Welcome back to Prophecy of Masks! Last time, Spyro and Cynder were called upon by Kamen Riders Faiz and Delta to investigate a series of strange cases where recently deceased corpses have been stolen. Faiz suspects the Arc Orphnoch is involved, creating new Orphnochs from dragons. So, what is going on here? Read on to find out...
(Our story resumes outside the warehouse, with Faiz and Delta carrying their cases as they, Spyro, and Cynder set about trying to figure out what the Arc Orphnoch is up to)
Spyro: So, anybody got a plan?
Delta: You're going to have to ask Takumi. He seems to be the expert on everything going on here.
Faiz: First step, we find the scene of the last incident, and then use the clues we find there to determine step two.
Cynder: If I saw your files correctly, that last location was at a morgue, not far from here.
Faiz: Kind of why we set up shop down here.
Spyro: (Quietly, to Delta) Is he always like this?
Delta: (Quietly) He's not exactly a social individual.
Spyro: (Quietly) Noted.
(Just as the team starts heading out, a pair of dragons cloaked in the shadows start following them. Delta and Spyro don't seem to notice, but Cynder and Faiz do, though they don't say anything right away, trying to keep their adversaries in the dark)
Cynder: (Quietly breaking the silence, to Faiz) You see those two behind us too, right?
Faiz: (Quietly) Kind of hard to miss.
Cynder: (Quietly) If I saw what I think I saw on them, we're about to see what that Arc Orphnoch was up to.
Faiz: (Quietly) The classic autopsy Y-cut on the torso? Looks like we found some of the missing corpses.
Cynder: (Quietly) Then how are they walking around?
Faiz: (Quietly) That's the part I'm still trying to figure out.
(As the team continues walking, Spyro and Delta notice they've got company, but both notice Cynder and Faiz are already aware of them. After a few more seconds of walking, Faiz speaks up)
Faiz: (Quietly) Be ready, I have that feeling they're about to strike.
(Just like Faiz predicted, the two resurrected corpses rush into battle against our quartet of heroes, but having been forewarned, Spyro and Cynder are able to hold them off while Faiz and Delta open their cases, revealing their transformation gear, a pair of belts, one with a video camera on the side and what looks like a white and orange logo on the front of it, which both place on before grabbing a secondary item, the old-school phone Faiz used to call Decade, now revealed to have a decor similar to the head on Decade's card, and what looks like the stock of the gun Delta was using earlier. Faiz opens the phone and punches in the code 5-5-5 followed by the "Enter" button before closing it)
Faiz Phone: Standing By.
(Meanwhile, Delta presses an unseen button on his gun stock device while Faiz closes his phone and holds it to the sky)
Faiz and Delta: Henshin!
Delta Phone: Standing By.
(With their battle cry known, Faiz inserts the Faiz Phone into an empty slot onto the front of his belt and then folds it down into place, while Delta places his Delta Phone onto the video camera device, forming the gun he used earlier)
Faiz Phone and Delta Phone: Complete.
(As the call of "Complete" is given, Faiz and Delta are surrounded by red and blue lines of energy, which consolidate into armor, both primarily black and silver. Faiz's armor has red lines corresponding to the energy lines, and a head matching Decade's card. Meanwhile, Delta's armor consolidates as almost all black save the blue energy lines that consolidate onto it, becoming silver for some reason. And this is the primary scheme of the suit, save the large orange eyes resembling the logo on his belt. With their suits ready, Faiz and Delta enter the fight. After a few minutes, the battle is almost over, with Delta pulling his gun off his belt prepared to shoot the enemy before Spyro stops him.)
Delta: What the heck are you doing?
Spyro: Do you want to be the one to explain to their relatives why they have holes in their heads after they died?
Delta: Good point.
Faiz: (Seeing something unknown to us) I don't think we're going to have to worry about that.
(With that, the two reanimated corpses pull out an unknown key looking object, with the name "Smart Brain" printed on it just like Faiz and Delta's gear cases)
Delta: (Recognizing the objects) Smart Buckles?! Without the buckle part?
(As Delta reveals what these objects are, the two reanimated corpses jam the Smart Buckles into the stitches on their torsos)
Smart Buckle: Complete.
(With that battle cry known, the two reanimated corpses start to change, almost mutating in some form, resulting in gray armor-like scales building up on them, while masking their faces, causing them to resemble Faiz in a way, though adapted for their quadrupedal stance.)
Cynder: What the heck just happened?!
Faiz: No idea.
(While everyone tries to figure out what's going on here, the newly armored corpses start their attack anew, catching everyone off guard with their new strength. But after a few minutes, they seem to be handled, appearing to be deceased again. But Faiz is unsure, which Spyro notices)
Spyro: Everything okay?
Faiz: That was too easy. These things have to be Orphnochs of some form. There's no way it was that easy.
Cynder: You did say Orphnochs were an evolution from your species, correct?
Faiz: Yeah, why?
