After the formation of the new Ranger team, the homunculi of Genesis began to plot out their next move. It was bad enough with one Ranger, now they had to deal with five. But on the bright side, the gems were activated. All they had to do was capture them in order to reach their goal.
It was to be a long, arduous task but it would be worth it.
Currently, Le Faye kneeled beside the pool of red with the steel draconian- Falmir watching. The sorceress let out indiscernible chants as her fingers flowed with red energy. The waters rippled to her command as the effigy of Genesis hovered before her.
Falmir stared in confusion as to what reason she was manipulating the water for. He looked over his shoulder to see Molock. The draconian turned to his master and asked, "Is this a part of the greater plan, sir?"
Molock crossed his arms as they watched the waters grow violent, "More a small fragment, but yes. This will help us…"
The two turned at the crashing of the Red Water, it began to bubble and churn as Le Faye slowly backed away. From the pool arose an arm, it slammed onto the rim with another one punching through the water. The monster pulled itself from the pond, revealing its beastlal form. It was an armored creature with a horse symbol engraved onto it's chest and a long mane that trailed down it's back. It resembled a human yet had horse-like physical appearance.
"That's a homunculus?" Falmir voiced as he saw it silently rose to his feet. The newest creature kept it's stance straight as it looked forward, not uttering a single word. The draconian walked to the beast, opening a hand. "It's… an honor to meet you. What do I call you?"
"He doesn't speak," Le Faye laughed, causing Falmir to be taken aback. "I don't believe it actually has a mind of its own."
Falmir looked to the sorceress with a slight tilt of his head, "Why is that?"
Le Faye looked to the gyre of Genesis, who let out quiet hums that rang throughout the area. "Our little Sagittarius here was not imbued with the life force of our Master, unlike us. It's likely he'll expire within the week if our Ranger friends don't happen to destroy him."
Falmir visibly flinched at how casually Le Faye addressed it. He turned to Molock, who stood stoic with his arms crossed. His mentor spoke without turning his head away from Le Faye's creation, "Don't pity this creature, it's no more than a tool to meet our end. It's no different from the blades you carry."
Falmir looked back to the homunculus, noting how robotic it was. It made little movement and what movement it did make was precise and steady. If he wasn't given consciousness, then he would be in the place of Sagittarius. That's what unsettled him.
Though as he stared at the creature, a question popped into his mind. He looked to the sorceress, "What's his purpose if he can't live past a week?"
Le Faye into her hand, "Just a simple test for the Rangers. Nothing too serious, we're going a bit slow until we prepare everything."
The sorceress walked over to her creation, pointing towards a symbol on its left shoulder that pulsated with a faint light. "We'll also have him collect life energy from the humans, we'll need it for other plans I have in store."
Falmir rubbed his chin at that and looked to the ground. He wouldn't lie when he didn't understand some parts of that, but it seemed like they had their bases covered.
Soon… Those Rangers will face the might of Genesis.
Arthur Gryffith glanced over his screen with focused eyes. His display showcased several graphs of city activity and blurred images of several creatures that had the faintest resemblance to humans. Beneath each creature was a large complex sigil that appeared beneath their feet, it's inner rings display and library of symbols that were too muddled to make out.
He rubbed his left temple, his head was in pain from the stress of it.
"HYAH!" ...It didn't help that he had a rowdy son in the other room.
The two were currently at their base, Knight Watch‒ a name that Marco helped pick out. They waited for the rest of the team to show up at their scheduled meeting. If they were going to be Rangers, then they could at least know more about what they were fighting against besides knowing the bare bones. Though his biggest worry is if they would be bored from a bit of a history lesson.
As for Dante, his son wished to get in a few reps with his swordsmanship. Really, he's been like this for the past eleven years. Ever since he was to take up the role of Red Ranger, he's been working himself like hell. He remembered seeing the kid take up one of those wooden swords and whirl it around like a maniac.
Arthur hopped off the computer, letting his eyes rest, and walked over to his son. Dante was covered with sweat as he held a near replica of the Ignia Breaker. Gryffith let out an amused sigh, "Wielding a sword like that, it's not easy when you're not Ranger'd up. Don't strain yourself…"
"I got it…" He waved off through heavy breaths, "With the new recruits, If I'm leading the team then I'm going to have to make sure they don't pass me."
Gryffith shook his head at that, "Being a good leader does not equate to physical strength, Dante. Let's not let ourselves go down that path."
"I know that, but when you really get down to it…" Dante's eyes were casted to the ground as he rubbed the back of his head. "They'll be relying on me to deal with the bigger stuff. And… well, I don't want anything to happen to anyone."
