered. The three boys laughed and clapped each other on the back as the rest of their classmates surrounded them. Track 8 TRACK 8 ¨C The movie ended and the screen faded to black. I blinked my eyes open and I was back in the ship with everyone else. All of my friends were silent for a bit as they processed what they had just seen. ¡°What you have just seen is the Class of Legends before they were known as such, prior to the last Affinity War.¡± Robyn explained. ¡°That was the guy who took over WA!¡± Bron shouted. ¡°Yeah, and that was my mom.¡± Ivanka chimed in. ¡°She never told me about this. Why should I believe you?¡± All the other students began shouting out questions in a free for all. After a few moments of raucousness, a high-pitched whine went out, silencing everyone and making us all cover our ears, a few seconds later it cut off. ¡°Sorry about that, but you were all getting a bit unruly. Now, I will answer all of your questions but for now please let me explain and after that we can take any remaining questions. Ok? Good. Where was I? Ah yes, you see each of the newly formed nations had sent their best and brightest students to train and form a bond between them. The rest is going to have to wait we are approaching the island of Rick.¡± Robyn finished. ¡°Already? It took me days and days to get to WA from there last time.¡± I said incredulously. ¡°Yes, well we are in an airship not a rowboat with a tiny sail.¡± The AI scoffed. ¡°I also may have taken the liberty of putting you all into a rest mode while you watched the memory and more time may have passed than normal.¡± He said the last quietly. ¡°How much time?¡± I growled. ¡°Oh, just a day.¡± He replied sheepishly. ¡°A day!¡± I screamed, as the room erupted at the news. The piercing sound rang out again and the room immediately quieted, now knowing what is was and who was causing it. ¡°Every one of you need the rest whether you wanted to admit it or not and the sprites agreed with me. Besides, what¡¯s done is done, why worry about the past when we are in the present and all that. Ah there is Rick now!¡± Robyn said, changing the subject. ¡°We will talk about this later Robyn, you too Tuki.¡± I growled, giving my sprite a sever look. Then I turned my attention outward and to the small island in the distance, with the little flying folk coming our way. ¡°Who or what are they?¡± Lancelot asked, from my side. In response everyone¡¯s AR-2¡¯s pinged and I accessed the info with everyone else. THE FAM Led by their charismatic chieftain, Rick, and his wife and the Chieftess, Tae, the Fam is a tribe of sentient flying monkey birds. The Fam is good natured and spend most of their days hunting for fish by diving in the ocean and collecting fruits from their island¡¯s rainforest. They are also very playful, spending whatever time they aren¡¯t hunting or sleeping by having fun. Hospitable and generous, not to mention courageous, honorable, and most of all, loyal, are just some of the words that describe the Fam. ¡°Hey brotha! Is that you Hiro?¡± A familiar voice called out. Grinning, I closed the window and turned to the sound of the voice. The flock of Fam were just a hundred feet from the LDS, with Rick flying at their head, his bright red fur and multicolored feathers a riot of color in the bright blue sky. I studied him quickly and could already tell he had aged, there was more grey hair around his beak then their used to be, if my memory served me right. One thing hadn¡¯t changed though, his huge smile. ¡°Rick!¡± I called back, waving and smiling from ear to ear. I couldn¡¯t help it the Fam and their irascible old leader had that effect on me. He waved back and gestured to his fellows and they adjusted their course then swooped down towards us, and in a minute they all landed gracefully on the deck, railings, and basically, wherever there was room. Rick chose the spot directly next to me on the railing. As soon as he was down, we shared a hug. He was a lot smaller than I remembered. I squeezed my old friend tight, realizing now just how much I had missed the old flying surfer dude. His squawk though, jogged me from my musing. ¡°Jeez brotha, take it easy, you¡¯re a lot bigger and stronger than you used to be.¡± Rick said, laughing and releasing the embrace. ¡°It¡¯s been a while my friend.¡± I replied. ¡°Yes, it has, man, what have they been feeding you?¡± Rick joked. I was about to answer but it was then that I noticed the new additions to my flying friend, he was armed and armored. He had a trident, that looked like it was made from some type of rainbow-colored coral, strapped to his back and various pieces of mish mashed leather armor around his body. He had, he reminded me of a barbarian warrior, albeit, a flying bird monkey barbarian warrior. A quick glance around and it confirmed that all the Fam were wearing armor and carrying different weapons. Rick saw my gaze then sighed, before giving me a hard look. ¡°Things are different since you were last here brotha.¡± Rick said solemnly. ¡°Come, we will go back to the home and talk of things. Bring all your friends, everyone is welcome. The Fam¡¯s hospitality will never change, even in the midst of war.