Previously on Kamen Rider Andorel:
"To accept it is to pledge yourself, body and soul, to me." Idril warned.
Ereinion seemed to hesitate for a second before grabbing the orb. In his hand, the green glow slowly faded away, revealing a green medallion with a lion head carved on it. There was a dim light coming from his waist and when it left, the young elf saw in its place a belt with a silver buckle that had a clear crystal orb in its center. Reaching to the right side of the device, he was able to pull out a tray where he placed the medallion.
"TRANSFORM." Ereinion said as he slammed the tray into the belt buckle.
"Courage Form." A deep voice coming from the buckle said as the orb emitted a green glow.
A green crest representing the medallion appeared under his feet and slowly rose to his head. As it moves up, the magic circle replaced his clothes with armor and disappeared after passing his head. At first the armor was all black but the colors quickly appeared as the excess energy was released.
Vernia and Skagard took a few steps back as the armor glad warrior slowly walked towards them.
Chapter 2:
Montreal, empty warehouse
"Andorel." Vernia said in disbelief.
A few seconds earlier stood before her and her troll servant an elf but now there was a fully armored warrior. Wearing a black body suit, he also had a green chest plate with bronze highlights, with circlets of bronze around his ankles, his legs, thighs and wrist. A bronze helmet shaped like a lion's head with green lenses for eyes and a pair of swords tied to his back in parallel and accessible over the right shoulder completed the armor.
"You cannot defeat Skagard." Skagard the troll said before aiming a punch at the warrior's head.
The hit however never connected and was in fact intercepted by Andorel who grabbed hold of the arm with both hands.
"Victory favors those who are not without courage." The armored elf said.
He then flipped the troll over and slammed him into the ground. The impact formed a small crater in the concrete floor. Vernia, having shaken off her initial shock, decided to take action as well and tried to lash at Andorel with her fire whip. Ereinion, sensing the attack coming, jumped to the left to avoid being hit in the back and Skagard took the full strength of the vicious strike. Trolls and fire however, don't mix well. The flames rapidly spread over the monster who was desperately trying to extinguish them by rolling on the ground. Soon the air was filled with smoke and the scream of an eight foot giant burning.
Vernia and Andorel exchanged stares for a few seconds before the armored warrior slowly brought his hands over his right shoulder and drew his swords. The first weapon was three feet long with a single edged blade; the guard was round with an emerald crystal in the center similar to the one on Andorel's belt buckle. The second sword was a little shorter than two feet with a similar blade to its longer counterpart; this one however did not have a crystal on the guard. The sight of the weapons did not impress Vernia however; the dark elf instead began swinging her whip at her opponent with renewed fury forcing him to stay on the defensive.
While the two elves were fighting, Skagard had finally supressed the flames that were eating him. His wounds however will never heal; for a troll, it is easy to regrow an eye or an arm but fire cause permanent damage, it is their mortal enemy. The troll got back to his feet and let out a guttural roar before charging Andorel. With the behemoth being as loud as a pack of rampaging elephants, the attack didn't come near to catching the armored elf by surprise. In a single leap, he jumped above the charging monster and performed a backflip before slicing both arms off of the beast as he landed. The troll screamed in pain as his members fell on the floor and started drying until they began dried objects resembling dead wood.
Andorel took a few steps back, he knew the wounds he had just inflicted on Skagard would only slow the behemoth for a while and he was right. The troll started twitching and stomping the ground as a new pair of arms grew to replace the ones he had just lost.
"You won't be able to kill my troll with those weapons of yours." Vernia said with a smirk as she witness the regeneration.
"I told you, victory favors those who are not without courage." Andorel replied.
He brought his long sword to his belt buckle.
"Courageous slash." A voice coming from the buckle said as the two crystal orbs came near one another.
