Oh man, I can't believe its been over a month since I last wrote a chap for MDA. I'm sorry I kept you all waiting so long, but that last installment was a little short of perfect, if you know what i mean. I hope this one turns out better (since I actually took time to proofread). Here comes Chap 8!

The MDA Chapter 8: Ripper, Zan, and the Secret Shinobi

The twilight breeze was like a wedge of frost nipping at the face and freezing the body. The rays from the moon lit the sky like a lone beacon in a dark forest. Various monsters stretched their wings above the castle now bustling with activity. Bells were tolling, lights were illuminating the once black foregrounds, and various monsters were screaming; some bailed with agony while others screamed, “Intruders!”

Diablo had noticed the sounds exploding from the building, and had whirled his cape around like an out-of-control merry-go-round.

“What in God’s name is going on in there?!” shouted the lead Joker. Diablo had a black aura surrounding him now. His dark cape fluttered madly as the wind kicked up under him. All of the other Jokers backed away as Diablo choked his scythe and almost snapped it in two. The white hair flowing freely from his mask shot up straight and looked like a firm snow covered forest. The mask that clutched Diablo’s non-existing face held the ever popular don’t-mess-with-me expression.

“The alarms have sounded!” yelled Cuma, “There are guards everywhere!”

“I can see that, idiot!” yelled Diablo. Cuma backed down looking as if he were a goose caught in the fox’s den, with Diablo as the fox. “We have to get in there! Those two slackers are probably in danger.”

“Hold your horses, Diablo,” said a deep voice emanating from the palm trees. A large, silhouette leaned against the bark of a palm tree. The trunk bent under the enormous being casually folding his large claws across his chest. The figure pushed itself off of the tree, and the palm sprung straight up in great relief. A large statue-like monster stepped out into the light of the moon, and stood before the Jokers. Writhe’s granite body blended well with the night setting of the Kalaragi jungle. His large horn stretched in front of his small, yellow eyes. If not for the slight rays of light jutting out from his pupil’s, you wouldn’t be able to tell Writhe from any ordinary statue.

“Ah, there you are, Lord Writhe. I was beginning to wonder where you had gone off to,” said Diablo.

“Save it for later,” said Writhe in a very serious tone, “We’ve got two monsters in there with no weapons against an entire fleet of samurai-“

“And ninja,” interrupted Balish, “There are ninja too.”

“But that’s preposterous!” yelled Writhe looking at the Joker as if he belonged in mental rehab, “Ninja and samurai are sworn enemies! They wouldn’t even go near each other unless they were about to kill one another.”

“And they’ve tried to,” said Kale. The Joker had just popped out of a bush not too far from the rendezvous between the Joker and Beerock. “I was spying on the training grounds of the castle before the alarm sounded. The ninja and samurai were training in two separate corners, and whenever they walked by one another to get water or food, they’d spit on each other and make awfully rude remarks.”

“If that’s the case,” said Balish, “Then why in the world would they train in the same building?”

“It seems to me that they’ve been assembled by a higher power,” said Diablo, “But who’s pulling the strings?”

All of the monsters paused to think on what Diablo had just said. All of them looked confused, and none could come up with an answer, that is, until Writhe lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Wait a minute,” said Writhe, “When Keemo told me of how he came to Kalaragi and had gone after the Black Hand; he had said someone had called him with the information. Don’t you think it’s a little odd that someone would assemble all of us in the Kalaragi jungle without revealing his identity?”

“Yeah,” said Diablo, “The Allure told me a little about this assumed VSS that you were supposed to have, Writhe. Don’t you think it’s strange that the person would come up with such an exact name if the thing didn’t exist?”

“And if this weapon’s in the hands of these monsters,” said Kale, “Then Keemo, Jango, Sirus, and Kala might have bitten off more than they could chew.”

All the monsters looked grimly up at the dark, brooding outer wall.

“Let’s go,” whispered Diablo.

Writhe opened his large, rock shell to reveal two large wings. They began to hum, and then buzz like a starting lawn mower. The Jokers levitated up and over the wall, followed by the noise of Writhe’s wings. They were determined to save their comrades, and possibly every other monster on the planet.

