Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Book Two: Crossing Card
Reading Twelve: Rat's Nest
So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…
Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.
But as she battled the Mythos and searched for the special cards that were the keys to unlocking each of Tarock's special powers, Liss found her self-righteousness shaken by the gratitude of the beleaguered people of the Sphere. After being wounded by a giant Mythos, Liss was forced to travel to the city of Mazones to recover. Home to the Arcana most convinced that Tarock is a danger to them, Liss was eager to escape as soon as she'd recovered.
But as she regained her strength Liss befriended a local girl named Rexia with her confidence and adventurous ways. When a giant Mythos attacked Mazones, Liss revealed her powers to Rexia, who was convinced that Liss was evil because of using the mantle of Tarock.
Liss returned to Earth, where she witnessed a midnight meeting between a pair of Mythos. She was found out and a fight ensued, which was interrupted by another super-powered warrior calling himself Vaga. And after he unmasked, she was none too pleased to see the smirking face of her ex-boyfriend, Ben Corland.
A few feet away the last of the Scarecrow monster smoldered. In front of her Ben grinned at revealing his power to her. Next to him stood Jack, a faint look of disapproval on his face. Somehow he seemed old and tired, the colors of his tunic and the cloth on the bundle of his hobo stick more drab than the last time Liss had seen him.
"Told you she wasn't dead," Ben said smugly.
"I was hoping for it myself, young man," Jack replied with a wan smile.
Liss clenched her eyes shut. She felt like demanding to know how he had gotten powers. Why it had been him. Why he looked so superior about having them when she'd been off on a strange world going to strange places and fighting huge monsters to get hers.
But she was too tired, and not about to give Ben Corland the satisfaction of seeing her blow up right there in the middle of the street. Instead she just sighed and asked, "What happened to you, Jack?"
"We didn't know if you were still alive when you stopped answering so suddenly, Liss," the Arcanum answered her. "For Shardak's plan we needed another envoy. To have another envoy we needed power, and everyone's guarding every bit they can find. Given the circumstances I don't entirely blame them."
"He must be really happy the best person you could find was this guy," Liss said, pointing an accusing finger in Ben's direction.
"And everything about you screams 'hero,' doesn't it?" Ben snapped back. "It was just dumb luck you got powers! Me, I got hand-picked!"
Liss shot Jack an accusing glare, and he smiled wanly back. "He had a certain familiar passion," Jack said, and winked.
She sighed, then turned around. "Whatever."
"That's it?" Ben gaped. "You're just gonna friggin' leave?"
"I've had a hell of a day and your face was the last thing I wanted to see at the end of it," Liss sighed, and walked away. Ben started after her, but Jack held out his hobo stick to block him.
The Arcanum shook his head and sighed sadly. "You should leave her be, you know as well as I she's not been idle these weeks. Some time back on home ground will be good for her."
Liss vanished into the night, Ben staring after her as she went. "Such a pity," Jack went on. "The previous Tarocks knew well what they were getting into when they accepted those powers…"
" 'Tarocks' ? Are you serious?" Ben said, giving Jack a look of disbelief. "Her name's not Tarock. It's Liss. Decker."
Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, is that what she's called?" As Ben rushed off he failed to see the faint teasing smile on Jack's face.
Liss settled back down onto the couch at Angelo's place. God, what a day. First all that with Rexia, then she came back and found out Shardak and Jack really had assumed she was dead and replaced her. With Ben Corland.
On the other hand…had she really been planning on taking orders from the two of them? What was she going to do with all the cards after she found them, anyway? Go after the Mythos right away? Or maybe go after Lost. She was the real root of the problem, wasn't she? Take care of her, and then it'd just be a matter of mopping up the monsters already out there.
But take care of Lost how? She hadn't seemed like someone who wanted to kill people. She'd seemed alone, scared, confused...lost.
How…
Damn it.
Liss shut her eyes and tried not to think about anything. She was too damn tired to think about this crap. In the morning she'd talk to sensei. Until then, sleep.
She slipped off her duster and gloves and dropped them on the floor. Sensei would understand after he heard what she'd been up to in the middle of the night. Slowly Liss let the darkness surround her, let the day fade and sleep set in.
Then the sound of something ricocheting off the window next to the couch reached her ears, followed by another a second later. She rolled awkwardly off the couch, fumbled in her duster for the Fate Driver and climbed to the window to see what was going on. Liss prepared herself for the sight of some giant Mythos blasting debris for blocks, but what she saw was even more aggravating.
Standing in the alley below, throwing pebbles at the window, was Ben Corland.
Liss dragged the window open. "What do you want?" she hissed.
"Hi, Liss," Ben said cordially. "I like how you grew your hair out. Looks nice."
Liss pushed the black hair back over her shoulder. She'd been planning to cut it after she had some time to settle back in. "That wasn't my idea," she said, then repeated, "What do you want?"
