Dark Wish Part One
It was another busy day at the Rock Porium. Or rather, one of the busiest days for the store.
The Rock Porium was nearly completely packed with customers who were either listening to Vida's awesome music or were emptying the shelves and bins as quickly as the Rock Porium's employees could stock and restock them. It was lucky that business had been so good that Toby had recently purchased a semi-attended customer-activated terminal, or a self-checkout for the store, which made work a lot easier, especially since today only Natalia and Vida were in attendance as it was the boys' day off from work that day.
As Natalia emerged from the breakroom after having finished her lunch, she turned to give Vida a thumbs-up for her wicked cool music, only for Natalia's eyes to narrow in disapproval as she noticed that Vida was using magic for the scratching.
Using magic for a simple task in public again? Oh, for crying out loud! She was disappointed but not surprised. How many times had Natalia lectured the Rangers not to use magic where they might risk exposure? Too many for Natalia's liking.
When Natalia caught Vida's eye, Natalia gestured to Vida's wand before making a slashing motion across her throat, signaling for Vida to cut it out. When Vida silently pouted in annoyance, Natalia gave Vida a dark glare, warning the Pink Ranger to test Natalia's patience. Fortunately, for Vida's sake, Vida decided not to risk Natalia's anger and she resumed her needlework the old-fashioned way.
Natalia sighed and shook her head before turning her attention to a customer in need of help. After finding what he was looking for, she rang him up.
"Thank you for shopping at the Rock Porium. Have a nice day and come back again soon. And if you're interested, tomorrow is our one-year anniversary party, so come early for punch and cookies," she said, with forced politeness.
Fortunately, the customer didn't notice and just smiled as he accepted the party flyer before going on his way.
Normally, Natalia wouldn't have had to fake her politeness, but Natalia was not in the best of moods and for good reason. She was up to her ears in work for the Rock Porium's upcoming one-year anniversary party and her alarm clock had kicked the bucket during the night, making her late for work. She had a splitting headache that was on the verge of becoming a migraine, despite the painkillers she'd taken. She and Mason had had their first fight yesterday and although they'd reconciled before the day had ended, the whole experience had left Natalia feeling drained both physically and emotionally.
And to top it all off some of the other Rangers were using too much magic far too often, becoming somewhat lazy—something that Natalia strongly disapproved of and it was getting worse.
"ARGH!"
Natalia nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Toby's shout as her boss emerged from his office, looking disgruntled. He was tangled up in red and orange streamers, deflated black and green balloons clung to him, and he was holding a dead party popper.
"Are you okay, Toby?" asked Natalia.
Toby miserably shook his head. "No, I am not okay! I can't get my balloons to inflate, the streamers won't stream and my poppers keep popping! This party is going to be disaster!"
Toby looked as though he was going to cry with frustration, making Natalia's heart ache with sympathy.
Vida, who'd stopped her music to see what all the fuss was about, patted Toby on the back before helping him get detangled. "Don't worry about a thing, boss, we'll take care of everything. Right, Natalia?"
Knowing what Vida was referring to, Natalia gave Vida a warning look. "Yep. It'll be a lot of work, but hard work is its own reward. Nothing better than doing things the old-fashioned way."
That earned Natalia a scowl which she ignored. Vida could call Natalia a stick-in-the-mud if she liked, but Natalia was putting her foot down on this matter.
Toby looked relieved. "Thanks, girls. I really appreciate that. Now, I want this party to be perfect. Big but not too big. And I really want a cake. Something chocolate. I—"
"Excuse me! Coming through! Pardon me!"
The crowd of customers parted like the Red Sea, causing Natalia to sigh in relief as Clare pushed a cake trolley into the store. On the said trolley was a three-tiered cake in the shape of records with black and green icing, two of Toby's favorite colors. The bottom layer was decorated with electric guitars and musical notes, the second was decorated with the Rock Porium logo which was down to a tee, and the first layer not only a record player's needle on it crafted out of modeling chocolate but it also had the words, Happy One Year Anniversary inscribed in multicolored icing.
"Perfect timing, Clare," said Natalia, smiling. "Toby, this is Clare. Xander's girlfriend and a good friend of mine. I hope you don't mind but I took some liberty and asked her to make the cake for the party tomorrow."
Clare may not have been the best witch when it came to her spells, however it turned out that she not only loved to bake and decorate deserts but she was exceptionally talented at it. When Natalia had asked Clare for one of her eye-popping cakes, Clare had only been too happy to help.
On the second shelf of the trolley was a naked cake, which Clare sliced before placing it on a paper plate with a plastic fork,
"This is a sample cake I made. It's a dark chocolate cake with Oreo French cream filling," said Clare, as she handed Toby the slice of decadent cake. "I hope you like it."
Toby didn't even hesitate to taste Clare's cake. The expression on his face as he chewed the desert was unreadable, which made the anticipation for his reaction all but completely unbearable.
"This is, without a doubt the…" Toby paused for dramatic effect for what seemed like eternity before his face lit up and he exclaimed, "the BEST cake I've ever eaten! Oh, this is so good." Toby shoved another bite into his mouth and moaned in delight. "Delicious. Simply delicious. And it's not only absolutely gorgeously decorated, it's also just perfect! Thank you. Thank you, so much. Just for this, Miss Clare, you can have whatever you want in the store for free and I hope you'll attend the party tomorrow as my honored guest."
Clare beamed with joy. "I would love to. Thanks! Now, is there a fridge where I can store the cake until tomorrow?"
