Episode 8: Part 1
The sounds of clinking glassware and laughter filled O'Doyle's Pub while Laura Gremory and her friends stood around a pool table to play a friendly boys vs girls game of billiards one evening. As the Winter Knight focused on lining up her next shot, Quinton stood off to the side making funny faces in an attempt to distract her. She took her shot and missed knocking the target ball into the side pocket before handing off her pool cue to Noelle with a sigh, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid pool just isn't my game."
Noelle took the stick and gently poked Quinton in the shoulder with it, "That's okay Laura. Some people who aren't much better still need to play dirty tricks to even stay in the game."
"Oh come on… I was just playing around," Quinton chuckled good naturedly while Connor moved around the table to take his turn.
Thanksgiving Break was fast approaching and despite the cold snowy weather and busy school term of late November, all the students of Somerset University were in a relatively good mood. The start of the holiday season was near meaning vacation days, time with family, and lots of good food. While Connor studied the layout of the pool table, he glanced up and froze when he saw a familiar young man enter the pub with another young woman. The new arrival wore a long naval style bridge coat and he looked around the room before removing a dark blue winter hat. He was a handsome man in his late twenties with short dark brown hair and blue eyes which he fixed on the Summer Knight.
To the other knights' surprise, Connor immediately passed off the pool cue and rushed over to greet the man with a big smile, "Cam! Hey! I didn't expect you to be in town yet!"
Cameron Monroe laughed as he pulled his younger cousin into a big hug and affectionately tousled the hair on top of Connor's head. "Glad to see you too kid! I thought I'd come in a little early and surprise you."
The other knights gathered around curiously while Connor stepped back and turned to meet the girl who had walked in with Cam. She was a beautiful athletic young woman with tanned skin, and darker features hinting at a distinctly Asian or Pacific heritage. Unlike the blue that Cam wore, she accented her stylish peacoat with a yellow scarf and hat.
"Connor, I'd like you to meet my fiancée Naomi Sato," Cam began, "Naomi, this is my cousin Connor."
"It's nice to finally meet you," she smiled giving him a little hug and kiss on the cheek, "Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me trying to memorize the names of all my new family members to be. Cam's already told me a lot about you and couldn't wait for us to hang out."
The Summer Knight turned and waved his three friends over, "Come on over everyone. I want to introduce you to my older cousin."
Quinton tentatively stepped up to shake Cam's hand, "Uh, hi, I'm Quinton… the roommate. Connor told me stories about you and I'm not sure whether I should shake hands or salute or something… you're the Navy Lieutenant out in Hawaii, right?"
"Actually Lt. Commander as of a couple months ago," Cam shrugged modestly while giving a friendly handshake, "But yeah, I'm still in Hawaii but glad to meet you."
"I hope you didn't forget to mention his being a Medal of Honor recipient too," Naomi smirked to Connor before giving Cam a playful little poke in the side.
"Geez Naomi, it's not something I want to make a big deal of," he sighed giving her a patient but pointed look.
"Oh, can you blame me for wanting to brag a little bit about having an awesome husband?" she laughed hugging his arm to put him at ease.
The two female knights exchanged an amused smile before Noelle stepped up to politely greet Naomi, "Nice to meet you Naomi. Connor had told me you're from Hawaii and you lifeguard there too."
"You're right about both," Naomi winked while shaking Noelle's hand, "Though when I've got some extra time, I've also been known sell an occasional plot of real estate too."
Laura stepped up next and introduced herself, "How are you enjoying the weather up here? I imagine it's a bit of a shock from what you're used to."
"Honestly, I don't know how you people up north put up with the cold," Naomi laughed as she huddled in her coat, "This is my first trip to the mainland and I thought seeing snow was cool... for the first couple hours."
"Don't let Alex and Hannah hear you say that," Cam smirked, "You know how much they actually miss real frost and ice."
Naomi conceded the point, "True, but at least the cold gives me a reason to buy some cute winter clothes which I've never owned before."
"Not to mention a good excuse to cuddle more too," Cam chuckled while putting an affectionate arm around Naomi.
"You guys must be tired from your trip. Why don't you sit down and relax," Connor said leading everyone toward some tables, "Is there anything you need?"
Cam gave a thoughtful smile and looked around the pub, "Well... if it's okay with all of you, I think I'd just like to get a warm meal, have some good beer, and catch up with my cousin. I'm sure we've got a lot of crazy stories to swap."
Elsewhere, the lord of the Fomorian Host known as Balor sat upon his throne deep in the caverns of the Underworld. As he reclined in his Great Hall, he watched as several of his greater warriors and commanders of the Host sat at a table eating a feast of raw meat, uncooked vegetables, and cups of animal blood which had been gathered by their foraging parties. While the other Fomorians were loud and raucous in their meal, Balor was in no mood to eat and so remained by himself in quiet contemplation over what to do about the knights who defended Somerset Valley.