* * *

Kala lifted her head and opened her eyes to see the same dark cell she had been in the night before. The sun was out, and the morning birds were singing their beautiful symphonies as they plucked at various worms and insects. She noticed a poorly made iron goblet filled to the top with water accompanied by a loaf of stale bread sitting in the corner of the room. She felt better than she had last night, and knew she had been drugged. She limped over to the food and put the goblet to her face. She was about to drink, when she realized a foul aroma emitting from the liquid.

“What the…” began Kala. She put her purple nose to the top of the goblet and inhaled. She noticed the odor. She picked up the bread, and found the same stench coming from it. “So that’s it. They drugged the food.”

Kala’s purple wings folded to her back and reflected the sunlight. For having a dark body, Kala shone like a spotlight in the day. Her exuberant purple skin was soft as a feather and the dark scales and fins took to the shadows of the cell’s floor as the rest of Kala’s body stole the show. Her black hair accompanied by another pair of fins was the mitt that caught the rays of the sun. Even in her old age, she could easily seduce opposing monsters and even humans.

“I have to get out of here,” whispered Kala.

“CLANK”

Kala’s head shot in the direction of the sound at light speed. She knew she had to act as if she were drugged to avoid further trouble.

“NO!” Kala thought. The food was still sitting in the corner of the room. She ran across the cold stone floor and picked up the wooden tray with the goblet and bread. She threw the bread out the barred window and poured the contents of the goblet out onto the training grounds. She watched a bird swoop down and grab the miniature portion of stale bread. It ate foul meal, and moments later caught hold of the drug. The swallow danced around on a branch like a drunken loon. It staggered to the edge of the branch, and plummeted downwards beak first. With its sharp wings clasped firmly to its white underbelly and its twin tail feathers shooting straight up, the bird looked like a bomb ready to blow up an unsuspecting village. Its beak drove into the soft soil, and it stood straight up. Kala couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s so funny, Miss?” said a Garu dressed in a crummy samurai armor. Beside him stood a Ripper dressed in very formal samurai armor. They looked over at Kala.

“Now,” Kala thought to herself, “I have to act like I’ve been drugged so they won’t think anything’s wrong.”

Kala spun on her heels and staggered over to the cell door. She had an awkward expression stretched across her face.

“W-would you like t-to tell me where I-I am,” Kala slurred her words. The two monsters huddled in the back of the room, and Kala caught hold of what they were saying.

“She’s definitely out of it, sir,” said the Garu with a stress free look on his face. The Ripper, however, wasn’t convinced.

“I don’t know,” it said, “She isn’t acting like the others. She seems a little too out of it. I think she’s playing us for suckers.”

“Dammit,” thought Kala, “That one’s got a brain. But the other is completely clueless. Let’s just hope he can put up a convincing argument.”

“Come on,” said the Garu, “Maybe she’s just having a bad reaction to the stuff.”

“I suppose…” muttered the Ripper, not entirely convinced. Kala stood ready as the Ripper forked over the cell keys. The Garu inserted the crooked metal into the lock, and the door creaked open. Kala immediately sprang to life and sank her claws into the Garu’s neck. Blood shot forth from the injured monster, and it died seconds later.

The Ripper pulled a Kusari-Gama (short sickle with a weighted chain attached to the end) from his armor and sent the weight headlong into Kala’s right cheek. She cried out in pain as her already purple cheek swelled up into a darker shade of violet. Kala spit out a little blood, and looked at the Ripper. He was swinging the chain madly with his left hand, and held the curved blade in his right.

“Stupid,” he muttered, “That Garu always was an airhead. I was surprised when he was allowed to join the Sasuke Army. That wasn’t the only one they let in. Nowadays these dumb young guns are allowed into the army without a single test.”

With that remark, the Ripper dashed for Kala. She nimbly dodged, and realized what she was up against.

The Ripper turned to face her again and she noticed his armor, except this time was able to take in the detail. It was made of platinum, and had various carvings embedded in the precious metal. Kala looked over to the Garu to see that his armor was a very dull red with only parallel lines running across the poorly made battle suit. Kala was dealing with a very high ranking samurai who probably had a vast amount of experience.