Toby nodded and led Clare into the back where he had a rather large fridge just for occasions like this. On the way, he mentioned something about needing a padlock for the refrigerator door or else the cake would be gone before the party, which spoke volumes about how delicious the cake was.
"I'd better call the party store and order some new decorations. Can you handle the store alone for a little bit?" asked Natalia. "Without usingyou-know-what?"
Vida scowled but begrudgingly nodded.
XXX
Meanwhile, trouble was brewing down in the Underworld. Big trouble.
Despite months of crafting very clever plans (or so he thought) and unleashing dangerous, powerful dark creatures, Imperious was no closer to victory than when he'd first begun. This wasn't good. And it the string of constant failures had made Imperious desperate and crazy enough to try a dangerous as well as forbidden spell to achieve victory. He journeyed down to the Oblivion, a place in the Underworld where few dared to tread, and thrust out his fan.
"Venturius Almeteor!"
A powerful burst of dark purple lightning shot out of Imperious' fan and a few moments later, the Barbarian Beasts, Screamer, Warmax, Fightoe and Fifty Below, emerged from the darkness. Legend said the Barbarian Beasts were once four dangerous and powerful black-hearted warriors who sacrificed their souls as well as their human bodies for power and stronger vessels. Despite their small number, the Barbarian Beasts were great in power, and during the Great War, they caused a great deal of suffering and destruction before their banishment to Oblivion. Despite their power and evil nature, they knew nothing of honor or true loyalty, for all they sought was to be strong and more powerful. They did not care who led them as long as it was someone of great strength, someone like Imperious or the Master.
"Welcome, my Barbarian Beasts. Come! We have much work to do," ordered Imperious, as he led his newly risen followers to the upper level of the Underworld.
Koragg, who'd followed Imperious out of suspicion, was horrified by what he saw. "What has he done? Summoning the Barbarian Beasts…those honorless brutes have no place fighting for the Master!" Koragg was not only alarmed by Imperious' actions but also suspicious. What reason could Imperious have for summoning the wretched creatures?
XXX
Back at Rootcore, Chip and Xander were enjoying their day off with a chess game.
But instead of sitting at the table and moving their chess pieces themselves, they were sitting on the couch across the room and lazily using their wands to move the chess pieces around the board. Something that Udonna clearly disapproved of, judging by the look in her eyes, which both the Yellow and Green Rangers ignored.
"Now, this is the life," said Xander, contentedly. He grinned as he claimed Chip's pawn with his knight. "Isn't magic grand?"
Without taking his eyes off the chessboard, Chip nodded, whilst frowning in contemplation of his next move. "Yep. It's fantastic. Well, except for all the fighting and the battles. Speaking of which, checkmate!"
Xander groaned as Chip did a winning move. "Now, see, this is why I don't play with you. You always win at chess, mate." But Xander's tone was lighthearted and he was smiling as he spoke.
Chip just made an innocent look as he shrugged. "You know, there are easier ways to win at chess. Maybe there's easier ways to win the battles against the Master's goons."
"Hopefully, yeah, but in the meantime, why don't we eat our way to victory? I'm starving," said Xander. He turned his head in Udonna's direction. "Excuse me, Udonna, but is there any pizza in the kitchen?"
Udonna, who was reorganizing her collection of magical tomes, shook her head. "No. You can go to town for that."
Xander and Chip both laughed at Udonna's naïveté. Walk all the way to town and spend the money to buy pizza? How ridiculous!
"Why bother when there's an easier way to do it?" Chip aimed his wand at the table and four delicious pizzas, chicken with chocolate sauce and pepperoni, two pepperoni and one with veggies, appeared on the table.
Xander licked his lips in eager anticipation as he and Chip then began to chow down.
Udonna frowned in clear disapproval. "There's a time and a place for magic, boys."
Before Chip or Xander could reply, Fire Heart chose to roar very loudly from his nest outside, signaling that he wanted his share of the food.
"And there's a time and place to feed a dragon," said Xander.
In spite of being dragon, Fire Heart preferred vegetables over meat, sithout thinking twice, Xander tossed the vegetable pizza like a boomerang into Fire Heart's nest. A few moments later, Fire Heart belched, showing his approval of the pizza.
Right afterwards, however, Mason emerged from Fire Heart's nest. He'd been brushing Fire Heart's scales and now his face was covered with little bits of vegetables and soot, and he didn't look the least bit happy about it either.
"A little bit of warning next time, guys," said Mason, scowling, as he wiped his face clean with a handkerchief. Once that was done, Mason filled a bucket with hot, soapy water, grabbed a rag and began scrubbing the windows clean of the soot from Fire Heart's smoke.
"Hey, Mason, why don't you use your magic to clean? It's way easier and faster," said Chip.
"True," admitted Mason. Having grown up with his powers, Mason was willing to admit that there were times when it was quicker to use magic for certain tasks. But he also knew that there was a time and place for everything, including magic. And this wasn't one of them. "But I get a real feeling of accomplishment when I do things the old-fashioned way. Plus, it builds character. Hard work can be very satisfying sometimes."
Chip and Xander looked at Mason like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. Hard work could be satisfying? Had Mason fallen on his head or something? Why would anyone choose the harder path when the easier way was so much better, much more rewarding?
Suddenly, the crystal ball lit up with a dark magic warning and then Daggeron burst into the room, looking both very worried and serious at the same time.
"We've got trouble on the outskirts of the city. The Barbarian Beasts have been summoned from the Oblivion," said Daggeron. "Warmax has issued a challenge. If we don't meet it, he'll destroy the city and so will his allies. Nehir, get the girls to join us."