¡± My eyebrows rose at the last and he just shook his head and mimed later. ¡°Follow me, you can dock your boats at my home.¡± Rick said, leaping off the railing and flying ahead of us, the rest of the Fam following his lead and doing the same. Justin, along with everyone else on board, came up next to me, faces full of wonder and mirth as they watched the colorful Fam fly ahead. ¡°Those bird things are amazing.¡± Ari said. I laughed and gave my teammate a smile. ¡°That¡¯s the Fam, they literally saved my life, and the lives of your uncles.¡± I said. ¡°Really?¡± Bron asked, turning the ships wheel to follow after the Fam. ¡°Yeah, and they are just good people. You¡¯ll see.¡± I told everyone. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Questions hit me from every direction up to the point where I had to beg off asking for Robyn¡¯s help. He took over the answering duties and I turned back out to watch the island grow larger as we approached. It was different then I remembered, and I closed my eyes picturing the place I had been not so long ago. When I opened them again, I shook my head, many things had changed. Gone was the idyllic little village that I had last visited. In its place was a, I hesitated to call it a fortress or a castle. The most I could call it was redoubt or enclosure maybe. There were five structures built upon tall wooden pylons, which looked to be made from the trunks of palm trees. They were connected like bunches of reeds and then stacked upon one another until they were over a hundred feet tall. A wall surrounded the Fam¡¯s home that was crafted out of bamboo and palm. As we closed in on the home I could see inside, and the building were made of the same materials. Rick hovered and made gestures towards the ships to where he was, directing both ships to dock at two makeshift piers that were being finished by teams of the Fam. Basically, it was just a conglomeration of bamboo and palm tree, but it did the job. ¡°Things are pretty different here boss, I¡¯m going to hop in the Affinity Plane for a bit with the other sprites, see what¡¯s going on.¡± Tuki said, I nodded in response and he popped out of existence along with quite a few of the other sprites. The ship came to a stop with a small thud and the gangway was lowered. Both ships had docked on the mountain side of the camp. The mountain that used to a be a volcano before my teachers had come and saved the Fam, along with the help of Lord Rhys, who was currently sleeping in the captured NRE Ship. ¡°Come on Hiro and all the rest of you. Tae and the rest of the Fam have prepared food and drink, but first all of you must use the hot springs. Just saying, all of you are a little ripe.¡± Rick said, miming fanning a stink from his nose. ¡°Tact wasn¡¯t something you learned with the fort building while I was gone, was it?¡± I asked sarcastically. ¡°Aye, you still have that sass you little jitterbug, you stink the worst! Show your friends the way.¡± Rick said, in mock anger, finishing his statement by laughing and shaking his head as he walked away. I watched him leave grinning from ear to ear, I couldn¡¯t help being in a better mood being around the bird monkey. ¡°Hey, Qupie, where¡¯s the damn bath, I¡¯m starving?¡± Justin griped, shoving me slightly in the back as he came up. Leave it to the Belmont to ruin the mood. Sighing, I pointed and started walking my friends and fellow students following along, talking and marveling at the Fam¡¯s home. I wanted to share in the enthusiasm going around but couldn¡¯t, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t quite right. Not only that, but the Fam¡¯s home was completely different than when I left, hopefully Rick would explain everything after our baths. ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± Maggie asked, coming up next to me. I turned looking at my girlfriend as I walked. She was looking around at everything as well, but every now and then she¡¯d look at me smile and give me a questioning glance. ¡°I was just thinking how different this place was now, from how it was when was last here.¡± I replied, smiling at my girl. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what it was like before, but this place is ridiculously amazing, and those bird things, wow!¡± Maggie exclaimed, gesturing at the surroundings and at the Fam in general. ¡°They are pretty amazing, not only that, I probably would have died if it wasn¡¯t for them, on my way to Warrior Academy.¡± I explained. ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing! Tell me¡­¡± Maggie started saying. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! A loud sound, like a klaxon alarm drowned her out and confusion rippled around my friend and fellow students. I spun in place, along with the rest of the new arrivals, looking for the source of the sound. The Fam flew in all directions, taking defensive positions along the walls. Rick flew in and landed next to us, while gesturing and calling out orders. He turned his attention to Maggie, Anna, who had just walked up, and me. ¡°We¡¯re under attack brotha!