Kamen Rider Sorcerer
Written by Flame Dragon, Suda
Ch. 1 Magic and Fate
"Look, Mommy! It's a shooting star!"
"It's beautiful, dear."
"Look, Mommy! More shooting stars!"
"Yes, they are very nice to look at, dear."
"...Look, Mommy! They are coming towards us!"
"Yes, they are n- What?!"
The mother and child, as well as the citizens of Tokyo, looked up in horror as dozens of shooting stars fell from the starry sky, headed straight for the forest outside of the city. The impact shook the entire city; everybody screamed as the vibrations of the impact passed through the ground, causing the glass to break and buildings to collapse.
The police acted faster than everyone else. They plastered dozens of caution tape all over the trees in the forest. Police cars acted as barricades and the police threatened to shoot the extremely curious people if they came any closer. They protested, but gunshots rang in the air, scaring them off. The child held her mommy's hand tightly, wondering what was going on.
The police slowly inched their way towards the holes in the ground, created as a result of the "shooting stars" landing there. Smoke was flowing out of the holes with a rancid scent, causing the police to cover their faces with handkerchiefs. The police moved very slowly with their guns aiming at the hole, sweat pouring down their foreheads. The situation was worse with the dark and tense atmosphere. They were just as frightened as the civilians.
They prodded closer... and closer... until they reached one of the holes. They all grouped together and slowly looked into the hole to see... absolutely nothing.
At his small house, Tsukichi Asakura dropped his cup of coffee in realization. His eyes widened. "The Fates have arrived on Earth!"
And the Serpent Fate smiled.
A few days later...
Tsukichi Asakura combed his jet-black hair back and washed his brown-skinned face. He put on a black collar long-sleeved shirt and tied a red and yellow tie, with a white blazer over it. For pants, he put on some freshly ironed white slacks and slipped on his polished black dress shoes. Finally, he put on his magician's black and white top hat and posed in front of a mirror, wand in hand, pretending to cast a spell.
He glanced at his desk; a deck holder containing a deck of cards laid there, decorated by a single white rune symbol, sealed by chains to prevent anyone from opening and releasing it's power. He picked it up and placed it in his pocket, patting it to make sure it was secure.
He walked downstairs into his "living room," though it's purpose was economic than homely. The living room was white with a wooden floor. A coffee table was in the center of the room, with two couches on both sides, though that was the most one could used to describe this place with the word "home." Dozens of different antiques were on tables at the sides of the room, displayed for sale for "affordably cheap prices." At the corner of the room, one table had a cash register, not products, for sale, and sitting at the helm of the register was a young woman.
This young woman had long black hair and pale white skin that made her rosy lips more visible. She wore a simple black blouse with a red cardigan over it and a knee-length black skirt. She also had a blank expression on her face as she read her book, bored from lack of customers. Upon seeing her father in his work clothes, the look of boredom was replaced with fear.
"Father, the Fates have arrived on Earth and you still insist on going outside for work?" She asked. "Your life is in danger because you are a wizard! They'll come after you!"
"Erina, sweetheart, Daddy needs to work," Tsukichi said. "Those bills don't pay themselves. This curio shop doesn't get many customers these days. Besides, I have this to protect me." He pulled out the deck holder with the rune symbol on it, making Erina's eyes widen. "Anyways, I gotta go. Take care of the shop while I'm gone!"
"Father!" Erina yelled, but he already shut the door behind him. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Ahhh! A monster!"
"Run for your life!"
"Wha- What did I do?"
In the middle of the city, Tokyo's civilians screamed at the sight of the grotesque figure wandering the streets. It resembled a human, but its skin was dark-green with some patches of yellow-green on its elbows and knees. It seemed like there were two blades attached to its forearms like a weapon, but upon closer inspection, were two blades actually a part of the body. Its eyes resembled a grasshopper's, but it had the eyes of a human.
The grasshopper being looked at the frightened people with a saddened face. "Why are you running away? I merely asked for my identity and what my goal is." But everyone ran away from the area before they could register what it had just asked.
"Do you want to know what you really are?" A sinister voice asked it from behind.