Having been told horrific stories about the Barbarian Beasts as a child, Mason understood the gravity of the situation. He didn't ask questions or protest, he just nodded and then quickly went about his task, all the while, praying that the six of them would be enough to take down Warmax and his allies.
XXX
As Daggeron said, Warmax was waiting for the Rangers in a field on the outskirts of the city. He was dressed in armor and was carrying a powerful katana.
"So, you dared to meet my challenge? Foolish Rangers! You will die by my sword!" said Warmax.
"We'll see about that! Hiyah!"
And with that, everyone drew their weapons and attacked Warmax. But though the Barbarian Beast was outnumbered, his unbridled use of his dark powers as well as his years of fighting experience gave him the upper hand. Whatever blow the Rangers and Daggeron attempted to deal, he either dodged or blocked. The situation worsened when he charged up his katana with dark red lightning and plunged it into the ground, setting of an explosive earthquake that sent everyone flying and injured them.
"And you call yourselves fighters? Pathetic!" spat Warmax, as he towered over them. He raised his katana to strike them, but an unexpected powerful bolt of electricity from Chip's wand sent Warmax flying and gave them the time they needed to stand back up.
"This freak's more brutal than anything we've faced yet! Can't we use Jenji to wish him away?" complained Xander.
Daggeron shook his head. "It's not that easy."
Jenji's wishes, while powerful, sometimes came with a price as was the custom with genie magic. Who knew what would happen if they wished Warmax and the other Barbarian Beasts away? Not to mention, Daggeron had no desire to further indulge the Rangers' desire for an easy way out of their problems. It was for their own good to do things the harder way, even if they didn't agree.
"It's not that easy. Pull it together, everyone. We can take him!" said Daggeron, encouragingly.
There were some groans of disappointment but nobody argued as they resumed the battle.
Natalia thrust out her sword and ignited it. "Phoenix Stellam Ignam!" Natalia quickly formed a fiery star with her sword and then swung her weapon, causing Warmax to get blasted with white-hot fire that barely cracked his armor.
"Is that all you've got? Try this!" Before anyone could react, Warmax charged up his katanna and sent the dark magic lighting straight at Natalia, injuring her further as it was a direct hit. "Now, I will squash you like the bugs that you are!"
Suddenly, Warmax called forth a dark seal and he grew gigantic in size.
"Oh, crap! Let's Titan up! Galwit Mysto Prifior!" yelled Mason.
In spite of her injuries, Natalia joined her teammates and morphed into her titan form while Daggeron summoned forth the Solar Streak Megazord.
"Let's play ball!" said Vida. She folded herself into a tight pink ball, which Mason caught and powered up before kicking straight to Warmax.
It was a move that served the Rangers well in the past, but it did them little good that day as Warmax swung his blade like a baseball bat and hit Vida, sending her flying back to Mason, injuring them both and nearly knocking them out.
"Vee! Mason!" cried Chip. His distraught quickly turned to anger as lightning sparked out of his eyes. "That does it, you anime reject!" Chip took the skies as he called forth the lightning from the storm clouds up above. "Fulgur Percusserit!"
Powerful lightning shot out of Chip's eyes, but Warmax used his sword to reflect it back onto Chip, knocking him clean out of the sky.
By now, Warmax felt very smug and was certain of his victory. With three Rangers down, surely the others couldn't be that great of a challenge.
"Pathetic excuses for warriors! I will squash you like the worthless little bugs that you are!" cackled Warmax.
"Think again, Warmax!" said Daggeron, as he summoned forth the Solar Streak Megazord.
"Yeah! We'll show you who's worthless! I summon the power of the minotaur! Minotaurus Impetum Terrae!" roared Xander.
"I summon the power of the phoenix! Ignis Phoenix Surgere!" yelled Natalia.
There was a great burst of light and Natalia's body was engulfed in great fire that took the form of a phoenix and Xander's body glowed bright green as his body was charged up with his full power. As Xander swung his weapon down hard onto Warmax from behind and Natalia unleashed her phoenix fire from the front, and Daggeron used his Solar Streak Megazord to attack from the side, Warmax cried out in pain as he was then destroyed.
XXX
After the battle, Daggeron and the Rangers returned to Rootcore for a shower and so much needed rest. Although they were all injured, Natalia looked the worst off due to the direct hit she'd taken, the level of pain in her head and the extremely powerful spells she'd used to help defeat Warmax. She was exhausted as well as banged up.
Udonna looked alarmed at the sight of them. "By the gods, are you all alright? You look like death warmed over. Natalia, sit down before you pass out."
"I'm fine, Udonna, just a little banged up. Nothing a cup of your medicinal fruit tea won't fix," said Natalia, tiredly as she sat down.
"Fortunately, I brewed a pot. All you, sit down and drink this," said Udonna, as she took the screaming kettle off the stove and began pouring cups of hot, healing tea.
As everyone gathered around the table and began drinking the steaming cups of Udonna's special healing tea, which took away their pain and the worst of their injuries, high tension arose and made itself known amongst the group.
"Man, Warmax was hard to beat. It took two of our strongest spells and the full power of Daggeron's megazord just to take him down and it's exhausted it" said Chip. "If that's what it took to take down one of the Barbarian Beasts, what'll it take it destroy the other three?"
"We wouldn't have to exhaust ourselves if we could all of our biggest resources. I mean, that's what I don't get about this. We've got a powerful genie right here and we never ask for help," said Vida, grouchily. "Jenji's attacks or a wish would solve all our problems. Why don't we just use him to get rid of the Barbarian Beasts?"
"It would make things easier," agreed Xander.
