Dark. Dank. Despair had taken form in this gray room with pitch black bars. Harvenger noted several notches on the vertical barrier, someone gnawing or clawing at the confines, and their failure was obvious. Who knew how many monsters and humans alike rooted down here in this dungeon, forgotten or left to die on purpose, who could tell?

And who were those humans? He never got a name as they carted him off in his ice confines. He gauged that the ice could've been destroyed, if he had wished so. However, the wrath of that duo was a wrath worth taking note of. How one knew of Shilieka? How that he was her companion as well? Questions needed answering, but somehow he knew, the interrogations would be directed more towards revealing what he already knew, as opposed to learning what he wanted to.

His mind didn't stay on the subject any longer, as another problem was beginning to arise.

The cell wall shook, and dust fell from it in waves after each impact from the other side. The bars rattled and banged as the sound of metal on metal stampeded down the corridors. Harvenger wondered if Lethander could actually break them.

The Naga hissed angrily, "I can't believe I got stuck here! My honor will be redeemed! Arg!"

As he resumed his attempted escape plan, as suave as it was, the little Kato was forced to intercede, lest those humans return and assume they both were attempting to break free.

"You know, you might as well save your strength for a guard or something."

"YOU!" The Naga wailed angrily, "You were the one who interfered with my match! You cost me my championship!"

"Um, well, I would agree, if you hadn't been losing." Calmly, the Kato replied.

The answer was several hard shocks to the wall dividing their cells. Obviously, Lethander was slamming his entire mass into it every time. Finally, it stopped, and Harvenger heard the sound of something sliding down the wall, and a raking sound as the monster descended to the floor.

"You fool. You think I'd be beaten that easily?" The Naga shifted his weight around, pressing his back against the stone wall, "He is an arrogant opponent, but he does hit pretty good. His ego was getting the best of him, and I was about to make my move when you joined in. Like I needed the help."

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for the people you two would have killed in that fight."

"Either way, you assistance was not, is not, and shall never be, required."

"How did he know my name?" Harvenger asked lightly.

"An old advisory perhaps?" The Naga snickered, "You are an old Kato after all, I'd bet you have grudges everywhere."

"Well, I have defeated many monsters, " The Kato smiled slightly, "To include you."

The dust evacuated the wall one more time as a heavy slam nailed the other side. Harvenger could hear the massive tail pushing and sliding around the cell again, frustrated as he always seemed.

"I was undefeated until you came along, I underestimated you terribly." The Naga seemed to spit as the words as they left his mouth.

"Loss is what makes monsters great." The Kato spoke with a hint of wisdom, "Only with loss can you truly see what you were doing wrong."

"NO!" The Naga screamed as Harvenger heard something slam into the floor in the other cell, probably Lethander's tail, "To lose is to be weak, to be defeated is to be forgotten!"

"To be defeated, is to grow stronger." Harvenger spoke lightly again, obviously infuriating the Naga even more with his almost satirical tone.

"No, I will never see loss as improvement. You can learn from a fight, or even screw up, and never make that mistake again without being defeated."

"With that mindset, you will never become more powerful..." Harvenger spoke as his began pacing his cell in boredom.

"I will crush you, Kato! I will rip that grinning little skull right off of that puny, old, withered body of yours!"

"You will lose..." Harvenger spoke softly, "...again."

As two furious blows rattled the iron bars of both cells, the wooden door in the hallway opened slowly, the creaking hinges drawing the immediate attention of both monsters. A small flame pierced the darkness, bobbing lightly as it approached, accompanied by the light footsteps of one, hooded being.

The person stopped in front of Harvenger's cell, and slowly raised a set of keys up to their face, examining them slightly, before grasping a single one, of the many the ring held.

As the key slid into the lock, a familiar voice spoke softly, "How did you get into this one?"

The Kato felt his cheeks pull back in reflex, just short of laughing aloud as Shilieka's wrist attempted to turn the key.

It didn't budge.

"Ah well, tried it their way." She spoke under her breath.

She clasped the lock with both hands firmly. The Kato saw a small amount of light emerging from the cracks in her fingers. Suddenly, a very small bang went off, but in the silence of this prison, it sounded horribly loud.

The metal lock bounced a few times as it hit the ground, each time with an echoing ping. The rusty cell seemed to scream as it opened, and Harvenger walked out with a smile.

"I owe you for this." He spoke kindly.

"As do I."

An unknown voice ripped through the blackness, booming like rolling thunder. A voice that resounded of power and strength. The Pixie and Kato stood for a silent moment, gazing into the black veil that would give none. The light around the torch was immediately penetrated as a large, purple point flew towards Shilieka's heart.

The assailant might have been shocked to see the Kato fly up and swat the tip away, but he might not. The spear hit the stone floor but for a second, before it returned to the darkness. Harvenger stood at the ready, counting his disadvantages all too well.

"Nicely done. It takes a true monster to deflect my javelin these days. Competition is hard to find in this young age..." The burly voice rang once more.