Arthur was taken aback by that, realizing what he meant. He solemnly voiced, "Right… Right… Well, just keep an open mind. You aren't fighting a war alone, remember that."
At that moment, the chime of the elevator rang. The two moved themselves to the entrance of the base where they saw the four other rangers arrive. They walked in, dressed casually in the same colors as their ranger forms. Dante mounted the two-handed blade onto a nearby rack before slipping on his red suede coat and walking towards them.
"Hey," Dante quietly greeted before leading them over to the roundtable console. He looked to his team as he faced them from the otherside of the table, "How was the bus ride?"
"I sat near a guy that smelt like cheese, that was the bus ride…" Link deadpanned with an unimpressed look. Amidst the awkward silence, Mr. Gryffith began to type away at his computer.
Marco floated over to him with a smile on his face, "So, did you get the things I sent you? What do you think?"
Gryffith looked to the ecstatic kid and let a smile form on his own lips, "Yes, they were quite catchy. I think it fits the team well."
"What are you guys talking about?" Kris asked as she seated herself in Gryffith's recliner, bouncing one leg over the other as she reached for the handle.
"Just a bit of branding," Gryffith shrugged as stepped away from the console, "And get off my chair, you're going to break it."
After getting his priorities straight, Arthur Gryffith walked over to the roundtable and brought up a display for them all to see. It displayed the images of sigils that he was gazing over from before. All five Rangers looked to their mentor in confusion.
"Now for the reason I brought you all here," He spoke as he flipped through each hologram screen. "I wanted to inform you all about our goal here. You see, the Gryffith's have been defending New Avalon for decades and yet not matter how long we've fought‒ the fight never ends. So with all of your help, I intend to put an end to Genesis and his homunculi."
He focused on an image of a magic circle with a series of complex symbols, showing it to the team. Gryffith explained, "This is what transports the homunculi to and from their base, a sigil. For years, me and my predecessors have tried to crack the code of where exactly it leads to. We searched everywhere on the face of the Earth for any sign, nothing…"
Arthur's perplexed face then became a smirk as he looked to the five, "But… I believe I have some ground to work with. I believe that I could never find their base because it's not on earth, you see their master‒ Genesis has ties to the morphing grid itself. Meaning he could have possibly used that connection to create a pocket dimension where he can travel between."
The four new Rangers raised a brow at his confusing string of sentences. But Arthur continued to speak his theory, "If I could understand these runes then I might just be able to create a doorway to their front door, then we can take them down once and for all.
"That's… Cool?" Lex attempted to feign a smile but she quickly gave up. She voiced the thoughts that all four of them shared, "Mr Gryffith, we have no idea what you're talking about. Who's this Genesis guy, you keep talking about? We know he's their boss but that's it."
Their mentor stopped to blink at her words. He turned off the console display and leaned against it. He looked to the four with a stern gaze.
"I suppose you should know more about our enemy. Well then, let me tell you about the homunculus Genesis and why exactly we've been fighting him for decade upon decade."
During the 17th century, alchemy came to a decline and the 13th colonies were established. Seeking to continue their practice away from the public, five alchemists came to the new land for their goal. To harness the energy of a force what they called 'The Greater Power'.
They strayed from the colony of New York and found a land where they could continue their practice. Using energy gathered by the life force within this land, were they able to open a rift that led to The Greater Power.
Using the collected energy, they began constructing something that would grant them ultimate power. A crystal that was a physical form of the mysterious source of energy.
With this Creation Crystal, they began creating objects endowed with its energy. Swords that could cut through steel. A crest that could harness the power of flames. And sentient spark of life that had immense ties to the Greater Power.
This creature became the first homunculus, a simple spark that had no body of its own. Through its guidance, the five began to strengthen their connection to the Greater Power. With the Creation Crystal, they changed the lands and created a city of their own by the name of 'Avalon'.
But as they rose to power, so did the spark. It began to yearn for the energy of it's birthplace. To escape its form and to soar above its creators. With its power, the homunculus began to create using energy that it sapped from the crystal. With it, it began to construct a body‒ that of an angel
From within the shadows, it began to wipe out settlers within the colonies. And from their bodies, arose undying warriors‒ the Revenants. With them in his control, they began to fight against Avalon. Alongside his warriors, arose beasts that he created from the earth. Titanic in size and could stomp out the ground before them.