Realizing a fight was brewing, Mason looked down at his half-finished tea and said nothing while Daggeron opened his mouth to speak against the idea of using Jenji to solve the Barbarian Beast problem. Before the Solaris Knight could speak, however, Natalia beat him to it.
"Absolutely not! We've managed fine without Jenji in the past and we can do it again," she said, both sternly and firmly. "The right way of doing things is not always the easiest way. We can't afford to get lazy just because things aren't as easy as they used to be."
Before Xander or Vida could protest, the crystal ball lit up with more dark magic activity. Shrieker was out and about, making trouble.
"Well, no rest for the weary. Let's go, guys," said Natalia, briskly.
Everyone groaned as they followed Natalia out onto the battlefield.
XXX
The battle with Shrieker quickly escalated as the minute they arrived, Shrieker enlarged herself to a gigantic size, forcing the Rangers to Titan up and for Daggeron to summon his Solar Streak Megazord almost immediately.
"Guys, we have to work together," said Natalia. "Vida, batter up!"
"You've got it, boss!" And with that, Vida transformed herself into a giant pink ball.
Xander hit the ball with his weapon and passed it to Mason, who kicked it hard. Daggeron then caught it and added his own power to it before tossing it to Chip, and by the time Chip threw it to Natalia, Vida was on the verge of exploding with power.
"Natalia, go long!"
Natalia leapt into the air and performed a back kick, igniting the ball with her fire as it flew across the battlefield. It then hit Shrieker directly in the face and caused her to shrink down to normal size. But while Shrieker had shrunk and was weakened, the battle was far from over.
Shrieker then blasted everyone with dark magic before she performed a supersonic scream. The result was severe injuries as well as loss of their Titan forms, forcing them to do battle on the ground in their normal sizes.
"Maybe now would be a good time for Jenji?" asked Vida, hopefully.
"No!" said Daggeron, firmly. "We do this ourselves! Don't let up."
The urge to use Jenji and end the fight then and there was sorely tempting, Daggeron was willing to admit this, but he knew that he couldn't do it. If he did, he'd just be encouraging their laziness and poor attitudes. He had to get them to remember the right way of doing this.
"He's right. We don't need Jenji to win. I've got an idea," said Natalia, as she staggered to her feet. "Xander, help me distract Shrieker. Vida, suck that banshee's air out of her. Mason, trap her. Chip, it's time for that spell we practiced. Daggeron stand by for backup."
While Natalia's plan didn't entirely sit well with some of the Rangers as they desperately longed to end the battle the easy way, they knew better than to argue with Natalia whilst on the battlefield. So, they just nodded and then set about their assigned tasks.
While Xander and Natalia distracted Shrieker, Vida thrust her Magi Staff into the air and yelled out, "Aer Evanescunt!"
The result was instantaneous. The oxygen left Shrieker's body and once the air was sucked out of Shrieker's lungs, the Barbarian Beast could no longer scream, which left her vulnerable and unable to protect herself from the next attacks that followed.
"Captis Aqua!" yelled Mason.
The water in the lake nearby formed around Shrieker and formed a gigantic, almost impregnable sphere, which trapped Shrieker.
Chip then made his move. "I summon the power of the garuda! Impetus Fulminis Garuda!"
Chip's body was engulfed in golden lightning that took the form of a garuda. Then the most powerful lightning Chip had ever summoned shot out of his body and hit the Barbarian Beast dead in the heart. Shrieker screamed as the water conducted the electricity and the combined spells destroyed Shrieker.
"You did it. You won," said Daggeron, cheerfully. They had defeated another Barbarian Beast and they'd done the proper way. "You should be proud of yourselves."
"Yeah, but it would've been easier with Jenji," said Xander, as Chip and Vida nodded in agreement.
It took all of Daggeron's restraint not to sigh in exasperation as his heart sank with disappointment. Why was nothing getting through to them? Would they never learn that the easy way out was not always the right one?
XXX
Following Shrieker's defeat, a hot shower and a decent meal, Mason decided to forget about his day off. Instead, he joined Natalia at the Rock Porium to help out with the decorating as well as any remaining customers of the day. Vida, Chip and Xander promised to be along later after they had a little nap, which they felt was well-deserved after the day they'd had.
Daggeron took advantage of their distraction to talk to Udonna in private. He was worried about the team and he needed to speak with Udonna about it as well as the dire situation with the Barbarian Beasts.
"Udonna?" Daggeron looked and found the White Sorceress Queen on the balcony, watching the sky turn from blue to magnificent shades of violet, crimson and gold from the setting sun. He took a seat beside her. "Udonna, I've checked with Lee-Lee and she's confirmed that Fightoe and Fifty Below have retreated for the time being. No doubt they intend to enhance their strength before they strike at the Rangers."
Udonna nodded. She didn't seem surprised. "I assumed as much. Though I must admit, I'm at a loss to explain their battle tactics. Why would they fight one at a time when they know their power is greater if they stand together?"
Daggeron shrugged. "I don't know and neither did Lee-Lee. They must have a larger plan, one of Imperious' making, no doubt. And to be honest, I'm worried what'll happen the next time we fight the Barbarian Beasts. We handled Warmax and Shrieker but not without a cost."
"Yes, I know." Udonna sighed. "The Rangers are battle-weary. I've noticed that Chip, Vida and Xander are favoring the easy way out, taking their magic for granted. And while the same can't be said for Mason and Natalia, there is tension between those two and the other three. A wedge could be driven between them if this situation is not resolved sooner rather than later." Udonna's tone was soft and calm but her eyes betrayed her fear at the consequences of the Rangers' actions and the tension between them. "This is a dangerous time in their development."