The grasshopper turned around to see a being similar in looks to it, but with different facial and body features. Instead of green skin, its body was dark brown with yellow and black specks coloring its scales. It had a serpent-like body with the face of a reptile and a long tail. It stared at the grasshopper with malicious intent, but the grasshopper mistook it for sympathy.
"Who are you?" The grasshopper asked.
"You mean, what are we?" The snake said. "We are beings known as Fates. And we have one goal: to destroy and annihilate the human race."
"What?! What kind of goal is that?" The Grasshopper Fate demanded. "I do not remember this!"
"Do you remember anything?" The Serpent Fate inquired. "I am the only one of our race that remembers our true goal. Everyone else forgot when we crashed on Earth, but I remember clearly what we are supposed to do. We must take revenge on the humans who took this planet centuries ago!"
The Grasshopper Fate stepped back a bit, clearly in shock. "No way..."
"Didn't you hear what the humans called you?" The Serpent Fate asked, a small smile forming on its face, unbeknownst to its other. "They called you "monster" and "devil." They hate our race, but they are the ones who took our planet from us in the past! Now, we must kill them for their actions!"
It paused before replying, "Are you sure?"
"Encounter more humans, and you will see." The Serpent Fate replied.
The Grasshopper Fate nodded and walked away. The Serpent Fate's smile widened to show its devilish grin. Its sinister smile seemed like it could break a person's soul in an instant.
"And now, for my next trick, I'll have this rabbit disappear!"
"Wow!"
The kids looked on in awe at Tsukichi as he placed the rabbit into his top hat, waved his wand over it, and made it disappear. The birthday boy, Hoshi Takamichi, hopped up and down gleefully at this spectacular trick. His older brother, Mamoru Takamichi, also jumped up and down with the same enthusiasm of his younger one. In fact, if it weren't for his height, the adults would've probably mistook him for another kid.
As Tsukichi concluded his performance, he sighed to himself as he thought, "I used to perform for corporate parties and casinos... how did I degrade this low?"
"Alright, kids! Now that you've seen this wonderful magic show from Mr. Asakura, let's go to the backyard and eat a delicious slice of Hoshi's birthday cake!" Mrs. Takamichi announced, causing all the kids to jump out of their seats and run out of the house to the backyard.
Tsukichi put his tophat back on and began to pack up his stuff, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see the teenager who watched the magic show along the children. He had short, messy, black hair and brown skin with brown eyes. He wore a plain, white collar shirt and blue jeans. In his hands, he held a cheap magic wand and deck of cards you could get at an average magic store on the street.
"Hello, Mr. Asakura!" The young man said, excitedly. "My name is Mamoru Takamichi and I'm your biggest fan and I've been learning how to do magic tricks since I was a little kid and-"
"Who is this childish teenager?" Tsukichi thought, irritably. "He looks like he's the same age as Erina, but he was jumping for joy like a little kid during my performance. Damn kids these days..."
"Let me get straight to the point, Mr. Asakura, sir!" Mamoru shouted, straightening himself out. "I want to become your apprentice!"
"...Excuse me?"
"I've always been fascinated by magic since I was a little kid!" Mamoru explained. "I've never had any talent for choosing the right card or making a rabbit disappear, but I've grown up watching magic shows and practicing my magic and I thought that by getting you to come here, I could ask you directly to teach me!"
"So, that's why I was invited here. Great," Tsukichi thought with a sigh, then said, "Sorry boy. I'm not accepting apprentices."
"Oh, please?" Mamoru begged him. "I've been a fan of yours since I was a kid! Please? Please? Please?"
"No, no, no!" Tsukichi yelled, picking his suitcase up and pushing the teenager away as he went towards the front door.
"I'll never give up!" Mamoru yelled back, following after him.
In order to ditch him, Tsukichi faked going towards the front door and sprinted towards the back door leading to the backyard, Mamoru hot on his trail. The kids and adults stared at the two in shock as they dashed towards the nearby forest. Tsukichi ran through clumps of trees and bushes, even being forced to discard his luggage at one point of the chase. He snuck into one of the dark areas of the forest behind a tree, and eventually Mamoru lost him.
