I do not own Kamen Rider or Sailor Moon. I have written this solely because I found it an interesting idea and apparently so have other people. Please enjoy. If you don't like it, please don't flame me. I'm not forcing you to read this.
Kamen Rider Chalice: Crystal City Chronicles
By Ten-Faced Paladin
TURN 10: A Trap is Set! The Spider's Web!
As with any Undead attack, The Radical put out another edition, telling about the exploits of the Riders and the Undead which they defeat. However, it was particularly hard on the Outers save for Saturn, whom it gave glowing reviews. They claimed that out of all of the Senshi, Saturn was the only one who acted truly for the people rather than for the Queen. People were being hurt by the monsters and the ones who fought them needed help so she jumped in. She even defeated an Undead by herself, something not even Queen Serenity could boast about. However, she was the only Senshi who had gotten such praise. The remaining Outers were slammed rather hard for their reluctance to help. In the words of the radical paper, they witnessed the whole fight and did nothing. They just stood on their perch, high above the concerns of the lesser folk and just watched it happen as if it didn't concern them. They were only there to probably try to harass the Riders again about how they break the law. The last statement was probably one of the most profound as well.
Obviously the standards of becoming a Senshi have dipped somewhat if all one needs to do is stand around and look pretty no matter what, even if the people they have been sworn to protect are being killed off.
"Wow, Hotaru!" Usa was impressed. "You actually fought one without magic?"
"Not exactly," an embarrassed Hotaru responded. "I did add some magic to my strikes but the Undead seem to fall down easily when you use physical attacks."
While Usa was amazed to hear that her best friend had beaten an Undead, no one else among the Senshi were. They were shocked and downright horrified that Hotaru had used physical violence to fight an Undead. Really, they were acting like she was a little kid who said a dirty word during an extravagant party. Serenity was sorely disappointed in her, not to mention her adopted family. Despite it being in the protection of Crystal Tokyo, Hotaru was given a punishment for her 'crime'. Guard duty on Usa for a week. A slap on the wrist to be sure, but Hotaru felt that she didn't have much of a choice in the situation.
Haruka had been pretty angry about what happened. She couldn't believe her adopted daughter would do such a radical and violent thing. Michiru was disappointed in her daughter as well, almost in shock at what Hotaru had done. Setsuna…she just talked in her usual tone of voice on how such things were just not permitted in Crystal Tokyo and how it wasn't proper for a Senshi to use physical violence when they had their magic. Frankly, Hotaru could have argued that their magic just wasn't working on the Undead, but her adoptive parents weren't in a debating mood and she was in deep enough trouble as it was. Part of their bad mood was because of that radical newspaper that kept on coming out talked about them in a most derogatory way. Many of the Senshi were insulted at being insinuated as nothing more than pretty faces who cared more for their appearances than they did their people. Hotaru was just glad her family didn't use her recent actions as an outlet for their outrage.
"I still think it's unfair that you got grounded," Usa frowned.
"It's the price to pay for doing the right thing," said Hotaru. "At least more of those creatures are going down. Have you spoken to your parents about the Riders?"
"I did, but Mama won't listen. She still thinks that the Riders are doing it wrong." Usa sighed. What had happened to her mother? Had Crystal Tokyo warped her? The Sailor Moon and Senshi she knew in the past weren't shy about using physical force on enemies. Jupiter used to be a martial artist and all the Uranus also used to be a formidable fighter who fought with her fists.
Had all this peace changed them for the worse?
Kyle was currently in his room, looking over the Heart suit Undead which had been sealed so far. After doing a check with the others, it was determined that all four of them were Category 5 Undead. All of them had kick attributes much like the Category 6 were elemental. What were the odds that all four of them would be in a group together and attacking at the same time? Not bloody likely. Like the elemental Undead, someone was pulling the strings of these four. The question was, who was it? There were three aces sealed already, but that just left the majority of the high class Undead who were able to control the lower classes.
"This must be how Kenzaki and the others felt," Kyle muttered as he rubbed his forehead. Trying to figure out where the Undead were hiding out was stressful. Guessing their movements, even more so.
It was almost a relief when a knock came to the door.
"Coming," Kyle called out before he headed to the door. Taking a moment to undo the lock, he opened the door to find Amethyst smiling hopefully at him. "Amethyst? What can I do for you?"
"Take me out on a date tonight," Amethyst answered bluntly.
"…what?" Kyle blinked.
