Author's Note: Here. I've got to stop getting distracted by Samurai and Super Samurai. Taking a break from my work to bring you this chapter. Someone asked to see Cam again.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is unrecognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban but Mystic Force was created by Disney. Enjoy.
Shout Outs: N/A
Warning: Rated T for safety
Mystic Force: Against All Odds
Summary: "I didn't ask for this," I know, but this is your destiny... this is our family's legacy... and our time is now!" After the fall of the Lightning Academy and the arrival of the darkness, Rebecca learns that the prophecy has begun and Aliyah is now in great danger.
"Sorry young warrior," Daggeron smirked, as he pinned Nick to the floor. The red Ranger had blocked the Knight's sword with his own. "Next time, I'll take it easy on you."
Nick scowled and shook his head. "Don't even think about it," he said, slightly out of breath. He and Daggeron had been battling constantly for close to half an hour, they only had their swords, and their morphers had been confiscated at the beginning of the session. Another thing that set this training exercise apart from the rest was the fact that they were both bound together at the wrist.
Kicking Daggeron away, Nick rolled over and jumped back to his feet. Daggeron nodded in approval at his method; quick and easy.
"Why doesn't he use his laser lamp?" Xander asked Udonna.
"In bound battle training." the white witch answered, "only swords can be used and no magic. Daggeron is very skilled at this technique."
Daggeron kicked Nick away, pulling on the binds to keep the red Ranger on his feet. He paused in his fighting and called over to the other Rangers. "Because I was taught by the best," he nodded, "and now Nick is going to be beat - I mean, taught by the best."
Aliyah snickered as lay back against Cam. The former Samurai had taken the day to spend it with her in Briarwood, Dustin had wanted to come, especially after Aliyah had told him about the training exercise that was scheduled for that morning, he had been eager to learn more about the magical world, and wanted to witness a bound-battle for himself, but he had a Ninja History class to teach that he couldn't get out of.
"I see that humility doesn't set in as one reaches, uh, middle age." Nick grinned, his eyes wide with amusement.
"Ooh," Vida chuckled.
"Middle age?" Daggeron repeated, shocked at Nick's brazen attitude.
The red Ranger lunged at the knight swinging his sword down, but Daggeron, despite being distracted, was ready and blocked with flawless ease.
"Nick's got this one wrapped up," Vida nodded, nudging Aliyah.
"Oh, it's not over yet," Xander said, disagreeing.
Aliyah smirked and glanced back at her best friend. They had a small wager with Xander on who would win, Nick or Daggeron. While neither of them had wanted to bet against her - for the sole reason that she always seemed to win - they had bet against one another. Vida was vouching for Nick, while Xander was on Daggeron's side.
Nick aimed a jab at Daggeron's hand, twisted the blade of his sword around the hilt of its brother and flicked it into the air.
"Whoa!" Daggeron cried out as his sword was pulled from his grasp. It spun over several times, before Nick caught it as it came back down.
Nick looked at the sword, grinned as he looked up at Daggeron and then threw the sword back to its rightful owner. He may have disarmed him, but he wanted a proper win.
"Oh, you had him." Aliyah complained. "Don't give him his sword back."
"There's no honor in cheating," Cam reminded her, wrapping both arms around her shoulders. She was lying between his legs, resting back against his chest.
Aliyah rolled her eyes. "Don't you start," she grumbled, gripping both his hands and snuggling back into him. Cam smiled and kissed the top of her head.
Chip and Xander laughed as Nick dived away from Daggeron. He leap-frogged between two branches, in the shape of a 'V' and tugged at the rope the bound him to Daggeron; the Solaris Knight stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding hitting the tree as Nick swept his feet out from underneath him, and held at sword point.
"Good work, Nick," Daggeron praised. "You took me fair and square. And you did it with honor." He dug his sword into the ground and allowed Nick to pull him back to his feet.
"I just got lucky," said Nick, brushing off the compliment.
