"Guess we're not master's after all," Theo huffed as he paced the loft.
"We have to save RJ," said Lily. "There has to be a way."
"But without a Master, how can we learn to defeat Jarrod?" Theo asked. "He's like super evil now. Look what he did to Kali."
Kali winced as she eased off her jacket and lifted her shirt, revealing a collection of bruises along her tanned stomach. She swallowed and bit back a moan as she lightly brushed her fingers over them.
"I thought you had the power to absorb things?" Casey asked.
"I do," said Kali. "I don't know what this is."
"Could Jarrod be having help?"
Kali nodded. "I had a meeting today with Nick's father, Leanbow, he warned me that there has been a disturbance in the elements - mainly sky and water - there is an Overlord called Jellica, who can phase through attacks. I'm starting to wonder if she has the ability to solidify attacks, too, to get around my absorbing abilities?"
"Fascinating. Can we get back onto the subject of rescuing RJ?" Theo asked. "What did he say to you before they took him away?"
Glancing up, Kali met Theo's gaze in the reflection of the mirror. "Huh?" she frowned.
"He said something," said Theo. "I didn't catch what it was, but he looked at you and said something. I saw his lips move."
"Oh. He said about going back to basic," said Kali, dropping her shirt. Her whole body ached with every move she made, but she still had a duty to her protect the city and the mystic realm, she could worry about healing later.
Casey furrowed his brow. "Go back to basics," he mumbled. Then, his face alighted, and he grinned. "That's it! That's it!"
"What's it?" Lily and Theo asked, simultaneously.
"Go back to basics," Casey repeated.
"How is that going to help?" Lily asked, confused. "Going back to basics means right back to the start. We'd be utterly defenceless."
"Not basic training," said Casey, shaking his head. "Back to the beginning. Literally."
Kali furrowed her brow. "You mean the temple where Dai Shi was being kept?" she asked.
"The Temple is the Pai Zhuq academy," corrected Theo. "The place where Dai Shi was kept was just a room."
"A forbidden room," said Lily.
"But still a room."
Kali rolled her eyes. "It was reconstructed as a room as the years went on," she said. "When he was first locked away, it was just a cavern in the side of a mountain and the Pai Zhuq temple was built around it. Don't think you know better, Theo, my ancestors are the reason you exits, after all."
"Whatever," Theo muttered. He turned to Casey. "I don't see how an empty room can help us save RJ."
"There could be something there," said Casey. "We don't know; besides, RJ was the one who said go back to basics. Basic training can't be all he meant."
"He's right," said Kali, interrupting any rebuttal from Theo. "We're going."
Theo stopped her. "We only got into the Forbidden Room last time because Master Mao let us in," he said. "No one at the academy knows we are Rangers, and like RJ said when we first arrived, the Power Rangers aren't part of the Order of the Claw. We may not get in this time."
"You'll get it," said Kali. "Trust me."
"You sound so confident."
"Because I am."
"How do you know we'll get in without an issue?" Lily asked.
"This time you have me," said Kali. "I'm not a Master, or a Pai Zhuq student, but the Hellhound gets a lot of leeway when it comes to things in the Mystic Realm. Trust me, they'll let us in."
Lily looked around at Theo and Casey. The former looked slightly miffed, he had done ever since Kali had arrived in Ocean Bluff, and frequently whined about the reach that the Hellhound had that he couldn't achieve, and the latter looked satisfied.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Casey asked. "Let's go."
Lily nodded and jumped to her feet.
"Whatever," Theo muttered, stalking towards the door.
Reaching for her jacket, Kali squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed a cry as a jolt of pain spasmed from her stomach and up her chest.
"Kali, you coming?" Lily called, sticking her head back into the loft.
Nodding, Kali followed the Cheetah out. She stopped as Rylie appeared at the top of the stairs leading to the kitchens, her eyes were rimmed red from crying after the news of RJ's capture, but she still had a store to run and couldn't give into her emotions altogether.
"Here," said Rylie, handing Kali a small vial of clear liquid. "I made a note to contact Root Core on your behalf after you gave your potion to Casey. Be careful and come back safe."
Kali smiled and took the vial. "We will," she promised. "And we'll get RJ back. I swear."
Rylie nodded, wiped away a tear, then sighed, squared her shoulders and headed back downstairs.