"Well, you do need some rest after facing those four Undead," Amethyst reasoned. "Nii-sama has Nee-sama and Rubeus likes to go to underground parties to relax. I thought we could go out together and do something fun."
It all sounded like a reasonable request to be sure. Of course, what Kyle didn't know was that that the guidelines the Love Ministry promoted even had time lengths for prospective partners to get to know one another before official dating. Ever since Kyle confided his identity as Chalice, Amethyst had been counting off the days as in accordance to the love ministry. Of course, Kyle hadn't been exactly forthcoming with events and such so that he and Amethyst could get to know one another better, so Amethyst decided to start the dating process and get to know the Kamen Rider better at the same time.
"Well, uh," Kyle mumbled. He really didn't have too much experience with dating.
"Come on! I promise it will be fun!" Amethyst insisted.
"Ummm," Kyle sputtered.
"So what did you say" asked Demand.
"I said yes, what do you think?" Kyle frowned. "A girl just comes up to your door of all places and asks for a date? I was kind of stunned so I just nodded and suddenly she was off like a rocket. I think she was cheering or something, but it was too high-pitched for me to really understand."
"That's our Amethyst," Safir nodded.
It was later in the day, almost evening, and the boys had convened together to talk since Kyle needed to figure out what he was going to do. Personally, the three young men had seen it coming a mile away. Amethyst wasn't a very subtle person by nature and the only reason she hadn't all but stamped her name on Kyle's forehead was because of her fascination with the Love Ministry guidelines. Frankly, the boys thought it was a load of crock since one just can't guide love the way they want. In fact, they believed it even less when Kyle had reported that Minako Aino A.K.A. Sailor Venus, never had a stable relationship her entire life. Well, he insisted that she hadn't and they were inclined to believe it if she felt that the guidelines were the one true way to find love.
"So what's the problem then?" asked Rubeus.
"I don't have a freaking clue what to do on a date in this city!" Kyle cried. "I didn't even think she was seriously interested in me. I mean, sure she asked if I was interested on the day we first met, but I figured it was because of those love guidelines or something."
"Oh, she's serious," Demand chuckled. "The reason she brought you to meet us was because she'd hoped we would approve of you. Since we all live on our own, she had to get approval from us rather than her parents."
"Huh?" Kyle blinked.
"Actually she's been rather frustrated as of late," Safir added. "Topazu tells me that she has been giving off all the signs that she's interested and looking to become an actual couple in hopes of a relationship. However, you've been pointedly ignoring those signs. She's been wondering if you're interested in her at all."
"But I don't even know those signs," Kyle grimaced.
"Yeah, I think she figured that out which is why she decided to go for a date now," Rubeus shrugged.
"Why am I always the last one to know these things?" asked Kyle, groaning into his hands.
"Just you I guess," Demand shrugged. "Still, it does bring a question. Just how do you feel about her?"
"Now that's rather hard to say," Kyle replied. "I first met her in the showers at the gym and saw pretty much everything she had to offer physically. She just waltzed up to me and asked if I was interested in pursuing a relationship with her."
"Still, you liked what you saw, eh?" Rubeus snickered.
"Shut up," Kyle groaned. He saw enough of Amethyst in gym classes to fuel his fantasies for a good long time. Shunting THOSE thoughts to the side, he tried to get back to the conversation. "Anyway, the moment we meet she explains all about those ministry guidelines showing how to find love. It's kind of a turn off to hear someone want to go out with you solely because of what kind of academic goals you may have."
"I hear you. I can't recall the number of times I was trying to get closer to a girl and her first question was 'what are your goals?' and then get shot down when I decided to humor her and answer," Rubeus sighed. "Stupid guidelines."
"Yeah," Kyle sighed. Shaking his head, he decided to move on to other business. "Okay, you guys remember those four Undead we sealed at the amphitheatre? Well, all four of them were Category 5 Undead."
"So?" asked Rubeus.
"When was the last time four common Category Undead teamed up? What made them do it?" Kyle replied.
"A high class Undead made them do it," Safir answered, his eyes widening. "You don't think-?"
"A high class Undead sent all four of them," Kyle nodded. "Either to take us out or to test us. I don't know which, but neither answer is very good for us."
Rubeus commented, "Do you think this will get in the way of your date Amethyst."
"I think we all have more important things to worry about than a date," Kyle deadpanned.
"Hey, this is Amethyst first real date with you, so it's important in its own way."
"But not as important as the Undead appearing and killing people," argued Demand.
"Hey, you and I can take of the Undead if they act up," said Rubeus confidently.
