CHAPTER 5
“That is how I got the scar on my hand. Even to this day I can feel the pain and the blood running down my hand. I forgave John, but we were not the same together. We weren’t as close as we used to be. After that incident we spent another year practicing all we learned so that one day we could leave and make our own stories, but this scar is a reminder of my carelessness that day.” Shane ended leaning on the back of his chair with a sigh.
“Why are you telling us this now?”  Asked Terrance wanting to put all of the pieces together.
“In time Terrance. Before the two of us left, we said to the other that we would find our parents real killers. If one of us really did, we would contact the other, and when we did we would fight each other one last time, but I think John has forgotten our agreement. Just a couple days ago I found out who it really was, but I’ll get to that later.
Chapter 6
“Before we left we said we would find our parents real killers and left. But the reason I call you here is because Shane contacted me yesterday saying it was important, and to meet him in the City Destroyed in a Day. He didn’t tell me what it was about; it could be about our parents or something else I don’t know. But I prefer to have my friends there to help if anything happens.”
“Why would you possibly need us?” asked Helen.
“Because Shane’s going to bring his team too and I don’t trust his team as much as I trust him. They may try to attack me while Shane and I are fighting.”
“Who are these people?” asked Max
“Well…. there are three of them, four counting Shane. One is a large black man who carries an axe for a weapon and his name is “Mr. Turquoise”, he has the power of an ox. Turquoise is the third strongest stone. The second is an average sized man. He uses knives which he carries on a belt; he has the cunning of a snake. His name is “Mr. Jade”. The third is a skinnier man. He carries a large katana on his waist which he cares for like a child. His name is Mr. Emerald; he is swift as a leopard and is the most skilled with a katana, plus he is Irish so he likes the Emerald. There bad news. All skilled and merciless in battle. Their leader as you might have guessed is Shane; AKA “Mr. Diamond” because he is the best. He holds a copy of every ring in the Ring Brothers. Including his own. He has these rings as a symbol that the owns these men. That they are not just his friends but also his property.  He’s a good person but he’s become darker than he used to be. Probably because he has been using all his time to search for our parents. But he is also an honorable fighter. He won’t use cheap tricks or cheat to win a fight. He does this because he wants to prove to himself that he is the best. And you must remember I will take care of him. Other than Shane I know none of the other’s names. All together they are called The Ring Brothers.”
Max wondered “Why are they called “The Ring Brothers”?”
John Answered “They are called this for the different elements or stone’s that are in or made up of the ring. Some people say that this group draw there powers from these rings. He once asked me to join him. I would be Mr. Opal. There would be two stones, opal on the inside and emerald on the outside. Opal is the second strongest stone while emerald is a weak one. It symbolizes that I am stronger than all people around me” he gave a little chuckle “It’s funny… even though I declined, he let me keep the ring. I couldn’t stand him giving me orders, especially when I think I’m better than him. It is very important to me. I haven’t seen him since we left the dojo.” What if he taught others to use magic? God I hope not, or then were in some big shit.
Chapter 7
““The Spartans” as they are called is made up of four people.
The first and the strongest is John Lavish. He’s a giant of a man, who carries a large sword that he likes to call Mangetsu. The second is a beautiful woman. But do not be deceived by her beauty, she uses a thorn whip and will kill you in an instant if your not careful. Her name is Helen. The third is one of the greatest ninja’s to ever live. He can get behind you in seconds and you won’t even know he’s there. Sorry Alex, he could probably kill even you. He wrote the book on assassinations and stealth. His large Shuriken is made of diamond, cannot be cracked or damaged and will cut through you like nothing. His name is Shino. The fourth is a cocky, infantile, annoying man. But the reason he’s so confident is he knows he’s the best with his weapon. He uses a Bo Staff made out of Lignum Vitae, which he uses to take you down strong and quick. His name is Max. The one thing you have to remember is: do not be deceived by their appearance. They are incredibly strong. The Spartans in ancient days were the most powerful warriors on earth. They were born being taught to fight. Taught to never give up, never surrender and to never lose. They are not called the Spartans for nothing. But they do different jobs. They do jobs to help people and only kill if they have to.”
Shane stood up from his chair and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He threw one to each man in the room.
“In a famous struggle, two clans were fighting for a long rich stretch of land. You have probably heard about it. It was called the Battle for the Chasm.”
They all looked up but the first one to talk was O’Brien “I have heard of this battle, if it was even that. There were two clans: one was the Senso, the other was the Ino clan. I heard that there wasn’t even any fighting. When the Ino clan got to the battle field they stopped and turned away. The only people who know why are the soldiers in the armies, and they have sworn to secrecy.”
O’Brien’s interpretation pleased Shane and a smile curled onto his lips. “I was watching this battle from afar, on the week we decided to rest in the cougar mountain region, just to see how it would turn out. Before the battle, the Senso clan knew they were going to lose. They were outnumbered, and the enemy had the high ground, plus the sun rose on the enemies side and he knew that would blind his forces. But one of the generals advisors told him of a group that were remarkably skilled and they might be able to help them. The general sent out an emissary to find them in their last location of Margo City. I followed the emissary. He found The Spartans and convinced them to help them for a very large sum of money. On the day of the battle both clans had their armies on the battle field and the sun was just about to rise. When The Spartans came to the battlefield a large man stepped forward and yelled a word that I had not heard in a long time. He jumped into the air stretched out his leg and screamed “Bella ruke” and were his foot hit the ground an enormous chasm came between the two armies. There The Spartans just stood their and stared at the Ino armies general. Just then the Ino armies general sounded a full retreat. All of the people except Shane were dumbfounded and were struck with amazement at the power of this group. Shino took a deep breath and said “Their group is called “The Spartans” because they are the best at what they do “We must be very careful. But before we go we have a little more than a day, I want to finish the rest of my story.”
Chapter 8
“When our training was finally complete we all met at a fork in the road. Master Shaun told us “I have taught you all that I know. Now go and learn as much as you can and find the people who killed your parents. I know that you can. And remember do not do anything that you will later regret” before he left he gave us each a knife.
“These knives were used to kill your parents maybe you can use them. I personally would not get into your parents death. The things that are probably involved will only get you into trouble.   He hugged us and went back into the dojo. When he was gone it was just Shane and I. We stared at each other until Shane said “how about we make a promise. When one of us finds the person who killed our parents we will call the other. We will meet in the Forbidden City and we will fight again to see how good the other has gotten.” I stood there and stared at his hand remembering what so long ago.”
“I looked up startled. “Oh…………. oh yeah sure it’s a deal”. We shook hands and we left on different roads in the fork.
For about two years I traveled the continent searching for any sing of the ninja’s. When I went into a town I tried to find an odd job to pay for food and a bed. Sometimes I would go without food for a day or two. I would usually find a pack of deer or a group of rabbits to hunt. But after a while it took too much time and was starting to get boring. I may get a clue after a few months but it was usually a dead end. I met allot of people. I have friends all over the world now. And if I ever need any help they’ll be there.
After around 3 years I finally got my first break. In one town I heard that a wealthy man was killed by a group of ninja’s. The men I talked to told me the town was called Baggins City, and it was about a day’s walk to the west through the Burning Plains.”