"There's no luck here," Daggeron said, shaking his head. "Your skill is growing stronger. In fact, you have all improved." He added to the other rangers.
"Thanks to you," Maddie smiled.
"You were taught by the best, and so are we," Chip grinned, child-like. "Maybe one day we can be as good as Leanbow!"
Udonna tensed and glanced at Chip, who had donned a sheepish expression as he realized exactly what he had said.
"I'm sorry, Udonna," Daggeron apologized, turning to the White witch. "I told Chip about your husband. He promised not to say a word."
"And I didn't," Chip nodded, "until now!"
Aliyah frowned and shrugged at Xander as he turned to look at her and the others. "Does someone want to fill us in?" the green Ranger asked, turning back to his mentors.
"Yeah, i'm starting to feel a little left out too," Aliyah agreed. She was tempted to hear more about her late uncle, but she also knew that learning about him meant knowledge of her parents, and she wasn't completely sure if she could deal with that.
"Udonna, he was a great man. A hero," said Daggeron, convincingly. "Perhaps it's time they learned about him and his brother."
"Yes," Udonna nodded, looking away from her rangers. She was torn between keeping her husband's story a secret and telling her rangers everything. "It's time we told you the whole story.
Everyone exchanged looks. There was more to the story than just the great battle?
~*Against All Odds*~
Aliyah glanced at Vida as they settled down near one another one the balcony to listen to Udonna's story. Vida was curious to hear more about Udonna's husband, while Aliyah was still nervous about learning more about her parents, mainly her father.
"Before the Great War," said Udonna, "Leanbow and I lived happily with our family. Ryan, his wife, Jade and their beautiful daughter, Rebecca -" the rangers turned to Aliyah, who looked impassive, she understood that she wouldn't be mentioned, she was born during the time of the great battle, "Niella, her fiancé, Craig and their wonderful daughter, Claire, and then Leanbow, myself and our handsome son, Bowen."
"Leanbow was my mentor," said Daggeron. "The forces of evil attacked, and we fought them on all fronts. Leanbow fought bravely. But Morticon and his troops were too strong. We needed a plan, so Leanbow met with Niella, Ryan and I. His plan was to infiltrate the underworld and destroy the Master; not matter what we said, his mind was made up and there was no changing it."
Udonna smiled, fondly. "He always did things his way," she nodded.
"I remember," Daggeron nodded, "and it was always the honorable way. Niella, Ryan and I prepared for the final battle. Then we were joined by someone we thought was our friend."
Aliyah nodded and cast a look out over the forest. "Calindor," she muttered, acidly.
"Yes," Daggeron nodded, solemnly.
"But I thought Calindor was your enemy?" Chip frowned.
"He is," said Udonna, "and having once been a dear friend, it made the betrayal cut all the deeper."
"Why did they attack?" Aliyah asked. "The forces of evil, I mean."
"You have to understand, Aliyah," said Udonna, "your prophecy has existed long before your birth. The forces of darkness had heard of it and were searching for the being it spoke of. A child born of magical blood and held a great source of power, enough to lock away the darkness for eons in the Underworld."
Aliyah frowned. "If it were me they were searching for," she said, slighting confused. "Then they were a year early because, if what Rebecca has told me is true, I wasn't born until the fall following the Great Battle; my parents would have already left Briarwood by the time they found out they were pregnant with me."
Udonna nodded in both understanding and confirmation. "Yes," she said, wisely. "Your mother was only a few days pregnant when she fought alongside your father in the final battle. But the forces of darkness believed that your prophecy meant my son, they set out to find and eliminate his existence."
"As I left with Bowen," said Daggeron, taking up the story, "... I was attacked by Calindor."
"I now see why the forces of darkness are depicted as heartless beings," said Aliyah, darkly. The mere thought of being attacked while holding a precious infant was something that made her blood boil.
"Dark Magic gave Calindor more power than ever," Daggeron continued, as Cam wrapped his arms around Aliyah and held her close. "In the end, our magic's collided and we were both cursed. As for Bowen, we now know Phineas found him and brought him to the safety of the human world."
