2B: What Lies Within
Dropping through several red rings in a dark blue space, that is what happened to Haruto after he entered the ring that came from the girl he used one of his rings on. Ahead of him in the distance he could see a white dot getting bigger, eventually appearing as a solid white disk, he was about to fly into it when all of a sudden there was a blinding flash of pink light, he raised his arms over the visor of his helmet to prevent being blinded, but it was too late, he felt himself be pulled away from the white disk, he then passed out.
He awoke in a strange place, looking up he saw a pale pink sky with dark pink clouds. Looking around him she saw that there was a old marble-like temple in-fount of him, the building going up maybe 1000 or so feet, he was on a walkway that started just behind him and went towards it, only a few feet away, with a large doorway, at least twice the size of a normal one with 6 pillars next to it of the same height. It was then he noticed he was back in his original clothing, not the outfit that came from the belt. There was a loud roar, he turned around and suddenly 4 large serpent-creatures, of at least 20 foot in length, each with a mouth that could easily fit him inside, short forelegs about a quarter away along, wings almost as wide as there length at the middle and large hind legs at about the three-quarter length point, the eyes were all green. All 4 were identical except for the colour of them: Red, Yellow, Black and Pearl. They flew over him to the pillars and each landed on the 4 of them nearest the door. He stood up and followed them towards the doorway, where while looking up at them he noticed a 5th one, a pink somewhere between the sky and the clouds came down landing in-front of him, there was another blinding pink flash then when he could see again he saw where the dragon was a woman dressed in a long white dress that covered all of her body except he forearms, hands and head. She had black hair that came down to the base of her neck. Standing about the same height as Haruto who at 5ft 9" wasn't short. She also had pink eyes that matched the colour of the dragon that was there before.
"If I am in the donut shop owner's underworld again I will let them fall into despair and take the phantom out after." He muttered to himself.
"You are not in anyone's underworld Haruto Soma. I pulled you in the heart of Kandrakar before you entered my chosen's underworld so we can talk." She spoke softly and calmly, acting as if his comment was never said.
"How do you know my name? Who are you? And the heart of Kandrakar, what is that?" He replied completely confused by what she had said.
"I know many things." She said as she offered her left hand to him, which he took and then lead him into the building, they walked through a maze of corridors and staircases with her talking on the way. "I am the Nymph Xin Jing. As for the heart of Kandrakar, it is my gift to the protection of all worlds long with the 4 dragons. We originally come from a place now long forgotten to time, but our powers protect Kandrakar, the magical heart of everything. There a council chooses 5 powerful young girls to be our chosen and harness our powers of water, fire, earth, air and quintessence. With our powers the become the guardians of the infinite dimensions, the job is to protect any world that is under threat of darkness. But this isn't the problem, that phantom is after our powers, and cannot be allowed to take them." They then arrived in a huge chamber where the 4 dragon were landing on 4 out 6 pillars surrounding a large white energy orb, in it was 5 little orbs all with a strange mark on, each in a different colour: Blue, Red, Green, Pale Silver and Pink.
"So what is it you want me to do?" He asked looking at the orbs, seeing that the pink one had a purple crack in it.
"Our chosen were attacked as they enjoyed some relaxation time in your city, the one u found managed to get away but not before the phantom showed her what she needed to see to being her to despair. She is also the key to finding the others, we cannot tell where they our without a link to the real world. If anyone of them falls there powers will be free to be taken by the phantom that is born from them. I have slowed the process down by using the last moments there was a strong link between the 5 to place them all into a sleep, the one u have met however already was effected before I could do it tho, and without the link to the others I don't know how long it will last before they awake and can be driven to despair." She looked at the pink orb concerned.
"I won't let anyone else fall to the phantoms." He replied, determined.
"I will then send you into my chosen's underworld wizard, but be warned, this is a fight that will require unity between the 6 of you." After finishing she rose her right hand and suddenly there was a bright pink flash.
When vision returned to Haruto he was standing outside a large stone building, around it was tall towers, he was standing in a road, a verity of cars were there. Around the building was a fence, and a arch gate with the words "Heatherfield Institute" written in the arch. Everything was black, grey and white, except 5 people in-front of what looked to be the main double doors to the building. As he walked forward he glanced down and saw the belt was in its deployed position, looking around more he then commented "Not enough room down at ground level." Before he then pulled out a silver ring and placed it on his middle left finger, like the last one he placed on it this one had a silver bit he then snapped down, tho inside was a almost triangular green stone. Flipping the leavers on his belt to have the hand on it on the left he quickly placed his left hand on it allowing a green flash from it.