The armored warrior raised both swords in the air and flexed his knees as a flow of energy left the belt buckle and travelled to first sword before going to the second one. Both blades began glowing in a soft green light which became brighter as they were being filled with power. Andorel let out a battle cry before he brought his weapons down in an X pattern leaving behind a trail of energy that hovered in the air for a second before going straight to the troll. Skagard let out an agonizing scream as his body erupted in green flames.
The cries died after a few seconds and the burning mass fell dead on the ground and kept burning until only ashes were left behind. Andorel straightened himself before turning to Vernia. The dark elf however didn't return the stare given to her by the warrior, instead she ran towards the nearest exit without asking her due. On the altar, a ring of light appeared at Idril's feet and made it way to her head. A second later, the light disappeared and Alice was now standing in her place. The girl looked around her for a second with a confused look on her face then her vision started to blur as she was about to collapse but was caught in time by Ereinion who had dismissed his armor.
"Are you a knight?" Alice asked before she passed out.
"Not exactly, princess." Ereinion answered as he picked her up and left the old building.
Dark City, outside Montreal
The underground metropolis never had a real name to speak of; the inhabitants simply have always referred to it as the Dark City. Built in a gigantic cavern, the city was based on the principal of circles with the slums on the exterior and the luxurious quarters in the interior. Vernia walked through the streets towards her destination with a fast pace in her steps. She was heading for the very center of the city towards the largest structure in sight.
The building was a large castle that went from the ground to the roof of the cavern nearly one hundred meters above. The fortress had an overall design similar to Arabian palaces with its central tower serving as both a view point to watch over the entire city and a column to support the roof. And like any self-respecting fortress, this one also had an entrance at each cardinal point. Vernia approached it from the south; at the entrance, two fully armored orcs armed with swords nearly as big as she was were guarding the gate. At her arrival, the two guards stepped aside letting her through the massive entrance.
Once inside, Vernia walked straight for the nearest staircase which would lead her to the upper floors. Behind her, she could hear the giant panel which served as a door close on itself locking her inside. The dark elf made her way to the central tower through a series of passage way and corridors until she arrived in front of a luxurious wooden door with golden carvings on it. On each side of the door stood an orc as heavily equip as those who stood guard outside the palace. The elven sorceress could hear small cries coming from inside the room but couldn't tell if they came from someone experiencing great pleasure or unbelievable pain. The guards opened the door letting her enter the room.
The room inside was even more luxurious than the rest of the castle; silk hangings, velvet couches and even a fountain. However Vernia was not interested in those, her attention turned instead to the king-size bed where the sounds originated. On it was a creature she hated more than anything. Born of dark elf who was raped by an orc, the filthy beast had the dark skin of his mother yet the facial features of his father only smoother. The half-breed's body was built on a frame smaller than that of an ordinary orc yet it was very muscular. The demi-orc was busy having sex with an elf, probably a slave girl Vernia figured. The male was fucking his concubine doggy style leaving an expression of mixed pain and pleasure on her delicate features and making her cry out with thrust into her ravaged vagina. The dark elf walked closer to the bed and kneeled on the floor waiting for the fornication to be over.
After a few minutes, the half-orc let out a loud growl signifying that he had reached his climax and was unloading in his concubine. As the slave girl collapsed on the bed, he walked to a table set near the bed where a cup of wine was waiting for him.
"I trust you have your mission was a success Vernia." He said.
"My lord Volen, there was a complication." Vernia answered with fear in her voice. "An elf interfered."
"And with all the muscle you brought with you, you couldn't even handle him? Was he that terrible?" The half-breed asked as he emptied his cup of wine.
"He…we were about to overrun him but then Idril manifested herself and gave him the legacy of Andorel." The sorceress explained.
"WHAT?" Volen yelled as he crushed his cup in his hand.
Enraged, the lord brought his face less than three inches apart from the sorceress's own.
"Forget the girl, kill Andorel. He is your only priority now." He ordered her.
Vierne got up and nearly ran towards the door, as she was about to exit though, she heard her master's voice coming from behind her.