Daggeron nodded in agreement. "I know. It's a dangerous time for us all."
The Rangers' problems could not have arisen at a worse time. With Imperious making desperate, dangerous moves and the return of the Barbarian Beasts, it wasn't a good time for discord in the ranks. The Rangers need to be working as one and working hard at it. Not taking the easy way out of their problems and taking their magic for granted while arguing about ethics and methods. While Daggeron was pleased that Mason and Natalia were restraining themselves when it came to their magic, he was worried about the anger he was seeing as well as the laziness. Daggeron had been trying to act as a peacemaker and subtly persuade the other Rangers to stop with their poor attitudes while also trying to not undermine Natalia's authority as leader, but so far, nothing had worked and Daggeron feared what would happen when the bill came due.
The Rangers had to get their act together and quickly. Or else, they might all be in severe trouble.
XXX
When Chip, Xander and Vida went to the Rock Porium to help with the closing up, they were both dismayed to find that the shop was half decorated with the rest of the supplies out on the counter, and both Natalia and Mason were asleep with their heads on a folding table. The Red and Blue Rangers appeared to have been in the middle of decorating a banner for the party when they'd dozed off. What was more, Natalia was wearing a migraine ice patch on her forehead.
"Man, they must've been more tired than we thought," whispered Xander. "We should get them home and to bed."
"Before or after we finish making the place perfect for tomorrow's party?" asked Chip. "Toby does want it to be perfect."
At the mention of the remaining work, all three of them whisper-groaned. None of them wanted to do anymore work, but they had little choice in the matter. The one-year anniversary party was a big deal, not only to Toby, but also to them and they wanted it to be special. More importantly, Toby was counting on them to make it perfect. They couldn't let Toby down, not after all he'd done for them as their friend as well as their boss.
"Look, guys, it's late. I say we spread the magic, do it fast, get Natalia and Mason to bed and get some sleep ourselves," said Vida. Natalia was going to have a fit when she found out, but in that moment, the Pink Ranger couldn't have cared less about Natalia's opinion about their excessive use of magic. They were all exhausted from work as well as both battles against the Barbarian Beasts. They had earned a bit of a break, hadn't they? "All in favor?"
Chip and Xander didn't even hesitate to raise their hands before whipping out their wands. A few minutes later, the Rock Porium was spotlessly clean, the streamers were strung, the balloons were filled and hung, the party favors were neatly organized and in their rightful spot, and the banner had been finished and placed up high where everyone and their dog could see it. All in all, the Rock Porium looked nothing short of perfect and ready for the party the next day.
While Chip carefully woke up Natalia, Vida gently shook her brother's shoulder. "Bro? Mace? Mason, wake up."
"Mmmh?" Mason blearily blinked open his eyes as he yawned and slowly sat up. "Vee? Gads, what time is it?"
"Way past your bedtime," said Vida, teasingly.
Mason shot Vida a playful annoyed look as he rubbed his eyes.
"We also finished prepping for the party. Take a look," said Chip, proudly.
Slowly, so as not to aggravate her migraine with too much movement, Natalia sat up and looked around the store. Her eyes widened in surprise at how clean and well decorated it was.
"It looks great, guys. Thanks. But how long have you been here?" asked Natalia, quietly.
"A few minutes," said Xander.
"And you got it done that fast? How did you—oh." Natalia realized that they'd ignored the warnings yet again and taken the easy way out. Taking their magic for granted, again. Natalia wanted to be grateful for their help, but how could she when she knew that their attitudes were going to cause a boatload of trouble? But between Natalia's migraine and her exhaustion, she had no energy to left to glare at them, much less lecture them. So, with some reluctance, she murmured a thank-you and allowed them to escort her home to Rootcore for some much-needed sleep.
Hopefully, things would look better in the morning.
XXX
Meanwhile, back in the Underworld, Imperious was meeting with Fightoe and Fifty Below in secret.
"The sacrifices your allies have made are greatly appreciated," said Imperious, happily. "The Rangers are tired and will soon make their biggest mistake yet."
Imperious was not a complete idiot. He'd been watching the Rangers for some time now and he recognized the battle-weariness and the laziness all too well. It was part of the reason that Imperious had summoned the Barbarian Beasts in the first place as Imperious knew that they would be invaluable to him in finally winning the war.
"And then we will get you what you want and the Master will be pleased!" said Fightoe, excitedly.
Upon hearing the Master's name spoken, Imperious became alarmed and gestured for the two Barbarian Beasts to come closer.
"Speak of this to no one. But the Master is not a part of my plan. In fact, he never was," said Imperious, in a hushed tone.
Imperious would never admit it to anyone else, but the truth was, Koragg had been right to distrust Imperious as while the dark wizard was truly evil, his only allegiance was to himself. He had no desire to always be second to some higher power. In truth, Imperious sought to be the greatest and most powerful dark ruler of them all. And the only way to do that was to destroy both the Rangers and the Master and eventually find and claim the Mystic Crystal for himself. Only then would Imperious take his rightful place as king, if not emperor of the world and beyond.
"I trust I can count on you both?" said Imperious. "For if I can, I promise that you shall have a great place in my plans."
Like Imperious, Fightoe and Fifty Below had no real allegiance to anyone. Whoever paid the bills had their service, but nothing more. And if Imperious not only had the will and power to conquer the Master but also give them greater rewards, they were only too happy to switch allegiance to him.