"Jack told me about this monster hideout down in the sewers," Ben replied. "Tomorrow he was gonna take me down there as kind of my final exam." He glanced at his phone. "Or, today I guess."
"Yeah?"
"I went looking for it and I already know where it is," Ben said proudly. "I was gonna wait for Jack, but since you're back, let's go trash it together!"
Liss looked down at him for a minute, then said, "I'll come by your place. If this is some kind of joke I'll break your nose."
"It's not, I swear! Just a pair of superheroes teaming up! They do that all the time, right?"
"I never read a comic book in my life. How should I know?" Liss asked.
"Jack talked to you about those real superheroes in Japan, right? The ones like us? They must do that, right?"
"Never met them either," Liss said and started to close the window. "See you tomorrow."
Ben grinned.
Before the noise of Angelo and his family rising had ceased, Liss had gathered her things and ridden off. She did have an important favor to ask him, but he knew about the weird stuff going on. He'd understand if she had to hold it off for a while to deal with that first.
She finished a cup of Sandy Burger coffee then emptied her tray into the trash. The taste of overdone coffee would've normally been a necessary evil to get herself going after another short night's sleep. This time, it was welcome, familiar. For the first day in weeks, she wasn't on some weird other planet where mystical beings of two different kinds were out to get her.
She was home. At least here, the problems were ones she was used to.
When Liss drove up to the apartment block where Ben lived, he was already standing outside on the curb with a sports bag on the ground next to him. He grinned as he heard the sound of Shift Runner's engine and ran over as she pulled up.
"Awesome bike! Where you'd get it?" he asked.
"It came with the suit," Liss answered.
Ben frowned. "None came with my suit."
"If you're not pulling my chain about this monster hideout maybe we'll see about getting you one," Liss said. "Now where is it?"
He got up behind her, slinging his bag on the back of the seat and holding on her shoulder with his other hand. For a second Liss seemed to flinch away from him, then started the bike up and rode down the street.
"The best way to sneak in's gonna be near the old paint place down on 11th!" Ben said. "You know where that is?"
Of course she did. Nobody else had been inside that old store in years. It was one of the first places Liss had learned to hide when she was coming up with escape routes back when…back when she'd first started calling herself Liss.
But the old Shining Walls place wasn't much like Liss remembered when they cruised by. The store was still out of business, but the door was open and inside the floor had been cleared and three workmen were installing new insulation in the ceiling. Liss looked over at it for a second in surprise then rounded the block and went into an alley behind the building as Ben directed.
They stopped next to a manhole, and Ben dropped his bag on the ground, unzipped it and pulled a crowbar out. He used it to flip the cover off the manhole, then dug into the back again and got a pair of old flashlights out. He handed one to Liss, then a swimmer's nose clip. "It smells like ass down there," he explained.
"Imagine where the toilets empty out smelling like that," Liss said, but put it on. Ben turned on his flashlight and climbed down the ladder. Liss followed.
Empress Maeve's return trip to Mazones was slower than she might have normally gone, if only because she thought the seer might still have been watching to assess her dedication for any future visits she paid.
Phythia's advice hadn't been the most welcome. Somehow Maeve had hoped there might be a quick, direct solution to dealing with the Mythos. That maybe Phythia could've even used her vaunted powers of sight to learn where this "lost soul" would be so Maeve could lead a force straight there. Things were never that simple, even to the Arcana, were they?
Mazones came into view, and Maeve let out a small sigh. It was always good to see her home again. Then she noticed how a hole had been punched in the outer wall, gashed nearly to the ground.
The next instant she was flying back to Mazones.
Guards on the wall looked up in alarm as Maeve came flying at them, but a flash of violet energy called off their panic. As she flew down trucks were already delivering stone to repair the damage, and machinery was being driven in to put it in place. Overseeing the repair effort, her armor sporting a few new dents, was Thena. She looked up as Maeve landed nearby and stomped up to her.
"What happened?" the empress demanded.
"A Mythos attack during your absence, majesty," Thena sighed. "There were two. They were repelled, with help from Mila and Felco's envoys. But…"
Maeve crossed her arms, already suspecting what she was about to hear.
"…Tarock was present for the battle as well. Where she came from, I don't know. She attacked the same Mythos as myself, and once it was dealt with jumped the wall and vanished from sight," Thena said, a slight quaver in her voice as she delivered the unwelcome news. Her normal blinding confidence slipping for that instant.
The ground under Maeve's feet cracked from the power building from her anger as she began to speak. "Very convenient how a Mythos attack and Tarock appearing inside the city both take place at the same time, while I'm gone trying to find a way to end this war."
"Did Phythia tell you anything of use?" Thena asked.
Maeve's body erupted with violet power for a second as she turned to face a still unmoved Thena. "Don't change the subject!" the empress screeched. "Tarock was right here in Mazones, and you and those two didn't dispose of her!"
"I was at the limit of my strength, majesty. The years have left me weaker than I realized," Thena replied. "The Mythos was enormous, and only fell between the two of us."