Uncorking the vial, Kali drank its contents in one, stuffed the empty container into her pocket and hurried off after the others. A warm tingle erupting in her stomach and driving the pain away.
~X~
"It's the Hellhound."
"What's she doing here?"
"She's hot."
Kali rolled her eyes at the whispered comments that filtered around the Pai Zhuq academy, she had been expecting stares and wondrous looks, especially since no one had really seen her since her big reveal in Briarwood almost three years ago.
"Hellhound," said a young Master, stepping out of the shadows as they approached the temple. "What can we do for you?"
"Dai Shi has captured the Wolf Master and we believe there will be something that can help him in the Forbidden Room," said Kali.
The young master looked hesitant.
"Or, I could pull Master Mao from the spirit world, and he can give you the order himself?" said Kali, shrugging. "Which would you prefer?"
The young master's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Right this way," he said, ushering them inside. He led them down a side corridor, passed the Great Hall, and onwards towards double iron gates at the back of the courtyard. "I believe you will find everything you need inside."
Kali smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good choice," she said. "We don't need you to come with us."
"Of course," the Master replied. "Good luck." He turned and left, leaving Casey, Lily, and Theo staring at Kali with open mouth.
"You'll catch flies," said Kali, grimacing at how much she sounded like her mother. She shook her head and stepped forward, pressing her hand against the gates and pushing them open. The creaked but give way to a hollow and dark stone hallway.
"Are we sure we want to do this?" Lily asked. "We don't even know if there is anything that can help us in there."
"We've come all this way," said Casey. "It's not going to hurt to look."
Kali nodded and stepped into the stone hall. She flexed her fingers and a fireball appeared in her hand, illuminating the stone and causing shadows to appear on the walls and ceiling. She led the trio deeper, stepping through into a vast open cavern at the very end.
The box that had once contained Dai Shi's spirit lay open and forgotten on the floor beside a stone table, a ledge behind the table was alight with candles, and Kali was surprised to find that they were still alight. Was magic being used to prevent them from going out?
"Eek!" Lily squeaked.
Spinning around, Kali rose an eyebrow at the teenager, and almost laughed as Lily pointed at an eight-legged brown spider that was crawling its way up a web near the door. "You leave it alone and it will leave you alone," she said, brushing aside the cobweb.
The spider struggled as it's web fell from the ceiling before giving in and hitting the floor with a small thump. Lily shivered at the noise and then danced aside as the spider scuttled away, finding refuge in the shadows.
Turning her attention to the back wall, Kali grew closer, holding up her hand and allowing the flames to illuminate the images etched into the stone. "Hey, aren't these Master's Phant, Swoop, and Finn?" she asked, tracing the images with her fingers.
"Yeah," said Casey, peering closer.
"It's Master Mao," said Lily, tracing the etch of her former Master.
"Who are these other guys?" Theo asked, noticing four new master's on the opposite wall.
Kali moved over to stand behind Theo, holding up her fireball to illuminate the new images. "It looks like a Gorilla, an Antelope, a Penguin, and… I think that's a Chimera."
"A Chimera?" Lily asked.
"Greek Mythology. It's a creature made of different parts - a fire-breathing monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpents tail," said Theo, grinning triumphantly at Kali.
Kali rolled her eyes.
"You think they are former Masters?" Casey asked. "You know, from ten thousand years ago? What if they're the ones that imprisoned Dai Shi? They could be what RJ sent us back here for."
"You would be correct, Casey."
The group jumped and turned, stunned to find a glowing Master Mao hovering in the air behind them.
"Master Mao!" Casey, Theo, and Lily cried, rushing around the table and bowing to the spirit.
Theo shot Kali a cold look as she remained stationary against the back wall. She ignored him; her gaze set on Master Mao.
"How do you keep escaping the gate?" Kali asked. "It's sealed. You shouldn't be able to get out."
"I'm not entirely free," said Master Mao. "What you see is just a projection of my former self. I am still in the Spirit world."
Kali nodded, although her concern didn't fade. If Master Mao could astral project himself outside of her abilities, then who else could?
"Master Mao, can we find these other Masters?" Theo asked. "RJ has been captured and we need more training. We can't stop Dai Shi without it."
"I am aware of the predicament you face," said Master Mao. "But these master's cannot be found on this plane. They were destroyed, as Casey guessed, during the Great Battle, and now reside in the Spirit World."