"Of course, my lord. But if I may so bold as to remind you about Koragg," said Fifty Below. "The Knight Wolf's loyalty to the Master knows no bounds. We cannot perform a coup unless he's out of the picture. Allow us the pleasure of destroying him!"
Glad that he was able to get someone else to do his dirty work without even having to ask, Imperious gleefully nodded. "Permission granted. Now, go and get rid of Koragg at once!"
Fightoe and Fifty Below bowed in respect before disappearing.
XXX
Meanwhile, Koragg was having a late-night training session out in the woods.
For the Knight Wolf, combat training practice was like meditation. It calmed him and cleared Koragg's mind of troubling thoughts. And he had great need of that at the moment as he could not shake the feeling that there was more to Imperious' plans than the dark wizard was saying. More than that, Koragg had the terrible feeling that the Barbarian Beasts were not only working against Koragg but also the Master himself.
I know they are conspiring against me, thought Koragg, as he sheathed his sword. Those scum do not know the meaning of honor let alone loyalty. The way they look at the Master when he sleeps…it is a danger. They cannot be allowed to roam free as long as they pose such a threat to my leader. But I cannot act without proof or my Master's conset. There is no honor in that. So, I must spy on those wretched creatures and find what I seek before I speak to the Master and acquire his consent, only then will I be able to act.
"Koragg!"
At once, Koragg drew his sword and took a defensive stance as he came face-to-face with Fightoe and Fifty Below.
"What do you want?" demanded Koragg.
"We want you dead!" said Fifty Below. He pounded the orb on his chest and then a powerful blizzard shot out of the blue gemstone on his head, temporarily blinding Koragg as he was sent flying across the forest and straight into a tree.
"TRAITORS!" roared Koragg, as he stood up. Now he knew without a doubt that he'd been right to distrust the Barbarian Beasts. What was more, now Koragg was justified to destroy them where they stood. "Wolf Attack!"
Koragg may have given up his inner magic to Necrolai, but there was power enough in his shield to defend himself with. Koragg's shield split open as a powerful Wolf Attack shot out of it, blasting both Fightoe and Fifty Below sky high. Koragg then drew his sword and charged at the two Barbarian Beasts as they ran straight for him.
The loud sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest as Koragg blocked a blow from both Barbarian Beasts' staffs with his sword. Fightoe and Fifty Below then double-teamed and used their combined strength to force Koragg off them and throw him across the forest. Fortunately, Koragg quickly regained his footing and landed gracefully before holding up his sword in a blocking position. He then leapt into the air and narrowly avoided a blow from Fifty Below and then he blocked another from Fightoe as the dog-like creature attempted to strike at Koragg from behind.
Koragg then thrust out his shield and blocked the next blows that came. He then performed a series of impressive blocks and hits as Fightoe and Fifty Below resumed attacking him with their staffs. Eventually, Fightoe managed to hit Koragg hard in the head, dazing the Knight Wolf and allowing Fifty Below the chance to disarm Koragg of his shield. Shaking off the dazed feeling, Koragg quickly leapt into the air as Fifty Below attempted to do a ground sweep with his legs. Koragg then met Fightoe's staff with his sword and attempted to force the dog-like Barbarian Beast back while kicking Fifty Below away with his right leg.
Furious, Fifty Below attempted to blast at Koragg with another blizzard, but the Knight Wolf was too quick. He punched Fightoe away and rolled away just before the blizzard attack could hit him. Undeterred, Fightoe and Fifty Below then changed battle tactics. Fightoe did an impressive move with his staff that enabled Koragg's sword to be caught in the loop of Fightoe's staff before thrusting said staff into the air, completely disarming the Knight Wolf.
Koragg was alarmed as he was now unarmed and without any defensive magic, but still the Knight Wolf refused to surrender. He forced back the twinge of fear he felt as he resumed the fight against Fightoe and Fifty Below. Koragg would not lose to such honorless traitors such as them. Not when the Master's life might also be at stake.
"This isn't over!" roared Koragg.
"Oh, yes, it is!"
Before Koragg had a chance to react, Fifty Below blasted Koragg with his blizzard attack and Fightoe used the full attack power of his staff. Their combined dark magic not only blasted Koragg sky high and caused him to land painfully onto the hard ground below, it left Koragg's armor a smoking, cracked mess. The Knight Wolf was also badly injured with a number of broken bones, lacerations and abrasions and Koragg could barely move let alone fight. Without immediate help, Koragg would die before morning's first light.
"You vile, wretched traitors!" groaned Koragg. Every molecule of his body seemed to be screaming in intense pain. "When I get my hands on you—!"
"You'll what?" sneered Fightoe, as he kicked Koragg hard in the ribs. "You've been beaten! Admit it and accept it, like the pathetic waste you are!"
"See where honor gets you, Koragg? The Master will be next!" cackled Fifty Below.
The Master?! Koragg could not allow that to happen! "No!"
Koragg attempted to stand and stop the two Barbarian Beasts from walking away, but the pain in his body prevented him from doing so. What on earth was he supposed to do now? The Master did not yet possess the strength to help Koragg and the Knight Wolf had no allies in the Underworld that he could trust, let alone any who would come help him. The situation seemed completely hopeless and for what seemed like a time, Koragg did not move.
Eventually, after what seemed an eternity, a strange creature that seemed oddly familiar to Koragg came into view. He hesitantly approached Koragg's unmoving body, clearly thinking that Koragg was destroyed.