"I don't like how you make it sound as if the two of you are suddenly comrades in arms," Maeve slowly, her statement an unmistakable warning.
Thena bowed low. "You have my deepest regrets for allowing Tarock to slip away, empress. But I was not idle. I was battling a far more immediate threat to our people."
A few minutes passed, and Maeve emptied her mind to force her powers and her anger to subside. She finally said, "Find those other two, and bring them to my quarters. As it so happens I have found something that will let us go on the attack."
They switched on the flashlights and Ben started walking down the concrete platform next to a river of sludge, Liss walking beside him. The air was thick and stung the throat a little, but Ben didn't seem to mind too much and Liss had been through worse. They didn't go for long before Ben turned to her and asked, "How did it happen? You getting your powers?"
"Jack didn't tell you?"
"Maybe I want to hear it from you."
Liss looked at him for a minute before answering. "The last Tarock, a guy from the Sphere, he was fighting this spider monster and they just appeared in front of me all of a sudden. The spider killed him and his belt landed next to me, and it seemed important so I took it. I killed the spider with Shardak telling me about its powers through the fight, even though I didn't know it was him back then.
"I was trying to figure out how it worked and what was going on at school…and you got sent to detention on purpose so you could try to figure out why I wasn't talking to you," she finished. Ben smirked and shrugged. "Then I had my first fight with an Arcanum…and she hurt me really bad. Then Jack found me and told me about the Sphere, and where to look for the other cards I needed to have all my powers. He probably told you about all that." She looked ver at him, wondering if that had sounded as unprepared to him as it had to her. "So why'd he pick you to replace me?"
Ben smirked again. "Nobody could ever replace you."
"C'mon…," Liss sighed.
He raised his hands in acquiescence. "Jack came to town and said he was looking for someone to help him. You know, about getting people to fight the monsters without the Arcana's help. And they wanted me to help find you, not replace you."
"But why'd they pick you?" Liss pressed.
That got a chuckle out of him. "Because I told them to. And didn't take no for an answer."
"I guess that kind of advances their goal."
A few minutes passed as they headed deeper into the dank tunnels. "So," Ben said, "what do you think we should call ourselves?"
"What?" Liss asked.
"Well, 'Vaga' and 'Tarock' don't really sound badass all by themselves, do they?" Ben explained. "What if we added something? Like those guys in Japan did, you know? Jack told you about those too, didn't he?"
Liss nodded.
"So we should have cooler names than just that, like them. Masked Rider Tarock, sounds pretty awesome, huh?"
Liss shrugged. "I guess."
Ben gave her an incredulous look. "You guess? Geez, Liss, you see all the shit we've seen, and that's how psyched up you are about this? Why'd you do all this if that's how you feel?"
Liss shot him the most serious look he'd ever seen on anyone. "To prove I'm strong enough to grab onto this, and handle anything that comes my way because of it."
As he heard Liss's reply Ben stopped walking, and Liss stopped next to him but looking straight ahead. He stood there in thought, then asked, "Prove to who?"
"To me," Liss answered.
"Oh," Ben said. Another beat passed. "I meant what I said about your hair last night."
"Let's find the monsters' hideout before Jack comes looking for you, okay?" Liss replied.
"Okay," Ben said, and led the way again. After another few minutes of uneventful trudging they reached the end of a tunnel that emptied out into a large room about ten feet below them. On a ledge in the far right corner was a small pile of brightly-colored gems. On the other end of the ledge were a bunch of oil drums. Most were capped, but a few were full of a thick black bubbling liquid.
"Oh god," Liss muttered as she spotted the drums in the beam of her flashlight. It looked like the same stuff Lost had puked up and shaped itself into a Mythos monster right in front of her. She cast her light back and forth to see if Lost herself was down there, but the room seemed devoid of life. At least life other than rats and bugs.
"What is it, Liss?" Ben asked in a whisper.
"That black stuff over there. That's what the Mythos come from. Damn, how do they get it? Lost would've had to run like hell to get away after spitting that much stuff up." Her thoughts turned to the strange girl she'd only met once, but who was easily suffering the most of anybody in the middle of the Mythos coming back. Producing the dark matter that spawned the Mythos monsters and hearing the voice of the White Lady calling her and naming the horrors that would appear as a result whenever Lost had one of her horrific "attacks."
"Lost? What's lost?" Ben asked. Suddenly Liss winced at cold on her arm, and pushed a gloved finger to his mouth.
"They're coming," she whispered. Ben paused and could indeed hear the unmistakable echo of a footfall down the tunnel from them. Then suddenly the air became thick with smoke, and something huge flew out of it, tackling Ben into empty space at end of the tunnel and smacking Liss face-first into the wall.
