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Gaim: The Final Saga
by
Kamen Rider Duke
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Beta'd by AnimeAnomaly72
Chapter X
Discovery Saga - Part V
'End of the Beginning Pt. I'
(Helheim Forest)
"I have a bad feeling about this," spoke Takatora as he climbed off his motorcycle, Akira, Jun and Kenji skidding to halt behind him.
"This is impossible, there should be a crack right in front of us," muttered Jun, holding up his large PDA, "The energy readings fit every other crack we've studied, in fact it's a perfect average, something is not right."
"Then it's a trap, we need to leave now," warned Kenji, discreetly fishing his USB out of his pocket.
"Right you are, ape," drawled a woman in a suit as she stepped out from behind a tree, "It is a trap, but you won't be leaving."
"I recognise you," blurted Akira, "You work in research at the Tokyo Yggdrasill Facility, don't you?"
"I did, it was only a cover," spoke the woman, "But I much more than that, I am what you apes call an Inves."
"An intelligent Inves?" muttered Takatora, "That's new, and bad, very bad!"
"But I am no ordinary Inves, I lord over those dull creatures," continued the woman, "I guess you could say I am an Overlord Inves, but my name is Redyue."
"What do you want from us?" asked Kenji, stepping forward.
"Your deaths, and the rest of your race," replied Redyue, "However, if you mean at your pitiful attempt to mount a defence, I was constructing a copy of one your Drivers with your resources."
Akira clenched her fists, going to attack Redyue, only for Jun to place a hand on her shoulder, his expression telling her he had more questions to ask.
"How did you gain a human form?" questioned Jun, discreetly setting his PDA to record, "Last time I checked, Inves didn't look like that."
"You are quite right, a kidnapped a female teenager from your world, I infused my body and mind with it, allowing me to fluently speak your language and blend in as an ape," answered Redyue, "However I was forced to modify her age somewhat, no one takes a thirteen-year old seriously, which I needed to be to infiltrate your precious Yggdrasil."
"That was you?" breathed Jun, opening a file on his PDA.
"Jun? What do you mean?" asked Takatora, somewhat puzzled.
"Three months ago a teenager from Zawame disappeared after being locked in a locker by bullies," replied Jun, "There was no way she could have got out, eyewitnesses reported she was kicking and screaming before she stopped suddenly, that's when they found she was gone."
"Opening a crack behind her was child's play," gloated Redyue, pulling out a Lost Driver, "But now you will die!"
"So you succeeded," commented Takatora as he and the other three all produced their Lost Drivers and USBs.
"Yes, and I upgraded it, it is more powerful than any of yours," bragged Redyue, "HENSHIN!"
MARIKA!
Redyue grinned as she slammed her USB into the slot in the Driver and pushed it to one side. In a whirlwind of pink energy, a similarly coloured Rider Suit materialised around Redyue, the style was clearly themed towards an Arabian warrior.
MARIKA! RIDER!
"You've got yours, we've got ours!" spat Kenji.
"HENSHIN!"
ZANGETSU!
ERROR!
SIGURD!
YUZUKI!
In a flash, the four transformed, Takatora and Kenji into their familiar white and black suits respectively. Jun's suit was styled after a Norse Warrior with fur around his wrists and ankles. Akira's suit, like Kenji's, was a recolour of the Zangetsu Suit, however the white was replaced with yellow.
ZANGETSU! RIDER!
ERROR! RIDER!
SIGURD! RIDER!
YUZUKI! RIDER!
Zangetsu, Error and Yuzuki quickly drew their Musou Sabers from the sheaths. Sigurd, however, did not launch into battle, instead opening a video feed to Ryoma via his PDA.
"Ryoma, you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked Sigurd.
"Yes, unfortunately. I hacked your PDA when I could get a response from any of you, heard the whole thing," replied Ryoma, "Her power levels are off the charts, higher than the combination of you four, I'm not far from finishing the new Driver, it'll be able to beat her."
"Got it, we need to retreat," affirmed Sigurd, drawing his Sonic Arrow.
"Correct, the sooner the better," answered Ryoma, cutting off the call.
"Takatora, we have to fall back!" warned Sigurd as Zangetsu was knocked back by Marika.
"Understood, fall back!" commanded Zangetsu to Yuzuki and Error, who were still fighting Marika.
"I'll hold her off!" yelled Error, knowing the Overlord wouldn't let them go easily.
"Keep safe," instructed Zangetsu as he, Sigurd and Yuzuki leapt on their bikes and rode off, heading back to the Research Crack.
"Eat this!" shouted Error, pulling out a Blueberry Lockseed he'd swiped from Ryoma's Lab and slamming into the slot in his Musou Saber, sliding his USB into the second slot.