"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Kyle.
"It's good to see at least one of those skirts taking things seriously for a change," said Hikaru as she read a copy of The Radical. Since Shima always read them when they were distributed, she decided to see what was so interesting.
"They've forgotten how to adapt to such situations, thinking that they can use the same way to deal with new threats added," Shima.
"Yeah," answered Daichi.
The two Royal Undeads had found the human form of the Elephant Undead sleeping under a tree. As usual, he was lazy and just wasting time doing nothing. Despite his strength and power, he did not actively seek out fights. All he wanted was to be left alone.
He also read The Radical, only so he could keep track of the Undead being defeated and sealed. He let out a yawn.
"It's still worrisome," frowned Shima. "Undead becoming more and more organized."
"The lesser categories aren't that smart. They're just beasts with instincts," said Hikaru.
"So, one of our own is behind all these attacks," stated Shima.
"So what? As long as they leave me alone I got no problem," Daichi said offhandedly.
"Well, I'm not going to let another human suffer," resolved Shima.
"Are you sure you're an Undead?" asked Hikaru.
"Past grudges should be left in the past," said Shima. "The Human Undead won and humanity has flourished since then. What is the point of opening old wounds and trying to attain victory when it is no longer possible? What is the point of revenge? Nothing. It is better to live in peace than to search for conflict."
Daichi yawned, "Right…anyway, I'm going to go and take a nap somewhere."
"Typical," scoffed Hikaru as she watched Daichi go back under his tree, pulling his hat over his face, before he quickly dozed off and started to snore. "He has so much power but he's too lazy to use it. No wonder he lost the first time."
"He fights only to defend himself," Shima reminded. "And when that happens he's nigh unstoppable."
"Human luxuries have corrupted him," said Hikaru but then she shrugged. "Then again, I'm a hypocrite. I kind of like human luxuries."
"You do?" asked Shima.
"They make good food. It's one of the things these humans have done that I can appreciate."
Shima shook his head in amusement. He knew she was thinking about Mutsuki and when he'd shared his food with her.
It was a good thing that Safir knew of a good place for his and Amethyst's first date or else Kyle would have no idea what to do. As an expert of underground parties, Safir knew about this Radical Nightclub that existed in the city. Its existence was a close guarded secret and its membership was exclusive. The only way to enter was with a password that Safir had supplied him. Kyle waited until it was nightfall before he asked Amethyst out tonight. Checking his clothes, he made sure he looked his best. His fellow Riders gave him some encouraging words and blessed him with good luck but he still didn't feel all that confident. Fighting Undead was easy, but asking a girl out was something he had little experience in.
Standing outside of Amethyst's dorm room, Kyle knocked on the door and when it opened he was greeted by the sight of Amethyst in a stunning violet dress that came down to mid thigh. It had long sleeves but the neck was wide and exposed her shoulders and also the tank top she wore underneath. She also wore what looked like black stockings with black boots.
Kyle just gaped at her as she looked back at him flirtatiously. "So, you're gonna take me out, isn't that right?"
"Yeah," Kyle answered, still stunned. It was like when he first saw Amethyst in her birthday suit except that was then and this was now.
"Well, let's go!" smiled Amethyst as she took his hand and dragged him down the hallway.
The Spider Undead leered at his victim who it had wrapped up in silk and covered in spiders. Its children needed to feed so it was generous enough to share its meals. Humans, while a proof of their loss, were a good source of meat and these humans didn't even put much of a fight.
Still, the Spider Undead needed more and so left to find more prey. It wasn't just driven by hunger, but driven by vengeance. Killing humans was one way for the Undead to satisfy their desire for revenge but there was just so many of them and this world was teaming with them. Still, that just meant it could kill more and more and more to show these humans why the Undead were at the top of the food chain.
The Spider Undead climbed out of its hideout, sticking to the walls, before shooting out a webline. It then swung through the city, shooting weblines along the way as it continued to swing towards finding a new victim.
Parking the bike, both Kyle and Amethyst dismounted. According to Safir, the entrance of the club was in an alley. Kyle had followed the directions and hoped he found the right place. He didn't want to mess things up by stopping at the wrong location. The two then entered the alley and found a door in the back wall. Kyle knocked on the steel door a panel slid aside, exposing a thin rectangular slot with a pair of eyes looking straight at Kyle.
"What's the password?" a gruff voice asked on the other side of the door.
