Disclaimer: I don't own any official Kamen Riders, but Ryu belongs to me. Supporting characters etc. etc. are mine too.

Episode 14

The Archer's End

A tornado of green magic launched from Torinidus' mouth as he roared. The blast struck the imp and knocked it loose. It squealed as the wind carried it across the ground.

"Take this!" Meth exclaimed, spitting a fireball. The attack struck the imp's upper body and exploded.

The imp groaned as its body swayed back in forth. It shook its head to clear it and jumped back to its feet. A blue fireball formed in its hands and it flung the orb at Meth. The flames struck Meth's shoulder and slid off harmlessly.

The shadow creature gulped as Meth grinned wickedly. The fire dragon launched another fireball as Torinidus unleashed a bolt of purple lightning. The imp screamed as the fire scorched it and then the lightning coursed through its body.

Turning around, the construct launched itself into the air. It flew fast and vanished into the forest before the two dragons could react.

"I have failed to eliminate the wind dragon tribe," Hunter said.

The mage kneeled in human form, head bowed so low he couldn't see the other being in the dark hotel room.

"You managed to remove the creature's last stronghold," a calm voice answered. "You should not be so hard on yourself."

"But the surviving wind dragon found his way to that rider person," Hunter said.

"You will deal with the boy and his dragons," the voice said. "And I'm going to help you."

The mage's surprise showed on his face for a moment, before it became blank again. "As you wish, Archmage Vizier."

There was nothing Adrian hated more than detention. His aunt would chew him out for weeks on end when he got in trouble for fighting.

This time Gail had been in a bad mood and decided to take it out on his favorite opponent. Word in the halls was Gail had a rather crappy family life. Adrian believed the rumor, but felt very little sympathy for the guy when he came stomping toward him. This wasn't the first time, so Adrian knew what was coming. He struck first, punching Gail in the jaw as soon as he was close enough.

The giant fell against the lockers, making a loud clatter. A teacher heard the commotion and managed to push through the gathering crowd before things got any further. Both of them ended up in the principle's office, both telling similar stories. Adrian said he hit first because Gail's intentions had been clear. Gail said he'd been walking along when Adrian attacked him without warning.

Citing both of their records, the principle sent them to detention. For Adrian that meant staying late at school and not getting to hang out with Mandy. It also meant he could skip the dragon's magic lesson. He was torn between disappointment and happiness.

The three dragons balanced themselves on a tree branch and watched as the rejoicing students filed out of the school. Meth and Torinidus stretched their necks up to peer through a gap in the leaves. Korthin peered his head through the leaves, keeping his claws dug firmly into the tree bark.

"I don't see him anywhere," the earth dragon grumbled.

"Just be patient," Meth snapped. "He hasn't blown us off once yet."

They watched as the students lined up into the buses. Mandy weaved her way through the crowd and across the lawn. She stopped under the dragon's tree, leaning her back against the trunk.

"What happened to Adrian?" Torinidus asked.

"Did a mage capture him?" Korthin asked.

Mandy glanced up at the yellow dragon with a bemused expression. "No, he's just in detention."

"How could a mage capture him in the middle of all these humans?" Torinidus frowned at the earth dragon.

"What's detention?" Meth asked.

"It's what teachers do to you when you get in trouble," Mandy replied, studying the ground. She hoped no one stared close enough to see her talking to a tree.

Meth, Korthin, and Torinidus exchanged looks of worry.

"Is it very severe?" Meth asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"No, they just make you stay after school and sit still," she replied.

"What kind of stupid punishment is that?" Korthin asked.

"Quiet!" the other two dragons hissed though they had been about to ask the same question.

"Sorry, guys," Mandy said. "But I should start walking home. Anyone want to come with?"

"I will," Korthin crawled down the branch. He scrabbled down the trunk and dived headfirst into the dirt. His head popped out of the earth. "Beats sitting in this dumb tree all day."

"Okay, let's go," Mandy said. She slid her backpack off and pulled the zipper open. Korthin hopped into the opening and stuck his head out. Adrian and Mandy had agreed that the dragons could pass for toys. Korthin had tested the theory since he didn't mind being in the cramped pack unlike Meth and Torinidus.

The teen slung a strap over her shoulder and started down the sidewalk. The two dragons returned to staring at the school.

"Should we see if we can find him?" Torinidus wondered aloud.