"Vierna, if you fail me again, you will suffer beyond imagining." He warned her.
The dark elf did a little bow before exiting. Once the doors closed behind her, she heard screams that were definitely coming from someone in pain. The lord of the castle was passing his rage out on the poor slave girl locked inside with him.
Montreal,
Alice felt warmth, not coming from her body but from something she was hugging. She could also fell herself moving yet there was no ground under her feet. The young woman slowly opened her eyes and looked around. The empty building where she used to be was nowhere in sight. It was then that Alice realised she was being carried by the boy who came to her rescue who put her over his back.
"What happened, who are you?" She asked.
"You passed out. It wasn't safe to leave you alone in that warehouse so I decided to take you somewhere safe." Ereinion answered.
"So that monster and that weird lady who placed me on an altar, was it all real?" The girl asked.
"That monster was a troll and yes it was real." The elf answered.
"Back there, you saved me. You said your name Erion right?" Alice inquired.
"It's Ereinion, but that's only my elven name. You can call me Roy." Roy replied.
"What do you mean elven name?"
"I was born from the union of a human and an elf. I am what you would call a half-breed or half-elf. As such, I was given a name by my elven mother, Ereinion; and by my human father, Roy Saint-John." Roy explained.
"I see. You can put me down now, I'm pretty sure I can walk from here." Alice said.
Roy put her down and stretched is back, happy to be freed from the extra weight.
"Where were you taking me anyway?" The girl asked once she had stretch as well.
"To see this man." Roy answered as he she showed her the picture she was carrying of her father.
"You know my dad?" Alice asked surprised.
"Yes and you two obviously have a lot to talk about." Roy replied before he resumed walking.
The young woman took a few second to process what she had just been told. When her mind returned to reality, Roy was already a few steps ahead of her which forced her to run to catch up.
The two youths had been walking for half an hour now before arriving at a subway station. Roy led Alice inside to a door that was locked with a digit pad. The young man entered a combination of keys but instead of the door unlocking itself, a portion of wall a few feet away from the door opened up to reveal a hidden stair case.
"What is this place?" Alice asked as she followed Roy down the steps.
"One of the many hidden entrances to the Undercity." Roy answered.
"Undercity?" the young woman repeated.
"It's what they call it. Basically it's a city inhabited by elves, dwarves and gnomes built under a city inhabited by humans." Roy explained.
"And who knows about this?"
"Well, every elves, dwarves and gnomes in Montreal." The young man with a smirk. "And a few humans who have been entrusted with our secret."
The duo finally reached the bottom of the stair case approximately four stories below the surface and walked through another door. On the other side an unbelievable sight welcomed them. The Undercity was a complex network of tunnels and caves with buildings built into them and some even dug straight into the ground and walls. The streets were filled with pedestrians and kiosks similar those found in old movies featuring cities of the Middle East. But the true wonder was the lighting system of this underground city; no lights, no torches only light shafts that brought in the natural rays of sun from dawn until dusk.
The duo walked through the wondrous city for a few more minutes before arriving at their destination; a building of white marble standing three stories high in the central part of the Undercity. It reminded Alice of an official building and when she saw the panel at the entrance she knew she had guessed right, this was the city hall of Undercity. Roy led the young woman inside and to the second floor to a closed office. The young man stopped at the door and turned to his companion handing her the picture of her father.
"I cannot guaranty that what you hear will be easy to believe or accept. I only promise that what he tells you is the truth." Roy said before opening the door and stepping aside.
Alice took the picture walked inside, as she stepped through, she heard the door being closed behind her. She looked around and saw an individual with his back to her. From her point of view, Alice could tell he was an elf since she could see his pointy ears sticking out of his long blond hair. His clothes were made of silk and seemed very elegant to her.
"Welcome Alice, my name is Arahaelben but you may call me…." The elf started as he turned around.
"Father?" She interrupted as she saw him front the front.