A war hidden from history had broken out, fighting for the control for the Creation Crystal. Both sides of the battle had with them the energy of the Greater Power. And with the passing fight, Avalon had begun to crumble. The civilians within the city could not escape due to the homunculus' insatiable wrath. Near the end, there was only one alchemist left as the other four had died attempting to keep their new land from being destroyed.
As he stood amidst the rubble of his city, he had realized something. The homunculus' origin came from the crystal itself, and by destroying it should he be weakened. And so he did, shattering it into five fragments that scattered across the land. Without the source of its immense energy, the homunculus could not wield its new body. The form that it created, had become its prison.
And amidst the ruins of Avalon, the alchemist had found everything he had worked for was left in shambles. His only solace was a single fragment of the crystal that stayed with him.
"Wait…" Kris began as she looked between Dante and Mr. Gryffith, "Does that mean, you guys are…?"
"Yeah, we are descendents of the alchemist‒ George Gryffith, the one who had a hand in creating Genesis." Gryffith admitted with a sigh, "I suppose you can say that it's an endless burden that we carry. But with each generation to generation taking up arms like a soldier, I wish to end it all. I wish to finally get rid of the monster that's plagued my city and my family."
Another silence had broken out. The newest Rangers all stared at each other in confusion, unable to respond to Mr. Gryffith's solemn state. But they didn't get the chance to, as the command console had given a loud string of beeps. Mr. Gryffith immediately got back to work, hopping onto the seat and pulled up camera footage of the shopping district.
The screen displayed several cameras that played out the commotion there. The cameras focused on a strange knight with the design of a horse who held an open palm that glowed. Streams of golden light flowed from the civilians there and into its hand, its victim dropped to the ground after losing their vitality.
"Are those people‒!
"They're alive," Gryffith answered Marco's question, "Their energy is just drained, but I'm more worried about the homunculus."
"That's a homunculus?" Link as he examined the armored creature, "That thing looks more like a monster…"
"We'll settle that later," Dante announced as he walked towards a large door in the room, "Let's head there as quick as we can. Dad, are these things ready?"
"Ready as they'll ever be." At Gryffith's confirmation, Dante punched the button beside the door to reveal five silver motorbikes modeled after horses with individual color accents. Their mentor looked to them and gestured to the machines, "These are the Knight Riders, take them and head down the tunnel. The bikes have a GPS so don't worry about direction."
"I call pink!" Kris shouted as they all rushed over to the motorcycles.
But before they could take off, Marco raised his hand. The four stared at him incredulously as he pulled out his phone. The Black Ranger explained himself, "Before we go, I've been working on a roll call for us. Check it out."
He held the phone to their vision, showcasing the document. Dante turned to Marco, a smirk on his face. "Sounds pretty cool, let's show them off."
Sagittarius chased down person after person, moving from street to street to collect more. But soon, certain individuals arove to stop it. Officers blocked him with their cars as they pointed their guns.
"Stop or we'll fire! Comply with us, and nobody gets hurt." The man announced over the speaker, causing the homunculus to tilt its head in an eerie fashion.
With a sudden whip of its arm, Sagittarius pulled the energy from them. Each police officer dropped after having the strength in their muscles removed. The homunculus gave a robotic gaze at the results. However, more enemies arrived.
Sagittarius pivoted itself at the sound of engines growing closer to it. From the other side of the street came five Rangers riding on motorbikes. They leaped off of it in a flip, landing in front of the homunculus and stared him down as they stood shoulder to shoulder.
"Let's show them who we are!" The Red Ranger hyped up his team as they took formation.
"Strength of Flames! Red Valor Ranger!"
"Force of Waves! Blue Valor Ranger!"
"Might of Earth! Black Valor Ranger!"
"Speed of Lightning! Yellow Valor Ranger!"
"Flow of Wind! Pink Valor Ranger!"
"United, we stand as one! Power Rangers: Valiant Order!" The five shouted as they held up their V-Sabers to the sky.
Dante stepped forward, twirling his blade as he stared down the enemy. "Just try and stop us!"
At that challenge, the homunculus charged with great speed. With a boundful leap, it pounced onto the Red Ranger. Dante raised his blade to defend himself from its strike. Sagittarius was knocked back onto the ground, its hooves skidded across the pavement.
The Rangers rushed in, slashing away in a flurry of cuts. The homunculus sent them away with a powerful strike of its hand. The five bundled together after recovering, setting themselves up to be knocked down like pins. Sagittarius dug its foot before jetting towards the Rangers, a large burst of wind exerted from its charge.
"I don't think so! Gaia Defender!" Marco shouted as he jumped in front of his team. He called forth his shield and braced for the impact. A loud boom erupted from the collision once the homunculus crashed into Marco's valor arm.