"Darn it!" Mamoru said. "Where'd he go?"
Unbekowest to Mamoru, Tsukichi was right behind the tree he was standing in front of. The old man did his best to disguise his breathing, but he was out of breath due to his lack of exercise. Mamoru slowly walked towards the tree and Tsukichi's heartbeat increased. But just as Mamoru was about to check behind the tree, he heard the cheers of the children in the backyard and knew his mother would get angry that he wasn't there for his brother's party, so he ran back.
Tsukichi wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Phew... that was close."
"That was close, alright."
The Grasshopper Fate was having a rough time in Tokyo. He was shunned and cursed at every turn. Even when he helped a little boy get back on his feet after tripping, he and his friends proceeded to call him a monster and ran off.
At that point, the Grasshopper Fate's blood should've been boiling with rage at the humans who despised it. But being the kind and gentle soul that it was, it refused to give into violence and walked around, trying to find people to help. But everyone ran away as soon as they saw it and they weren't kind at all.
It wandered into the park, and as usual, scared all the civilians away. Saddened, it walked towards the bench and sat down.
"What do I do now?" It mumbled to itself. "No one will accept me, the only other being the same as me has left me to myself, and my memories are gone. Is it true? Am I really just a monster who's sole purpose is to exterminate the human race?"
"Meow!"
The Grasshopper Fate blinked and looked up. A cat was situated on a branch attached to a tree it was sitting next to, scared for his dear life.
"Ah! It is a being who is of the same species as me!" The Grasshopper Fate exclaimed. "Friend! What are you doing up there?"
Using his natural ability to jump high, the Grasshopper Fate leaped into the air, landing on the branch. It took the scared-stiff cat and dropped down to the ground. It then proceeded to pet its soft fur.
"You alone too, little one?" It asked. "I know! We'll stay together as comrades! As long as we're together, we will-"
Suddenly, two loud noises rang in the area. They sounded like two mini explosions, having been expressed in the sound of a "BANG!" Two objects made impact in the Grasshopper Fate's back, then fell to the ground. It turned around and looked at the ground to see two small objects, cylinder-shaped and yellow. It looked up to see three white and black cars with sirens on the top, as well as four men in uniform holding up their pistols, aiming them at the two creatures.
"Don't move where you are! This is the police!" One of the uniformed men yelled, holding a microphone in front of his mouth. "Put your hands up before we are required to use force!"
The Grasshopper Fate frowned, and with the cat in its arms, slowly walked towards the police. "Wait! I do not understa-"
It was cut off. The policemen fearfully shot at the monster with their pistols. The bullets did not faze the Grasshopper Fate one bit, but one bullet made contact with the cat. The feline let out a bloodcurdling scream before becoming motionless.
The Grasshopper Fate's eyes widened. "Little one! Are you okay?!"
"I said, put your hands in the air!" The policeman screamed, shooting the monster even more.
The Grasshopper Fate covered the deceased cat in its arms, trying to protect it. Stray bullets got passed its arms and pierced the cat's body, roughing it up more and more until it looked like a bloody mess. Realizing what had happened, the monster let out a scream of its own, causing the entire area to quake.
"My little friend... is dead..." The Grasshopper Fate whispered. Its body began to quake with rage. It looked up at the police, its eyes bloodshot red. It lifted its arms, revealing the curved blades attached to its body. "You killed my friend. YOU KILLED MY FRIEND."
"Stay back!" The policemen screamed, shooting the creature until they ran out of bullets. Panicking, they tried to start their police cars, but dropped their keys on the ground in the ensuing panic. They reached down and grabbed their keys, quickly starting the cars. But as soon as they began revving up their engines, the Grasshopper Fate jumped right in front of their cars, causing them to scream even louder.
"YOU. KILLED. MY. FRIEND."
"Dammit!" Tsukichi yelped, jumping back. He tripped over a rock, causing him to fall over and the deck in his pocket to fall out and enter the river next to him! Tsukichi gasped and tried to reach for it, but it was already going down the stream at a fast speed.