The same man who was on the picture she had been carrying around her entire childhood was now standing before her but different. The image showed a human but before her stood an elf and yet there was no mistake on his face.
"No, no, you can't be, my father is human. I have the proof RIGHT HERE." Alice said as she held up the picture.
"That picture was altered to hide my identity and yours yet left enough glues to allow you to find me again someday. And now, that day has come." Her father explained.
"But I'm human, I grew up at a normal rate and my ears are round." The young woman argued.
"Although elves have a life expectancy of nearly a thousand years, we reach our maturity in the same amount of time as humans. As for your ears, it's a magical camouflage just like the picture to hide your true identity from our enemies. Here take a look." He said as he guided her to a mirror.
Alice looked at her reflection when suddenly; sparkling dust fell from her body. Her eyes became slightly narrower and the tip of her ears popped from her hair. She was no longer looking at the reflection of a human girl but of an elf. This revelation brought tears to her eyes as she became weak in the knees and fell to the ground.
"But…but why?" She asked.
"That is a long story." Her father said.
"I'd like to know." Alice insisted.
The older elf led his daughter to a chair before handing her an old book.
Alice ran through the pages and though she couldn't read the writings but the images drawn inside were quite explicit which allowed her to follow the story her father was about to tell her.
"More than three thousand years ago, humans, elves, dwarves and gnomes shared this generous world that we call Earth." Arahaelben said in a voice filled with wisdom. "The four races lived apart from one another but in a live and let live fashion. However, there were others who did not share this view of the world. Orcs, trolls, goblins and other creatures of darkness, primitive and ruthless; they lived for violence and rampage, but we were always able to keep them at bay for they were leaderless and divided. That gave us an edge over them for centuries, until the day an orc unlike any who had ever come before stepped forward and united the tribes. His name was Ghrall and he was determined to raise his people to the top of the world while the rest of us would be reduced to food and slaves. And so we did the only thing we could do when face against a common enemy, we united; an alliance of elves, dwarves, gnomes and humans standing side by side again the wave of darkness."
"Okay, so what does this have to do with me?" Alice asked as she looked at the pictures in the book.
"Forming an alliance was not enough to stand against Ghrall's army, we needed something more, an edge." came the answer. "That was when a young priestess named Idril locked herself in a temple and prayed to the three goddesses of our people; Farore the goddess of courage, Nayru goddess of wisdom and Din goddess of power. For three days and three nights, Idril performed a ritual asking the deities for help and finally on the dawn of the fourth day, they answered her prayers. They asked the young priestess to choose a warrior who would receive the blessing of the goddesses."
"Is that him wearing the green armor?" The young woman asked as she showed her father a page in the book.
On the page there was an image showing a warrior glad in green armor with a lion's head instead of his own and wielding two swords.
"Yes, the warrior after being blessed with this armor of unmatched power was instructed to forsake his name and took on the title of Andorel. In the tongue of our ancestors, it means Champion." The father said he noticed the confused look on his daughter's face.
"And was the champion, Andorel, able to defeat the darkness?" Alice asked.
"Yes. Andorel single handily changed the tide of war in our favor, but at a great price. Ghrall had been pushed into a corner and so he decided to put it all on the line in a final battle fought in Mesopotamia." The older elf explained. "During the battle, Andorel confronted the orc king and managed to mortally wound him in a duel. However, Ghrall refused to let it end like this. In a desperate move, he summoned a magic darker than we've ever known and it consumed his body turning him into a creature of pure evil. If the beast was allowed to roam free, all life on Earth would have ended. Andorel had no choice; he sacrificed himself to slay Ghrall."
Alice looked at her father in shock as she heard the words coming from his mouth.
Alice got up on her feet and placed the book on her father's desk.
"This is a sad story father but it doesn't answer my first question. Where do I fit in all this?" She asked.