"Uh…hi. I'm Phineas. The one and only troblin," he said. "I, uh, saw the fight. I got to say, tough luck. I thought you might beat them. I thought you had them there for a second. Well, a split second, really." The troblin awkwardly rubbed its hands together for a moment. "Well, I guess I should say a few words. Koragg was an evil, cunning warrior and wizard with nice boots. He fought with honor and a nice helmet. Not even those vile hooligans can take that away! Oh, and he also had a really nice sword and was an opponent worthy of the Rangers."
Having finished his speech, Phineas moved towards Koragg's sword as if to take it, but then Koragg's brief nap gave him enough strength to stand and grab the troblin's hand.
"Hands off!" said Koragg, harshly.
Phineas shrieked like a little girl as he quickly stepped back, startled that Koragg was not dead and he was also unwilling to risk the Knight Wolf's terrible wrath.
But Koragg did not attempt to harm the troblin at all. Instead, whatever strength Koragg's brief nap gave him vanished and he fell to his knees while clutching his sword.
"Help me," begged Koragg. Spots were dancing in front of his eyes and Koragg was finding it hard not to pass out again. If he'd had his magic, he would've summoned a dark seal and healed himself in the Underworld. But as Koragg was powerless, he had no other recourse but to ask for help from the troblin. Koragg took no pleasure in it, but even a warrior of honor had to sometimes make sacrifices for the sake of survival. "Help. Help me…please."
Phinease looked as though he might regret granting Koragg's request but the troblin's conscience won out and he slung Koragg's arm over his shoulder.
"Hang on there, big guy. I'll have you fixed up in no time."
XXX
At daybreak the next morning, hours before any store in Briarwood even considered opening, the Rangers were awoken from their beds as the crystal ball went off with a very loud, very ominous warning about Fightoe and Fifty Below, who were waiting for the Rangers in the train yard. With some reluctance and an eagerness to get the battle over with so they get a little more sleep and get ready for the Rock Porium party, everyone morphed and headed out on their Mystic Racers.
"Glad you could make it, Rangers!" said Fightoe. He then proceeded to blast them all with his staff.
Miraculously, Daggeron managed to dodge the blow as he leapt into the air and then he thrust out the lamp. "Laser Lamp!"
A powerful burst of sunfire magic emerged from the lamp but Fifty Below caught it and absorbed it harmlessly before it had a chance to do any damage.
"Nice try, Rangers! But now that I'm here, you will be defeated and destroyed, just like Koragg was!" said Fifty Below, smugly.
"What?!" exclaimed Natalia, shocked. Koragg? Destroyed? It couldn't be true! For reasons that she could not explain, even to herself, Natalia found grief-stricken at the thought of Koragg's destruction. But surely, the Knight Wolf couldn't be destroyed! It had to be a lie. "I don't believe a word you say, you monster! And I don't care who you are or how powerful you are! We won't let you win!"
"Oh, really? You think so, Red Witch? Then let me show you how wrong you are!" Fifty Below then sent forth a powerful blizzard attack that froze everyone into a glacier. "Ha! Too easy! Huh?"
A surprise came Fifty Below's way when the glacier suddenly became boiling hot and melted in a great explosion, courtesy of Natalia's phoenix fire, which had managed to protect not only herself but also her teammates.
"WHAT?! But that's impossible!" roared Fifty Below, shocked.
Natalia's eyes gleamed beneath her helmet as she drew herself. "Impossible is my middle name. And now, I'm going to show what happens when you mess with me and my friends! I summon the power of the phoenix! Ignis Phoenix Surgere!"
There was a great burst of light and Natalia's body was engulfed in great fire that took the form of a phoenix and then she blasted both Fightoe and Fifty Below with all her might just as the two Barbarian Beasts summoned forth their own dark powers. The magics collided and caused a great explosion complete with a mushroom shaped cloud.
When the smoke faded, Fightoe was barely standing, Fifty Below was badly injured but still ready to fight and Natalia was lying flat on her back, out cold and de-morphed while sporting a bruised lump on her forehead the size of a goose egg.
"Natalia!" cried Mason, distraught.
This was very, very bad. Of the five chosen Mystic Rangers, Natalia was their strongest and most powerful teammate. If she was taken down by the Barbarian Beasts, then what hope did they have of beating the brutes?
With the Red Ranger out of commission, Daggeron took command. "Nehir, get Natalia to safety! Vida, Chip, attack!"
While Mason took Natalia away and cast a protective shield spell around her unconscious body, Vida and Chip both stepped up and attacked, combining their wind and lightning spells. But Fifty Below was prepared and just bounced the spells back on their casters. The same thing happened when Xander and Mason teamed up.
Fifty Below then blasted them all with dark magic and then healed Fightoe of his own wounds, making the situation even worse than before. Still, Daggeron refused to surrender and he tried to encourage the others to do the same.
"Come on, get up, guys!" said Daggeron.
But no one except for Mason did.
"Daggeron, do something!" begged Xander. "We're exhausted!"
"We can't fight anymore!" said Chip, as he winced in pain. "Use Jenji! Please!"
Daggeron hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his head. "No! We can beat him if we work together! So, get up!"
"Guys, come on. We can do it!" begged Mason.
At this point, Vida was fed up and decided to take matters into her own hands. "If you won't end this, I'll do it myself!" Before anyone could stop her, the Pink Ranger swiped Daggeron's lamp and aimed it at the Barbarian Beasts. "Jenji's Shining Attack!"
"Vida, no!" yelled Mason. "Wait!"
But Mason's warning came too late. As soon as Jenji was fired out of the lamp, Fightoe used his staff to capture Jenji's essence and then two of them vanished beneath a dark seal.
Immediately, both Mason and Daggeron turned on Vida, appalled and outraged by her actions.