Harvenger heard the spear turn in the shadows. Felt the breeze of its passing. But, he kept hearing it, kept feeling the air. Soon, him and Shilieka were just short of bracing from the wind that flew at them in this hallway.

A small, white orb appeared in the darkness. Not bobbing or moving, just sitting there. Suddenly, it flew at Harvenger. The Kato jumped to the left, as Shilieka hopped to the right. The orb pasted between them, barely missing both, then detonated further down the hall.

Where the orb had been, another sat. Just sitting there, the wind still pushing against both of them. Shilieka untied the knot at her neck, allowing the black cape to fly down the passage way, knowing it would be a hindrance.

The second orb sped forward wildly, turning and spinning in route. Harvenger dodged the ball, but as he did, he noticed not only the third, but also the forth speeding for Shilieka. The Pixie bounded out of one's path, and backhanded the second back to the darkness, where yet another orb was being charged.

In that moment, time seemed to slow in Harvenger's mind. The sphere lit a small area of darkness around it as it flew back to the shadow from whence it came. Slowly, the light fell on the other orb, and the green, scaly hand that grasped it. The ball of energy diverted up slightly, and its path illuminated the broad and muscled chest of their attacker, and the hairy waistline he had, but lower than that remained in darkness. The orb went right over his shoulder, briefly casting light on the right side of this monster's face. The beak reflected the light brightly, and the eye lit up sharply as the sphere passed by it. The right arm was extended up towards the ceiling, and in that split second, Harvenger also saw the spear twirling in its hand.

The next moment, it had passed him, and the explosion came from behind the monster. The flash of light outlined the Centaur for what it was, as the next orb flew from his hand.

Harvenger darted to the center of the hall, slashing his claw twice in front of him. Two, small tornados sped to meet the oncoming barrage of white energy. The orbs got caught in the force of the winds, and whipped about inside spastically, slamming into wall, floor, roof, and cells alike as their new found carriage headed back towards their master.

The twisters were quite full of energy blasts when they reached the Centaur. One, loud slash rang forth, shattering both cyclones, and instantly sent every last ball flying into random directions at once. Their explosions were almost completely simultaneous around the monster. Harvenger covered his eyes as the dust and stone flew down the hallway in droves.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of hooves connecting with stone. The holes in the roof revealed a full moon, and the rays of light that fell in the several new holes in the ceiling revealed the charging Centaur's shadow momentarily as he passed under one.

Harvenger rolled to his left as the spear swung slightly under him. The spear sent a fast shot of sparks flying as it connected with the floor accompanied by a loud bang.

The Kato heard the hooves slowing down in the passageway, and squinted to spot his foe. Suddenly, several bolts of lightning caught the Kato's attention. Shilieka was charging herself with electricity. Her hair began to rise and fall in no particular order, chaotic as electricity should be. The bolts coursed over and around her body, firing off bright flashes when they managed to connect with each other.

The hooves picked up again, but the lightning helped alleviate the darkness. It did not, however, solve the sight issue, as the dust was so thick that one couldn't see even with light. The torch fell from her hand, and snuffed itself out when it landed in a pile of new found dust on the floor.

Again, time seemed to slow to Harvenger, as he could do nothing to react in time. The point of the spear flew from the darkness like a cannonball, right for the Pixie's chest. Shilieka managed to slide to the left just enough to let the spear pass by. Soon, the hand grasping it came through as well, followed by the torso and the head of the Centaur. A look of surprise rode his brow into vision. Shilieka had pulled her right arm back when the spear appeared, and Harvenger saw the electricity concentrated around her hand. As the Centaur passed between Harvenger and Shilieka, she yelled as her fist connected with the charging Centaur's beak.

A bright flash of white detonated from the Centaur's face, followed almost simultaneously by a thunderclap. The Centaur's head was smoking as he rode back into the darkness, and the light around the Pixie faded. Harvenger heard the slipping of hooves attempting to grip, followed by the heavy slam of a monster falling in full charge. The sound of metal hitting the floor was the last thing heard for a few moments that seemed like eternity.

Shilieka held a small, orange light in her hand, and moved forward slowly, Harvenger close behind. Several moans filled the halls as the sound of the metal returned slightly, no doubt the Centaur grasping his spear. As they approached, he eventually came into sight. He was attempting to pull himself up with his spear, and for the most part, succeeding.

After he stood completely, he turned his head slightly, gazing at them over his shoulder, "Very good, but the Princes would not like their prisoners to simply walk free."

The spear turned, slowly at first, then building speed. He was still looking over his shoulder, the winds blowing down the hall opposite of the Kato and Pixie.

Suddenly, with speed unknown to a Centaur, he spun and jumped, slinging his spear under him. As he did, a massive wind arose with the force of a thousand punching Golems. Shilieka flew down the corridor on the wind stream, into the deep darkness. Harvenger found himself more on the updraft as he slammed into, and through, the roof of the passage.

The Kato's body bounced slightly on the stone roof of the prison. Grasping his right arm, the one he landed on, he propped himself up, slightly unsure of what just happened. Suddenly, the stones under him exploded with a white flash, and his back was instantly hot. With several nimble back flips, he stared at the newest hole in the ceiling.