The Black Ranger held onto his shield, which began to burn with energy. With this building power, Marco called out once more, "Terra Assault!"
The Black Ranger forced the energy out from the shield. The earth underneath him sent out spikes that drilled into Sagittarius and sent it flying. In the midst of its flight, Alexis called forth her own valor arm.
The Yellow Ranger darted toward the enemy, time slowing down as she moved in a flash. In her hands, she held onto her twin daggers as she jumped from rock fragment to fragment. Lex floated beside the knocked down homunculus and raised her daggers.
"Storm Daggers!" She called out as she laid down a rapid flurry of cuts, letting out bursts of sparks as she cut into the homunculus' armor. After coming down from her burst of speed, she landed in the spot where Sagittarius was about to crash into. Lex quickly crossed her daggers and began building up a surge of yellow energy. "Bolt Stream!"
A yellow blast of lightning shot out from her weapons, sending the monster back into the air. After the beast crashed back down, it picked itself up and looked to the other Rangers. Only to have another flurry of attacks laid onto it.
"Hydro Ripper!" The Blue Ranger chained strikes Sagittarius' body with his trident, each attack built up streams of water that encircled the two of them. Link back away, collecting the water he created and laid down one last strike.
"Riptide Blitz!" A flurry of jets struck the horse-like knight that riddled it like bullets. Link leapt backwards, allowing Kris to step forward with her rapier in hand.
"Gale Stinger!" Kris thrusted her weapon into the monster's chest and flicked her rapier across its body. She whipped her blade and kept her stance straight, moving it like a wand casting a spell. From her movements a whirl of pink formed around Sagittarius. "Dust Tornado!"
The tempest strengthened, completely absorbing the monster in its violent fury. After it finally let it go, Dante rushed in for the kill.
"Ignia Breaker!" He sent powerful strikes that chained together with fire in its blade. Dante struck with a rageful force as he let out violent roars. His weapon burned with the energy of a star as he readied for the finale. "BLAZE CYCLONE!"
Dante turned himself into a vortex of fire that sliced into the homunculus. With one last slash, the Red Ranger cut Sagittarius from head to toe. He walked away, finally calmed down from his bout of power. He kept his back to Sagittarius, who slowly split apart into two before exploding.
His fellow Rangers looked to Dante, astounded by his power. The Red Ranger saluted his team as he walked towards their bikes, "So, ready to head back?"
"What the hell…?" Falmir said with little breath after witnessing what the red pool had shown them, "It didn't even stand a chance…"
"Yes, it does seem that way…" Le Faye shrugged as she stretched her arms above her head, "We may have strength in numbers, but their strength outmatches ours."
"That's why we'll have to be smart them then," Molock spoke as he placed a hand on his protege's shoulder. "But I've noticed how flawed their dynamic was… The Red Ranger, he's the leader. Gryffith's son, a boy who worked by himself for years now."
"What are you implying?" Falmir asked, unsure where exactly he was going with this.
Molock looked to him with a confident smile on his face, "Such imbalance can be taken advantage of, not only that, humans are very volatile creatures… especially the youth such as them."
Falmir looked back to the pool, gazing upon the five with that new perspective. "Yes… Yes, you do have a point there."
"We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!" Marco cheered as they entered Knight Watch.
"Nice reference, but what about the people back there?" Link asked Dante, who insisted on making sure they paid no heed to the unconscious people.
Gryffith stepped forward to answer for his son, "We've already taken care of that, I've called a few friends to help them out and take care of the property damage."
"Who are these friends of ours?" Kris asked as she stretched her back.
Gryffith shrugged as he sat down onto his recliner, "Just a few people in the city, nobody you don't need to worry about. You five just deal with the monsters, I'll deal with the paperwork."
"Right," Dante stood in front of his team with a confident stance, "I want to take a moment to talk about our results today. You four did well, but I want to talk about the power we wield. These powers are great in its normal state, however it's a small flicker in comparison to its true potential. We must nature it if we're going to end the Genesis empire."
Link looked to the Red Ranger with a raised brow, "Okay… What's this 'nature' thing about?"
Dante looked to his teammates with a smirk, "We train. Our strength in the suits are multiplied tenfold, so if we strengthen ourselves without them then we'll be near unstoppable. But it'll take a while to do so‒ we need to train our endurance, our mind, all sorts of physicalities. I actually have a regime that just might…"
The Red Ranger trailed off, causing his team to shift in discomfort. Based on how much detail he was going into, it sounded like his training would not be… pleasant.