¡± Rick said. ¡°I know you just got here but can you and your¡­¡± ¡°Of course, Rick, we¡¯d be¡­¡± I began. Anna cleared her throat and gave me a look that said, who¡¯s in charge here? I swallowed and snapped my mouth shut. Anna nodded and turned to the village leader. ¡°Just tell us where you need us. Any friend of Hiro¡¯s is a friend of ours. Your fight is our fight.¡± Anna told Rick, saluting and bowing her head slightly. ¡°Ah, thank you little lady.¡± Rick replied, bowing his head slightly. ¡°Hiro, your friends are just as valiant as you are, now, Anna is it? Please take half your forces to the south east wall and the other half to the southwest wall. Reinforce the defenders there please.¡± ¡°Ten-four, Hiro, you take the southwest with the contingent from the LDS, I¡¯ll take the rest.¡± Anna said, then nodded and barked out a few more orders, then took half of us to the southeast wall. ¡°Good luck!¡± I called out, turning and moving off, my friends right behind me as I ran. Rick had flown ahead and was already on the wall by the time we arrived. I took a place next him and looked out. ¡°What in the hell is that?¡± Tomoe called, pointing out towards the ocean. I followed the line of her finger and looked out, enhancing my vision I could make out a disturbance a hundred yards out into the water. I squinted my eyes focusing on what looked like fins slicing through the ocean, white foam spitting out in wakes behind them. There were dozens upon dozens of them, there were all different shapes and sizes of fins, and all coming our way, fast. The SNES girl had asked the right question. ¡°What in the hell¡­¡± I said, echoing Tomoe as I trailed off. ¡°Those are our attackers. The Shark Clan is coming.¡± Rick answered, ominously. ¡°Prepare yourselves Fam! The enemy comes, no retreat, no surrender!¡± Rick pulled his trident off his back and thrust it out into the air, yelling in defiance, the Fam echoing the primal scream, as they leaped from the walls en masse. ¡°Well crap¡­¡± I said. ¡°Why in the hell did they all leap off of this perfectly good wall?¡± Anna yelled, from her position on the other wall. Robyn was kind enough to let us talk in real time, so I got the full force of her, personality. ¡°I have no idea.¡± I called back, keeping my eyes on the Fam as they flew towards their enemy in perfect formation. The Fam was formed up in a flying wedge with Rick in the lead, glowing rainbow Trident in his hand. I squinted and focused in on the weapon, my AR-2 dinged a second later and I accessed the info. TRIDENT OF RAINBOWS AND SUNSHINE I closed the window and nodded to myself impressed. The trident was pretty Billy. Just then Rick yelled some commands and the fliers spread out, readying their weapons, then as one they tucked their wings and began diving towards the water as one. It was like watching my Sensei¡¯s old WWII movies, like Tora Tora Tora, and the Japanese were about to hit Pearl Harbor. Affinity Power started to surround the Fam as they picked up speed, different colored glowing auras shining around each fighter. Rick¡¯s changed every second, going all colors of the rainbow, one after another When the Fam was less than thirty feet from the ocean the water began to roil and the shark fins burst into color, different colored Affinity Powered auras coming to life just as the Fam¡¯s had. Then the water exploded! It was like a bomb went off and whitewater and spray went everywhere, a giant cloud of watery air, obscuring my vision for a second. Then, all the proverbial hell broke loose. The sharks were out of the water and streaking upwards towards the diving Fam. There were all kinds of sharks. I saw Hammerheads, Mako¡¯s, Tiger, Bull, and many more. The Shark-Men, that¡¯s what they were, wore similar armor to the Fam and had weapons that were also alike. Even the magical Affinity auras surrounding them were the same. My AR-2 pinged and I quickly checked the information. SHARK-MEN I quickly dismissed the window as the two sides crashed into each other, with clashes of arms and Affinity Power. The cloud dissipated and I could see the battle unfolding clearly. The Fam and Shark-men clashed once, then twice, and separated, hits being scored on both sides. Monkey-birds flew back up into the sky and the sharks dropped back down into the ocean. Rick led his fighters back to the wall and back to their previous positions and the Sharks reformed up and continued towards us and the Fam¡¯s home. When they reached the pylons in the water, they began to circle the structure. Rick landed a moment before they did and I gave a questioning look and raised my hands up in a. what the hell, gesture. Rick sighed and looked me in the eyes before speaking. ¡°We have a little bit before they attack. It¡¯s time I filled you and your friends in on what¡¯s going on.¡± The leader said. ¡°You think?¡± I asked sarcastically. ¡°Yes, yes, I do.¡± Rick replied, as if I wasn¡¯t. ¡°Grab your friends and let¡¯s head back to my hut.¡± ¡°Anna heard.