Ben and the attacker landed with a splash in a flow of rancid water. He wrestled his hand free from where it was pinned between his and his attacker's bodies and grabbed his card, waving it in front of his bracelet. "Change, VAGA!" it called. As his armor materialized and his power to see in the dark took hold he found himself looking up into the face of a fanged, ape-like monster with pointed ears and wiry black hair. Vaga concentrated and his warder appeared. The weapon glowed with power as he battered the monster's side, knocking it off him then jumped back up. The monster jumped, almost brushing the roof of the room at the height of his jump, then plowed into Vaga with both feet.
Liss groaned and pushed back from the wall, feeling her nose to see if it was broken but only noticing a warm trickle under one nostril. There was a second twinge of cold on her arm and she quickly guessed she wasn't alone.
Quickly Liss strapped on her Fate Driver and was digging into the pouch on the belt for a card when an electric bolt ripped down the sewer tunnel and slammed into her chest. She was sent flying off the ledge but managed to load her Driver before she hit.
"Pentacles Suit!" it roared. Tarock landed heavily but the sensation of overpowering strength filled her body, and she got up ready to fight again.
"Time to get to work," Tarock said, then turned to face her enemy.
The Mythos who'd attacked her stepped off the ledge and fell through the air, then stopped suddenly a few feet before his feet touched the festering water. He was massive, with a snarling face that looked like it had been hit repeatedly with a shovel, flattening them down. His nose had thicker nostrils than she'd ever seen on a pig, sharp fangs jutted up from his lower jaw and the hair atop his head seemed constantly blown upward in a wind she couldn't feel. His most striking features were the three powerful arms sticking out from both sides of his torso.
This one she thought she recognized. He looked like a monster one of Ben's friends whose name she couldn't remember had painted on his bedroom wall, an "asura." The friend had thought it had looked awesome; Ben had thought it was funny when the friend's parents found out about the satanic picture on the wall and sent him to counseling.
She wondered if Ben still would.
The Mythos cupped his hands and electricity danced between his palms. Tarock hurled herself to the side before another lightning bolt ripped from them and blew a hole in the floor where she'd been, pelting her with chips of concrete. The monster flew forward, grabbed a pair of the gems and whispered something that chilled Tarock as she thought she caught a few words that sounded familiar. Then he plunged the gems into the open vat of black goo. Tarock lunged at him, but before she got close enough to attack he plunged the gems, which had merged into a single sphere of power, into his chest which rippled like water then solidified once after he withdrew his hand.
She threw her hardest punch and connected with Asura's side, throwing him off-balance. A hard kick to the stomach bent him backwards…then out of nowhere one of his powerful arms swiped at her head with a glistening scimitar. Tarock ducked and the blade skimmed her arm. Her thick armor caught most of it but the blow was still enough to knock her to the floor. Another arm flashed out with a thorn-covered whip, but Tarock launched herself and shoulder-checked him hard. Before Asura could recover she slammed a punch into his chest.
Tarock threw her hardest punch. Blue ichor spurted from the wound. Asura flew back a few feet and clutched his chest with one wide hand, fanged mouth parting in a silent gasp.
Then his upper arms came crashing down on Tarock's shoulders. She cried out as she felt the blows even through her thickest armor, but as the scimitar made another pass at her head she grabbed Asura's arm and pushed it back with all her might, stabbing the tip of the blade into the dripping wound where she'd landed her punch. He clenched his teeth but made no sound of pain. Two huge fists swung down toward Tarock again but she shoved the sword as hard as she could then whirled and summoned her hammer, the Gran Crusher. With all her strength Tarock bashed Asura's hands away then jumped.
"Calamity! Earth Needle!" the Fate Driver said. As soon as Tarock landed the ground shook and rocky spikes erupted from the ground and jabbed into Asura's body. Still not uttering a sound he swept his many powerful arms around him and smashed through the spikes, ignoring the seeping new wounds in his sides. "Woe! Terra Bind!" the Fate Driver said. At her command hands formed from the wall behind Asura and seized his powerful arms. She didn't have any delusions about being able to hold him for more than a second or two, but jumped and smashed her hammer into the side of his head. There was a crunch and it snapped off, landing in the sewage in the far side of the chamber.
Tarock panted, surprised at how easy it had been. But Asura's body didn't dissolve into blue smoke like the dead Mythos before him had. Instead there was a nauseating wet cracking noise, then Tarock looked up to see another head atop Asura's shoulders before a lightning bolt ripped from his hands.
Meanwhile Vaga and the other Mythos jumped at one another from opposite sides of the room. As they came close enough Vaga slashed with his Warder and caught the Mythos on the back of the head but the monster's claw-like nails raked against his side. They kept going, neither having done any serious damage, then once they landed turned and jumped at each other again.
Vaga started to swing at his enemy's head, who jerked to the side and aimed for Vaga's chest with his claws. Suddenly Vaga changed the direction of his swing, waving the Warder in front of himself and leaving a transparent blue trail behind it that the monster's claws bounced off. The same force surrounded the Warder as Vaga battered it against his enemy's back, knocking him out of the air to land in the sewage.