Meth cast a sideways glance at him. "That's probably a bad idea."

"Yeah, we don't know if there are guards," the wind dragon nodded.

Mandy shrugged her shoulders as the heavy creature twisted around in her backpack. "Stop that. Someone's going to notice."

"Sorry, but your books are uncomfortable," Korthin growled. "And I'm cramped."

"You'll have to get used to it if you want to ride around," Mandy replied. As it turned out, her school supplies made the pack too cramped even for Korthin.

"Do you really need all this stuff?"

Blasts of green light struck the pavement around her, releasing a spray of smoke and sparks. She yelped in surprise. The mass in her pack squirmed its way out and landed on the pavement. Korthin growled, glaring upwards. Mandy followed his gaze to the middle level of a fire escape.

The Archer mage shimmered into view, leaning over the railing, his crossbow pointed at them. "I wouldn't move if I were you."

Korthin scoffed and spat a ball of yellow magic at him. Hunter leapt over the railing, the blast striking the metal bars and exploding. A green arrow launched form his weapon and flew toward Mandy's chest. Korthin leapt in front of her, spinning around and striking the arrow with his tail. The deflected blast exploded against a building wall before a second shot struck Korthin. The dragon flew backwards, collided with Mandy and knocked her to the ground.

The mage's feet hit the pavement, landing a few feet away from the pair. He took a step forward, resting his crossbow in both hands. "Fool, did you forget that I hunt your kind for a living? Without the human boy, you're nothing against me."

"Really?" Korthin asked, before leaping off a terrified Mandy and crashing through the sidewalk. Hunter fired a shot, but missed as the dragon's tail vanished below the ground.

"Fleeing for your life?" he wondered aloud.

A rumbling sound answered him as a crack broke into the sidewalk and expanded toward the green mage. He turned and pointed his crossbow at the crack. A large yellow orb burst from the ground, dirt and pieces of debris swirling around it. Hunter fired, but the shots exploded uselessly against the attack.

The ball launched forward and before the startled mage could react, it impacted and exploded against his chest. Korthin leapt out of the resulting dust cloud. He landed next to Mandy panting from exertion. The girl clenched her fist in victory. "All right!"

"How'd you like that?" the earth dragon called.

A bolt of green shot out of the cloud and embedded itself in the dragon's shoulder. The arrow exploded and knocked the yellow dragon against a wall.

Hunter stumbled out of the smoking crater. Mandy gasped as the mage pointed his weapon at her.

"You're coming with me," he growled in a pained voice.

Mandy took a step backward. She saw the mage's finger tighten on the trigger.

"You're not doing anything to her," Korthin gasped out, rolling to his feet. A large wound stretched across his shoulder.

The Archer mage scoffed and turned his weapon on the dragon. A flash of green knocked him back to the ground. He trained the weapon back on Mandy before she could move.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted.

"He's not the one I'm after," Hunter said, stepping towards her. He stopped in front of her and drove his fist into her gut. Mandy gasped and folded over, the mage slinging her over a shoulder. He turned and stepped forward, only to drop to one knee.

"Where are you taking her?" Korthin growled, using his uninjured arm to drag himself towards him.

"To the construction site," the mage replied, standing back up. "Tell the boy to come and fight me or I'll kill her."

Adrian hated sitting still for so long. A glance at his watch revealed he had only a few more minutes to go. He felt a growing need to get away, like he was desperately needed somewhere else.

A red snout popped into view out of the window he was staring at. Meth spread his wings and waved his arms. The nervous feeling in the teen's stomach intensified.

The teacher glanced up as Adrian's seat screeched across the floor. He grabbed his backpack and turned away.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"I've got something important to do," Adrian replied. He didn't wait any longer and ran from the room. The flustered teacher shouted at him to stop.

He burst out the doors and leapt down the steps. Turning the corner, he skidded to a stop and glanced around for the fire dragon.

Meth and Torinidus emerged from the bushes. Korthin limped out after them. Adrian gasped at the sight of the dragon's wound.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning down and picking up the earth dragon.

"Hunter," Korthin winced in pain. "He attacked me and Mandy. I tried to fight him, but he captured her."

"Do you know where he took her?" Adrian asked, his panic growing.

"Construction site," Korthin replied, slumping against his arm.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," Adrian said.

He turned around to find his teacher glancing around. The man's eyes widened as he spotted the teen.

"Crap! Run!" Adrian shouted.