"Can you take us there?" Casey asked. "We have to save RJ."
"No one has ever returned from that plane. It is a place unlike anything you have ever seen."
Kali furrowed her brow. "That's not entirely true," she said. "Three years ago, I went there with Nikki Primvare. Together we resurrected the lives of two Terrors and lived to talk about it. Besides, I promised Rylie I would do everything I could to bring RJ home, and I don't intend to fail her."
"I am sorry," said Master Mao. "But it is too risky. The answer is no."
"But -" Theo, Lily, and Casey started to protest.
A howl filled the room and the candles on the back wall extinguished as a cold breeze swept throughout. As one, Casey, Lily, Theo, and Mao turned to Kali, her eyes were wide and blacked out, including the whites, almost like her pupils had exploded. Her tanned skin seemed to glow, as streaks of red, orange, and yellow flames burned brightly, each streak spreading across her face, down her neck, and beneath her clothes.
"Kali -?" Lily asked, her voice full of concern and fear.
Theo placed his hand on Lily's shoulder. "That's not Kali," he murmured.
"I am the deity you call the Hellhound," said Kali, although it was not her voice. "If you will not open the gate, Mao, I shall. But, be warned Rangers, it will not stay open indefinitely. You must find what you are searching for and get out, or risk becoming trapped forever."
A door appeared in the middle of the room. It was ajar, and a white light was seeping out.
"I guess there is no turning back now," said Casey, glancing around at his friends. He noticed that Kali's appearance had returned to normal, but she looked more exhausted now than she had done before.
Blinking, Kali pressed a hand to her head and looked up at the door. "Then what are we waiting for?" she asked. "Let's finish what Dai Shi started."
~X~
"Long way down," Lily groaned, pushing herself into a sitting position. She glanced around at the others and found Kali at the back of the group. "You didn't say anything about a freefall."
"Last time I was here it didn't have that," said Kali. "But then, the last time I entered the spirit world in the same place the person I was looking for was killed. It must have different effects if you're in a different place."
Lily caught Theo's gaze and shrugged. Kali's explanation sounded plausible, but she would be lying if she said she understood it.
"Where is here, exactly?" said Casey. "I mean, what does the Spirit World look like? It's depicted as a garden in most books I have read."
"How many books have you read on the Spirit World?" Kali asked. "All the books are written by authors that can only guess what this plane is like, no one has actually died and come back to life, so no one can really know. The bible depicts the place as a garden because of the Garden of Eden, but other books depict it as a world split off into different dimensions, each dimension is a replicate of the life you lived on Earth."
"You know way to much about the afterlife," said Theo.
"I'm the Hellhound, Theo, I need to know this stuff," said Kali. "My job isn't just preventing souls from escaping back through the gate. It's about protecting them at all costs. I can't protect them if I don't know them."
"Do we have a place here?" Lily asked. "Or are you assigned one when you get here?"
Kali shrugged. "That depends on what you believe," she said. She glanced around, the last time she had been here she had emerged into a replication room in the Underworld, a room that Itassis usually occupied in the pit, and Matoombo had been in a grove, lying next to a pool of water. The scene had looked exactly like it had when he had been destroyed by the Master.
This time, however, she was standing on the edge of a cliff. A great drop into the ocean stood at her rear, while ahead was a grove of trees, pink grass, and a white light that represented the air. The light engulfed the whole area and shone so bright it was hard to see any further than a few feet in front of them.
Crunch.
Lily's head snapped to the left. "What was that?" she asked, her voice quaking.
Stepping between Casey and Lily, Kali scanned their surroundings, allowing her Ninja abilities and magical senses to extend beyond the light.
Crunch.
Crunch.
"Over there," said Kali, nodding in the direction of a figure rising out of the mist. It was large figure, with a wide waist and shoulders. He had a brown beard that covered most of his face. He was wearing a red tunic that was clasped at his throat with a Gorilla emblem.
To the man's right emerged a second figure. This time a woman. She slender compared to her companion and had shoulder length black hair and a white tunic. The emblem that clasped at her throat was that of a Penguin.
A third figure stepped into the clearing. He was much smaller than the first man, in both height and appearance. He had short spiky black hair and a black beard, while his tunic was brown, and the clasp was that of an Antelope.