Kyle recited the password, "Freedom is the right of all Radicals." The panel slid shut and Kyle could hear several locks being undone before the door was opened. The light was dim as they were let in, only giving enough light to show them that the door was at the top of a set of stairs. The pair descended, Amethyst holding Kyle's hand as they went down. The further down they went, the sound of music could be heard getting louder and louder and finally the two of them stepped into Club Razcalz.
Club Razcalz was a Radical nightclub as it pretty much broke a lot of the Queen's rules. They sold beer at the counter and played loud music. Looking around, Kyle was surprised to see the place packed with people. Lights flashed from the ceiling and even on the dance floor and Amethyst squealed as she dragged Kyle along, "Let's Dance!"
Meanwhile, sitting at the bar was Hikaru Jou who'd come to this club for some entertainment. She'd heard about the place and even learnt the password to enter. She was enjoying a glass of beer and enjoying the atmosphere. She'd had several offers to dance but had declined. She wasn't interested in dancing. Rather, she was interested in a good fight and hoped one would pop up in this place.
Back at the dance floor, Kyle was keeping up with Amethyst, dancing close to the violet haired close. His eyes were completely on her as she moved to the beat of the music and then she turned around and pressed herself against him, causing shivers to run up her spine. Kyle spoke, raising his voice so he could be heard over the music, "Amethyst, you're really good at this!"
"Comes with practice!" she responded. The music then changed to one just for a slow dance. "Ooh, I love this song."
Kyle saw couples dancing close together and saw Amethyst looking up expectantly at him. "Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt." He put his hands around her waist and she looped her arms around his neck. Now she was so close that he could smell her hair. It smelled like lavenders. Amethyst had her eyes closed as she slowly swayed with Kyle.
All of a sudden, the music came to a sudden halt and everyone wondered what was going on when Kyle's Undead Senses bombarded him with images of spiders….Spiders!
As Kyle was suffering the migraine-inducing visions, the other people in the party were rudely interrupted when the DJ was quite suddenly captured in thick white strands of a sticky substance. His sudden scream of terror and his thrashing to escape caused one of the machines he was using to tip over and kill the music. It served to catch everyone's attention just as he was pulled into the darkness of the rafters. Kyle and his date looked up to see the struggling man being pulled up by…something, something with three glowing purple eyes.
"Kyle?" asked Amethyst as she trembled at the sight of the monster. "Is that…?"
"It is," he confirmed. "The Ace of Clubs."
The Spider Undead seemed to hear its name being invoked and leaped down from its position, hanging off of the ceiling. Landing heavily on the dance floor, the Undead revealed itself to the terrified citizens around it. Its left arm and left leg were covered in sick green armour which looked like flesh with orange splotches on it. Its shoulder and wrist had insect legs extending from them, almost twitching by themselves. Its torso looked like it was covered in black leather with three metal studs in a triangular pattern in the very centre. Its right arm and leg were covered in black armour that didn't seem as organic as it's opposite side, but had black insect legs coming from the shoulder just the same. Metal studs decorated the arm and leg, but also the left shin as well, one of the usual identifying markers of its species. It's head was mostly covered by a purple visor with a skeletal mouth being visible. The creepy part was the arachnid legs clutching the top of the helmet like a creepy headdress.
The Category Ace seemed to sniff the air for something, but then found it as it turned its gaze towards Kyle and Amethyst. Pointing its finger at the pair, it spoke, "I found you…Chalice."
"Amethyst, get out of here," said Kyle.
"But…"
"Go!" Kyle shouted, pushing her away, "And get the others!" The Spider Undead's level of power was second only to Chalice but Kyle wasn't sure how well he would do against this green-skinned and violet-eyed Undead.
Kyle quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his Change Mantis card. Around his waist, his Chalice Rouzer appeared. Bringing it to his waist, he prepared to swipe it through. However, the Spider Undead flicked its wrist at him and suddenly, a beam of energy shot down from above and struck the card before he could use it. The sealed card flew from Kyle's hand before the image in the frame leaped from the item, leaving it blank. The image of the praying mantis rose into the air and grew larger before from out of it, Chalice appeared and dropped to the ground in a kneeling position. He looked exactly the same as the Kamen Rider, but his belt was that of an Undead, rather than the one that Kyle would use when he transformed.
"Kyle?" Amethyst's eyes widened as she looked between Kyle and Chalice. She was seeing double.
"Aw man," Kyle grimaced. "Not good."