Cynder: My guess, they aren't an evolutionary stage of dragons. Resultantly, they might be weaker than the Orphnochs you've faced before due to that.
Faiz: (Thinking about it) That... actually makes sense.
(And just as Faiz agrees with Cynder, a new voice emerges, one which catches everyone off guard and sends them into a battle stance)
?: As it should. It's the truth.
(With that, a gray figure walks onto stage, very similar looking to Faiz himself, with raised armor scales where the red lines should be, the belt replaced by an ornate crest, and what looks like a cloak draping down from his waist)
Arc Orphnoch: But I should be able to fix that soon enough.
Spyro: What are you planning, you fiend?!
Arc Orphnoch: Fiend? I'm trying to help your species, last I checked.
Cynder: By turning the dead into these... monsters?!
Arc Orphnoch: Monsters? (Looks at his handiwork) Okay, I can see where you're coming from. But to be fair, my research has just begun, and these are just prototypes. By the time my work is finished, dragonkind will be at the pinnacle of it's evolution!
Spyro: At the cost of serving a villain like you?! No chance.
Arc Orphnoch: (As the Mark of Malefor glows upon his crest) Of course you realize there would be a price to pay. I put your species as the apex of apex predators, but in exchange, you fight with me on Lord Malefor's behalf.
Cynder: Not on your life.
Arc Orphnoch: You'll see I can be very persuasive.
(With that, tendrils shoot out of the Arc Orphnoch's wrists, attempting to stab his opponents, restarting the battle. But even though the odds are four against one, the Arc Orphnoch is still kicking tail. After a few minutes of this, Delta is already on his back leaving Spyro, Cynder, and Faiz to battle the enemy. Cynder and Faiz work as a remarkable team, but Spyro is the one proving most troublesome for the Arc Orphnoch)
Arc Orphnoch: Your power is beyond anything I have ever seen!
Spyro: Too bad for you, you're working against it.
Arc Orphnoch: We'll see about that.
(As he makes his threat, the Arc Orphnoch recalls his tendrils, attempting to stab Spyro's heart with them, but ultimately, Faiz gets in the way, getting stabbed in Spyro's place)
Arc Orphnoch: Always the selfless one, Takumi Inui. But I wonder, do they know your little secret?
Faiz: Even you know that's not how this works. You can't Sire an Orphnoch from me.
Arc Orphnoch: (As the Mark of Malefor glows upon his crest) I don't have to. Thanks to Lord Malefor, I can just do this.
(With that, the Arc Orphnoch projects a stream of Malefor's dark energy down the tendrils and into Faiz, which appears to cause him a large amount of pain before almost destroying his suit while sending his belt flying to the ground, and surrounding him in a violet haze. But once the haze clears, Faiz isn't there anymore, instead stands a gray humanoid figure, but with elements of a wolf across him)
Cynder: What did you do to Takumi?!
Arc Orphnoch: I did nothing. I simply showed you his true form. The Wolf Orphnoch. And finally gave him his true purpose.
Spyro: What are you talking about?!
Arc Orphnoch: It's technically a two-fold thing. I can stop the genetic degradation of Orphnochs. But I could not control them. Until now.
(With that, the Arc Orphnoch releases Faiz, and then with a snap of his fingers, sends him to attack Spyro and Cynder, which he actually obeys, no doubt due to the energy that transformed him. Of course, not wanting to injure their new ally, Spyro and Cynder are holding themselves back, but Faiz, he's not. And after he nearly claws Cynder's chest open, Spyro... he is through playing around. As evidenced by how a dark aura forms around him again, and this time, he lets go.)
Dark Spyro: GET AWAY FROM HER!
(Unlike his normal self, Dark Spyro does not hold back and almost rips Faiz's arm off before the Arc Orphnoch is able to bind him with those tendrils from earlier, almost suffocating Dark Spyro, but only enough to knock him out and return him to his normal state)
Arc Orphnoch: Fascinating. This may be just the power I need to finish my work.
(With that, the Arc Orphnoch leaves with Faiz and Spyro in tow, leaving Delta unconscious and Cynder almost dead on the ground, but just as things look their bleakest, a rider in gold and black, with violet eyes crossed by an x-like design and an x-shaped gun-like weapon on the side of his belt, enters the scene. Without saying a word, the rider picks up Cynder, and throws her onto his back. At this point, Delta regains consciousness and sees the figure, recognizing him immediately)
Delta: (Weakly) Masato?
Kaixa: (Helping Delta up) Not quite, old friend. (Noting Cynder on his back) We've got to get some medical attention, or she's not going to make it.
(With that, Kaixa slings Delta's arm over his back and gets both of them out of there as our tale ends for today)
That seems like a good spot to leave off for today. So, things are not looking good now. Faiz has been turned into his Wolf Orphnoch state and placed under the Arc Orphnoch's control, and both have managed to capture Spyro, leaving Cynder for dead and Delta as their warning. Thank goodness Kaixa showed up and rescued them. But which Kaixa are we dealing with? There have been nine of them after all. Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!