"After the war, Idril was consumed by grief." Her father explained. "You see, the warrior chosen to become Andorel was her lover and she was there when he died. The sorrow was so intense that it sucked the life from her body and she died from it shortly after. Her last wish was to be incinerated with Andorel's legacy, an artifact that would allow the armor to be bestowed upon a new warrior who would bear the title. After the ceremony, it was prophesised that if the darkness should rise again, Idril would be reborn so that she can choose a new champion."
Alice looked at her father with her eyes wide opened, she had already understood before he had even said the crucial part.
"Eighteen years ago, on the day of your birth, an oracle told your mother and me that you were the second coming of Idril, her reincarnation. You see, it has been foretold that when the time comes, you will remember your past life and find a worthy warrior to whom you will give Andorel's legacy so that he may undertake the trials to earn the title."
Arahaelben would have continued telling his story, but the elf saw that it was already a lot for Alice to process.
"I think that is enough for today my dear." He said. "Why don't you get some rest and we'll continue this conversation tomorrow."
Alice simply nod and passed her hand in her hair. Her fingers stopped at her ear where she caressed the tip for a few seconds. This was still so unreal to her. Arahaelben led her outside where Roy was still waiting while eating an apple.
"Ereinion will escort you to my home where I have a room prepared for you." The older elf said.
"I'm sorry father but all this is so overwhelming even this city." Alice replied. "I won't be able to sleep tonight unless I do it above ground amongst humans."
"I'm afraid that would be unwise my child…" Arahaelben started to say but was interrupted.
"With due respect, she can stay with me. I have a guess bedroom and my apartment is up there. She'll be safe and comfortable." Roy explained.
"Very well." The older elf said.
The decision being made, Alice and Roy left accompanied by Arahaelben.
Montreal, the streets above
The sun had already set when Alice emerged from the Undercity to return to the human world, sort of speak. Followed by her father and guided by her protector, the trio made their way through the residential parts of the city.
"What about my bag and my suitcase?" The young woman asked as she realised she had forgotten something.
"Don't worry, I've already sent people to recover them. They will be delivered to you tomorrow morning." Her father assured her.
Alice let out a sight of relieve before turning her attention to Roy. She noticed that he had not said a single word since they had returned to the surface. Furthermore, the young man seemed to be constantly looking over his shoulder and his face bore a grim expression.
"What's wrong?" She inquired.
"We're being followed." Roy answered in voice barely louder than a whisper. "They have been since we exited the Undercity."
Alice and Arahaelben looked around nervously when suddenly all the lights around them seemed to disappear, leaving only the faint glow of the moon and the stars.
"Magical darkness." Roy said.
"Dark elves." Arahaelben replied.
The silence of the empty street died a few seconds later when the sound of footsteps filled the air.
Walking down the street, Vernia had full confidence that she would succeed in her mission; she brought enough muscle for task after all. Walking beside the dark elf were two massive creatures. The beasts stood on two fur covered legs with hooves for feet, their hairless chest were reminiscent of athlete and they had a bull's head.
"Minotaurs, she's got minotaurs now?" Alice said with a panicked tone.
"You know her?" Arahaelben asked.
"We've met, but I'm not here for her." Vernia said as she stood ten meters away from the trio. "This time I'm here for Andorel."
"Andorel?" The older elf asked again confused.
"I suggest you two find a place to hide." Roy said as he stepped forward with the belt buckle in hand.
The young man placed it at his waist and straps deployed from each side forming a belt. Recognizing it as Andorel's legacy, Arahaelben wanted to ask how Roy had come into procession of the artifact but his daughter grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away before he got the chance.
"You humiliated me earlier but now I shall have your head." Vernia said menacingly.
"Good luck with that." The half-elf answered as he placed the green medallion into the tray and slammed it close. "TRANSFORM."
"Courage Form." A deep voice coming from the buckle said as the orb emitted a green glow.