The Serpent Fate slowly walked towards him, saying, "Tsukichi Asakura. You were once a famous entertainer of magic, but now you are just an old-time magician. Yet you hide another secret. You are a magic user. One of the few that still inhabits the Earth. But you are more than just a normal magic user. You are Kamen Rider Sorcerer. Your ancestor acted as Sorcerer centuries ago in that certain war..."
"I can't fight him without the Magic Driver!" Tsukichi thought, angrily. "Dammit! I need to run!"
"I see you dropped that deck that allows you to inherit Sorcerer's magical powers," The Serpent Fate said with a sinister smile. "This makes my job far more easy."
Tsukichi immediately turned around and bolted down the river, but he stopped instantly as he felt something pierce his stomach! The Serpent Fate's special ability was that it could extend its sharp tail and use it like a whip, using its ability to stab Tsukichi and lift him into the air!
"I am not going to even bother killing you. I want you to witness what will be the end of mankind," The Serpent Fate maliciously said. "The complete genocide of the human race, and their Saviour won't be able to do a thing without his Mana!"
"Crap!" Tsukichi yelled. "Get off of me!"
He grabbed the tail and tried to push himself from it, but the Serpent Fate wouldn't let him. He could feel his Mana being continually drained from his body, causing him to lose energy and eventually become exhausted from his efforts. Then his body felt stiff and cold, as if he died, but he knew this was a sign that all his Mana was gone. The Serpent Fate laughed maniacally as it threw Tsukichi into the river, knocking him unconscious.
"Mr. Asakura! Where are you?!" Mamoru cried out as he wandered the forest. After the party concluded, he decided to return to the forest and search for his favorite magician, hoping to get a second chance. Because the river was the only area he knew well, he started at the bottom and went upstream to find Tsukichi.
"I think I scared him..." Mamoru said with a sigh. "I'm not really good at impressing people with my magic, huh?"
Then he felt an object touch his foot. He looked down and saw a familiar-looking deck holder with a rune drawn on it. Mamoru's eyes widened as he thought, "I remember seeing this! Mr. Asakura had this deck sticking out of his pocket during his performance! Does that mean he's close?"
Then he gasped as he saw the unconscious Tsukichi floating down the river. Blood was flowing out of a stomach wound and his appearance was deathly pale. Mamoru jumped into the river and grabbed Tsukichi, dragging him back to land. He helped him to lie on a tree and tried to wake him up.
"Mr. Asakura! Wake up!" Mamoru yelled.
"Urghh... wha...?" Tsukichi mumbled, groaning in pain. Suddenly, all the memories of what happened pre-fainting rushed into his brain and he jolted up... to slouch back down in pain. "Argh! Where's- Ah! Where's the Serpent?! The Serpent Fate?!"
"The Serpent Fate? What are you talking about?" Mamoru asked.
He was cut off as they heard the rustling of footsteps coming towards them from a cluster of trees. It was so dark, so they couldn't see the being at first. But when it walked out of the trees, the two gasped as the grasshopper creature walking with its blades focused on them.
"Humans are evil. I must kill all humans. That is my destiny."
"What in the world is that thing?!" Mamoru screamed.
"Dammit!" Tsukichi cursed. He held onto the tree, using it as support as he barely managed to get up. He tried to run away, but then he noticed the familiar deck with the rune on it. "That deck! Boy, give that deck to me!"
"T-This?!" Mamoru said, instinctively throwing the deck to Tsukichi.
Tsukichi caught it and placed it in front of his waist, to Mamoru's confusion. But to Tsukichi's surprise, nothing happened! He held up the deck in confusion, then placed it against his waist again, to no avail. "Why aren't the chains breaking? Why isn't the belt appearing?!" Then he remembered that the Serpent Fate drained him of his Mana, and he screamed, "Dammit! What do I do now?!"
"Die, humans!" The Grasshopper Fate roared, diving towards Tsukichi with its blades unleashed.
Tsukichi dodged by ducking and dashed towards the clearing, but tripped over a rock yet again, causing him to let go of the deck. It flew into the air, but Mamoru managed to catch it. Then Mamoru ducked and yelped as the Grasshopper Fate maniacally slashed at him, missing but slicing through the tree behind him. It fell down and crashed with a very loud sound, causing all the birds to fly away. Tsukichi got up and tried to tackle the Grasshopper Fate, but his serious wound caused him from even phasing the creature. The Grasshopper Fate simply pushed him away and kicked him, sending him flying towards a tree.