He had recently elevated Lady Leanansidhe to the rank of General, but after her recent setback, she remained locked away working on some new scheme for revenge. If Leanansidhe was not going to act right now, then he would take the initiative himself. He was growing restless and wondered if now was the perfect time to strike. The weather was colder and the humans would be too busy preparing for winter and celebrating their frivolous holidays like the elves of the others courts.
As he watched his soldiers feast, Balor scratched his chin as inspiration struck him. The warlord sat up in his seat, and called out loudly, "Fear Gorta! Step forward! I am in need of your services!"
The other monster continued to eat and carouse until they all saw their food began to wither away and spoil. The blood in their goblets evaporated and the meat and vegetables deteriorated and shriveled into blackened husks. The other Fomorians gave outraged cries before they began to feel weakness and fatigue themselves. While the other troops began to slump down on the tables or collapse to the floor, Balor sat calmly with an amused smile as a ghastly emaciated figure approached the throne.
The ghoul was clad in rags and had a skeletal appearance about him. His skin had a rotten but pallid look resembling that of a corpse who had been left out in a frozen wasteland. The monster known as Fear Gorta trudged forward past two more spriggan guards and paid them no mind as they both collapsed to the floor, having been overcome by the creature's terrible aura.
Once he had entered the throne, the skeletal Fomorian stood a respectful distance away and bowed toward his master while speaking in a raspy withered voice, "Lord Balor… I am here to answer your call."
"Good," the warlord smiled, "I have a special task for you and it involves bringing misery to the people of the valley above us."
The next day after classes, Connor took Cam and Naomi out on a little walking tour around his college campus. After showing them the sights, they made their way into the town proper to get some hot chocolate and then look around the commercial district a bit. While they waited in line at a local cafe, they heard a bit of a commotion outside. They turned to look out the window and began to see small groups of people running down the street and shouting warnings to each other.
To their surprise, several cafe customers around them recoiled as they saw the food on their plates go bad or their drinks turn sour. Naomi frowned in confusion, "what is going on here?"
The three rushed outside and saw the figure of the Fomorian Fear Gorta strolling down the street. As the raggedy ghoul approached, food in the nearby stores or restaurants began to spoil while civilians caught in the path of the creature's fearful aura began to faint in exhaustion. Cam blinked in surprise, "Is there some kind of monster attack going on here?"
"Actually yes, it happens from time to time," Connor called as he pulled the two away and urged them to run, "Come on. We have to get out of here!"
Cam and Naomi hesitated a moment in Connor's presence before following the rest of the fleeing crowd. As they retreated, Connor grimaced and pulled out his phone, texting an urgent warning to his friends. Having done that, he needed a way to get free of his cousin so as not to reveal his identity. He took a deep breath and rushed further into the crowd before slipping back around them and running back toward the emptying street where the Fomorian was advancing.
From where they were in the crowd, both Cam and Naomi looked around in panic to see Connor had gone missing. Cam looked about frantically and started shouting his cousin's name to no avail until he felt Naomi pull his arm, "Cam, come on. We need to try and do something about that monster."
"Connor is missing. I can't let him get hurt," he insisted but Naomi shook her head.
"If we don't do anything, he may get hurt anyway."
Cam relented with a nod and rushed back down the street in the other direction, preparing to confront the Fomorian before the two heard the thundering sound of galloping horse's hooves. Cam and Naomi both took cover behind some fallen patio furniture and witnessed an astonishing sight.
Fear Gorta halted in his tracks as he saw 4 faerie steeds race across his path and deposit their riders on the road. The Fomorian smirked in amusement as he saw the four Hibernian Knights step forward to face him already armed with their weapons and armor. Connor was the first one to draw his blade and ignite it with a flickering sheath of flames, "You look lost Fomorian. Maybe we can give you directions back to whatever miserable rock you crawled up from."
Fear Gorta clenched his teeth and drew forth a mace from his raggedy cloak, "You think too highly of yourself boy. You don't want to cross me."
Quinton drew his sword next and leveled it toward their foe, "I don't know guys, this Fomorian looks pretty old and decrepit. He can't be that tough."
"Keep your guard up. We never quite know what surprises to expect nowadays," Laura replied while reaching for her own sword.
"Let's take it to em then!" Noelle cheered while giving her own sword a wave and urging her friends forward.
From the relative safety of the overturned patio furniture outside a cafe, Cam and Naomi watched in awe as the four magical warriors in knightly armor clashed with the ghoulish monster. Despite his appearance, Fear Gorta was surprisingly fast and dexterous as he blocked and deflected the knights' slashes aside with his mace. As he defended himself, the Fomorian drew forth a small clay cup from his rags and gave it a shake making a rattling sound as if there were some kind of loose change rattling around inside.
The ghoul waved the cup around spraying the knights with magic projectiles at point blank range and blasted them all backwards. Before they could recover from the surprise attack, the Fomorian swung his mace bashing aside Quinton and Noelle to take them out of the fight. As they shook off the blast, both Connor and Laura readied another charge but the ghoul intensified his weakening aura causing them to stagger with fatigue and pain.