In only a second the monster was back up. He opened his mouth and a crackling green fog poured out. Already the air was starting to sting through his suit. Vaga covered his mouth, doubting it would do much good. But between breathing dangerous smoke, the powerful jumps, this Mythos reminded him of one of the monsters Jack had made him learn about so he'd know what to expect if he ran into them. One from England. Spring-Heeled Jack, that sounded right.
Wasn't that a nice little bit of irony?
"Vaga Bowgun," his bracelet announced as passed the weapon in front of it, and it morphed into a slender gun-like form. He squeezed the trigger and a shining arrow shot at the monster. It lodged in his shoulder, causing him to wheel back and let the smoke he'd been breathing start to break up. Vaga charged and shouldered the Mythos hard against the wall, and ran after to press his attack. Suddenly the monster sprang up, jumped off the wall and landed a powerful jump-kick on Vaga's chest.
The blow sent Vaga tumbling head over heels. He held on tight to his weapon, desperate not to lose the advantage it provided. Spring-Heeled Jack came plummeting down toward Vaga, claws held out in anticipation, and Vaga scrambled to his feet.
Vaga passed his weapon in front of his bracelet, and it announced "Vaga Fencer." Again it reshaped itself, this time into a slender rapier with a blade the color of burnished gold. Jack landed and sliced at Vaga who blocked the claws on the blade of his sword and lunged in to stab at Jack's heart. The monster grunted and jumped back but Vaga stabbed again and again, drawing blue blood with each strike. Jack recovered for a second and jabbed at Vaga's face, but the attack was slow, clumsy. Vaga sidestepped it with ease and kicked Jack away.
Then Vaga jumped, somersaulted in the air and came out of it in a flying kick. "Vaga KIIICK!" he called and his body was sheathed in red power. He crashed into Jack and sent the monster flying through the air, and Jack burst into blue smoke. Vaga looked around for any other guardians, then turned and ran to where Tarock was still fighting.
Tarock threw another of her hardest punches against Asura's chest, but the wound she'd made from her first was closing even as she pulled back her fist. "Calamity! Edifice Cracker!" the Fate Driver said, and Tarock threw another charged punch, but Asura's sword flashed out and she jumped back to avoid losing her arm. More lightning shot from his hands and scorched the concrete as Tarock repeatedly flipped backward to avoid even more blasts, a few striking the water covering the floor and sending up clouds of foul-smelling steam.
But in this form she wasn't quick enough to avoid the bolts for long. One caught her on the chest and another on her right ankle, blowing Tarock off the ground. More lightning raked over her armor, but Tarock let out a defiant cry that seemed to shake the entire room, grabbed her hammer and charged Asura. Crackling electric strands tore across her armor, but Tarock didn't slow down, plowing into Asura with her shoulder and knocking him on his back. She rained pulverizing blows down on him with her hammer, and kicked away a swing from his sword aimed at her back.
But still he kept coming even after feeling the attacks of her strongest form, raining down blows and bolts that Tarock dodged away from again and again. She plowed into him with her shoulder and kicked at him again and again. Asura recoiled a few steps, then charged again. Frustration welled up inside Tarock at his unending resistence.
"All I been hearing for years is how nobody wants me the way I am," Tarock shouted. She pounded her hammer into his arms as he tried to grab her. "Well, they always said you can be anything you want!" She jumped off Asura, then kicked him off the ground and loaded a new card.
"Wands Suit!" the Fate Driver announced, her blue armor solidifying, then immediately followed, "Calamity! Dragon's Maw!" A wide fan of flames from her wand engulfed Asura. He crashed into the wall, still wreathed in flames.
"THIS IS WHAT I AM! I'm what I say I am, not anybody else!" she screamed.
"Damn," Vaga whispered and Tarock turned to see him standing and watching.
Tarock was about to answer, but gasped instead as a frigid feeling grasped her arm. Asura had gotten back up and was about to charge, but the drums of black slime had started to churn. Something was starting to form from it.
"Get that, I'll handle the big guy!" Vaga said, then dashed past Liss without waiting for an answer. Shaking her head, Tarock spoke two words.
"Mag Step." In the blink of an eye she'd crossed the room and let the speed vanish. Couldn't afford to go burning up all her energy when she was pretty sure Vaga couldn't handle Asura on his own. "Woe! Muspell Mace!" The head of her want erupted into flames. The slime was rising up and a horse-shaped head had already started to form. Then to Tarock's horror she heard a familiar and terrifying sound in her mind.
"Rise, Pega-" the White Lady's stabbing voice from her nightmares rang in Tarock's ears.
"SHUT UP!" Tarock screamed as she swung her burning weapon through the head of the new Mythos as it was starting to solidify, then cried out. The cold feeling on her arm had been replaced by a feeling like fire. The slime was starting to bubble up again and the lids clattered off the others.
