Chapter 18 - Rider War
"I want those rogue riders dead," A voice said as a cloaked figure sits on a thrown. The red eye flowed through the shadow of the hood covering the face. "You will go with a legion of my putty. Distract the rangers and kill the riders. If you fail, I will kill you myself!" The kneeling three riders slowly stood and backed away before turning as they entered the darkness. They turned a few corners before appearing before a smaller being. His skin was grey and his body frail and wrinkled. He worse a blue apron and blue wrap around his head that covered his crystal white strands of hair. His glasses stayed perched over the bridge of his wide nose.
"Finster, are our forces ready?" Larc asked.
"Why yes they are. Running the last batch of super putty through the monster creator." Finster replied.
"Super putty?" Lance asked.
"Yes, stronger and more durable. A middle means while I continue my latest project of foot soldiers." Finster said with a wicked grin as he returned to his work. "The rest of the legion will be waiting for you just outside the cave." The three turned and exited the room. As the reached the portal to the cave entrance, they could already see the new foot soldiers. They looked bigger but with a large Z carved into their chests.
"Heh, looks like the new toys are useful," Glaive said. "Go, destroy and kill any and everything!" The putty roared in high spirits before charging out of the cave. The riders took to their motorcycles and road with the running creatures.
"What a rush!" Larc yelled.
Hez and Ren sat in metallic chairs before a group of uniformed men. The familiar, slicked back haired man stood before them. "How do you like your uniforms?" He asked.
"When I said we would join if you followed our conditions, I didn't think you would mean this," Hez said as he tugged as his collar. He and Ren were clad in a military dry fit shirt with a high collar and padding at the elbows. The black shirt matched the black BDU pants with similar padding on the knees.
"I don't like it one bit…. it's right." Ren said with general disgust in his tone. "I don't do tight."
"No matter, we welcome you to the team. Our first order of business is praise for your efforts against the Undead in the north." He said. "While you did well, their numbers are still continuing to grow."
"Wait, you mean to tell me there's more of them?" Hez asked as he cupped his chin in his hand. "Wait, how do you know about that?"
"We were watching," the pale man replied.
"You what!?" Hez shouted as he stood up. "We could've used help you son of a bitch!"
"Well you handled it all the while did you not?" His reply only fueled Hez's anger. Before he could continue the lights in the room turned red as an alarm sounded.
"We have putty in large numbers in Angel Grove!" A soldier shouted.
"How many we talking?" Ren asked as he shot up.
"A horde sir, and to make things worse, there are three unidentifiable signals heading straight for us." The soldier replied.
"Wait, for us?" The pale man said as an explosion sounded from above.
"Warning, proximity breach. Warning, proximity breach." The alarm sounded as men scrambled to their feet to get their gear. Putty poured into the opening. A group of armed men opened fire on the rock creatures but only small bits of their rock bodies would fall off. The horde of Putty continued marching forward.
"Shit, suppressing fire!" A young Asian man said. His black hair was cut into a simple bob and his face was hairless. He had a medium build under his uniform as he wielded his G36C assault rifle.
"There's just too many!" A soldier shouted before he was grabbed by the throat and held into the air. The squad of troops focused their firepower on the one Putty, rittling its body with bullets until it fell to pieces. The young man rubbed his throat as he retrieved his weapon and moved back into his squad's ranks.
"Fall back!" A voice cried until a fist caved through the wall directly next to them. More fists began to penetrate the wall, soon destroying it as more Putty launched themselves into the fray. The troops engaged in hand to hand combat but none of their strikes did much of anything. The Putty grabbed them by their throat and threw their bodies around like rag dolls. One punch was enough to break ribs from a Putty. A body was sent flying just as reinforcements were about to round the corner of the corridor. Soon following behind the body was the horde. The men opened fire but it didn't stop the momentum of the charge.
"Hez any ideas?" Ren asked as he parried a punch and countered the attack with a heavy side kick.
"No room to transform, hit them hard and make some space!" Hez yelled in reply as he trapped the arm of a putty at the bicep, swung it low and pulled it into an elbow, destroying the face. "Fuck that hurts! Did these things get thicker?" Bullets rifles through the room, causing Hez and Ren to dive into cover. The Putty shook as the bullets slammed into their bodies until they fell to pieces.
"Well, least these guys are good for something," Ren said as he looked up to see the pale face of the commanding officer.
"Here, gear up. If you can't change we need you to save as many men as possible and get to G3 and G4." He said as he handed them a set of black, armor plated vests, helmets and G36Cs.
"Have either of you even fired a rifle?" A soldier asked.
"I shoot a blaster in every battle, how bad could this be?" Ren said as he loaded the weapon. Hez popped on his helmet as a small group of soldiers stood in front of them and stacked up at the entrance door.