¡± Robyn said, in my ear. I nodded and followed Rick to his home. Track 9 TRACK 9 ¨C Anna, Lancelot, Kagero, and I sat in Rick¡¯s home around the hearth in the center of the one room hut. I looked around the hut as we sat there and it reminded of a traditional Japanese home, albeit from the Sengoku period and made from bamboo and palm tree. Tae was moving around without a care in the world, as if there weren¡¯t giant shark-men right outside the village¡¯s walls. ¡°More tea Hiro?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes please.¡± I replied, as she filled my coconut cup with more tropical fruit tea. ¡°Thanks Tae.¡± ¡°Hiro, what did I tell you?¡± Tae chided, giving me a mock hurt look. ¡°Thanks Ma.¡± I said, shaking my head and grinning at the older monkey bird. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ma replied, pinching my cheek and smiling widely. ¡°That goes for all of you.¡± She said, looking around the room at all of us. A chorus of thank you Ma¡¯s rang out and the portly matron went back to her tasks, humming softly to herself. ¡°Now, that my lovely misses be placated let¡¯s get back to business.¡± Rick began. ¡°Let me explain what is going on, better yet, let me show you. Me get me the ting.¡± ¡°Hold ya fish husband.¡± Tae said, coming back over with a burning metal orb that she set down in the center of the hearth. Then she began humming and gesturing, rainbow colored Affinity Magic surrounding her whole body. I focused on the smoking multi-colored orb for a second and my AR-2 pinged, then an information screen appeared. AFFINITY ORB I dismissed the screen as Rick started speaking and the smoke started forming a picture. ¡°Not so long ago, right after you left last time to be exact, the Shark-Men appeared.¡± He explained. The smoke turned into a picture of the Fam¡¯s home when I last visited, when their village was on the beach. Little grey monkey bird figures went about their business, playing, eating, drinking, just living their frivolous and enjoyable lives. Now that the volcano was safe, they were secure and comfortable, all was right with the world, until it wasn¡¯t. CRACK! BOOM! A deafening sound and roar shook the smoking scene and the little figures looked around in fear and terror. Moments later the shark-men appeared in the water surrounding the village, walking out of the surf and towards the Fam¡¯s village. The monsters made no attempt at communication, they just rushed towards their victims. The first dozen monkey birds were taken by surprise and the shark-men lashed into them with razor sharp teeth and claws. After a minute of slaughter, the rest of the Fam got the idea and flew up out of range of the attacking monsters. ¡°That was the first run in with the vile sharks.¡± Rick explained. ¡°We made adjustments after that.¡± The orb changed and now the Fam was still at the island, but this time they were in the middle of constructing their current home. The scene fast forwarded, and the pylons were built, then the village on top, and the wall around it. A few more seconds went by and they finished. I watched as they celebrated, safe in their new home. The sun set and night came. The shark-men swam around the island, their fins slicing through the water, but the Fam had made their new home high up and the attackers couldn¡¯t get to it. The view stayed on the circling sharks down in the ocean and then sped up, night becoming day and day becoming night, over and over for weeks. Then it stopped and things went back to normal speed. ¡°We thought we were safe in our new home. We thought we were so smart, just build up high out of the water and they couldn¡¯t get to us, we were wrong.¡± Rick said softly. ¡°It happened in the middle of the night¡­¡± The moon was covered by the clouds and the whole world was cloaked in darkness. Only the barest of light made it through the clouds, casting dark grey shadows and giving the slightest hint of a view, it was almost ethereal and was hauntingly beautiful. The I noticed movement and the view changed showing a night vision view of the Fam home. The shark-men were out of the water and quietly climbing up the pylons to the sleeping village up above. Horror welled up in me as I watched them crest the wall and pause, looking around seeing no one else awake. The Fam had thought they were safe up above the water in their newly built home, so they hadn¡¯t set any guards. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Over a dozen shark-men climbed over and in sneaking through the village and entering the Fam¡¯s homes. Screams tore through the night and the shark-men reappeared all of them carrying newly acquired bundles. I looked closer and saw the bundles were moving. They weren¡¯t things they were members of the Fam, and kids to be exact. Shouts of fear and rage followed the screams and monkey birds raced out of their homes and after the raiders. The orb slowly stopped smoking then went dark, the room turning back to normal. ¡°That night is called the Night of Terror. We lost many young ones due to my inexperience.¡± Rick said, remorse and guilt in his tone. ¡°I made a vow that night to never let them take another member of the Fam. The result is as you see now, we armed ourselves, made armor, based on memory of Lord Rhys and your Master and Sensei. That pretty much catches you up to now.