Tarock's entire arm went numb from pain. It hung by Tarock's side even as more new Mythos were starting to form from them. Terror gripped her; her body was reacting somehow to what was coming to life in those barrels, and destroying the black slime was the only way to stop it. Again and again her flaming mace flashed out, cutting through the old metal of the barrels and igniting what was inside.
The last of the black ooze burned away and Tarock clutched her arm and tried to rub some feeling back into it. Suddenly she heard a cry of surprise, and Vaga landed hard nearby. Asura flew at her, his face twisted into an angry snarl. Tarock concentrated and slipped into that strange speed of her Mag Steep power long enough to avoid his charge and drag her Pyre Brand around the ground at his feet in a circle. "Calamity! Ring of Helios!" the Fate Driver said. A jet of flame shot up from the circle and engulfed Asura.
All of a sudden the monster came flying out of the flames and grabbed Tarock by the throat and started to squeeze with his beefy hands. She gave a strangled cry then burst in a puff of smoke.
Asura rose to his full height and whirled to face Tarock and Vaga, then charged at them, swinging sword and whip and firing lightning blasts wildly from his empty hands. Tarock blurred away, and after looking on jealously for a second Vaga gasped and ducked just in time to avoid losing his head from a lightning bolt shooting past. He rolled past Asura then got to his feet and ran to where Tarock had reappeared.
Tarock hefted her wand in her left arm, finally able to feel with it again. "Let's hit him one after the other," she suggested and readied herself for her most powerful attack. "Dire Fate! Flames of Wrath!" the Fate Driver shouted. She swung the wand and shot a fireball that swelled as it flew. It exploded as it hit Asura, stopping him in his tracks for just a second, but then Tarock threw another that swelled and exploded against the monster's chest. Before he could charge again she threw another that exploded against him and knocked him back a few feet.
"Vaga Lancer! Heartseeker!" Vaga's bracelet said. His weapon morphed into its long spear form. The tip blazed with power and he stabbed Asura through the torso with all his enhanced might. Light filled the room as the spear penetrated the monster's body. Asura's mouth parted in a scream but still he held silent even as Vaga's power ripped glowing cracks in his body. Finally, the monster exploded in a burst of light.
For a minute the room was empty except for the sound of sewer water trickling in and out. Vaga looked over at Tarock as if he was about to say something.
Then the ceiling groaned and started to collapse.
Harder, Jack focused his senses, annoyance building as he still registered nothing. Perhaps Shardak had been onto something when he'd warned against this after all.
Still, wasn't affecting change exactly what they were hoping to accomplish? And if anyone would need to put in effort to change, it would be those who'd lived for centuries. Immortality did set one in their ways…
No wonder he couldn't focus enough to locate his errant pupil, he couldn't even focus on a single thought. Perhaps it was time to let another carry the load while he tried to master his new situation.
Jack set down his stick and rummaged around in the bundle. "Well little friend, it seems you'll need to test your wings sooner than we'd thought."
Then the ground trembled under his feet, and he had a feeling he wouldn't have to look far after all.
Huge hunks of cement and dirt broke off from the ceiling of the sewer chamber, the old construction unable to withstand the awesome powers Tarock, Vaga and their opponents had unleashed in it. Tarock ran for a tunnel on the same level as them leading out of the room, with Vaga close behind. When they were a hundred feet down it, the crashing and rumbling stopped. They stopped, Tarock leaning back against the wall and looking around for a way out.
Vaga gave her an appraising look. She'd gotten into the tunnel ahead of him, but hadn't used that special speed of hers when she'd run. And just before she'd made it through the opening he could've sworn he saw her look back over one shoulder at him.
"Guess we make a pretty good team after all," he said.
"Please," Tarock replied. "I had the strong monster under control all by myself. He kicked your butt all the way across the room until I came back and saved you."
"He got in one lucky hit," Vaga retorted.
"You mean you're lucky he only got in one hit."
Behind his mask, Ben smirked. "Yeah, good thing for me you got in there so quick, wasn't it? You that quick all the time?" Tarock punched him on the chest.
Then the entire world seemed to shake, knocking the two of them off their feet. There was a piercing, inhuman cry from the room that had just caved in.
Then another, just like the first.
"Looks like we're not done," Tarock said and dashed to a ladder. A second of furious climbing and she pushed open a manhole, emerging onto the street.
Nearby, the ground had caved in leaving a hole that one side of an old brick building was sliding into. But above the hole were floating a pair of large, monstrous heads like the Asura's, one with dark red skin and the other blue.
That black gem he'd pushed inside his body. That had to be the secret to how some of the Mythos could revive themselves as even larger and more powerful when they died. This was certainly a new kind of revival, though…
The red head spun to face Tarock, inflated its cheeks and spewed a jet of fire, floating closer and dragging the flames closer to her.
She shifted into Mag Step and blurred to the end of the block, but as she did she was already feeling herself weakening. She couldn't let this fight drag out much longer.
"Cups Suit!" A transparent card drifted down over her and replaced her blue armor with yellow.