"So your son is alive?" Maddie asked, looking curious. "Somewhere."
"Yes," Udonna smiled and nodded. "Somewhere. Leanbow led the fight and banished the armies of the Darkness to the Underworld. Ryan and Niella tried to stop him, Ryan even tried to follow him, but Leanbow was determined to protect the little family he had left. He ordered Niella to seal the gate with a spell and then he continued the battle behind the gates - alone."
Silence fell as each of the rangers processed every bit of the story they had just heard, but Udonna wasn't finished.
"Leanbow and Niella gave their lives to save us all," the white witch continued. "Shortly after, Ryan and Jade constructed the Lightning Academy; it was built over the exact spot that the spell had been cast to seal the gate. Massive amounts of magic went into making sure that the academy was a safe haven of good magic, and it's student's became the protectors of the gate."
"Their sacrifice will not be in vain," said Xander, straightening up.
"They will be remembered," Vida nodded, taking a stand beside her friend.
"We'll never stop fighting until there's peace in both worlds," Chip agreed, standing beside them.
Aliyah nodded, defiantly, as she held her hand out to Maddie and pulled the blue Ranger to her feet. "We'll give it everything we have," she said, "to make sure that the darkness is destroyed once and for all."
"Ahh!" Nick cried out as a terrible pain exploded inside his head. The rangers stopped short and turned in his direction as Maddie hurried to his side. "Koragg wants to fight," the Red ranger said as the pain subsided.
"We are ready," said Daggeron.
Nick shook his head. "No, not you, Daggeron," he said, addressing his Mentor. "You are to meet with Imperious - separately - to finish off an old battle."
"This is surely a trap," said Cam, tightening his hold on Aliyah. He had already lost her once; he didn't want to risk losing her again.
Aliyah smiled and kissed him lightly. "Of course it's a trap," she nodded. "But we're still going."
"I think it's time for payback," said Maddie.
The others nodded in agreement.
"I don't know about you guys," said Nick, "but I'm ready for this."
Xander smirked and Chip chuckled. "Yeah," they murmured, following Nick back down into Rootcore.
Aliyah smirked. "Sadly for Koragg," she said, "Payback is a bitch - and so am I."
~*Against All Odds*~
Koragg stood with his back to the rangers has they finally arrived at his destination. Rebecca was also with them, having caught up after getting the 411 from Cam. She was now aware of the fact that each of the rangers, Aliyah included, knew the whole history of the Great War.
"Welcome," Koragg drawled as he sensed their arrival.
"All right," Nick called, "What do you want?"
"Your Legend Warrior powers," Koragg answered, without missing a beat.
"You must be joking," Xander said.
"There's no way!" Chip said, hands clenching into fists.
"We'll show you what the legend warrior power is for!" said Nick.
The others nodded and snapped open their morphers. "Legendary Source, Mystic Force!" they each commanded.
Galwit Mysto Neramax!
With a surge of power, the rangers morphed into their next level of defence. Their mystic lion staffs appeared in their hands and they stood opposite Koragg waiting for his first move.
"Excellent," he mused, "your new magic is strong. That's why I must have it." He withdrew his sword from his shield and pointed it at the Rangers.
"Never!" Nick and Aliyah shouted.
"No way!" Vida and Rebecca added.
Pushing off from the ground the seven rangers landed around Koragg, slashing down with their staffs. Koragg fought them off effortlessly, spinning wildly in a circle as they thrashed and slashed at him from all sides. Chip and Xander teamed up on the outside of the circle, they spun around, in opposite directions and then pulled their staffs down towards Koragg.
The Knight wolf blocked with his shield, but the green and yellow rangers had the advantage. They rushed at him, slashing across his waist and chest as they passed. Koragg growled and turned to face them, only to be taken on by a surprise attack from Aliyah and Nick.
The red and white Rangers paused and drew back, before blocking several attacks. The sound of their lion staffs and Koragg's swords echoed loud and clear, but none of the other rangers dared go in for the attack until Nick and Aliyah had backed off.