The Ripper threw the weight at Kala, and she caught it between her purple fingers.

“I’ve got you now,” she said triumphantly. She yanked hard on the chain, but the Ripper didn’t budge.

“No, said the Ripper. He yanked hard on the sickle, and Kala soared into the air. “I’ve got you.”

The Ripper was so fast Kala didn’t even see him move. All she saw was the Ripper standing at the other end of the hall holding his now bloodstained Kusari-Gama. That’s when Kala noticed a sharp pain in her abdomen. She looked down to see a large gash straight through her stomach. Blood trickled down her side, and she fell to her knees.

The Ripper turned around, and began to walk towards the injured Allure. Kala stood, taking the pain head-on. The Ripper seemed a little shocked that she was able to move at all, but then continued forward.

“I see you’re not a simpleton like most other monsters,” said the Ripper. He began swinging his chain again. “It seems I’ll have to finish you the old fashioned way.”

“The old fashioned way?” Kala thought, “What’s that mean?”

The Ripper dropped the Kusari-Gama, and it hit the floor with a loud “CLANK”. The Ripper pulled his claw back towards his chest.

“ICE PILLAR!!!” he yelled. His claw shone with a bright blue light. He slashed at the floor, sending a slab of ice towards Kala. She tried to dodge, but was too late. Hundreds of ice blades shot forth and put dozens of cuts through Kala’s already damaged skin. She cried out as each pillar that emerged soon had a trail of blood running down its side. Kala’s body was torn to shreds. However, the cuts were small, and weren’t enough to bring her down.

She staggered to her feet, and spat a wad of blood onto the ground.

“Well if that’s how you want to play,” began Kala. She put her bloody hands into the sky, and shouted, “LIFE STEAL!”

A blazing aura engulfed Kala’s body as well as the samurai’s. Kala’s cuts began to heal, and with every cut Kala lost, the Ripper gained one. Most Life Steals would have stopped there, but Kala had experience on her side. Every one of her cuts healed, and the Ripper accumulated more cuts. However, the Ripper broke free of the attack, and managed to get away with only half of the cuts Kala had. Even though all of Kala’s wounds were healed, the Ripper hadn’t taken all of them on.

“A minor annoyance,” said the Ripper, breathing heavily, “I can still fight with more skill than you’ll ever have.”

With that, the Ripper jumped for the Kusari-Gama. He picked it up, and began twirling the chain like before.

“Okay,” Kala thought, “I can’t counter that sickle without a weapon. But where do I get one?”

Kala looked over at the dead Garu, and saw a katana latched to his side. Kala jumped for the body, and drew the thin blade. She caught the chain, but when the Ripper pulled, she used the katana to cut the weight right off. The Ripper yanked hard, and flew backwards.

“Very clever,” it said as it tossed the sickle aside, “You’re much better than I had assumed. No one’s beaten my Kusari-Gama in years. It seems I’ve found an adequate opponent.”

The Ripper pulled a black clothe off of his waist to reveal a sheath. He gripped the end of the katana and drew it. He pointed the blade at Kala, and looked at her with cold, stone eyes.

“DIE!!!”

The Ripper dashed at Kala with a speed unlike anything Kala had ever seen. He jabbed and slashed at her with intense power and accuracy. However, she parried every blow. She didn’t even know what she was doing. It was as if instinct had taken over her body. The Ripper was just as amazed. However, he still retained his cool, collected attitude.

“Excellent,” said the Ripper, “You’re very good. However, I’m afraid its time for you to die.”

The Ripper took up his sword, and muttered something under his breathe. The blade was engulfed with a blue aura, and Kala was shocked.

“What kind of attack is this?!” she thought.

The Ripper slashed at the ground, and a slab of ice shot forth. It looked just like the Ripper’s Ice Pillar attack. The sheet stopped, and soon little ice blades came forth and attacked Kala. The Allure opened her purple wings, and took to the ceiling of the hallway. She batted countless blades away with her katana.

“What the hell is going on here?!” she thought still striking down little ice blades, “They just keep coming.”

Just then, Kala looked down at the Ripper, and noticed that the slab of ice was coming from his sword.

“That’s it! He’s channeling his Ice Pillar through the sword. Because the sword doesn’t take as much life energy from him as the actual attack, he can keep it up forever!” Kala thought. She looked at her blade as it slashed away more frozen swords. “Maybe I can do that…”

“Ha!” yelled the Ripper, “The fight is over!”

He increased the power to his katana and larger, thicker blades came at Kala.

“BLAZE BREATHE!” Kala yelled. However, she aimed her mouth at her katana. The inferno engulfed her blade, and her hand. She thought the blade and her epidermis would melt, but suddenly the pain stopped, and the blade was engulfed in a blazing red aura. Kala motioned her blade towards the crystals.

“Be gone!” she yelled. The blade exploded into an intense flame that completely cancelled out the Ice Pillar attack. The Ripper starred in awe as Kala pointed her flaming katana at the Ripper. A large, searing hot ball of flame shot straight at the samurai. He held his blade up, and cancelled out Kala’s blast with a large ice shield. Smoke engulfed the narrow, bloodstained hallway. The Ripper was confused, until he saw a bright, red light penetrate the smoky battlefield.

“You’re wrong,” said the Allure that emerged from the smoke, holding up a blazing sword, “The fight is just beginning…”

* * *

Keemo awoke in a large chamber dimly lit by torches. He saw the limp cloak of Sirus next to him, and found they had both received proper medical attention. Keemo felt brand new. They hadn’t used normal methods, but had healed them magically. Sirus began to stir.

“Uh, my head…” muttered Sirus.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Keemo said, “We’ve been healed. Someone obviously wants us alive…”

Sirus starred grimly into Keemo’s eyes.

“We’d best get a move on,” said Sirus, “This way.”

Sirus and Keemo made for the hallway ahead of them. It too was dimly lit, but this hall had actual lanterns instead of torches. The walls were made of bamboo, and the decorative armor and weapons spanning the hall made it look like an armory. The roof looked like a giant rain cloud ready to open up at any given moment. It was navy blue with shadows in the corners that ominously looked down upon the two monsters in the hallway.

After about thirty minutes of walking, Sirus and Keemo entered a pitch black room. Instantly, the lights flickered on and a Zan stood at the back of the room.

“Well done, my friends,” said the tall, black monster. It had long, hard legs and strong arms. It had two leg-like structures protruding from its back that opened into curved blades. It had sharp, blood red eyes that could pierce even the strongest armor. It stepped forward.

“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t let you die up in the fortress. Well, I’ll tell you this. There’s much in store for the both of you. I wanted you to witness the true power of the Sasuke Army before I let your souls rot in hell,” whispered the Zan in an evil voice.

“What exactly are you talking about?!” Keemo asked. His feathers had fluffed up with his anger as he realized the Zan was playing mind games with him.

“Why, I’m talking about the newest members of our fleet.”

With that, the Zan snapped his fingers and ten explosions went off. After the smoke had cleared, Keemo saw ten Hare standing where the explosions had taken place. They were all wearing black pants, a black vest, and had a black headband with a Saucer Stone imprinted into a sliver portion over the hares’ brows.

“I’d like you to meet my Shinobi!” yelled the Zan. He started laughing maniacally as the hare all drew various shuriken from the holsters at their sides. They began to spin in a large circle around the Raiden and the Joker. Sirus gripped his scythe, and Keemo folded his wings into fists.

“Any ideas?” Keemo said lightly.

“Nope!” responded Sirus.

All at once the Hare jumped forward. Keemo and Sirus took up their fighting stances, and awaiting the oncoming attack.

Hmmmmm...Seems I wrote that e-mail a little early...Very nice, I look very much forward to nine.

I don't like Hares being Shinobi.

Well, other than that, not a bad addition. I like the "Master" or "Teacher" version of the ninja and samuari. Good work.

I needed a monster with a sort of human build for some of the things coming up. The hare have that build, and don't already have a weapon of their own. I'm sorry if that bugged you.