The Spider Undead chuckled in an unnerving manner, "You've got that right." Looking about, the Spider Undead spied the other dancers and partygoers attempting to back away from the scene and towards the first door they could get too…which unfortunately was the one at the front door. "Now, now, it's rude to leave before the performance is finished!"
From above, another Undead dropped down to the ground. This time it was blocking the exit. His arms were thickly muscles and his feet were trunk-like with three toes. It had black armor over his shoulders and torso while its face was mostly covered with a black skeletal mask except that an elongated nose hung out. Its eyes burned red like sunset and a mane of hair ran down itsit's back in a ponytail. The torso had dark fur over the pectorals, but the abdomen was covered in more metal studs. Its wrists were covered in thick gauntlets which were partially hidden by bandages but glimpses of green could be seen underneath them.
"Tapir Undead," Kyle guessed. Since he hadn't seen that Undead in the series, he could only guess but since the Mantis Undead had been unsealed he could make an educated estimation.
"Right," the Spider Undead chuckled. "Now let's get on with the floor show, shall we? The one who hunts our kind down killed by his own power!"
Chalice snarled and eyed Kyle before lunging towards him. Kyle dodged to the side as the Undead's fist met the grown, causing a crater on impact. Chalice rose to his feet and turned to face Kyle and then rushed at him.
"Kyle!" Aamethyst cried out as she watched Kyle being attacked by his own Category Ace. Kyle grimaced. He had to do something and do it fast. Since he had the Joker Belt, he could use the Joker's powers to mimic the forms of the other sealed Undead. Otherwise, what choice did he have? Still, he had a short selection so he needed something that would work to his advantage.
He dug into his back pocket and pulled out a card at random and swiped it through the slot of his Rouzer.
"Tornado!"
Kyle's body was engulfed in a black static field before he transformed. This time though he didn't come out looking like Kamen Rider Chalice. This time, he appeared in the form of the Hawk Undead. While it was not the highest Category he had, it did have elemental power which may help in the battle.
Spreading his wings, Hawk leaped at Chalice and tackled him with what momentum he managed to collect. Another flap of his wings sent both up to the rafters of the building. Hawk attempted to claw at Chalice but the Mantis Undead wasn't fazed by the sudden mid-air battle and went straight for the assault. Both combatants attacked and struck at each other with impressive force.
Chalice didn't get to where he was in the Undead ranking by being just dumb muscle. He could recognize opportunities in battle and indeed he saw one as Kyle in the form of the Hawk Undead attempted to beat him senseless. Gripping his hand, the Chalice Arrow appeared in his grip before the Mantis Undead raised his weapon and stabbed it down into Hawk's shoulder, instantly stopping his wing movements.
"AUGH!" Hawk bellowed as he felt the metal dig into his flesh. Gravity quickly became the dominant force and both fighters began to fall back to the dance floor. Chalice used another opportunity and kicked off Hawk's body, freeing himself as Hawk crashed into the hard ground with a resounding crash.
"KYLE!" Amethyst cried out, tears leaking out of her eyes at the sight.
Chalice landed on the ground lightly before he turned to face his downed foe. His weapon dripped green blood onto the floor, indicating just how deeply the weapon had pierced Hawk's hide. Hawk raised his head and spread his wings before sending Chalice flying with a gust of wind, causing him to crash onto the dance floor.
Meanwhile, Amethyst had her phone in hand and was texting like crazy. "Kyle in trouble! Get here to Club Rascalz! Emergency! Undead!" She sent the message. "Hurry up, guys."
Hawk clutched his bleeding shoulder and saw Chalice recovering from the fall. Grunting, he decided to switch forms and swiped through another card.
"Drill!"Hawk transformed into Shell and headed to take advantage of Chalice's prone position. He didn't hestitate to charge forward, knowing he had to take every advantage he could if he wanted to defeat and reseal the Mantis Undead. Raising his blade as he drew closer, Shell slashed downward with Chalice's head as the target. However, the Mantis Undead seemed to have a powerful recovery time and blocked the blow with his Chalice Arrow before kicking Shell away with a well-placed foot in the gut.
Shell grunted and stumbled back while Chalice flipped to his feet. With a growl, he charged once again.
Within the crowd of scared and shocked people, Hikaru sipped her beer as she analyzed the entire proceedings. And here she thought that she wasn't going to be able to see anything interesting that night.
Meanwhile, the Tapir Undead was still blocking the exit when all of a sudden gunshots impacted its back, actually ripping through the door to do so. The Undead cried out in pain and turned around to face whatever dared to attack it, only for the door to be kicked clear off of its hinges and into its face, knocking it onto its back. Emerging from the space the door had been were Kamen Riders Blade and Garren.