Spinning her lion staff in her hand, Aliyah ducked down lower and swept Koragg's feet out from under him. She then stood up, spread her arms and allowed Nick to spring off of her shoulders; he slashed down with his staff, blasting Koragg backwards.
The Knight wolf grunted as he rolled across the ground. He made it back to one knee and looked up as Aliyah and Nick run towards him, wielding their Lion staffs. They were determined, he couldn't fault them for that, unfortunately, and the odds were in his favour.
Aliyah cried out as a wall of shimmering darkness collided with her, knocking her back a peg or two. She cringed as she hit the floor, curling into a ball to avoid being hit by Nick as he too was blasted back. "What the hell?" she shouted, pushing herself up and facing Koragg. There was a new monster beside him now.
"What is that thing?" Vida asked.
"Imperious," Koragg gasped, surveying the monster that had come to his aid. "You've cast a forbidden spell."
"You're all mine, Rangers," the monster growled.
Aliyah paused and glanced at Rebecca. "Recognize him?" she asked.
"No," Rebecca answered. "If he is the product of a forbidden spell then he would be in a book that I have not been allowed to research. Even we witches and wizards have our limits."
"Nevertheless," said Nick, straightening up, "that is one ugly monster! C'mon, guys. Code 1! Firestorm!" he wielded his staff through the air and pushed a huge flame at the creature. It screeched, but shot the flames back at the rangers, causing them to cry out in pain as the tables were suddenly turned.
"That didn't make a dent!" Chip gasped, looking at his Lion staff.
"It looks like we're in trouble!" Maddie said.
"Trouble is my middle name," said Aliyah, "but not even I can handle this type of power." She tried to bite back a scream of agony as she was lifted off of her feet again, this time as she was attacked with her own element - lightning.
With her breathing heavy, Rebecca rolled onto her stomach and glanced through her visor at her friends. The creature had returned to Koragg, who was looking doubtful at their defeat.
"This isn't the way -" he started, but was cut off by the creature.
"Be quiet!" it ordered. "Send them to the ruins!"
"Very well," Koragg nodded, sheathing his sword and holding his hand out towards the rangers. His gaze fell on Rebecca and Aliyah. "It's time to go home!" he said, as a purple seal appeared beneath the rangers.
"What's happening?" Nick asked.
"Where are they sending us?" Vida asked, looking to Rebecca and Aliyah. Why would Koragg tell them it is time to go home? And what were the ruins?
~*Against All Odds*~
When the creature had said 'send them to the ruins' he had really meant the ruins of the Lightning Academy. The moment the seven rangers were deposited on the floor of the half-destroyed and now reclaimed darkness base, they were seized by Hidiacs as Imperious bore down upon them, smirking victorious.
"Welcome to my humble home, Rangers," said the Mummy. "If I knew guests were coming, I would've tidied up."
"Wow, really nice to see you guys," said a voice that made Aliyah look around. She was surprised to see LeeLee striding towards her from the otherside of the cavern.
"LeeLee? They got you too?" Vida asked.
"Don't worry," said Xander. "We'll get you out of this disgusting place."
"Thank you," LeeLee smiled. "I hate it here. It's always dark and damp. Not to mention getting turned into an insect at everyone's slightest whim."
"Complaining again, daughter?" Necrolai asked, appearing behind LeeLee.
"Daughter?" Chip repeated, as the others exchanged looks of disbelief.
LeeLee grinned excitedly. "Can we keep them here, Mom?" she asked, giddy with excitement. "Can we, huh? They have things that zombies down here will never have, like souls..."
"Of course, my dear," Necrolai laughed. "Once their power is gone, you can keep them as your pets."
Aliyah struggled against the Hidiacs that were restraining her. "I knew there was something I didn't like about you," she growled. "You're nothing but another freak of nature, Primvare -" she paused, her mind working overtime, "Oh my - I can't believe I didn't see it until now... your betrayal has been staring us in the face all along!"
