Chapter 11: Power Release

It was a one-sided battle from the start.

Although he had the power of the Orange Ultra Crystal on his side, Drasil had the advantage of the jets on his wings that gave him a surprising level of manoeuvrability in the air. He was sure the Rangers had been notified of the battle but they hadn't showed up yet. What that meant, he had no idea of and, frankly, he didn't care about. He had bigger things to worry about in the present moment than if Zriac would come swooping down from the skies. Spinning away from a crumbling wall as his helmet clicked shut, the newly morphed Orange Ranger looked up at the humanoid monster, oblivious to the shocked stares around him. Thanks to the translator, he could even hear their surprised shouts and, amusingly enough, the stammering from the owner of the inn about wanting to give him back his deposit. After the announcement of his supposedly imminent death, Drasil had opened up with everything his blasters were capable of, meaning he had to dodge like crazy to avoid being flash-fried. He would be slightly less protected without the Battle Armour but he would have to make do until he was free enough to summon it.

Summoning the Raptor Sabre, he held it in the path of several bolts and watched the energy bounce harmlessly off the blade. After seeing what it had done to the walls of the buildings, he wasn't too keen on checking how strong it would be against his armour. Summoning up a ball of orange flame, he concentrated its intensity to a brilliant white-hot sphere before lobbing it underarm at the robotic creature. With a fluid motion he thought wouldn't even be possible, the wing-like protrusions clanged together in front of the being's body – absorbing the brunt of the explosion and soaking up the immense heat. As the smoke and steam cleared, Weihan's eyes widened as he saw no visible scorch marks on the metal; something that was practically impossible without extremely strong shielding. Unfortunately, the moment of awe and disbelief left him wide open for an attack. Several bolts of burning energy smashed into his chest, knocking him off his feet and sending various flashing warnings across the inside of his visor.

Growling deep in his throat, he sprang onto his feet once more; ignoring the pain that burned his lungs with each breath. Summoning the Raptor Cannon, he programmed the 'seeker' mode into the shots and unleashed a wide spread of bolts into the air. Orange spheres streaked across the sky, following the rather unpredictable movements of Drasil's aerial acrobatics. Yet, no matter how many of the spheres exploded against the metal of the wings or engulf the exposed limbs in scalding energy, he could tell that his blasts were ineffective. The self-repair on his bodysuit was clearing up the damage wrought by the energy bolts; the only issue was the damage was progressing faster than the system could keep up with. He needed to switch to his stronger powers but the creature wouldn't really give him the time needed…and if he kept up with his basic suit, he would be a toasted marshmallow. Snapping off another volley of blasts, he dove behind what looked like a street dumpster and locked his Sabre into the Raptor Cannon.

He felt the metal grow hot behind him and rolled away as the dumpster exploded, sending shards of heated metal everywhere in a wide arc. Bringing up the Raptor Launcher, he blasted the creature with a round of superheated plasma and leapt back from the subsequent explosion. He doubted that would have worked but it would give him enough time to pull out the trump card. Dismissing his Raptor Launcher, he flicked his left wrist once; his Battlizer appeared with a gleam that was almost diluted by the explosion behind him. The sensors and radar in his helmet screamed warnings at him and he ran dead straight, not looking back but feeling the heat from the sizzling beams lance dangerously close to his arms and legs. Tapping into the Utahraptor spirit, he urged his legs to power faster ahead of the beams to give him a few moments of precious activation time. Making a running leap for one of the walls, he flicked out the claws on his gloves and boots and began climbing…all the while trying not to think of the logistics behind his feat. Well, that and he was trying to get the theme from the Spider-man cartoon out of his mind. Leaping over the lip of the roof, he righted himself and scanned the surrounding areas – looking for Drasil and where he may have gone to.

"Ranger…you will pay for what you have done!"

Hearing the voice behind him, he turned around to see that the powered blast from the Raptor Launcher had done a bit of damage to Drasil. Small sections of skin on his exposed arms and legs had been burnt away and, in places, was peeling back to expose slightly greenish flesh. Heat blisters had risen around the metal cuffs of his machinegun hand and, presumably, on his back where the wings had come from. Most of them were intact and slightly transparent but some of them had popped, due to movement or excess heat, leaking a dark yellow liquid. Even the helmet or mask hadn't escaped unscathed and Weihan could see the edges along the seams had melted slightly. As the cybernetic monster dropped onto the roof with a slight crunch, several more of the blisters burst open violently; the dark yellow liquid hitting against his bodysuit. Drasil hobbled towards him and raised his blade hand, before speaking once more.

"Lidars knows what you are here for. The Cerberus Crystal; something he would kill to have in his possession. It should not go to the Rangers as it will bestow upon them the power to control the planet. My master has done extensive research and has found that it is indeed the sixth jewel of the Corona Aurora. He, and only he, has the power and ability to destroy it forever so its terrifying abilities can never be harnessed by the likes of you."

It was clear that Lidars was the one pulling the strings of the other three, though Weihan had absolutely no idea why he was doing so. It was also clear to him that Drasil wanted to talk or vent about what his master was doing. If he asked the correct questions, he would have the whole plan spelled out for him…or he would be blasted full of holes. Obviously, the first option was more desirable and he could easily escape the second one by activating the Battlizer. However, to do so would cement the Zord into his power set – something that had never been done before. As far as he knew, it wouldn't have an effect on him – just make him that little bit more powerful and strengthen the Rangers defending Earth. Yet, if he really wanted to be honest with himself, it was starting the piss him off a small amount that he was receiving all these great upgrades, abilities and weapons while the others were still 'stuck' with their default equipment and whatever else he managed to unlock for them.