"VIDA MARIPOSA ROCCA!" yelled Mason, as he powered down. "You disobeyed a direct order and now Jenji's been captured! What the HECK were you thinking?!"
"I—!" Vida winced at the harsh, angry looks she was getting from the two men.
Daggeron looked equally if not more furious. "Vida, I have never been so disappointed in you. Be thankful that we have to return to Rootcore now, because when there's time, we're going to have a very long discussion about this, I promise you."
Vida gulped nervously.
XXX
When Natalia came to some hours later, she found herself in her bedroom at Rootcore, fully healed thanks to Udonna's care and she was also surrounded by the others, who looked both worried and relieved at the sight of her.
Mason sighed in relief as she sat up. "I'm glad you're up. I was so worried. How do you feel?"
"Good, I guess. Considering," said Natalia, slowly. The looks on everyone's faces worried her. She had been knocked out and injured, yes. But it shouldn't have garnered the level of guilt and worry that seemed to reverberate throughout the room. "What's happened?"
For a moment, nobody answered and then Chip broke the silence. "Jenji's been captured."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Natalia, alarmed. Jenji had been captured? How was that even possible? "How did that happened?"
Xander quickly recapped what had occurred after Natalia had been knocked out and the more he spoke, the angrier Natalia became.
"So, let me get this straight. Those two freaks gained the upper hand for a bit and instead of finding an alternative way to win and fighting it through like we always do, Vida disobeyed a direct order and stole Jenji's lamp and now Jenji's at the mercy of Imperious?" said Natalia, her tone dangerously calm. "Guys!"
"It was a bad situation!" said Vida, defensively. "You were knocked out. There was nothing else we could do!"
This did not appease Natalia's mood as her eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. So, now unless Jenji and I fight, there's no chance of winning, so you three just quit? Fantastic, guys. Just fantastic! Glad to see that all that training and hard work's been for nothing!"
"Hey! Don't get all high and mighty on us, Flamebrain. You were out cold. You didn't see what happened!" snapped Xander. "There was no other choice!"
"There's always a choice! Or at least, there used to be! Only, we probably won't have choices now that Jenji's been captured! You have no idea how bad this is, do you?" said Natalia, her tone as hard a flint. How were they not grasping the seriousness of the situation? "Jenji's magic may have its rules and limitations, but as soon Imperious makes a wish that's allowed by the genie contract, there's no telling what he'll do. You shouldn't have made Daggeron use Jenji in the first place!"
Imperious may not have been able to wish for their demises, but there were fates worse than death. Fates that Imperious would only be too happy to unleash upon not only the Rangers, but also the rest of the city if not the entire world. And thanks to her friends' incompetence and laziness, Imperious was finally going to have his wish granted, literally.
Inwardly, Natalia was pleased when she noticed the looks of shame and guilt on some of her friends faces. Perhaps now she'd finally gotten through to them. She could only hope.
"What do we do, now?" asked Xander.
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do. We have no way of getting to the Underworld to rescue Jenji as Lee-Lee can't take us there herself without blowing her cover and there's no spell to transport us. All we can do is pray that maybe, just maybe Lee-Lee will be able to do something before Imperious acts. And the gods help us all if she can't," said Natalia, coldly, as she took out her phone and furiously texted Lee-Lee with an update on their current situation.
Suddenly, everyone's alarms went off. They had one hour to get dressed and groomed for the day before the party at the Rock Porium.
"We should get ready for the day and head to work. Toby's waiting for us," said Mason.
Everyone nodded in agreement and then they went their separate ways to prepare for the day. But nobody felt much like partying, not after what had just happened. Could the day get any worse?
XXX
Apparently, it could.
Upon returning to the Underworld, Fightoe had trapped Jenji in a tall black oil lamp and gave said lamp to Imperious, who was nearly bursting with excitement over this success.
"With our recent success over the Mystic Rangers, I have fulfilled my plan!" said Imperious, as he placed the lamp beside him on the throne. "We have acquired one of their most potent weapons! My new generals, Fightoe and Fifty Below, have succeeded!"
While the crowd of Hidiacs, Styxoids and other Underworld monsters cheered at their success, Lee-Lee quietly snuck behind the throne and attempted to either rub it and make her Jenji's master or take it before Imperious could make his wish, only to fail when Imperious snatched it back up and furiously rubbed it.
Jenji emerged from the lamp in a swirl of white smoke. "I am the great genie Jenji. I grant you one wish," he said, weakly. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head as he realized what was going to happen. "Oh, I'm going to regret this."
"But I won't! I wish there were never Mystic Power Rangers!"
Jenji cringed and his heart ached with terrible guilt and regret as he snapped his fingers. "Your wish is my command."
Oh, by the gods, what had he done?
XXX
Meanwhile, back in Briarwood, Natalia and the others were all gussied up for the Rock Porium party and were making their way to the store.
They had just emerged from the tree outside of the store when suddenly, there was a powerful gust of wind that chilled everyone to the bone.
Natalia's heart skipped a beat as the skies darkened and world itself became bleached of its color like a black-and-white movie and then the city no longer resembled what it once did. Then Natalia inhaled sharply and fell to her knees as her morpher disappeared and the strength she'd been enjoying for months left her as quickly as it had come when she'd first faced Koragg.
No, no. Oh, please, no! Not this again!
Natalia looked to her teammates and realized from the looks on their faces that they knew as well as she did what had just happened. Their powers were gone or diminished and the world now belonged to the Master's forces. Imperious' dark wish had been granted.
What were they supposed to do now?
To Be Continued