"Stop!" he shouted. An exclamation of pain followed and Adrian glanced back to find the teacher hopping around on one foot. The expensive leather shoe on his other foot shone with a bright yellow flame.

"He's not going anywhere," Meth said, soaring over his human friend's head. "Where are we going?"

"I need to get home," Adrian decided. "We need to do what we can for Korthin and we might need the bike against Hunter."

Hunter groaned and slumped against a girder. He pressed a hand to his chest and pulled it away to stare at the blood on his fingers. He clenched his fist and slammed it against the beam. "That cur! I will finish them all off today!"

"Not in that condition you won't," the Vizier said. He stood on several planks, facing an unconscious Mandy who had been tied to a support pillar. The Vizier waved his arm and a pentagram appeared at the girl's feet. A dark blue glow pulsed from the symbol and then it vanished. "Come here."

Hunter stumbled over to his superior. The black clad man raised an arm and placed his hand on the mage's chest. Purple flames covered Hunter's body and he screamed in pain. The Vizier removed his hand as Hunter stumbled back. The spell faded and Hunter sighed in relief. He touched his chest and felt no trace of his wound.

His head snapped up at the sound of an approaching motorcycle engine. He glanced back to find that the Vizier had vanished.

A fully armored Adrian pulled his bike to a stop at the base of the half-finished building. He frowned beneath his helmet as he dismounted the bike. Torinidus sat on the backseat, glancing around.

Hunter grunted as he landed on the ground in front of them. Ryu spun to face him, raising his fists. "Where's Mandy? You better not have hurt her."

"She's up there," the mage replied, pointing over his shoulder. "However, you won't be seeing her again."

A green glow surrounded Hunter's body as he morphed into his battle form.

"Torinidus, go and get Mandy out of here," Adrian said. "We'll hold him off."

The Archer mage scoffed and raised his crossbow, firing a burst of green energy. Ryu rolled to the side, avoiding the shots. He grabbed Meth's tail and wings, assembling them in gun mode. Hunter twisted around a blast of fire from the weapon.

Torinidus leapt from the bike and flew towards the building. The mage aimed at the dragon, but Ryu leapt at the mage and grabbed his arms, attempting to wrestle the weapon down.

Hunter growled and slammed an elbow into his adversary's face. The rider stumbled back as the crossbow came up. Arrows exploded against Ryu's armor. He fired a shot from his gun, but the mage shimmered out of sight, avoiding the fireball.

Ryu gasped and glanced around, slowly turning to scan his surroundings. An arrow slammed into his back and exploded. He spun around and fired a round of shots into the building. None of the blasts hit their unseen target.

"What's wrong?" Hunter's laughter echoed. "Why don't you come and get me?"

Torinidus pulled himself onto the metal beam. He scanned his surroundings before dashing over to the tied-up Mandy. He slammed headfirst into a barrier and nearly tumbled off the edge.

Mandy groaned and slowly raised her head. She watched as the dragon pulled himself back onto the narrow ledge. The ropes binding her and the magic seal probably saved her from falling off as she tried to step forward. Mandy gasped as the binds held her in place.

"Hold on, I'm going to get you out," Torinidus said. He tapped a wing talon against the barrier. A blue screen appeared for a moment along with the pentagram burned into the ground. "This isn't good."

"What? Can't you get rid of it?" Mandy asked.

"I don't know…" the dragon replied. "I've only read about these kinds of spells. I've never practiced dispelling one… He have to get you out of here though. Adrian and Hunter are fighting."

Explosions sounded from the floors beneath them.

"Well, hurry up!" she said. "Adrian needs your help."

"I have to be careful," Torinidus said. "If I mess up, the seal will drain all of your life force out."

Mandy gulped. "Couldn't you just leave it then?"

"No, it will eventually kill you either way," he said. "I don't know how long it will take though."

Ryu dashed across the concrete floor as the arrows rained down on him. He rolled behind an unfinished pillar and pressed his back against it. Adrian panted.

"He's on the third floor, crouching on the wood walkway going across it, I think," Meth informed.

"All right," Adrian said. He flipped the left segment of his belt up and pressed down on the legs.

"Flare up!"

A ball of fire flew from the belt and settled on the tip of his gun. Adrian swung around the pillar quickly taking aim at the spot Meth had indicated. The fireball shot forward and slammed into the wooden planks. Splinters and flame exploded from the impact.