1! 10! 100! ERROR CHARGE!
1! 10! 100! BLUEBERRY CHARGE!
Blue electricity shot down the blade, forcing Error to drop it. Sensing his plan, Marika turned and tried to run, but the Musou Saber exploded in humongous fireball, engulfing both Error and Marika.
"NO!" yelled Zangetsu, skidding to a halt, unable to believe what he was seeing, "We have to go back!"
"No, Kenji couldn't have survived that," informed Sigurd soberly, he and Yuzuki stopping, "But we have to keep going, I doubt that will have finished the Overlord off."
"After we destroy that bitch, I'm coming back for his body, understood?" spat Zangetsu, venom in his voice.
"Yes," replied Sigurd, the three kicking up their stands and riding away.
Nearby, Redyue stumbled out of the undergrowth, she had managed to somewhat shield from the blast, protecting her, unlike Kenji, who had taken the full force of it.
"And the Gods lead me back to Olympus," grinned Redyue, hopping onto Kenji's bike and riding off after the others.
-Discovery Saga-
(Ryoma's Lab)
"Where is it?" muttered Ryoma to himself as he searched through the mess on his workstation.
"What's wrong?" asked Sid, looking up from his work on the new Driver he had designed.
"I can't find the Medal Driver, I had an idea on how to fix it," replied Ryoma as Takatora, Jun and Akira burst into the room.
"Ryoma, please tell me the new Driver is ready!" called Takatora, striding over to his best friend.
"Ready," answered Sid, closing up the panel, "Both of them in fact, I call them the Duo Drivers."
Taking one of the Duo Drivers, Takatora immediately recognised it as an upgraded Lost Driver, a slot for a USB on each side now.
"I thought the new Driver used medals?" asked Takatora, removing the Lost Driver from his waist, replacing it with his new Duo Driver.
"Originally, yes," replied Ryoma, "But it was simpler and quicker to upgrade the Lost Driver design, not quite as much power, but enough to take out the Overlord."
Before anyone could speak, the alarms blared into life, Ryoma immediately gave up on his search for the Medal Driver, instead strapping his new Driver to his waist.
"Redyue has breached the safe zone, and she's got an entire army of Inves with her," explained Jun, watching a camera feed on Ryoma's computer.
"Issue an evacuation order," instructed Takatora, Jun nodding and triggering the evacuation process.
EVACUATION PROTOCOL INITIATED!
Throughout the base, every employee stopped their respective tasks and left in an orderly fashion. Under the roots of the Yggdrasil Tree, artificial cracks flickered and closed up.
"We should be safe now," breathed Jun with a sigh of relief.
"Think again," spoke Redyue as a crack opened behind Jun and she stepped out, carrying a bladed staff.
Before anyone could react, Redyue shot forward and stabbed Jun in the back, twisting the blade as she pulled it out. Collapsing to the ground, blood began to dribble out of Jun's mouth.
"Oops," taunted Redyue with a grin.
"You bitch!" yelled Akira, transforming in a split second and launching herself at Redyue, only for the Overlord to knock her away.
"This is your fault," spoke Redyue casually, transforming into a green Inves form, "If you hadn't started sniffing around Helheim I would have left alone for a little longer."
"Ready to try out the new Drivers?" asked Ryoma, pulling out a green USB with 'MELON' printed along the side.
Takatora nodded, drawing his usual USB as Ryoma strapped his Duo Driver to his waist. Nearby, Sid crept over his father's side, desperately trying to staunch the blood loss from his wound.
"HENSHIN!"
ZANGETSU!
MELON!
Ryoma acted first, slamming his USB into the left slot, which dematerialised from there, only to reappear in the left slot of Takatora's Driver. Pushing the Melon USB down, Takatora inserted his USB, pushing two slots apart, forming it into the shape of a W.
ZANGETSU! MELON!
In a cyclone of energy, Takatora transformed into Armoured Rider Zangetsu, his new Melon Arms and Defender glinting under the harsh laboratory lights. Beside Zangetsu, Ryoma's body collapsed to the floor, his mind now joined with Takatora.
"Redyue! Count up your sins!" announced Takatora, the right side of the visor flashing it signify it was him speaking.
With a yell, Zangetsu drew his Musou Saber and charged at Redyue, blocking his staff with his Melon Defender.
-Discovery Saga-
So, the lives of two Riders hang in the balance, will I kill off Kenji, Jun, both or neither? All I can say is that this chapter is a turning point for the story, this is where momentum will start to pick up and it will get somewhat darker. On a side note, from now on I will refer to Ryoma and Takatora separately when they are speaking whilst transformed, however I refer to them as Zangetsu when they physically act whilst transformed.