"Hurricane" it called, he then pulled his hand away raising it upwards causing a green ring to appear and pass over him. "Please...Fu-Fu! Fu-Fu-Fu-Fu!" It called out changing him to appear like last time he used it, however it had green instead of red and the face plate was triangular rather than oblong. Looking back to the 5 people in proper colour, he recognised 1 of them as the girl he used the engage ring on, he placed a silver ring on his right hand with a orange centre, marked in pale silver was a small ring with a dragon out of it. The other girls was all slightly shorter then her except one, he would guess the one he had met was about 5 foot 6. They were all girls. 1 had short brown hair with green eyes and was wearing a blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, white trainers and carrying a pale orange back-pack. The next had dark-blue hair that was made into a braid that she had over her left shoulder that came down to the front of it, she also had dark brown eyes which was hard to make out because of the large lenses of glasses she wore, her skin was also a light brown, she was dressed in a orange sweater, pale blue combat trousers and orange boots, she was carrying a large book in her hands behind her. The 3rd one unlike the others was slightly taller had long blond hair that came most the way down her back and pale green eyes, she was wearing a green top, a three-quarter length pale green skirt with matching trainers, over her right shoulder was a black leather satchel. The last one had long purple hair that came all the way down her back
tied into 2 tails. She had hazel eyes and wearing a pale grey tank top, dark blue shorts, there was white trainers with yellow leg warmers that were pushed down to only cover half of her lower leg, Like the 3rd she also had a satchel, except this was a dull red.
"Interesting, where is this place?" Haruto spoke as he walked towards the 5 girls, then he turned around hearing something moving behind him, he then was seeing about a dozen ghouls in there, slowly walking towards him, all carrying there long poles. "since when could you can be summoned in here. Well work that out later, lets clear you out." He said as he then flipped a leaver on his belt to move the hand back to the right then placing the right hand over it.
"Connect...Please!" it called out as a green energy ring appeared in the air next to him, he put his right hand through and when he pulled it back out it was holding the gun from before. He then jumped up and a green vortex appeared below him lifting him up higher and hovering him in the air, he then took several shoots at the ghouls knocking them back a bit. He then flew down ramming a few of them knocking them all to the ground from a wave of air that came from his landing. He then pushed the thumb on the hand forwards opening it up like it had when it was in the sword more from before. "Come-on, Shoot, Shake Hands" it called out as he pressed his left hand to it causing a green flash from it. "Hurricane...Shooting Strike!" it then called he pulled his hand away and then shoot a few ghouls that had stood up to his right. "Fu-Fu-Fu!" it chanted as he shot. Then 4 ghouls he shot then exploded into a small tornado and disappeared. 4 more that stood up then charged at him, but with a quick change of rings on both hands and the gun back into sword mode he flicked the leaver on the belt changing back to left position then putting the left hand which now had a blue-square standing on its corners on it with the sliver marking same the other left hand ones.
"Water...Please! Sui-Sui! Sui-Sui!" it called out as he removed his hand holding it in-front of himself as a blue ring passed over him changing the green to blue and the faceplate to match the new ring. Passing the sword to his left hand he then blocked 2 of the swings from the ghouls weapons while the other 2 hit each shoulder causing a small amount of sparks to fly. Using his right hand he then switched the leavers to move the hand to right mode on the belt then pressed the ring on his right hand on it, like the others he used from that hand it has a orange inside, however the silver marking in it was of a dragon looking like it was falling as raindrops. "Liquid...Please!" it called as his entire body changed to be made of water and then there weapons passed through him and he flexed around them before he then re formed behind them already having the hand open on the sword and the left hand pressed to it. "Water...Slash Strike!" he them pulled his hand away as the blade became covered in water and then he swing it making it extend into a whip hitting all 4 ghouls causing them to explode into water, a "Sui-Sui-Sui!" was herd as he did it, before he then got shot by purple energy balls from the last 4 knocking the sword away from him.
"looks like I need the heavy hitter." He spoke as he stood up switching the left ring to a yellow rectangle in it. He quickly set the belt hand to left and pressed his left hand to it quickly so there would be a yellow flash, he aimed the hand downwards from it after allowing a yellow ring to form around his feet and it started to pass upwards. "Land...Please!... Dododo, Dododon! Don, Dododon!" the belt chanted changing the blue to yellow and now the face plate matched the rectangle of the left ring. As 1 of the ghouls tried to whack him with its weapon he grabbed it and then kicked it with his left foot sending it back knocking down 2 of the others, the quickly then grabbed the last one by its right arm with both hands and tossed it effortlessly onto the others. He then changed his right ring to one with a marking of a dragon with a screw effect around it. Placing the belt back to right hand mode he then pressed the new ring to it. "Drill...Please! it called as he then jumped up and a screwing vortex appeared around his right foot which he starched out as he then flew down and rammed into the ghouls causing them all to turn into rocks and break apart, leaving none left.