"Missed," a voice said from behind them.

Adrian spun around just in time for a fist to slam into his face. He stumbled back as the Archer mage stepped forward and delivered a kick to the gut. Assembling his dagger, Ryu lunged forward, but Hunter leapt back.

The mage landed on one of the beams. Without thinking, Adrian jumped after him. Hunter brought up his crossbow and fired a shot into the airborne rider's chest. Ryu crashed back to the floor.

"Don't worry about me! Go help Adrian!" Mandy exclaimed at the unmoving dragon.

"Be quiet," Torinidus said. "I think I remember how to do this."

"Then hurry up!"

"Don't rush me," he said, stepping up to the edge of the seal. Placing a talon against the barrier he slowly traced a pattern across the purple screen. Mandy watched the dragon work in silence. Torinidus took a deep breath then exhaled slowly, a breathe of green wind magic touching the barrier.

The pentagram turned jet black and Mandy whimpered, afraid the dispelling had failed. Then the seal turned gray and slowly crumbled apart. She breathed a sigh of relief. Wind whistled past her accompanied with a slicing sound. The rope binding her fell to the ground.

"Hurry and get out of here," Torinidus ordered, gliding towards the sounds of fighting.

Adrian gasped as Hunter's arm squeezed around his neck. He tried to break the mage's hold, but he lacked the strength. A bolt of purple lightning struck the mage's back and his grip slackened. Ryu pulled his arm, flipping the mage over his back and onto the ground.

He leapt back as Torinidus dropped down and landed on his shoulder.

The Archer mage groaned as he pushed himself up. He glared at the storm dragon. "So, you're finally ready to fight? Now I can finish off the last of your tribe."

"That's enough out of you," Meth snapped.

Torinidus nodded and leapt from Adrian's shoulder. His legs flipped back as his tail and wings folded down and together. A barrel extended out below his neck. Ryu caught the gun in his left hand. The green jewel hovered out of Torinidus' mouth and over to drop into Ryu's right hand. He pushed the dragon tongue into the element slot and pulled back on the levers.

"Energize! Storm form!"

Hunter opened fire as the tiny green speck swirled around Ryu. Wind whipped around the rider, deflecting the arrows and changing the color of his armor. Lightning crackled around him as his visor lenses turned purple.

The Archer mage leapt toward him, firing an arrow from his crossbow. Ryu jumped toward him, firing a purple shot from his gun. The two projectiles exploded against each other. Green wind swirled around Ryu's foot as it collided with Hunter's chest. He used his other foot to kick off him and back flipped onto a beam. Hunter crashed into a wheelbarrow, knocking it over.

Adrian kicked off the beam, Torinidus aimed himself at the mage and he squeezed the trigger. Hunter tried to get up as bursts of purple light rained down on him. Ryu hit the ground running. Hunter swung his crossbow at him, but Ryu dropped to his knees and slid under the blow. He pointed his gun backwards and fired, hitting his opponent's back.

Hunter gasped in pain, but didn't hesitate. He leapt upwards landing on the second level and turning invisible. Ryu spun around and paused, not seeing his opponent. An arrow flew through the air and struck him in the shoulder.

He cried out in pain and only barely managed to roll away from a second arrow. Ryu jumped backwards, spinning in midair in the hopes of spotting his enemy. Landing on a beam he leapt again as another arrow flew towards him.

"Damn, he's not giving us time to look!" Meth snapped.

Adrian slashed an arrow out of the air with the part of his gun formed from Torinidus' wings. "You guys keep your eyes open! I'll focus on the arrows."

A loud clang sounded and Hunter appeared, falling through the air. Torinidus pulled himself forward and Adrian pulled the trigger. He trusted the dragon to hit their target and instead looked at where Hunter had fallen from. Mandy stood there, a dented paint can in her hand.

The Archer mage groaned as he hit the ground. He tried to push himself up, but only managed to raise himself into a kneeling position.

"Adrian! Now!" the storm dragon shouted.

"Right!" Adrian said, returning his attention to the mage. He pushed down on the Flare Valve's levers as he dropped off the beam, gun hand first.

"Flare up!"

A fireball flew around Ryu before settling in the Storm Pistol's mouth. A tornado shot from the dragon's maw, blasting down on the mage and slowing the rider's fall.