¡± All of us were quiet as we digested what we had just seen and heard. The only sounds were the humming and clattering of Ma as she puttered around. I glanced at her quickly and saw tears streaming down her furry cheeks, showing her true feelings. I stifled a sniff and noticed that my friends were as well. Anna cleared her throat dragging all the eyes in the room to her. She turned looking Rick in the eyes. ¡°I promise you that all of us will help you destroy these vile monsters. You have the word of Anna Belmont.¡± She said, resolve in her voice. She was echoed by Tomoe and Lancelot, I just put my hand on Ricks shoulder and nodded. He smiled back and then around the room before his visage hardened and he stood up. ¡°Thank you, it is high time that we take the fight to the shark-men and finish them off.¡± Rick stated. ¡°Can you tell us any more about these monsters? How many of them are there? Where do they live? Things like that.¡± Lancelot said. ¡°Yes, but better than tell you, I can show you. First though, we have to deal with those ones outside.¡± Rick said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Rick-san, I have already come up with a few ideas on how to make sushi out of these shark-men.¡± Tomoe said, her face taking on a feral and not unhungry look. That¡¯s why a quarter of an hour later everyone was back on the wall and looking down at the circling shark-men. It seemed to me, that the monsters were waiting for dark to strike, as that¡¯s what they did last time. Hopefully, Tomoe¡¯s plan worked, I thought, as I turned and looked at the little ninja girl. Who was leaning so far over the railing I was afraid she was going to fall off, but obviously she didn¡¯t, I mean, ninja training and all that, you know? The whole wall was quiet as everyone waited for the call to initiate the plan. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± She asked, leaning back and hopping down from the top of the wall. ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed with everyone that they are all prepared and ready to go. Are you sure about this Ms. Tomoe?¡± Robyn asked. ¡°I mean, this is rather risky and¡­¡± ¡°Oh, stop being such a worrywart, you sound like Headmaster Ichigo. Besides, this plan is awesome, right Anna, Hiro, Lancelot?¡± Tomoe replied, asking the three of us. I looked to the A-Ball Captain and the RKP student, who both shrugged and made noncommittal answers, which I echoed, this plan was crazy. Tomoe scowled and flipped her head turning back to the water. ¡°Such babies. It will work, just watch.¡± She said, nodding emphatically, as if convincing herself. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± All of us hopped on top of the wall, each grabbing one of the Fam¡¯s fishing hooks and lines. I glanced at the item and its information appeared. JADE FISHING HOOK WITH ATTACHED AFFINITY ENHANCED FISHING LINE ¡°Ready up!¡± Anna called, activating her skill and her Affinity Power appearing around her. I dismissed the message and did the same, AP covering me from head to toe, the rest of my friends similarly prepared we readied ourselves. I raised my arms over my head and got into a diver¡¯s stance, along with everyone else. The sharks were coming around from the back of the village as we stood there. ¡°Three, Two, One¡­¡± Robyn counted out. ¡°Now! Go, go, go!¡± As one, we leaped off the top of the Fam¡¯s wall, multi-colored Affinity Powers streaking down towards the water and the incoming shark-men. The dives were perfection and were timed just right. We hit the water just as the MOB¡¯s were coming around the lest bend and now could see us. Then I hit the water and lost sight of them. My AP sizzled and steamy bubbles obscured my vision as I dove down a dozen feet. I flipped over in the water righting and orienting myself with the surface above me and the ocean floor below. Treading water, I looked around and saw Bron to my left, Ari and Maggie to my right. There other students were around as well but my view was obscured by my friends. It was a moot point anyway as the shark-men demanded my full attention. From my position in the water, now much closer to the incoming monsters, they took on a whole new look. They were much fiercer, larger, and just plain nastier looking. Their teeth alone went from sharp mildly dangerous looking things, to six-inch wicked looking blades that were downright terrifying. I did a little mental arithmetic and counted an almost equal number of us and them. The sharks spotted us right away and their speed increased almost triple. The distance between us, about fifty feet, was dwindling rapidly as the monsters rushed forward, weapons at the ready, and faces with wide feral grins. I¡¯m sure the shark-men thought that we¡¯d be easy prey, even covered in Affinity auras as we were, the MOB¡¯s were in their element, not us. Which was made abundantly clear, as they covered half the distance between us in moments, the water behind them a morass of slipstreams and bubbles, as they tore through the water in search of their next victims. ¡°Initiate phase one of Plan Crazy Ninja Girl, now!¡± Robyn¡¯s voice sounded in my head. ¡°Ten-four good buddy.¡± I replied mentally, hook and line readied.