Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Fourteen: Incentives
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.
Expecting mostly battle, Liss was surprised to encounter people who saw her as a powerful ally and savior for fighting the Mythos. She found more than her share of enemies as well, including the people of the city of Mazones, ruled by Arcana who considered Tarock a menace for killing one of their number ages ago. After a shaking experience in Mazones, Liss returned to Earth recover.
There she learned that while she'd been away, her ex-boyfriend Ben had been given similar powers to hers as the new hero Vaga. A role he'd accepted trying to win her back. Ben journeyed to the Sphere to help return a weapon designer working in isolation to safety so that his work could help benefit the fight against the Mythos. In the process Ben fended off a threatening Loup Garou Mythos, but began to doubt his dedication when he learned Mythos can take over the bodies of ordinary people and he'd killed such a person.
Everything was silent. It was a different kind of demonstration than she'd been asked to make after she put on her belt, but one she was sure she'd have no problem with.
"All right Liss, begin."
"H'RAH!"
Liss threw her hardest punch, then turned and launched into a spinning kicking the other direction. She shouted as she launched a series of palm strikes then a swift and vicious leg sweep. Then she turned and blocked an unseen blow on her arm and thrust her other hand forward in a blow to her attacker's solar plexus. She turned again, spinning her foot high in the air, then bringing it down with all her strength.
Her foot landed with an impact that seemed to echo against the silence of rhw dojo, even though she'd gone through her routine on one of the long foam mats. It wasn't entirely accurate to say every eye in the room was on her. A few of the students looked as if they were trying to gauge if they could get to the door first if their instructor were to spring.
Not surprisingly, it was Sensei who broke the silence. "Not bad, Liss. Maybe a little less intensity next time, though?" he suggested. "This is only practice, after all."
"If you're not giving it everything you got, what's the point?" Liss asked. "Isn't that what you always say, Sensei?"
"Showing up for every lesson and sticking to the practice was more what I meant," he said, but clapped his hand loud for the class's attention. "All right everybody, pair off and start practicing that block and counterattack from Liss's demonstration. Once everybody's got that down we'll move onto the next step."
Liss and Angelo walked slowly between the two rows the students formed and inspected their technique. Liss was halfway down one row when the girl she was next to mumbled something in her direction.
"What?" Liss asked.
"Do you really fight monsters?" the girl asked, a little louder, as she threw another punch for her partner to block.
Liss nodded slowly. "Yeah, I fight monsters," she replied. "Sometimes I meet people who think I'm a monster, and I have to fight them too." She thought back on the sight of Rexia, the girl who'd helped her to recover from injuries while she'd been forced to hide out on the Sphere, just sitting there refusing to look at Liss after she'd revealed she was the new Tarock.
"Why do they think you're a monster?" asked the other kid, blocking the fake punch and then extending her palm to the first girl's midriff.
"Because the first guy who had my powers killed one of them, and they think because I have the same powers, I want to kill them too."
The two students stopped, looked at each other for a second then back at Liss. "Richie told us he doesn't think you act like a superhero." Liss looked down the line at a mat near the end, and the sour-faced boy looked back at her for a second before he and his partner continued their practice. Liss knew the kid. His last name started with a P, she thought. He hadn't exactly been excited to have her as an assistant instructor, it was true.
"Yeah, well," Liss said, "Maybe he's right, and that's not the best name for me."
A loud clap interrupted them. "Liss!" said Angelo. "I'm sure they're glad for the personal attention but you're here to help everyone." She started walking the rows again, helping a few of the students to correct their postures as they practiced the move.
As she passed Angelo, Liss asked, "Sparring tonight?"
He nodded. "Of course."
Uneasily, Lurian and Nema, or as they were better known, the warriors Ven and Donis, sank to their knees in deference. In front of them were their patrons, the Arcana Mila and Felco, hands and feet joined together in strange orbs, locked in an eternal embrace.
"We have observed your progress," Felco began, "and-"
"…We're not what you're looking for after all?" Nema asked suddenly, a bit brusquely. Lurian gave her a disbelieving look, but she never had been one to waste others' time.