"Woe! Aqua Burst!" Tarock fired a high-pressure water sphere at the head, sending it spinning for a seconds before righting itself and coming at her breathing fire again. "Woe! Hydro Jet!" Her Sea Hand fired again, this time a continuous burst that pushed back against the flames the head was spitting. Concentrating harder, Tarock's blast pushed ahead.
The blue head started to fly forward to aid the other in attacking Tarock but suddenly a glistening arrow thudded into it. It veered around and spotted Vaga, holding his Bowgun just as he launched another arrow at its eyes. The head opened its mouth wide, spraying a blast of frigid air so cold ice crystals immediately formed. Vaga's arrow froze and shattered on the ground.
Vaga gasped and ran to the side but the head tracked him, spraying its freezing breath and leaving a sheet of ice on the street behind him before catching one boot in the ice it was forming. Vaga couldn't stop himself and fell flat on his chest, pulling on the ice around his foot but unable to escape. The head opened its mouth to breathe again…
Vaga grasped his weapon and prepared himself for an effort he'd hoped he wouldn't need to try before he had a few more battles under his belt. His weapon changed back to its normal form, then he gathered all his strength and his bracelet announced, "Vaga Nova." He jabbed the Warder in the air, leaving a bright green point of light. He did so again, then again, and lines formed between the points to form a triangle. Vaga stabbed the Warder into the center and a wide circle of writhing green power formed around it.
The head sprayed its ice breath again, but the energy from the circle surged forward and plowed through it and then through the head itself. The pieces quickly disintegrated into blue smoke.
And Vaga flopped down on the asphalt, completely spent.
Tarock poured more strength into her water stream and kept pushing her opponent's flames back. She grabbed the Rend Brace with her other hand and said, "Tethys Cutter." The bracelet flashed and Tarock swung it, creating a blue blade of energy she slashed the monstrous face. It recoiled but flew by and strafed her with fire. Tarock cried out in pain and was blown off her feet. The head turned and started back.
Before it had a chance to spray its fire again Tarock aimed and the Fate Driver said, "Calamity! Jaws of Frost!" A freezing wave issued from her gauntlet and washed over the head, forming a sheath of ice. Already another jet of fire was glowing at its mouth, but it bought Tarock the second she needed to do one thing.
"Swords Suit!" Her armor changed once again, this time to the heavier red suit she'd first worn. Before the head could finish melting its way out she summoned her sword and charged.
The last of the ice had melted off and the head breathed fire at Tarock again but she brandished the Skycalibur in front of her, blocking the flames and turning the blade red hot. She jumped over the flames and slashed as hard as she could, leaving a red haze in the swords wake as it bit into the Mythos's flesh.
Before it recovered the Driver said "Thunder Lash," and the electrified coil issued from the tip of her Rend Brace. She curled it around the monster head then cracked it and sent the head spinning away.
Tarock jumped as high as she could. "Dire Fate! Strato Kick!" said her Driver. The wind roared, pushing her toward the Mythos. Her body glowed with red power as she careened into it foot-first, making it explode in a blue blaze.
She waited for a minute, standing off the street and listening for any other sounds of chaos or the cold sensation that told her a Mythos was nearby. People began to peek out of windows and doorways, but of anymore Mythos, nothing. It seemed like they'd gotten them all. She un-tensed, stood up and let the Card of Swords eject into her hand. Tarock flickered away, leaving regular old Liss Decker in her place.
"Well, if it isn't the unlikely hero," someone declared, and inwardly Liss groaned as she recognized the voice. Standing behind her, grinning from ear to ear and with a recorder in hand, was Sue Gand.
But she wasn't alone, and a quick flash of cold on Liss's arm told her who to expect. Jack approached with usual purposeful stride, seeming slightly more energetic than the last time she'd seen him. A few steps behind him was Ben, eyelids drooping and limping along. He kept shooting furtive glances Jack's way, and there was no sign of the confidence he'd had the night before.
"Well, well, well," Jack said as he surveyed the pit left in the wake of the latest battle. "Seems our eager young champions haven't been wasting any time."
"Excuse me for killing a monster," Liss retorted. "You and him were gonna come and clean this place out anyway, weren't you?"
"Indeed we were. Though that no longer seems necessary. And you two are to be congratulated for it," Jack said, showing a dazzling smile.
Ben looked up at the Arcanum in confusion. "Jack…?"
"I had been intending to advise as you cleaned out the Mythos nest," Jack explained, "but you found it with Liss and destroyed it on your own initiative. That's exactly the spirit we're trying to encourage, isn't it?" Ben's expression changed to one of surprise, while Sue gleefully brandished her recorder to get everything that was being said. "What's the expression? Gold Star, I believe."
"So, what now?" Ben asked. "I mean, that was supposed to be my last test, right?"
"Now, if you're still interested in helping us, I think we can discuss a few little bonuses," Jack said with a smile.