A green crest representing the medallion appeared under his feet and slowly rose to his head. As it moves up, the magic circle replaced his clothes with armor and disappeared after passing his head. At first the armor was all black but the colors quickly appeared as the excess energy was released.
Now that he was transformed, Andorel slowly walked towards his foes full of confidence.
The two minotaurs stood their ground while Vernia backed away as the armored warrior came towards her.
"Tear him apart." She whispered under her breath.
Andorel was about to draw his swords when a noise caught his attention towards his right side. He barely had time to look when a third minotaur, larger than his two companions, charged and rammed the unsuspecting warrior. Roy was thrown away by the force of the impact which made him drop his blades. He barely had time to get back to his feet when one the other minotaurs rammed him as well making him fly in another direction. The third beast slammed the warrior before he could touch the ground sending flying the direction he had come from.
"How does it feel Andorel? To know that your death is coming." Vernia asked with an evil smile.
"I told you, didn't I?" Roy said as he painfully got back to his feet. "Victory favors those who are not without courage."
The young man clenched his fist and assumed and fighting stance. The largest minotaur let out a loud roar before charging the warrior. On Andorel's wrist, the glyphs on the circlet began to glow while energy exited the gemstone and entered his fist. As the beast got closer, it lowered its head so that the horns would impale its prey that still hadn't move. At the last second, Roy punched his attacker on top of its head right between the horns. The impact was so violent that the minotaur was stopped in its tracks; its head was crushed and the spine popped out of its back killing the beast instantly.
Seeing their stronger comrade die so easily, the two remaining minotaur froze; wondering if they should retreat or launch a simultaneous attack. Not given them time to decide, Andorel ran to pick up his swords that he had dropped earlier. He then brought the longer of the two to his belt buckle to that the orb on the guard could be seen by the one on the buckle.
"Courageous slash." The voice from the buckle said.
Energy left the buckle to enter the long sword and then travelled to the short one. Seeing this, the two beasts put all their strength into a desperate charge hoping to kill the armor glad elf before he could finish them. Roy turned around and swung his short sword horizontally at the first monster, then his long one vertically at the second beast. The two slashes left energy arks that travelled to their intended targets. The first wave hit its mark at neck level, severing the head clean which was thrown away by the pressure of the blood flow in the jugular. The second wave sliced the second minotaur straight in the middle, making the two halves empty itself on the street.
Seeing her three monsters defeated, Vernia used a sphere of magical darkness to cover her retreat as she fled the scene. The dark elf ran from rooftop to rooftop trying to get as much distance between herself and Andorel as she could when suddenly something wrapped itself around her legs making fall to the ground. Before she could free herself however, the sorceress found herself surrounded by a group of dark elves wearing clothes reminiscent of modern day ninjas.
"What are you doing?" She asked in panicked.
"You were given one chance and you failed." The first dark elf, a female answered.
"You even failed to die in battle." A second, a male this time, added.
"So the master ordered us to bring you back in chains if you couldn't kill Andorel." The third dark elf, another female, finished.
Vernia tried to scream but her mouth was gagged before she could and in a matter of seconds, she was all tied up and taken away.
Meanwhile, Roy removed the medallion from his belt buckle and cancelled his transformation. After doing so, he fell to his knees; his forehead was covered in sweat and he could barely breathe.
"Roy, are you all right?" Alice asked as she ran to him.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." The young elf answered as he got back to his feet.
"How is it that you have this?" Arahaelben asked as he took the buckle away from Roy.
The older elf ran the buckle in his hands, his eyes clearly indicating that he could not believe it was there.
"Idril gave it to me." Roy answered which got him looks of surprise from both Alice and her father.
The revelation was a blow to both of them. Neither Alice nor Roy however truly understood the implications of such an event it would. As for Arahaelben, he knew all too well that the presence of the artifact meant that a new darkness was about to fall.
"But why him? Why is he the one chosen to become Andorel?" He thought to himself. In his eyes, the future seemed very dark indeed.