As Haruto had been fighting the ghouls he failed to spot that something had happened where the girls had been standing, large purple cracks had appeared and as he defeated the last of them suddenly a lot of them that intersected shattered into a large purple vortex allowing a large 20 foot high stone construct frog to emerge, it leaped out and rammed into Haruto knocking him into a nearby building, his impact on the building left a small amount of purple cracks on it. He stood up and giggled a little. "So where they meant to be your welcoming party? Let's have some fun then." He switched his left ring back to the red oval one and after switching the belt to left he pressed the ring to it then after the red flash he held it out to his left to allow the red ring to pass over him changing back to the red form "Flame...Please!...Hi-Hi! Hi Hi-Hi!" came from the belt as he changed.
The Frog reared up then spat it tongue out at him, Haruto dodged it by jumping to the right only for the tongue to whip round knocking him into another building leavening another set of small purple cracks.
"Looks like I need help." He said to himself as he now slid a new ring on the right hand, the marking was just of a dragon. Then after switching the belt hand to the right he pressed the ring to it. Instead of the belt just calling out what the ring was, it shouted out in a more aggressive tone "DRAGON RISE!" Haruto then swing his right arm up into the air and just to the side on his right as he became engulfed in flames and a large red ring appeared in the air in the direction of his hand, the flames left him and formed under the ring taking on a dragon shape, the belt then spoke in its normal voice "Please!". Then the flames disappeared revealing a mechanical-like dragon mostly white body with gold armour on the side of its lower neck, the shoulders and hips, armour around its head and chest with a ruby in it. It also had a black underside of the entire body and small wings, it was about the same size as the giant frog. Immediately he switched the right ring to the connect one from before, flipping the belt hand left then back to the right before activating the ring on it opening a red portal next to him he reached through with his right hand.
"Connect...Please!" the belt spoke as he then pulled out a white motorbike with a couple of gold lines down it and a red jewel where the headlights would be, he jumped on it and road down the road alongside his dragon towards the frog who tried using the tongue again but Haruto pulled the front wheel up allowing the bike to jump, the dragon flew under him above the tongue as then his bike opened up into 2 large wings leaving only the handle bars unchanged, he held onto them as dragon flew up a bit and the bike that had become large wings docked over his small ones and Haruto was placed on his back sitting in a gap that was seemingly perfect for him, still holding the handle bars as they then flew up higher, the dragon's head aimed down and shot fire balls at the frog stunning it for a few seconds, it then fired large yellow energy balls back which they started flying around, dodging all of them, tho the balls then hit the sky causing large cracks to appear.
"Looks like I need to send you back to the pond" Haruto called out as he changed his right ring for a different coloured one, instead of orange it was red with a dragon diving on it covered in fire and a foot behind it. He then flicked the hand around to re-set the right side and then activated the ring.
"Very Nice...KICK STRIKE!...The Best!" the belt shouted out as he then jumped off dragon and it flew a little bit ahead of him, ejecting the large wings that changed back into the bike, then he himself changed, his tail folded round in line with his hind legs making the front of a dragon's foot, the head folded down and round while the fore legs tucked in to make the back talon of the foot, the bike then attached at the top to make a ankle. Haruto now just behind it kicked his right foot out into the back of the bike as they then both accelerated fast towards the frog who then leaped up at them trying to head-butt them. Flames engulfed both Haruto and dragon which then grew to make it seem like the foot the dragon had changed into was the correct size for Haruto if he was about 30 foot tall. They collided in mid-air stopping for a moment before the frog was then pushed back down by Haruto's kick and they slammed into the ground causing the frog to explode, Haruto landed on the ground and changed back to normal as a red ring passed over him and dragon making it disappear. Then all the purple cracked flashed gold and disappeared, having no sign of ever existing.
Haruto then walked over back to where he saw the 5 girls and looked at them all standing next to them. "Don't worry, you all will be saved" he said in a determined voice before a white light enveloped everything.
Back in the real world Kouske still sitting besides the girl was throwing some small stones into the water, when he saw a gold flash from her, looking across he saw the purple cracks on her had gone, he smiled as then a red ring appeared and Haruto walked out.
"Kouske, we have a situation" Haruto said when he saw him.
"I know" he replied. "Gremlin decided to show up after that phantom ran away."
Haruto sighed, but then turned around hearing a girls voice starting to called out. "Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay-Lin...NO!"
"It's ok now" Haruto said to her, seeing the she had awoken, clearly in a shocked state, remembering what Xin Jing had told him about putting her to sleep after she started to fall to despair. "There is a lot of things we need to discuss, and that both of us can help each other in this problem." He said to her as he helped her sit up, Kouske looked on giving a nod and a smile.
"Ok" she replied, a little confused by her surroundings, and the 2 people who she had never seen before, but yet she felt something tell her they were here to help. She took a deep breath to calm a bit more and then looked straight back at them. "Where do we begin then?"
Next Time: Plans are made as the lives of the remaining 4 girls hangs in the balance.
