Chapter 8
The Return of the Ninja Dragon

Eventually, Ryu awoke from his tired sleep. He did not know how long the spell lasted. It hours, days, even years may have passed; Ryu didn't know. Shaking his head, he stood up. He remembered Irene and Xaviev. He quickly rushed home to get the sword.
***
Ryu quickly put on his blue outfit and pulled the hood over his head. Then he opened the display case that contained the Dragon Sword. I finally though it was over, but I think I am doomed to draw you until the day I die, Ryu thought as he placed his trusted sword on his side. Ryu had everything and he headed towards the door.

"Now you weren't going to leave without saying goodbye first?" Vega emerged from the shadows.
"After all," he said holding up a sheet of paper, "how are you going to find Irene?"
"I don't need any help."
"Don't lie to me Ryu, you have no idea where to start looking."
"There was an open manhole..."
"That was designed to lead away from the headquarters."
Ryu thought for a moment. "What do you have?"
"A very basic map of the underground. We don't know where exactly the headquarters is, but we have the general vicinity."
"It could takes weeks to find it!"
"I'm sure you'll find a friendly tour guide."
"Thanks. Listen to me Vega, once this is over, I'm through. No government work, no assassinations. Do understand me?"
"Yes, but apparently you don't understand me!" Vega grabbed Ryu and hit him across the head with the back of his fist. 
"You will do what I say, when to do it, and in what manner I deem effective. You will NOT question my orders, nor my sincere promise that if you FUCK with me, I WILL kill you in the most brutal, painfully way that I can think of." Vega calmed down a bit.
"The only reason why I'm sending you to stop them is because I can't wield that sword."
Vega shoved Ryu out of the apartment, and Vega thought to himself, and that's something that's about to change.
***
Ryu followed the street to the entrance designated on the map. He opened the manhole covering and dropped in. The first thing he noticed about the sewer was the terrible stench of wastes. It was also very dark, and Ryu couldn't see a thing. Before coming, he brought a flashlight because using a Fire Art as a torch might ignite the methane in the air. Ryu looked at the map, and began to follow it. 
The first thing that Ryu noticed was the map told him to go into makeshift opening in the sewer. They were obviously made by the cult, and Ryu thought that it was strange that he had met no guards of any kind. But the again, he wasn't looking forward to meeting them.

For hours sewer searched the area on the map, but couldn't find the hidden base. He was walking as usual, when he suddenly detected movement from the corner of his eye. Ryu quickly used his stealth to blend in with the shadows.  Ryu then tried to use the night vision to see what made the movement. Unfortunately, Ryu had seen a guard, who immediately attacked Ryu. The guard brought down a hard rod-like weapon upon Ryu's knee. Light flooded the sewer, blinding Ryu. Ryu quickly tried to cover his eyes, but the light bulbs overhead made him dizzy. 

"They told me you would come. I didn't believe you existed," the guard said.
"In five minutes I'll be more real than you can imagine."
"Ohhhh... I'm always up to a good challenge." The guard took out his weapons; two fluorescent nightsticks, and Ryu looked at him. The guard wore torn clothes, and his pants looked like they were sown to his body. His ragged, unwashed hair proved that he didn't bathe.
"You don't get out much?" Ryu taunted.
"And you'll never get out of here!" The guard leapt at Ryu. He immediately struck at Ryu, who blocked the blow with the back of his sword. The guard then struck Ryu's head with the other nightstick, and jumped back to the wall to avoid Ryu's slash. The guard clung to the wall, then disappeared into it.
"You see, (or rather you don't) my master made me into a chameleon. En Guarde."
The guard hit Ryu twice, while Ryu swung around his sword slicing thin air. The guard gave Ryu a blow to the stomach, Ryu slashed in front of himself, but didn't hit the guard. 
"No wait, I'm here!"
Ryu swung, and received a blow.
"Maybe here?"
Ryu missed, and received more punishment.
"I could even by right BEHIND you."
Ryu did a back-kick. The invisible attacker caught his leg and flipped Ryu over, then delivered a hit to the chest. Ryu decided that this game needed to end; he called upon The Invincible Fire Wheel to encircle him. The guard leap back to the wall, his clothes burning. He immediately discarded them to regain his invisibility.
"Play nice," he said.
Ryu detected his motion on the wall. Ryu figured that the guard was where the wall's bricks were distorted. Ryu aimed up the distortion and threw his Windmill Throwing Star. It grazed the wall, but did not leave a trail of blood.
"You missed," the guard said dashed towards Ryu.   
"Not really."
The shuriken returned, severing the guard's arm in mid-air. He screamed and fell into the river of sewage.  When he promptly got out, Ryu could clearly see his image. Ryu called upon The Art of The Fire Wheel for incineration. He didn't miss.
The guard wailed standing up as the flames ate at his body. Ryu quickly super-jumped across the river.
"Where's the headquarters?" 
The guard tried to point the direction with his other arm.
"Thank you," Ryu said grabbing The Dragon Sword, and a third of a second later, the guard had no head.