"Mess with my friends and you're going to get burnt!" Adrian shouted, pulling the trigger. A dragon-shaped lightning bolt burst from the barrel and slammed into Hunter, exploding.

Ryu dropped lightly to the ground, the wind dispersing. He looked at the flames his attack had left behind. A figure moved in the fire and Adrian gasped.

Hunter stumbled out of the flames, his hand still griping his crossbow. Bolts of dark purple magic arced across his body. He tried to raise his bow, but his grip failed and the weapon cluttered to the ground. Gasping in pain, he cried out and clutched his chest, the purple bolts growing brighter. "What? What's-"

The Archer mage exploded in a black fireball, Ryu shielded his face with an arm. He turned back to the flames as arrows of green light shot from them. The arrows flew around the building, collecting in a massive cloud near the top. Adrian stared in amazement for a moment, before the swarm dropped towards him.

He turned and ran from the truck-sized cloud, leaping out of the building. A glance back revealed the arrows were still following him. Adrian charged for his bike and jumped on, speeding away. He sped into the city and still the arrows chased him.

"What do we do?" Adrian wondered. "These things could chase us forever."

"The best defense is a good offense," Torinidus replied.

"Good idea, windbag," Meth said.

Adrian twisted the Flare Valve forward and pulled the levers back.

"Flare up!"

"I hope this works," Adrian said as the fireball hovered up beside him. The orb shot forward and fell back into his bike's mouth. Purple lightning surging through the bikes body as wind built up around it.

Ryu twisted the bike unto its side and lowered a foot to the pavement. The bike spun on the spot, the winds intensifying around it. A green tornado soon formed around them. The arrows slammed into the storm getting swept away or deflected. Adrian hollered in exertion as he spun around within the winds. The bike screeched to a stop and the tornado vanished, flinging the arrows against the surrounding street, cars, and buildings.

Adrian glanced around at the holes and dents left by the arrows exploding. "Whoops."

"What do you mean 'whoops'?" Meth asked. "We're still alive and in one piece right?"

"Which is more than you can say for the street," Adrian replied.

Adrian pulled his bike to a stop in front of the construction site. Mandy slowly walked toward him as he dismounted. Meth and Torinidus dropped from his waist, shifting back into their dragon forms. His armor dissolved into wisps of wind magic.

Mandy rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck. She sobbed into his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now," Adrian said, a bit uncomfortably.

"I can't believe you go through things like this now," Mandy said. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

Adrian gently pushed her away, leaving his hands on her shoulders and giving a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I get into fights all the time remember?"

"Besides he's got us now," Meth said. "There's no way the four of us can lose."

"How's Korthin?" Mandy asked.

"He should be fine," Torinidus replied. "Earth dragons are pretty sturdy."

"That's good," Mandy said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Unless my cat gets him, or my aunt cleans out my room and mistakes him for a broken action figure," Adrian laughed.

"Do we really look like action figures?" Meth asked the other dragon. Torinidus shrugged in reply.

"Come on, you're parents are probably worried about you," Adrian said.

"Nah, my grandmother predicted I'd be home late today."

They turned and started toward the motorcycle as Meth and Torinidus leapt onto Adrian's shoulders.

"By the way, I need to thank you for saving me," Mandy said to the storm dragon. "How about I give you a nickname? How about Tori?"

"What's wrong with Torinidus?"

"It's too long."

The waves crashed loudly against the beach. A lone figure sat on the dock, a fishing line in one hand and a beer in the other. The stool was starting to get uncomfortable and the combination of drowsiness and alcohol was dulling his mind. He glanced up at the moon and sighed.

He reeled in his line and stood up.

"Hey!"

The old man paused at the voice and glanced around. No one but him stood on the deck. He shrugged, contributing the sound to his imagination and started forward again.

"Hey!" the voice whispered again. "Over here in the water!"

He turned around, now certain that he'd heard the voice. Setting down his gear, he slowly approached the end of the dock. The voice giggled, it remind him of his young granddaughter, full of life and childish innocence. He cautiously leaned his head over the edge.

A jet of something wet hit him from behind. He cried out as he fell headfirst off the dock and splashed into the ocean. The voice giggled as a serpentine shape slide off the deck and into the water.

The old man paddle to the surface and gasped in air. The cold water had woken him up. He looked around for the one who'd tricked him, but saw only water and sand.

Author's Note: Wow, that was pretty long huh? So did anyone notice the Goseiger reference in this chapter?