"Aghh!" Tsukichi screamed in pain.
"Mr. Asakura!" Mamoru shouted.
Mamoru looked at the deck again, remembering when Tsukichi had tried to press the deck against his waist and expected something to happen. Not knowing what would happen but believing it would save the two of them, Mamoru pressed it against his waist. Suddenly, a belt appeared from the sides of the deck to surround his waist and the chains sealing the deck broke, opening the deck holder and revealing a deck of cards. On each side of the deck were three rectangular slots with rune circle drawings surrounding the slots, one at the top and two on the bottom to represent each angle of a triangle. It looked like the cards could be inserted into the slots.
Tsukichi finally opened his eyes after wincing in pain, then gasped when he saw the belt around Mamoru's waist. "You've gotta be kidding me! That boy has magical potential?! He's one of the descendants from long ago?!"
Mamoru looked at his new equipment with disbelief. "W-What are all these things?!"
Realizing that he had to take action or they would be killed, Tsukichi yelled, "Listen to me, boy! You need to use that Magic Driver that appeared around your body to transform into Kamen Rider Sorcerer! Do you understand?!"
"Kamen Rider Sorcerer?! What is that?!" Mamoru yelled, dodging another slash from the Grasshopper Fate. He was so preoccupied with staying alive that he didn't notice Tsukichi talking about sorcery.
"Listen, boy! Draw the first card from the deck on your waist!" Tsukichi ordered, slouching back against the tree in pain. "Place the card in the top slot of the belt and wave your hand over that slot while you yell, "Henshin!"
Mamoru quickly did as he was told, drawing the first card. The card was white and it had a picture of what looked like a silver head with red eyes. The word Red Wizard was written down on the card. He placed the card in the first slot above the deck and announced, "Henshin," waving his hand over the slot.
The rune circle around the belt glowed. "CAST: RED WIZARD." The belt announced, much to Mamoru's shock. Suddenly, a red rune blasted out of that slot, slamming into the Grasshopper Fate and coming back to Mamoru, enveloping his body in a white light.
What stood in Mamoru's place was a completely different being. Now, Mamoru wore a black suit with white trim. The breastplate and boots were black and white with yellow trim, though the boots had red ankle braces. The two breastplate pieces were held together with three black belts with silver buckles. But one could hardly see the breastplate, as it was covered with a long red trenchcoat with white trim. The trenchcoat was a part of the armor, attached to its body and arms, going down to cover the back of his legs. The head was a white circular helmet with silver trim and blood-red eyes. On top of the head was a blue pointed hat with a pattern of yellow stars. The only item that stayed the same was his belt.
"Who are you?!" The Grasshopper Fate roared.
"I... don't know!" Mamoru cried. "Mr. Asakura! What is this?!"
"You've now become Kamen Rider Sorcerer!" Tsukichi answered. "Fight the monster!"
"F-Fight?!" Mamoru gasped, but knew that if he didn't, they wouldn't survive. He turned toward the monster, muttering, "Alright then..."
The Grasshopper Fate quickly got over its shock and lunged straight at Sorcerer. Sorcerer, his senses heightened after the transformation, managed to dodge the attack. He backed up, then quickly evaded the blurring speeds of the Fate's blades. Sorcerer delivered a punch of his own!... and quickly recoiled in pain as the punch did nothing to faze the monster!
"OWWW!" Sorcerer screamed. "That hurt!"
"Die, human!" The Grasshopper Fate yelled, slashing Sorcerer while he was distracted. Sorcerer screamed in pain, flying through the air and landed near Tsukichi.
"Kid, you have to use the Sorcery Cards!" Tsukichi ordered. "The cards in the Magic Driver allow you to use Sorcerer's magic. Take out the cards and place them in the slots of the belt!"
"M-Magic!" Mamoru realized. "Magic is the only way to get through this! I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself!"
Sorcerer drew the next card from the deck. This one had a torch on it, with the word Illuminate written down the card. He placed the card in the slot under the deck nearest to the right hand and waved his hand over it.