"Go!" Blade shouted to the bystanders, "Run, get out of here!"
The people didn't need to be told twice as they all rushed out of the nightclub, running past the two Kamen Riders. As more of the people vacated, the two Riders proceeded into the club to see where all the action was taking place. Sure enough, they spotted Chalice fighting Shell in the middle of the dance floor, and apparently winning.
"Hey, didn't Kyle seal that one?" asked Garren, recognizing the form of the Shell Undead.
"It must've gotten unsealed somehow," said Blade as he drew his sword. "Come on, let's go help him."
With that said, the Rider of the Spade and Rider of the Diamond both ran towards their friend to assist him. Chalice had knocked Shell backwards with a punch and Kyle grunted. His Undead form might've been durable but he could still feel pain. He needed a way to defeat Chalice and seal him back up.
All of a sudden, gunshots hit Shell, causing him to cry out in shock. "Ow! What!-?" he exclaimed and then he received a sword slash from Blade, sending him staggering back. He crashed against the DJ station, knocking more of the equipment over and making a horrible screeching noise over the speakers.
Amethyst was stunned as she saw her two friends attacking Kyle, "Nii-sama! Rubeus! What are you doing!-?" she shouted.
"Huh?" Garren blinked. "We're helping Kyle." He turned towards Chalice. "Hey, man. Sorry we're…"
POW!
Chalice had nailed Garren in the face with a punch, surprising him and knocking him backwards.
"Huh?" Blade was surprised.
"Chalice isn't Kyle!" Amethyst shouted. She pointed at the Shell Undead. "That's Kyle!"
Blade's eyes widened under his helmet and he looked the Shell Undead from top to bottom and saw the familiar belt Kyle often wore to initiate his transformation. "Kyle?"
"Yeah," Shell confirmed. "It's me."
"But how?"
"It's one of my abilities. I can mimic the form and powers of any sealed Undead," explained Shell.
"Oh, that makes sense. So, Chalice there…"
"Was unsealed by the Tapir Undead you guys knocked down," concluded Shell.
"A little help here!" shouted Garren as he dodged Chalice's wild swings before shooting him in the gut to gain some distance. "Seriously!"
As Shell and Blade ran to assist their comrade, Hikaru merely continued to watch. While she was watching, the Spider Undead approached her with a sneer on its lips, "I was not expecting to see you here. I would have thought you would have joined in."
"I'd prefer to see what these people are capable of myself," Hikaru answered, not even looking at the Category Ace. However, she was prepared to fight if the situation called for it. She knew how much the Ace of Clubs enjoyed winning and was quite capable of doing whatever it took to do so. She would have enjoyed the fight as well, but she also knew that the Ace would fight dirty and she hated fighting people like that.
"A good time to watch," the Ace nodded. "With Chalice under my control, all of them will die."
Hikaru frowned as the Spider's strategy became clear. The only two Undead that were stronger than him were Joker and the Ace of Hearts. Since Joker was likely out in the city somewhere, Spider probably thought to take control of Chalice with the Tapir and become a superpower in the battles ahead. Should the Spider and the Mantis join forces, it would become that much harder to defeat and that much easier to defeat the Joker.
A blow from Chalice knocked Shell backwards with sparks spewing from the impact point, forcing him back to human form. He landed on the floor, groaning in pain.
"Kyle!" called out Blade.
"Don't worry about me!" Kyle shot back. "Seal Chalice!" Amethyst was helping him back up.
Blade managed to bring his sword up to block Chalice's next attack and glared at the red visor of the Mantis Undead. He then pushed back and punched Chalice hard in the face. The Undead went staggering back but stood his ground and advanced but then it received several gunshots in the chest.
"Take this!" said Garren as he withdrew a card and swiped it through his Rouzer.
"Bullet!"
Taking aim and pulling the trigger rapidly, Garren fired much more powerful shots from his gun, causing Chalice to cry out in pain. Blade then did the same, swiping a card through his Rouzer's scanner.
"Slash!"
With his sword energized, Blade charged forth and slashed Chalice across the chest, causing a further explosion of sparks. He whirled around to land another blow and the sword connected violently, forcing Chalice back but not enough to defeat him. The Mantis Undead was considered the Legendary Undead for a reason. Small attacks weren't going to be enough if the Riders planned to win against him.