"You guys stay on us, we will take you as close as we can the hangar bay." The squad leader said. Her eyes were dark brown and her skin matched them. For a soldier she was shorter, Hez guesses around five feet and five inches tall. Her lower half was thick and strong while the upper was toned. She pulled off her headset and placed a helmet on her head to cover her long ponytail. "On me!" She shouted as she pushed into the corridor. Putty ran wild as the three Kamen Riders entered through the original gaping hole.
"Well, didn't expect to find this place on the way. Larc, send seventy five percent of our reinforcements to Angel Grove. I want this place obliterated before we move forward." Larc silently backed away to follow Glaive's orders. A soldier struggled to his feet and drew his pistol, firing at Lance's head. The bullet simply made his head tilt as it bounced off. Glaive looked to the bloody man, watched as he breathed heavily as he struggled to survive because running his blade through his chest. The soldier flared into Glaive's visor, no fear just anger in his eyes. As he pulled the blade from his chest Glaive could hear the shriek of a woman.
"No!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs as her squad rounded the corner. Tears fell from her eyes as she rushed forward, dumping her entire magazine of bullets into Glaive. His body rocked backwards each time he took a hit. Lance swung his blade at the women whose eyes were locked to Glaive but before he could land, he took a shot to the face.
"I know you're human under that suit, can you really look at yourself in the mirror after killing your own kind to help those monsters?" Hez said as he tossed his gun aside.
"You don't know anything about us," Lance said as he held his blade in front of him.
"You won't leave this place," Ren said. Both he and Hez's eyes had an inner darkness to them.
"Henshin!" They both yelled before running through their doorways to dawn their armored suits. Chalice charged at Glaive while Garren opened fire on Lance. Chalice clashes the blade of his bow with Glaive's blade. The two locked for only an instant before Chalice slammed his fist into Glaive's helmet.
"Go!" Chalice yelled. "Get to G3 and G4. You will need them to fight the Putty we will handle these two!" She hesitated for a moment then regained her composure.
"Let's move out," she said in a low tone before her and her team moved down another hallway. Chalice continued to clash blades with Glaive. The two almost seemed evenly matched, performing a series of parries, blocks and neither one landing a strike. Chalice loaded a card into his bow which split it into two blades.
"You will die for what you've done!" Chalice cried as he rushed forward. Garren continued to fire blasts at Lance who blocked each shot with his blade. He thrusted his blade forward but Garren side stepped it, blasting him in the side. Lance stepped back before he took another blast in the chest. Sparks flew from his armor as he was knocked into the wall. Before Garren could advance farther he felt a presence and ducked a slash of Larc'a blade.
"Heh, two on one? I get to have the fun today." Garren said as he loaded a card into his blaster. He fired a powerful shot at Larc that he attack. Garren landed a shuffling side kick on Larc, knocking him back. Chalice blocked a strike coming from above and slashed Glaive's stomach. He began to land a series of counter slashes every time Glaive blocked or attacked. Glaive drew his blaster and shot Chalice in the chest, knocking him into his back.
"You're an annoyance, but I plan to rid the world of you today. In the name of Lord Zed you will fall!" Glaive yelled as he continued to fire. Chalice rolled to avoid the blasts but as he stood he noticed Lance flying through the air.
"Rider kick!" He shouted as he landed the blow, sending Chalice through the cement wall. His armor cracked and left shoulder plate broke off. His helmet had a deep crack on the left side as smoke gentle flew from his chest. Lance was shot in the back of the head twice.
"Don't think you can just run from me!" Garren yelled as he charged Lance. Lance swung his blade but Garren crescent kicked his hand, knocking the blade away before firing into Lance's chest again. He turned to block an overhead swing of Glaive's blade with his blaster before taking a blast in the chest himself. As he looked up, both Larc and Lance were in mid air.
"Rider Kick!" They shouted. As the blow landed, an explosion was set off. Garren's body flung through the air and landed next to Chalice. His armor was heavily damaged and falling to pieces. His body laid motionless. Chalice scrambles to his friend, seeing part of his face through the broken helmet.
"Garren, Garren!" He shouted, "Ren day something!" Chalice continued to scream as his friend laid there motionless. Blood running down his face and his eyes wide open. Chalice dropped his arms and his head hung low. He felt numb.
"You're next Chalice, we will end this here and now." Larc said as he stepped forward. He attempted a round kick at Chalice's face but it was blocked. Chalice used the force of the kick to stand to his feet. He landed a heavy side kick to Larc's chest, cracking the A on his chest while sending him backwards.