"What are its abilities?"

He grimaced under his helmet as Drasil began to idly pick at one of the blisters on his arm with the finger-blade that was his index finger. The best course of action was to keep the monster talking, to keep it distracted so he could finish it off with a powered blast or slash from the Battlizer. Hell, even a Morphin Smash or an energised punch would be enough to knock Drasil out of the game for a while. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he waited for the monster to talk.

"Ha, they are not for the likes of you to know. The Cerberus Crystal was created by the Ancients as a means to control their greatest servants. Control through immense power but, as with everything in this wretched Universe, something went wrong. The Crystal fell into the hands of a powerful sorcerer and was changed forever from an empowerment device to something both feared and desired. One of Zordon's warriors was able to glimpse the Crystal for a brief moment and wrote the Prophecy of Cerberus. How that came to a dismal planet like this is anyone's guess. Rumour has it that it was brought here and entrusted with the first group of Rangers; the group before the Elders. They sing tales of a mighty warrior that was able to use it on the battlefield to assist in the sealing of a fearsome creature, though scholars are dubious of these claims. In any case, it does not matter for you as it is time to end your miserable existence!"

Even though he was damaged, Drasil moved lightning fast. The metallic blade fingers were clenched around the fabric of his left shoulder before he could blink and he could see the ground rapidly recede from sight. As they ascended into the sky, the Orange Ranger took the time to look around at his surroundings. Contrary to his first impressions, the central city didn't extend that far out. Purplish mountains glowered ominously on one side and he could see the twinkling lights of another city over the ridge. Something that appeared to be a tunnel or access passage was carved into the side and, if he squinted through the blurring clouds, he could almost see Hurans walking in and out. The Processing Core was also visible to him in all its glory; as were the small group of Hurans still gathered in the square. Slowly, he inched his right arm towards his Battlizer…if he could just reach the activation button before he was released…

"You won't be doing anything, human."

Weihan screamed in pain as the blades ruptured his armour, digging deep into his shoulder. He thought he could feel the metal scraping along his bones but he thought, he hoped, it was just his imagination. However, what he knew wasn't his imagination was the blood running down his arm and the excruciating pain he felt when he tried to move it. Unhelpfully, the damage displayed on his HUD made him want to throw up, something that wouldn't have been terribly practical inside a helmet. Screwing his eyes shut, he attempted to calm himself and think of a way out. From the height he was at, he predicted it would take around forty seconds or so to fall to the ground. Activating the Battlizer would take around half the time unless the 'new' transformation would hold him in the air or something. He really wished he had asked the Spiderian Elder for more clarification...on the other hand, the Elder had been on his last legs.

"Ranger, this is where we part ways – forever."

Drasil pulled the Ranger up and examined him. The human was badly injured in his shoulder and a thin spatter of red blood was raining down on the city below. The strange device on the wrist was of no concern and was probably a communication device of some kind. There wasn't even a discernable aura of power coming from it which meant it was a powerless object, useless to the plans of his Master. Barely uttering a grunt of exertion, he flung the Ranger up into the air and – for good measure – released a hailstorm of bolts at him. Several struck the Ranger and detonated in a fiery explosion that lit up the sky. Drasil chuckled and turned to leave when something caught his eye. The explosion hadn't dissipated into the air and looked to be…growing. His optical sensor widening slightly, the monster turned to flee but was struck from behind by a powerful beam that was stronger than the blast felt earlier. Taking a moment to ensure he could still fly, he faced the origin of the blast and stopped in shock.

The Orange Ranger was hovering in the air, covered in dragon-themed armour; two 'heads' and their necks created the chest armour and breast-plate, while the dinosaur themed helmet had been replaced by a draconic visage. There was no visible sign of the wound or any residual blood but, unless the powers were different somehow, the Ranger would still be feeling the pain. Gripped tightly in the hands of the Ranger were orange and silver staves, tipped with red spearheads. A dull clunking sound came from the back of the warrior and Drasil swallowed in something resembling fear as two large wings opened up behind the Orange Ranger. They were modelled after dragon wings and each limb had a semi-recognisable sail on them…meaning the new armour was moulded on one of the deadliest creatures the Universe had ever seen: the Tri-Spino Dragon. With a swift movement that belied the pain the Ranger should have been feeling, he watched as the figure swung the staves or spears up over his shoulders and slid them behind his back.

Drasil swallowed once more as the Ranger brought his hands up in front of him and energy began to form around them. Not wanting to stay, the cybernetic warrior flew off in the direction of the secondary base, a stream of dark pus and smoke trailing behind him. Lidars needed to know about the new development and, hopefully, he would make it with his life. Unfortunately for him, the twin crescents of energy smashing into his wings said otherwise but he managed to retain some degree of flight. A blur of motion later and he was staring into the impassive and expressionless visor of the Orange Ranger, nervously eyeing the literal flaming blade in his hands. the three words that came from the Ranger didn't do anything to calm his nerves, either.

"Where were we?"

TBC…