"What are you talking about, Ali?" Vida asked.
"Aliyah, you have to conserve energy," Rebecca said. "If they do get our powers, you're the one who isn't going to survive!"
But Aliyah pressed on her discovery. "Primvare," she said, answering Vida. "Rearrange the letters and you get the word 'vampire', her true identity has been staring us in the face all this time and we didn't see it."
"Because we all mistook her for an innocent," said Xander, also struggling against the Hidiacs that were restraining him. He couldn't believe he had flirted with the daughter of the Queen of the Vampires; now he felt dirty in himself.
"She is far from innocent," said Vida.
Aliyah nodded. She was starting to feel weaker already. "She's nothing but a lying, manipulating, evil little bitch," she snarled, "and the first thing i'm gonna do... when I get free... is find a way to bury this place with her inside!"
~*Against All Odds*~
After learning that Aliyah and the other rangers had been taken to the ruins of the Lightning Academy, Cam returned to Blue Bay Harbour to rally the other Ninja's. He explained the situation to his father, Tori, Shane and Dustin, and told them that they had to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. He was aware that Udonna was trying to help the rangers in her own way, but if push came to shove then he was willing to infiltrate the ruined Lightning Academy in search of his missing girlfriend.
Meanwhile, back at Rootcore, Udonna was rifling through a book of dark spells. She knew the risks of creating and using a potion from this book, but her rangers depended on it. They may not have been her own children, but she felt a strong maternal bond for them. Two of them were her nieces and one of those nieces had the power to put the darkness away from all eternity.
"Udonna, you cannot use this book," said Claire. "There must be another way."
"Drastic times calls for drastic measures, Claire," said Udonna. "This is our only way of rescuing the rangers. Now, you can either help me, or you can stay out of my way, the choice is yours."
Claire hesitated. She wasn't about to let her aunt go through this alone, despite her better judgment telling her to continue fighting for what was right. After much concentration, Udonna looked up at her second eldest niece and nodded.
"I'm ready for the last ingredients, Claire," she said.
Claire sighed, weakly and reached for the handful of dried leaves. She handed them over to her aunt and watched as they were added to the potion. The concoction billowed with smoke.
~*Against All Odds*~
Rebecca watched, terrified, as the colour drained, little by little, from her sisters face. They had been forced onto podiums, held in place by magical force fields that were designed to zap them if they tried to escape.
"So nice of you to bring me the gift of your Legend powers," said Imperious, humbly as he overlooked the draining procedure.
"You're not getting anything from us," said Vida, angrily.
"Oh, it's not for me." Imperious called. "It's for the Master."
A gigantic eye reflected in the circle in the middle of the room. The Hidiacs around the hall roared at the sight, cowering back from the edge, as Koragg bowed. There was a burst of energy and the air inside the hall suddenly turned bitter cold.
"Dark magic," Rebecca shouted to her friends, who looked confused. "Ali, stay focused!"
"I can't!" Aliyah shouted. "It hurt... hu..." she started to a panic as her breath caught in her throat. Her lungs began to ache with the lack of oxygen getting to them, but no matter how hard she tried to suck in air, nothing made it to her lungs.
Rebecca struggled harder against the magic that held her in place. She needed to get Aliyah out and away from the Lightning Academy before she died for real.
"That's the thing that Leanbow sacrificed himself to defeat," Nick shouted, pointing at the giant reflective eye.
Koragg groaned and looked away. "Leanbow?" he muttered.
"That name is not spoken here," said Imperious. "Now, you will give the Master the power to rise up and conquer..." he waved his fan at the rangers, as seven beams of light hit them in the chest. There was an explosion of colour and seven strands of multi-colored energies ripped out of their owner's bodies and flowed down into the hole.
Aliyah tried to scream, but she couldn't move.
"Aliyah!" Rebecca cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had failed again... this was her worst nightmare come true. She had failed the first time because she had lost her sister after refusing to tell her the whole truth, and now, even after telling Aliyah the whole truth, she was going to die anyway. It had been, and always would be, a lose-lose situation where the prophecy was concerned.