"Mr. Jack," Sue said as she rushed forward and thrust her recorder in his face, making him recoil a step. "What are you plans now that Tarock has a partner? You're trying to save your world, but monsters have started to slip through to Earth too, haven't they? What are your concerns for our world, if the monsters originated on your own?" Last time Liss had seen her, when they'd ended up in the city of Avalon, Sue had made a rash decision to follow Liss through a doorway to the Sphere and lost the tools of her trade in the journey. Now she'd had time to let the strangeness settle in and prepare, and was going full force against an immortal alien.
Jack just smiled pleasantly. "I'd say you ought to direct your questions to our two young heroes. They seem to have things well in hand."
"Oh yeah?" Sue said, and turned. "How about a quote?"
"No," Liss said.
"I'll give you one, if you don't use our names," Ben said. Sue nodded, so he went on, "I and my faithful sidekick promise that no harm shall befall this city while we're still alive. Let the monsters come, Kamen Riders Vaga and Tarock will stop them called."
Sue canted her head. "Kamen?"
"It means mask. Masked. Yeah. Masked," Ben said, then braced himself for when Liss elbowed him in the stomach a second later for calling her the sidekick.
Sue chuckled, but smiled hopefully at them. "Any chance I could convince you to sit down for a more in-depth round of questions sometime?"
"No," Liss repeated.
"Tell you what," Ben replied. "How about I give you a sneak preview now and we'll talk about the full story later?" They walked off, Sue jamming her recorder in Ben's face.
Once they were a ways off, Jack leaned over and asked, "Pardon me, but I hope you won't be offended when I say I find it strange you have so little interest in gaining fame when given the opportunity."
"Look, if I can get people off their asses and doing things for themselves, great," Liss said. "But I ain't doing this to get a fanclub."
"Oh?" asked Jack.
"Yeah," Liss said, and tossed Jack a bright blue Ora Stone. He caught it, then looked at her quizzically. "A couple things on there you might want to know about," she said, then got on her bike and rode away.
Liss stopped Shift Runner behind the dojo and let herself in the back like she had the night before. She glanced into the main room and saw a class was in session, so she walked upstairs and helped herself to a quick shower. After she got out, Liss looked hard at her hair in the mirror, the extra inches she grew while she was recovering from her injuries on the Sphere.
It was just touching her shoulders when she'd first left, now it was moving down to her back. It looked so girly as she stood there looking at herself sideways in the mirror.
And yet, her plan to find the nearest pair of scissors to get rid of it once she'd settled back in suddenly didn't seem as appealing anymore.
Liss sat out in the main room of Angelo's living space, and munched on a slightly cool Sandy Burger she'd picked up on the way back while she waited for class to let up and a chance to talk to her old teacher. Her request was bound to sound a little strange after not coming in for so long, but being determined to stick to the path she'd chosen, it only made sense.
A while later heavy footsteps ascended the stairs. Angelo entered the room, and immediately wrinkled his nose before he even turned to look at Liss. "I let you stay here for one night and you thank me by fouling up my air." He looked in the rash and knitted and his brow at the logo on the bag.
"I had to go out for a while, and I got hungry," Liss explained.
"I wouldn't be much of a host if I made you eat that garbage," Angelo said and took a seat across from her. "What was it you needed to talk to me about before?" he asked.
Liss sighed and took a second to make sure she didn't let anything come out wrong. "Well, you know about me, and the armor, and the monsters…the basics, right?"
He nodded, saying nothing, so Liss went on.
"I'm going to keep fighting them, sensei. But they're probably just going to keep getting stronger," Liss said. "And I need you to help me get stronger too."
Angelo smiled faintly and nodded. "That sounds good. Let me make something clear right now, though. You aren't too big on rules from what I hear, but there's gonna be rules to this. No getting up at 5:30 in the morning to make you run a marathon, but there's gonna be rules."
"Yeah?" Liss asked.
"Yeah," Angelo replied. "First rule, no more eating at Sandy Burger."
"Kinda figured it might be," Liss replied.
Angelo arched an eyebrow. "And you still did it, huh?"
Liss shrugged. "I'm a free spirit," she said.
"That's an interesting name for it," Angelo replied. "But that's what those magic guys are banking on, I bet. All right. Meet me downstairs in an hour and a half. Class'll be over then, and we can see how much catchin' up you really need."
Liss nodded and smiled just a bit. "Thanks, sensei."
Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…
(Ben and Jack emerge from a forest trail to a fortified town)
Ben: So we're here to kill a monster.
(A man with an eyepatch and a black mustache watches them walk by while he hides)
Jack: We're here to save lives. And start a movement.
(A wolf-like silhouette stands on a hill)
Man: You'll never leave this place alive…
Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.
Hey again, sorry if this one's pretty long. I thought it was necessary to communicate how formidable the Mythos are getting. Also, as you've probably noticed I've codified Liss's attacks. "Woe" means a weak special move, "Calamity" is a heavy attack, and "Dire Fate" are her strongest attacks that work as finishers.