Fear Gorta gave a triumphant laugh and swung his mace again firing off a burst of crippling magic which slammed into the Summer and Winter Knights knocking them off their feet. As the Fomorian shuffled forward, he shook his cup menacingly, "You pathetic children haven't paid your alms to me… I will give you weakness and pain, and you will give me your lives in return."
As Connor rolled to the ground and lay stunned alongside his fellow knights, their armor dispelled amid the debilitating aura of the evil fey monster while it approached slowly. From where they stood off to the side, Cam and Naomi could only stare in shock at the sight of the now exposed knights. Right now, those four familiar students had been fighting off a monstrous threat by themselves and were now in trouble themselves.
The Blue Ocean Ranger continued to stand in stunned silence as he saw the face of his younger cousin in peril. That was when he felt Naomi shake his arm, "Cam, come on! We've got to help them!"
Their old Ranger instincts kicked in as he gave a nod and they rushed in together, "Right, let's do it!"
As they hurried forward and barred the hideous monster's advance, the Fomorian Fear Gorta growled, "Get out of my humans, or I'll grind your bones to dust as well."
Connor's eyes went wide in horror at the sight of his cousin, not only because he had blown his cover, but his family would be put in danger, "Cam! Naomi! Get outta here! There's no way you can fight that monster!"
The two Ocean Rangers exchanged a confident smile and exposed colorful tribal bracelets made of coral on their wrists. In one swift motion, they morphed together in a bright flash of light and a splash of colorful shimmering water, "Point Break!"
In place of the naval officer and lifeguard were a Blue and Yellow Ranger with a Hawaiian tribal patterned motif to their suits. In another unified motion, they each called upon a large tribal dagger and brought it to their shimmering bracelets which transformed the knives into their own personal weapons: a sharkfin saber and a pair of small hand clubs lined with shark teeth.
From where they lay on the ground, the four Hibernian Knights stared slack jawed at the unexpected appearance of the two veteran Power Rangers before them. Naomi glanced over to her partner and gave a small nod, "Compared to the sea witch Hine Nui, this guy should be a piece of cake."
The Fomorian ghoul growled and moved to clash with the two new Rangers standing in his way. Naomi was the first to lock weapons with the enemy and parry its mace aside. Using her great athleticism and agility, she back flipped away as Cam attacked next from the flank with his own blade and caught the Fomorian off guard with a glancing sword blow to the side. Despite his frail looking appearance, Fear Gorta was surprisingly resilient and stayed on his feet after getting hit.
As he regained his balance, Fear Gorta lowered his mace and once again pulled a cup from his raggedy sleeve. As he gave it a shake, the ghoul whipped the cup around to toss his evil alms toward the two Rangers. Now that they expected the attack, the Ocean Rangers were ready to meet the assault as Naomi called up a burst of wind from her bracelet to deflect the projectiles away in all directions.
Fear Gorta backpedaled in surprise before Cam rushed forward again while charging his blade with blue energy. He slashed the air and unleashed a powerful spiraling jet of water that snaked around and slammed into the Fomorian, throwing him backwards into the snowy ground. When the resulting cloud of blinding snow subsided, the two Ocean Rangers stood their ground against the Fomorian horror.
As the ghoulish monster rose to its feet, he glared menacingly at them. Naomi readied her twin serrated hand clubs in a defensive position while Cam leveled his sharkfin sword threateningly, "I don't know who the hell you are or where you came from but you're only going to get one warning! Back off from this town!"
Fear Gorta gave a savage growl and spoke in his raspy voice, "You should not make threats against that which you don't understand. This conflict is between Lord Balor and the Tuathan Knights. You'd best stay out of business that doesn't concern you Ranger."
"The hell it does," Cam shouted back angrily, "You mess with a Walsh, then you deal with the Monroes too! You stay away from my family, you hear me?"
The dark fey monster gave a derisive sniff and covered himself with his rags before vanishing from sight in the snowy wind. Once the monster had retreated, both Ocean Rangers powered down and approached the four younger knights who were still picking themselves up off the ground. They hadn't really thought about it in the heat of battle, but as Naomi knelt down to help her fellow female warriors up, realization began to set in that both the knights and the Ocean Rangers had revealed their identities to one another.
Cam slowly walked over and pulled his younger cousin to his feet while still trying to process everything, "Connor... I... you're some kind of magic knight?"
The Summer Knight looked away in embarrassment before looking back to Cam, "You didn't tell me you were an Ocean Ranger either. Does the rest of the family know?"
"No. That's not important right now," he said firmly gripping his younger cousin by the shoulders, "What is going on and why are you mixed up in all this? You could've been killed just now!"
At that moment, Laura cleared her throat to silence all the knights and Rangers, "Everyone, I think we'd better head back in town to the antique shop. There's someone there who will be able to explain everything... and I think we've all got a lot of that to do right now."
A/N:
To answer the Guest reviewer question from the last chapter, I have big plans for Stephen in the near future but I won't give anything away. Let's just say he'll have reasons to become much more directly involved with our heroes and their adventures.
Fear Gorta: an Irish legend of a phantom Starving Man that appears during times of famine and hardship. In some stories he can bestow terrible curses on those who don't show generosity.