"Inadequately prepared for the task you were given," Mila corrected her, sharply. "We understand the passions that bind two souls, but we, alas, did not create you understanding much in the matters of war. However, we have been given a greater understanding by others with greater understanding than ours, and have seen fit to better equip you."
Energy flashed from Mila and Felco's eyes to their followers' hands. Then everything seemed to go white for a second, and the energy had solidified.
Nema slowly curled her fingers around the haft of a dagger with a serrated blade. "This is the Ven Gasher," Mila explained. "It can pierce all but the strongest armor, but like Ven herself it is mightiest when wielded by many at once."
In Lurian's hands was a simple bow but made of a wood that looked almost as if it was made of the purest gold. "And this is the Bough of Grace," said Felco. "It must gather its strength between each shot, but when it finds its mark it will devastate."
"Thank you for these mighty gifts. With them we will surely perform better," Lurian said in a placating tone.
"That is not all," Mila and Felco said as one. "But this is the last remembrance you'll receive for free."
There was another flash and suddenly they weren't in a guest chamber in the Empress's palace anymore. Nema and Lurian were in the small house near the edge of the Mazones city wall. It wasn't much, but it was theirs. Houses near the perimeter were cheaper, and they'd decided to make do with the substandard housing since they'd have more to save for their child's upbringing.
The same child, along with many others, that Lurian was marching out with the rest of his garrison to recover from Raijan. The warlord who'd clawed his way to the top of that filthy city-state was claiming his successful capture of a number of families from Mazones had proven the Arcana were weak, and he was calling for the common people to rebel and assert their dominance over the Sphere. This was the response he was getting.
"Don't worry, my love," Lurian said. And despite the fact that their daughter was in the hands of a madman, Lurian looked so invincible in his fresh new uniform, had such a confident smile on his face, Nema couldn't find it in herself to do anything but believe that everything was going to be all right. Even as the scene faded and they were back in the presence of their patrons, Nema looked over at her husband with a glimmer of that same respect and hope.
Even remembering what news Lurian had when he came back…
Empress Maeve did a poor job hiding her annoyance at the face greeting her in the image she'd managed to link between her own chambers and Avalon, their world's other major city-state. Namely, it wasn't the Emperor. It was one of his military officers Uthar, a strong and she supposed handsome young man in a dirt-smudged military uniform. His hair was a luxurious red-brown, and his face was strong but haggard from constant battle. Probably how he'd achieved his rank at his tender age.
"And I tell you no matter how pure your intentions, your imperial majesty," Uthar said, "the Emperor is not here. He's away for a few days renewing himself after the spate of Mythos attacks we've weathered. I'll be happy to deliver any requests you'd like to make of him."
"This is not a request," Maeve replied coolly. "We've identified the true source of the Mythos' power and need to muster every possible force to find her before these attacks that have led him to take this retreat of his have a chance to worsen. I need to speak with him about that now."
Uthar gave a barely veiled glare before he replied. "Since you understand the gravity of the threat, surely you appreciate the importance of not ostracizing any possible allies, Empress.
"I will pass on your desire to speak to the Emperor when he returns. Until then, I must see to the wounded. I wish you safety, Empress," Uthar said, then walked away.
Maeve clenched her teeth but fell back on her throne in resignation. Finally they had some idea where to look to cut off the threat of the monsters threatening their people, and all the Emperor of Avalon could think of was a personal retreat. The only retreat she'd made was to look for help to solve their world's crisis.
On the other hand, the last time her city had been attacked by Mythos they'd been able to manage without the Empress. Thanks to the fact that the killer of immortals had been hiding there undetected all along, and chosen then to reveal herself.
If those little toys Mila and Felco were giving out didn't give their minions an edge on Tarock, Maeve was going to find that little girl and handle this herself. No more Arcana were going to die because of Tarock…
A servant cleared his throat nervously, and Maeve realized she wasn't alone anymore. "You have something to tell me?" she asked without turning to face him. "Then speak."
"Empress…word's just arrived that the soldiers at Outpost 7 have come upon a young girl who only calls herself 'Lost.' She looks half done-in, and they claim that she expectorated some kind of black filth that started to come alive before they got her to the outpost. They said you needed to know at once."
It took a second for Empress Maeve to mentally digest what she'd just been told. Had the object of her search truly come so quickly and easily? It seemed suspicious, yet how many lives could be saved if they really had found the "lost soul" that would end this war already?
"Find Mila and Felco's little champions," Maeve ordered. "Send them to the outpost at once to look into this claim and report back to me. This could end another Mythos genocide."
Nema and Lurian stood on the walls of the city and consulted the territory map a guard had given them. How accurate it was since the reappearance of the Mythos was hard to guess.
"So it's down that way?" Nema pointed to some rocky foothills in the distance.
"Yes, roughly," Lurian answered and put the map away. "Are you ready?"
She looked over at him, and the anger, the mistrust Lurian had been afraid of seeing for longer than he cared to remember was still there, but weaker than it had been in a long time. Since…he'd come back from Raijan with the bad news. And followed up by falsely accusing her of infidelity.
"Of course," Nema said, and raised her bracelet.
He took a deep breath. "Nema…I'm sorry about accusing you of…what I accused you of. With everything piling up, especially the Mythos coming back…"
Nema held up a hand without looking at him. "Stop," she said. "We've got a job to do, let's just focus on that."
"All right," Lurian said, but he didn't plan to leave it at that for long. He raised his bracelet.
"JOIN!" the two shouted, pressed their wrists together and were engulfed in black and white power. As soon as their armor solidified they took off through the air.
Neither said anything as they flew. They passed the long-abandoned ruins of a town after a few minutes, a few more that still stood, and what had once probably been a civilian transport by the side of a dirt road. At least there didn't appear to be the remains of anyone still inside…
Not long after the smooth stone walls of the outpost came into view. On top of one wall was a soldier wearing a Mazones uniform waving at them to come down. Ven and Donis slowed and then came to a stop in front of him. "You two got here a lot sooner than we were expecting," said the guard, smiling a touch uncertainly.
"The champions of Mazones can be wherever they're needed in the blink of an eye," said Donis. "But you had something important to show us, didn't you?"
"Very," said the guard. He led Ven and Donis off the parapet and down into underground barracks of the outpost. Numerous other guards stopped and stared at the two figures in their dazzling armor as they passed by. In another minute they came to the outpost's infirmary, where a nurse was tending to a thin girl in a moth-eaten black robe. The girl's eyes and cheeks were sunken into her face, but as she saw Ven and Donis enter, her face lit up.
"Are you…are you here to help me?" she croaked, hopefully.
"That depends," Donis answered. "Are you the source of the Mythos? Where do you come from? Who are you?"
"I'm…Lost," said the girl. "That's all I know. She calls me, when I give off the darkness, names it and brings it to life…"
"Who calls to you?" Ven asked.
The nurse stood up. "She's weak, you shouldn't be pressuring her."
Ven stepped forward. "Whether she means to be or not, she's a threat to the entire Sphere."
Lost weakly waved a hand at Ven. "I don't know why this happens, please don't hurt me! I'm not trying to make monsters-" she protested, but was cut short by a scream from Ven. Donis looked up and saw the nurse was no longer there; in her place was a hideous blue-skinned hag with wiry hair and fingernails as long as knives made of some dull gray metal. Her left eye was scarred shut, and the right was a dull black orb that was so sheer Donis was afraid he'd be sucked inside at any moment.
In a second Ven was up again, her new dagger in hand, slashing viciously at her attacker. Donis turned back to where Lost was laying, and saw the sickly helpless girl shimmer and turn into a faceless white being with thick black lines ornamenting its body.
It had been a trap all along.
Donis's new bow was in his hand in a flash, and as the faceless Mythos lunged at him he slashed the edge against its chest, sending the monster flying. It slammed into the wall and crumbled to dust immediately.
Meanwhile Ven had pressed the Mythos monster she was fighting back into the barracks with a relentless onslaught of punches, kicks and strikes from her new Ven Gasher that sent sparks and small jets of blue shooting from her opponent's body. Around them the other guards had let their disguises fade and changed into more faceless black-and-white Mythos. They rushed at Ven, wielding the energized spears of the guards whose places they'd taken. Ven held up her bracelet, which announced, "Ven Split!"
Suddenly there were five black-armored warriors in the barracks. The first sent a mental command to her copies and they charged the faceless Mythos. Moving a little awkwardly as she jumped over a bed, having to maintain her concentration to command the copies, Ven raised her dagger to attack the monster that was their leader. Ven rushed forward but stopped and jumped aside as the monster swiped her long claws, shooting out bright sparks as big as Ven's head. The monster seemed to tremble, but Ven paused as she realized it was laughing.
"Have the Arcana really gotten this weak and cowardly while I was locked up?" cackled the hag in a smooth feminine voice. "They make a show of standing up to my children, but they hide behind gullible humans when they do!"
"Who are you?" Ven demanded.
The hag turned and smirked, her eye now a burning red. "Tarock thinks of me as the White Lady, and as a name, it suffices." She raised her arms high. "I am the mind and soul of the Mythos! I see through the eyes of all my kind, they take any form I command! And if this is the best the Sphere can bring against us now, it won't be long before you fall once and for all! Perish on the claws of Black Annis!"
Then the Mythos shot another barrage of sparks at Ven who jumped out of the way, but one still exploded against her leg and sent her spinning to the ground. The Black Annis Mythos was on her in a second, but one of the faceless Mythos, already starting to disintegrate from the attack of a Ven-copy came flying through the air and knocked Black Annis on her back.
Ven's copies had already taken care of the faceless creatures. As frightening as their power to change themselves into others was, they apparently had little fighting power. The same couldn't be said for their other opponent, though. Ven and her copies closed in on Black Annis, but she swiped her and another barrage of sparks flew. Ven jumped back, her leg still burning from the last shot she caught, but one of her copies wasn't as quick and knocked off her feet.
In the narrow barracks Black Annnis's shots gave her too much of an advantage. Even if Ven and her copies could get close enough to land a blow they wouldn't last long enough to finish her off. Ven's aching leg was evidence of how much damage the monster could do. Black Annis ran forward and two of Ven's copies ran out to meet her, one grappling with her and managing to pin one arm while the other sliced Black Annis across the chest with her Ven Gasher.
Black Annis shrieked…then shrugged off the Ven-copy pinning her arm and unleashed a flurry of strikes with her metal claws, battering the copy across her chest and head until the copy flickered out of existence. Black Annis knocked the other Ven-copy out of her way and lunged for the original who lifted her dagger to defend herself. Then suddenly a blindingly white arrow shot through the air and impaled itself into Black Annis's chest, exploding in a blinding flash and blowing the monster to the back of the room.
"Now!" Donis called out as he lowered his bow. "Finish her before she recovers!" But Black Annis was already getting up again, even though she was sporting a deep wound from Donis's arrow. Nobody was going to be able to finish her before she recovered enough to attack again. But maybe there was a chance to take away her greatest advantage if Ven was quick enough…
Ven and two of her remaining copies grappled with Black Annis who shrieked and lashed out at them with her claws. Sparks flew from Ven's back, already painful thanks to Black Annis's first sneak attack, but she held tight and suddenly she and her copies jumped as high as they could, crashing through the roof of the barracks.
Black Annis's ferocious battering had eradicated another Ven-copy by the time they landed in a heap in the courtyard of the fort, but Ven and her copies quickly untangled themselves and dragged the serrated edges of their daggers over her body, gouging her in one arm. The monster brought back her arms and shot a flurry of sparks from both hands but her enemies had already scattered.
The Mythos screeched and shot a burst of sparks from her one good arm, but in the larger area of the courtyard Ven and Donis had enough room to move to run between them. Donis darted in and stabbed Black Annis in the back with the tip of his bow, and then was running again so her return slash cut nothing but air. