Samurai In the Time Rift 9.1

Part 9

The Cave

9.1

The Hibagon in their retreat went for the city, Tito Home where Lord Zethre had holed up with one third of the Cave Column. The four caves entrances are now reinforced with Hibagon warriors who had retreated from the hill. Lord Zethre counted two hundred warriors left of the six hundreds that he had seen marching off. He called on the Leader of the Cave Column.

"I want a hundred of your best to the Idol cave." Lord Zethre commanded. "The Idol must be guarded at all times." The leader nodded and left for the caves. It was then Leader Intai appeared'; although swatted in Healer's potion, he was carrying his hammer.

"I have come to serve with my column, the Boulder." Leader Intai bowed to the Lord.

"Go with the forty warriors to the Idol Cave. Protect that place. I trust not the Caves Column. There been tales that they favored another for leadership." Unknown to the Lord, many of the Caves Column warriors are withdrawing as the other Hibagon took over the defenses.

Taisa Mori stared at the metallic man approaching him. Its face hidden behind the mask except for the one round orb that acts as its eyes. It held up the staff in its hand which now glowed more brightly as it released off sparks off the glowing ends. Bento and Sun had joined the Taisa and looked at the foe.

"Taisa, the armor holds no man inside. Its hollowed or filled with some other layers of protective cover. But it can be killed with their weak points at the joints." Sun explained to the Taisa.

"Then find positions to do that. I would distract the metallic man." Taisa Mori gave them the command. He then stepped forth to meet the metallic man. The armor was a dull shaded metal pieces but its movement are not clumsy for so many joint pieces but rather smooth turns.

"Hai!" Taisa Mori charged at the metallic man but the katana struck only metal which vibrated back on the katana blade to its hilt. Taisa Mori rocked back by the vibrations from the katana.

"Its protected by some armor that my katana cannot even cut." Taisa Mori shouted out. He then sheathed back the katana and took out his kusarigama ( sickle chain ). The blade was then not curved but bent like a short blade, but its chain was still in place. He swung it over his head and used the momentum to strike at the metallic man and in retaliation the other took up the staff to direct an energy blast towards the samurai. The blast would had hit the samurai in the chest if not his instinct to jump aside.

"Aargh!" Taisa Mori felt the shearing fire blast that cut into his left sleeve of his coat. He rolled over several times to avoid more blasts before the other two archers laid arrows on the metallic armor. It was not much in use as the arrows just bounced off the surface of the armor. It was Bento who did the lucky shot, which went in between the socket of the left and shoulder. The arrow embedded in there, caused a ripple of jolts on the metallic armor but its soon righted itself.

"The joints!" Taisa Mori shouted as he threw his kusarigama ( sickle chain ) at the right knee. The blade caught on and encircled the joint with the chain which allowed the samurai to pulled hard at it. Initially he found himself trying to dislodged an equivalent of a large boulder but once metallic armor raised up the right knee, Taisa Mori found himself able to leverage on the uneven distribution of weight. He pulled hard and got up to rocked on his heels to add in more leverage.

The metallic man stepped it right foot down and pulled back causing Taisa Mori to rolled forward. The samurai found himself at the foot of the metallic man, and it was then he saw the opening from there. He thrusted the blade into the bottom plate of the chest armor at the exposed lights behind the plate. That action caused a massive jolt into the samurai who was thrown back onto the flooring unconscious but the metallic man was swinging wildly with the upper limbs and then stopped. Bento rushed to the Taisa and checked his breathing.

"Taisa Mori is not breathing!" Bento shouted out. Sun on hearing the call, took the initiative to released the whistling arrow to alert the others.

Satui on reaching the cave of the Idol, looked at the cave opening. It was a narrow one, but with a high ceiling that only needed two warriors to guard as that was clearly the gap of the opening. The tunnel passed it ran for about twenty five feet, before it opened to a cavern which housed the first inner defense; a warrior group of fifty Hibagon armed with double hammers and picks. There are three tunnels behind it, with two of them are filled with traps and long gaping drops. The next tunnel was wider and shorter; another twenty five feet to reached the actual cavern which housed the Idol; the one thing revered by the Hibagon above anything.

The Idol stand at fifty feet high and ten feet wide; it was made with an image of the man but the facial was distorted with a two large eyes and a snort for the breathing nostril with a set of long fangs that protruded from the jaws. Satui walked past it as its concerned was the warriors at the rear; fifty of them. The others of the columns are all dead with the food they were fed were laced with poison.

"Is everything ready?" The rebel leader nodded.

"Then let us toppled the Idol. It had been shameful for us to kept it there for so long." The rebel warriors of the Cave Column proceeded to pushed at the idol but they were halted by the call of their leader, Satui.

"Let me kissed it once more." Satui laid a kiss on the knee of the Idol and then watched it toppled over. Beneath the Idol statue was a metal plate that opened to a small hidden carved out hole. Inside the hole was a black boxlike gadget. Satui retrieved it just in time when the Adviser walked in. Satui passed the box to the Adviser who took it without a second glance.

"To the processing plant." The Adviser gave the command.

Taisa Mori checked the armor and could find nothing of interest on it. He picked up the staff which was heavy in his arms but he could move it on his own. Bento approached him and told him that the others are on their way. There are still the Hibagon below which needed to taken care of. Taisa Mori picked up the amulet and noticed it was still glowing but the indicator was pointing to the ground.

"We need to get below." Taisa Mori told the two Hohei. It was then he heard the fighting at below. He looked down and saw that Aikin and the rest are here. They are battling at about twenty Hibagon who was handling the carcasses. Without hesitation, Bento and Sun lent in their assistance with well laid arrows onto the Hibagon. Soon Taisa Mori and the two Hohei climbed down to the ground level to be reunited with the others. As Gunso showed the others what the metallic structure was doing, the Ainu and slaves all went about destroying the eggs that was laid below it.

"Should we destroy this thing?" Aikin asked of the Gunso but the later told him to wait. He would need to consult with the Taisa. Gunso looked for the Taisa and saw him walking towards the far wall of rocks. Just as he reached there, he was pointing with the amulet which was glowing. Taisa Mori stretched his hand out and touched the wall of rocks, but his hand could slipped through. Gunso Mita saw his leader walked into the wall of rocks and disappeared into it.

"Taisa!" Gunso rushed over and found himself barging onto a wall of rocks. He fell down with a bad knock on his face. He kept on knocking on the wall, but there was no effect.

Then after half a day, from the wall came Taisa Mori again.

"I found it." Taisa Mori spoke out.