Resting against Amethyst, Kyle shouted out another set of instructions, "Blade, Garren! Use your elemental and kick cards! This guy won't go down with simple attacks!"
Blade nodded and fanned out the panels containing his sealed Rouze cards before drawing out the two cards. He then swiped them through.
"Kick! Thunder!"
"Lightning Blast!"
"You're not leaving me out of this even if you tried!" Garren shouted. Opening the panels of his Rouzer, he pulled out the similar cards to what Blade had drawn, Drop Whale and Fire Fly. Closing the panels, he slashed the two cards through his weapons.
"Drop! Fire!"
"Burning Smash!"
Blade and Garren holstered their weapons before taking a running charge at Chalice. They both took a running charge at the Mantis Undead before leaping into the air, their momentum carrying them closer. Blade moved into position of a flying kick with electricity surging through his foot. Garren twisted into a back flip for a drop kick while fire pushed through his boot. Both Riders came down on the Mantis Undead and smashed their kicks straight into his body. The impact was powerful and sent Chalice skidding backwards from the blow. Electricity and fire raced over Chalice's armour as the power took effect.
"Rrraaaaaagh!" Chalice bellowed as he attempted to resist the power of the attacks Garren and Blade had struck him with. Roaring, Chalice raised his arms into the air in defiance but it was for naught. He fell backwards and unleashed an explosion as his power failed him. His buckle then snapped open to reveal hearts and an A, signifying his rank and defeat. Blade was quick to react and unfolded his panels before selecting a Proper Blank. Pulling it out, he tossed it at Chalice, watching as the card stuck fast to his chest. Chalice's body turned green before being absorbed into the card one again. Rather than flying back to Blade, it shot into Kyle's hand. The injured Rider watched as a circle of the four Riders appeared before shifting into a heart, indicating who the card belonged to.
"Don't think you've won," the Spider Undead snarled, catching the attention of the other Riders. "You've just delayed my victory. Now that all three of you are here, I can unseal all of the Category Aces at once!" He then heard a loud cry of pain which sounded suspiciously like the Tapir Undead and turned around. There stood the Tapir Undead before it collapsed onto it knees and dropped forward face first. Standing above the Category 10 was the Queen of Clubs, the Tiger Undead, and her claw was stained with green blood.
The Tiger Undead was radically different from the other Undead seen so far. One was that it was female and was covered with tiger fur. Bronze armor was covering her shoulders while a claw-like weapon was attached to her wrist. Her white face was covered with a black feral mask that had a smaller bronze mask over it and a Mohawk was sticking up from her head. She didn't have much in terms of torso armor except for some bronze armor covering her chest and a black skull marking.
"Looks like your plan's ruined," said the Tiger Undead as she flipped the Tapir Undead over to reveal that its buckle had snapped open. "Better luck next time."
"You bitch!" the Spider Undead cursed and then turned to see Blade and Garren ready for battle and Kyle standing back up.
"Time to seal you back up, arachno-freak," threatened Kyle as he prepared to swipe the card but grunted in pain before dropping to his knees.
Deciding to cut its losses, the Spider Undead retreated and leapt up into the rafters, vanishing into the darkness before the Riders could pursue it. A smashing noise and a sudden light in the ceiling told the Riders that the Spider Undead had escaped. At the same time the Tiger Undead approached before shifting into human form, surprising Amethyst, Garren and Blade. Kyle, recognizing the woman, spoke up, "I'm surprised to see you in this place."
"I was bored, so I decided to see what the nightlife was like," shrugged Hikaru. "Now, are any of you going to seal the Tapir? I'm getting sick of his smell."
"Uh…oh! Right!" Garren nodded. Opening his panels, he drew one of the Proper Blanks before tossing it at the Tapir Undead. The card landed on target and quickly drew the Undead inside. With the sealing complete, the card flew back into Garren's hand. It now depicted a Tapir in heavy armour with electrical nodes coming out of its back, almost like a remote signal receiver of some sort. "Cool. Category 10."
"Good," Hikaru nodded before she headed for the door. "My good deed for the day is done. Good luck with the Spider and the others. You'll need it."
"Wait!" Blade cried, but Hikaru ignored him and vanished out of the door. The spade Rider looked to the door and to his friends. "Should we just let her go like that? She's one of the Undead…"
"We're fine with her," Kyle grunted as Amethyst helped him stand up. "She can behave. If there's a good fight to be had, she'll be there though." Kyle gave off another grunt as a spasm of pain ripped through his body. Man Chalice could hit hard! "I think I'm going to have to cut this date short though!"