The blocks of stones erupted up as the mighty Centaur slammed his mass into them. They rose almost as far as he did into the air. His hooves landed heavily, spear pointed down at the Kato. Harvenger moved his right claw behind him, resting it on the ground, pulling his left slowly across his chest, in his customary fighting stance.

"Don't suppose I could get a name from you?" Harvenger asked with a grin.

After a few seconds, the Centaur answered plainly, "Glory."

"You're good, Glory..." Harvenger muttered with a slight grin, "But how well will you fair now I have some room to maneuver?"

"Dear Kato, I hope you are as fast as you think you are, for I know I am." The Centaur spoke with that commanding voice, one that neither mocked, nor jested, but always spoke it like it was.

This made Harvenger uneasy.

Suddenly, two balls slammed in front of the Kato. He bounced back a few times, curious as to why the Centaur's aim had gotten worse. It was then, that the moonlight saved Harvenger's life. The small shadow under him was immediately covered by another, one growing larger as it descended. The Kato looked up only for a moment as the bulk of the Centaur fell, spear point down, and seemed to be enveloped with a light blue tint.

Harvenger darted to the left quickly as Glory slammed into the roof with the force of a meteor. Stone flew up like a volcano, and Harvenger raised both claws to his face to avoid the now propelled debris.

Then, another explosion rang forth, right under Harvenger. He had no time to react as the spear shot through the stonework, a little too right to impale the Kato, but also a little too close. The explosion rocked Harvenger as he flew into the air, followed by an airborne Centaur. Harvenger didn't have time to react as the Centaur actually flew past him. As he did, he kicked his rear legs back, with accuracy and power that proved to be deadly.

Harvenger slammed through the roof once more, landing on the ground roughly. The wind knocked out of him, he breathed in deeply on impact, only to cough ferociously in the next instant as the dust invaded his lungs.

His vision was slightly blurred from his eyes watering, this dust was too much. He saw a feminine shadow, gazing at him with a body language of worry and perplexity. Then, it turned and flew through one of the holes in the roof. The Kato stood ever slowly as several explosion rang from outside. The entire castle must be on its way now.

Harvenger regained his thought process, and remembered that Shilieka was facing a very deadly foe alone right now. He bounded out of one of the existing holes.

As he ascended, he saw at first hooves, then body, then green arm, then blunt spear end. Glory swiped him out of the air with the non lethal end of the spear, as it was the only thing he could do caught so unprepared for a Kato that pops out of a hole.

Harvenger spun back up onto his feet as he landed, his Pixie comrade nearby. They were positioned in a triangle, with two one one odds that still didn't look so hot.

"You are both very talented, this is a day I will not soon forget."

All three monsters prepped for the next exchange, one that would never come.

Suddenly, the ground on each side of the Centaur exploded in a flash of yellow. The roof, reeling from this constant addition of holes and damage, began to crack and give way. Harvenger bounced back a few times to avoid falling in, but found an arm around him suddenly, carrying him a few feet above the collapsing roof top. Glory, however, fell in with the debris.

Shilieka hovered there for a few seconds, then moved down slowly, landing on the part of the roof that remained intact. Both monsters gazed into the crater that had been a prison.

Suddenly, a purple form fired from the dust bowl, only about a foot from their faces. Both stumbled back, then turned as the heavy tail slammed into the ceiling.

"I suppose I owe you for getting me out, too..." Lethander hissed mockingly, "But it seems we have other problems."

The purple claw pointed towards the city. Several detachments were being sent, some through the city streets, some on the castle walls, and some were flying, monsters working for the City Guard.

"I think a hasty escape is in order..." The Naga grinned, "Unless you two are keen on killing as many as possible before we die."

Stay Tuned. CHB

OOOOOhhh...remind me to read chaps 1-6...Even though I could sink into this, I don't know what's going on...

This is really a great story. I've been reading it ever since i joined mrm. Great work CHB. And if I might ask, where did you get the name harvenger?

Um, my other story. It was the name of a weapon system that Jills invented. Orginally, it was a Kato I raised, but I used his name in the Elements as that, then, started this story with an actual Kato.

Ah, another great masterpiece comes to an end! They just keep getting better. I was gald to see a Centaur in the story. Anywho, I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter. Keep it up, CHB!

My, what a coincidence, My dad is raising a Kato as we speak...Just curious, but did I miss something, or did you never tell us what he is? Tainted cat? Pure?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I always thought of him as pure.

I agree. I see harvenger as a pure breed kato diggin his right arm in the dirt wen he fights. :)

Huh...I always envisioned from his description, always jumping around stealthily, he was Kato/???, Ninja Kato. Or maybe Kato/Joker.

The thing that really sets his breed here is the referances to his mustache. You can describe a smile in many ways with it, and I'm not sure if Ninja Katos even have one.

He is a pure bred. You would have gotten a good description, had he been rare. Not all monsters have to be rare to be bada*s. Just a run of the mill Kato.