The last figure, Kali recognised straight away. The first time she had heard about her was two years ago in San Angeles, when Billy Cranston had mentioned the Hellhound he had served with as a Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger, then, when she had returned to Blue Bay Harbour, she had made it a priority to visit Root Core and get the full story from her mother.
Blu Raynes had been the sole survivor of the original Hellhound guardians. She had lost her older brother and sister during the Great Battle - Halwyn had died protecting his niece, Maeve, from her father and the forces of Darkness that wished to raise her as a weapon, while the child's mother, Eithne, had sacrificed herself to stand guard over the pit that the Master had been locked away inside.
The only person that now still existed on the mortal plane was Eithne, while Halwyn resided in the Tribunal of Magic's dimension, and Blu, somehow, had ended up here.
"Hello, Kali," said Blu. "It's wonderful to meet you again. Although, I'm sure, this time you know who I am?"
"Your my mother's sister," said Kali. "Although, we are not blood related."
Blu smiled. "Correct. Well, done," she said.
"Who are you?" interrupted the man. Now that she knew his animal spirit was a Gorilla, Kali noticed that he actually resembled the great Ape in appearance, too. "Why have you come here?"
"We need your help," said Lily.
"Our help?" Master Rilla repeated. "You have no idea what you have done by coming here. These gates must not be opened, unless the Hellhound deems it necessary."
Kali snapped to attention. "As the current Hellhound I deem it absolutely necessary," she replied.
Blu laughed. "You are definitely Eithne's daughter," she said.
"So, I have been told," said Kali. She swept her gaze around at the other Masters. "The Wolf Master has been captured by Dai Shi, we need you to teach us how stop him and get RJ back."
"Dai Shi has escaped?" Master Guinn asked. "How did this happen?"
Kali glanced in her direction. "A student lost his temper and attacked Mao while he was explaining to these three about Dai Shi and the great battle," she answered.
Lily, Theo, and Casey shared a look. How did Kali know so much about an incident that she didn't witness?
Master Lope clasped his hands in front of him and peered around at the four students. "So, if what you tell us is true, then you're saying is that you're our new students?" he asked.
"Yes," said Casey. "And we're willing to learn whatever it is you need to teach us. But, we don't have much time." He glanced at Kali. "We were told that the gate wouldn't stay closed for long, so if we could get this going… whatever it is."
"Patience," said Master Rilla. "You must prove yourselves worthy before you can be rewarded."
"Then let's do it," said Casey. "What kind of test do we need to pass?"
"Monsters, ghouls, demons? We're not afraid of anything you throw at us," said Theo, grinning confidently.
Kali rolled her eyes.
Blu grinned again, her eyes twinkling with enjoyment. "I'm guessing you haven't faced many demons, young jaguar?" she asked. "Trust me, they're not something you'd laugh at."
"Thank you," Kali muttered.
Theo shrugged. "Depends on your mythology," he said. "I mean, in some stories, the Hellhound is considered a demon." He glanced at Kali, "and she doesn't seem all that scary."
Kali bit back a growl and narrowed her eyes at Theo.
"Careful, young jaguar," said Blu. "You haven't seen anything when it comes to the Hellhound. As a former guardian, I can tell you now that the complete transformation would make most people shake in fear. Shall we begin?" She looked around at the other masters.
Master Guinn nodded and stepped forward. She met Lily's gaze and the pair bowed at one another. "You shall be tested first," she said.
"What do you want me to do?" Lily asked.
"Close your eyes."
Lily did as told and then faded into the void.
"What did you do to her?" Theo asked, waving his hand in the place where his best friend had once stood.
"She's gone on her journey," said Master Lope. "You will now go on yours. Close your eyes."
Theo glanced at Casey.
"Better do as he says," said Casey.
They swallowed and looked back at Master Lope. The pair bowed at one another, and then Theo disappeared.
Casey glanced at Master Rilla and then at Kali. She nodded to him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, bowed, and disappeared as Master Rilla bowed back.
Kali looked around at Blu, her brow furrowed. "You were a Hellhound," she said. "How do you now represent the Chimera?"
Blu shook her head. "Oh, little one, I'm not the Chimera Master," she said. "Octavia will meet you after your journey. Which is why I ask you, Hellhound, are you ready to meet your demons?"
Kali nodded. "Yes."
"Good luck."