Imperious laughed, victoriously. "How delightful," he said, noticing the tears on Rebecca's face, and the pain expression on Aliyah's. "The Master will soon rise..."
"They cannot defend themselves," said Koragg, taking in the situation. "There is no honor in this defeat."
"Stop that foolish babbling!" Imperious snapped at the Knight Wolf. "This is our day of victory! This is the end of the Mystic Force!"
There was a flash of white, bright enough to send all the Hidiacs reeling into the far corners of the hall, seeking the shadows that would protect them and make them stronger. "STOP!" shouted Udonna, as she pointed her wand at the Master's eye. There was an explosion of energy and the Master retreated, as the rangers sank to their knees.
Aliyah clutched her throat as she frantically tried to kick start her breathing, but while she was still in the presence of darkness, she was going to suffer from suffocation.
"How touching," Imperious sneered. "The sorceress comes to save her little Rangers. Now you'll feel the wrath of the Master!"
A flash of white lightning burst out of the master's Seeing Eye, and wrapped itself around Udonna. The force of the beam lifted her into the air and pinned her to the floor, electrocuting her.
"Udonna!" Rebecca cried for her aunt. "Udonna!"
"No!" Vida gasped, as she tried to reach for her teacher.
Imperious laughed darkly. "Behold her destruction!" he shouted over the loud roaring of the Master.
Koragg growled as he was suddenly plagued with memories of a much younger Udonna. She was smiling at him, holding a baby wrapped in a red blanket, the baby looked a lot like himself, but with Udonna's eyes. There was another man with Udonna; he too shared the same features.
The second man smiled, and waved at Koragg, inviting him to join them.
"Come, brother," he said, his voice muffled against the roaring within the destroyed academy. "Come join us. Rebecca, bring Claire, and be careful with Bowen."
"Rebecca?" Koragg muttered, looking over at the black Ranger as a small girl, around the age of three or four, rushed into the memory. She looked like a younger version of the young woman that knelt before him, crying as she tried to get to her sister and aunt.
Koragg looked back at Udonna, realization dawning as he saw himself, his human side, reflected in the clear waters of the lake inside his kingdom. He was with his family. His brother, Ryan and his wife and daughter, Jade and Rebecca. His sister-in-law, her fiancé, Craig and their daughter, Claire. And last, but certainly not least, his wife and son, Udonna and Bowen.
The Knight Wolf gasped as the memory disappeared and he was thrust back to reality. He looked around at Udonna; she was still on the floor, thousand bolts of energy rippling through her as her Rangers, her students and her extended family, watched on helplessly. He had to do something... he was the only who could save her.
Darkness aside, Koragg shoved his way past Imperious, drew his sword and slashed through the energy beam connecting the Master to the white witch.
Udonna rolled over onto her stomach, spluttering and gasping for breath.
The force fields around the Rangers broke and Rebecca crawled across the sand towards her sister; she cradled the white Ranger in her arms. Aliyah's lips were blue and her face was deathly grey, if they didn't get out of there soon, then Rebecca knew that she was going to lose her sister for the second time, and this time there was no Tribunal of Magic to reverse what had happened.
"What?" Imperious roared, in anger. He whipped around and turned to Koragg, but where the purple Knight Wolf had once stood, there was now a man in his mid-to-late fifties. "No, it can't be!" the Mummy said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Who is that?" Xander asked, wrapping his arm around Vida to support her.
The man turned slowly to face Udonna, and the white sorceress couldn't believe her eyes as she looked up at the one person she thought she'd never see again.
"Leanbow?"
To Be Continued…
Copyrighted ©
A/N: Somehow it takes me less time to write Mystic Force than it does to write Samurai/Super Samurai, and they are both on for the same length of time. Weird, anyway, reviews would be nice.
Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Chapter updated Wednesday, April 03, 2013 at 5:22am