"Okay, we'll get you back home," Amethyst offered with a forced smile. The bitter disappointment in her voice was rather quite obvious though.
Kyle was helped back to his room by Rubeus and Demand and put in his bed to rest and to heal from his injuries. It was a good thing he'd been Undead form when he took all those blows but he bet he'd be sore in the morning. Meanwhile, Amethyst was being grilled for details by Topazu and Esmeraude.
"So, how was your date?" Topazu asked eagerly. "Was Kyle romantic?"
Amethyst looked like she wanted to cry, immediately alerting her friends that something had gone wrong, "We didn't get to do anything!"
"What?" Esmeraude blinked. "Why? Was Kyle shy? Did he really not want to go? What happened? We set up everything perfectly!"
"We planned out everything to the last detail!" Topazu added. "You should have gotten a good night kiss or something! Heck, you even could have stayed over in his room!"
"We planned everything but an Undead showing up!" Amethyst sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "We only got to dance to two songs and were interrupted during a really romantic moment! Then it just turned into a brawl that ruined everything!"
"Oh Amethyst," Esmeraude sighed, quickly going to her friend and wrapper her in a hug. "I'm so sorry. I know this date was really important to you."
"It was," sobbed Amethyst. "Will it be like this each time we try to go out on a date? Will an Undead keep on attacking and ruin our moments?"
"I'm sure it won't," protested Topazu. "The next time, I bet, things will go smoothly."
Amethyst just continued to sob, bitterly disappointed in that the romantic date she and her friends had planned for. They had put in all sorts of ideas and plans on how they could get the purple-haired girl and the Kamen Rider together. Esmeraude and Topazu had been so sure that it would be a success that they had even been preparing for triple dates and the like between them and their significant others. Now it seemed that their plans would be postponed if not outright impossible. Kyle was sure to be laid up for a while and after that he was probably going to keep on hunting for the Undead, maybe just by pushing the incident to the back of his mind, forgetting about how much fun he was having with Amethyst.
Esmeraude and Topazu looked at one another as Amethyst sobbed.
'Anything we can do to salvage this?' asked Esmeraude in a silent gesture.
'Maybe,' Topazu shrugged.
The Senshi was at the scene of a horrible crime. They found a room filled with dead bodies and all of them were covered in spider webbing and crawling with spiders. The spiders were even crawling out of the nose, ears and mouths of the victims, making them a really gruesome sight. They should've grown used to this now due to the deaths that had occurred because of the Undead but it still sickened to see bodies in such an unnatural state and killed by unnatural means.
"Disgusting," Jupiter grimaced as she eyed the unfortunate people being carried out by the guards. The spiders were still coming out of the bodies and despite efforts from the Crystal Guard to catch them were escaping with ease. The Crystal Guard's effectiveness was cut significantly since many of them were still vomiting at the sight of the bodies and of the spiders emerging from them.
"How many is that now Ami?" asked Mars, not bringing herself to look at the unfortunate souls.
"Seventy by my count," Mercury sighed, looking very green. "With more to come."
"Damn those monsters," Jupiter hissed in frustration. She didn't even realize that she was breaking the profanity law. "How are they able to keep avoiding us like this? They're making us look like fools!"
"We'll need to tell the Queen," said Venus. "She'll know what to do."
The Senshi's lives had become frustrating by the day. Not only were the Riders openly breaking the Queen's laws but these monsters (Undead) defied all rhyme or reason, killing indiscriminately, without any reason for killing except that they could. This scene was one of many that they'd found. It was a gruesome sight. Mercury was just as upset and sickened by what she saw. It defied all logic, or at least the logic that she accustomed to. Youma would simply drain their victims of energy, leaving them exhausted but still alive but these new monsters were murdering people without a care. True, if a Youma could drain a person to the point of death but that almost never happened.
From the shadows the Spider Undead watched as the bodies were being moved from its lair and hissed in annoyance. It was not a good night for it as its plans had been ruined. It studied the Senshi and began to devise a new plan. Opening its palm, the Spider Undead revealed several small spiders which lowered themselves by thin lines of silk and slowly descended upon the unaware Senshi and then hid themselves inside their hair. They were so small, undetectable, and would act as the Spider Undead's spies. Now, it would wait. Silently, it slipped away without anyone noticing its presence to begin with.
A/N: And we see the Spider Undead at last, but he has evaded capture be unsealing the Ace of Hearts. It seems he has plans for the Senshi now to. We'll see how this turns out.