"CAST: ILLUMINATE." The Magic Driver announced. A ball of pure light blasted out of Sorcerer's hand, blinding the airborne Grasshopper Fate, causing it to fall to the ground. The creature screamed in pain, covering its eyes.
Sorcerer ran to it and picked it up, kicking it several times before letting go and kicking it one last time, sending it flying. It crashed into the river, but quickly got up and shook itself dry. It ran towards Sorcerer, but he sidestepped from the attack, tripping the Grasshopper Fate in the process, causing it to stumble against a tree.
"You... You damn humans!" The Grasshopper Fate roared, jumping high into the air. "I'll kill you!"
"Crap!" Sorcerer yelled.
He instinctively drew the next card. The illustration of a suit of armor came to light, the word Armor written down the card. He placed the card in the slot where Illuminate was originally and waved his hand over it. The rune circle around the card glowed and the Magic Driver announced, "CAST: ARMOR." A rune appeared in front of Sorcerer, then enveloped him in a transparent silver outfit. It was heavy and Sorcerer could barely move, so he put his arms in front of him to defend himself from the Grasshopper Fate's kick. It connected and the monster roared in pain as the armor protected Sorcerer while damaging the Fate.
"Alright, you've got it on the ropes now!" Tsukichi said. "Now, finish it!"
Sorcerer drew his final card. It showed a boot enveloped in aura with the word Kick. Inserting it into the Magic Driver and waving his hand over it, the Driver announced, "CAST: KICK." A rune circle appeared on the ground, enveloping Sorcerer's right boot. Realizing what to do, Sorcerer ran towards the damaged Fate and kicked it as hard as he could. The rune transfigured into a drill and rotated intensely, piercing the monster.
"Ahhh-ARGHHH!" The Grasshopper Fate screamed. Then it felt limp and dissolved into dust.
Sorcerer panted, exhausted from the fight. He took the Red Wizard card off the Magic Driver, deactivating the transformation.
"What happened to me?" Mamoru asked.
"You've just transformed into Kamen Rider Sorcerer and defeated one of the Fates." Tsukichi said, then paused as if hesitating to say something. Then he said, "You've just used real magic."
"...Actual magic?" Mamoru's eyes widened, realizing what just happened with the magic he casted. He proceeded to jump for joy, yelling, "Whoo-hoo! I actually used magic! I used real magic! Yeah-hah! This is so cool! This is awe-"
"Wait, young man!" Tsukichi interrupted, but Mamoru continued to jump happily. "Listen to me. My Mana, the energy that allows me to use magic, was sucked up by a Fate similar to the one you encountered."
"Fate? What's a Fate?" Mamoru asked, but he seemed not to care.
"I'll explain later. Anyway, I can no longer transform into Kamen Rider Sorcerer." Tsukichi said, sadly, then winced in pain when he remembered his stomach wound. "That is why I have no choice but to give you this power to fight the Fates. I must pass the Magic Driver to you. Will you take up this burden?"
"Yes! Yes! I don't care!" Mamoru said. "I want to use real magic! Please!"
Tsukichi sighed. "This is the person that will protect humanity from Fate? Oh well. As long as he can do it."
Hi everyone. I'm the Flame Dragon, Suda! Nice to meet you! I've been a fan of Kamen Rider for a long time and I've always wanted to write my own series, but I've never had patience to actually make the plot or characters. But now that I'm older and wiser, I've finally written this and I'm very excited to see it through.
This series that I've created is primarily based on Kamen Rider Wizard, but there will be a lot of differences as it goes on. I know that the Card gimmick has been used and abused (ex. Ryuki, Blade, Decade), but I honestly couldn't think of anything that could work. As you will see later, Sorcerer is the combination of magic influences from Final Fantasy, but that's for a later time. I'll post the statistics of Sorcerer on my profile if anyone is interested.
In any case, now that you've read it, feel free to let me know how I did. It's been awhile since I've written anything, so I hope you guys are kind. Nevertheless, I'll accept any kind of criticism you throw at me (though I might cry if you are hurtful ^^)