"He still has fight, I like that. Die on your feet!" As Lance shouted and charged forward, Chalice slid a final card through his bow. A red energy emitted from his armor as it began to glow so bright his body became a white figure. Lance was blown back by the power, rolling rom his back onto one knee. Chalice screamed in anger and agony as the light faded. His antenna were thicker and almost like blades. His visor resembled an emerald heart. His chest plate was black and gold, dawning an emerald clover in the center. His shoulder pads too were black and gold with a gold spike perturbing out each end. His silver plates became black and black cloth became crimson red. At his sides were holsters for his dual blades. At the sides of his collar were perturbing gold spikes that reached out to the middle of his helmet. He stood completely still as the three rushed in. He was able to block and parry all of their attacks. As Glaive attempted a right cross, Charlie parried the attack towards Larc and landed a round kick that struck them both. Lance surged forward but Chalice drew his blades and slashed him in an X motion. Lance fell to his knees as Chalice stood before him. He raised his blades to deal the finishing blow but Larc charged forward, gripped Chalice at the waist and pushing him into a wall. Chalice dropped the blades purposely, delivering knee after knee into Larc's body. Under the helmet, he spat blood from him mouth at the blows while his grip loosened. Glaive three a punch with the force to send his fist through the segment as Chalice slightly moved his head to the outside of the punch.
Chalice drove his elbow into the side of Glaive's helmet before striking it with his opposite fist. He then grabbed Larc by the collar of his chest plate and held him up to headbutt him. His helmet cracked as Chalice spun towards his back, pumping his left knee as he jumped into the air, landing a three hundred and sixty degree round kick to Larc's head, sending his helmet through the cement wall. Glaive threw wild punches that Chalice slipped and dodged. As he slipped a final cross, he landed a body hook then came up to land a hook to the head before turning his body to land a reverse side kick. As he rushed forward, Lance grabbed him from behind. Chalice threw backwards elbows at his side to loosen the grip then took control of Lance's left wrist before smashing his forearm into the elbow. The arm bent inward, snapping. Lance yelled in pan before Chalice Grandé the nape of his neck, pulling it into a deadly knee strike. His head whipped backwards as Chalice jumped and spun to land a split kick to Lance's already damage head. His body duh into the wall deep, almost coming out of the other side.
Chalice looked over his shoulder at Larc who pulled his head from the wall and charged forward. He jumped and twisted his body before landing an inside crescent kick that sent Larc to the ground face first with him legs flying up. His helmet completely cracked as Chalice kicked his body over and began raining punches to the head. The helmet chipped away with each blow before Chalice drew his right fist back and slammed it through the helmet and the face of the wearer. He pulled his blood fist from the hole of the helmet, slightly looking over his shoulder he could see Glaive and Lance making their way to their feet. Lance's arm hung like a noodle, uselessly as he gripped it at the shoulder.
"You monster!" Glaive yelled.
"Me, a monster," Chalice said sarcastically. "You turned on your own kind for these… creatures," he slowly rose and began to walk to them. "Yet I'm the monster for protecting my people, my family, my friends?!" He picked up both his blades and stood with a wide stance with his arms out wide at his sides. "I am the savior, I am salvation. You, you're an insect beneath my feet!" Chalice yelled as he rushed forward. He slashed completely through Larc's body. His upper half falling as it split in two. Glaive didn't have a chance to counter as both the blades ran through him. Chalice raised his body over head before throwing him from the blades.
"Ride Kick," Chalice said before jumping into the sky, landing his finishing attack on Glaive. His body exploded in impact as Chalice landed. Garren slowly began to stir and make his way to his feet. As he turned he could see Chalice standing completely still.
"Hez.." Ren said weakly. Chalice turned quickly and rushed to his friend's aid. "Where, where did they go? Did they get away?"
"No, it's over Ren. They won't be coming back this time," Chalice said as he threw his friend's arm over his shoulder, helping him walk away from the battle. They were met by G3 and G4 not too long after.
"Well that's a new look," G4 said. "I dig it."
"What happened to the riders?" G3 asked.
"Don't worry about them, someone is probably scraping the bodies off the ground. What about the Putty?" Chalice asked.
"We handled the last of them but more are on the way. We also have word that the rangers have engaged the Putty in Angel Grove." G3 replied.
"Then let's not waste time, Garren can you fight?" Chalice asked.
"I'm still breathing," he said as he stood on his own. "Let's show em hell!" G3 and G4 grabbed their large rifles and docked them on their motorcycles. The woman who lead the small squad of men had torn clothes and blood coming from a cut over her left brow.
"Permission to join you," she said.
"You should get some medical attention soldier." G4 said.
"With all due respect sir, my men are able and willing just as I am. We have a score to settle after this." Her eyes burned with hatred and vengeance. Chalice could see it, she was on a warpath that no one could stop.
"Round up as many men as you can, we haven't got much time. We will be waiting outside." Chalice said before he continued down the hallway.
"When did he start giving orders?" G4 asked.
"Doesn't matter, let's move." G3 said as he an Garren followed behind Chalice. The four of them exited the underground base and entered the woods.
"They're still a few cliques out, any ideas?" G3 asked.
"We destroy them all and assist the rangers in the city." Chalice said. His conviction strong as he drew both his blades. A platoon of troops exited the facility behind them.
"Reporting for duty sir!" the platoon chanted in unison.
"No retreat, no surrender, we destroy them all here!" Chalice yelled as he lowered his stance.
"I'm liking this more and more by the second!" Ren yelled. The entire group charged as one to meet the oncoming force of super putty in the woods.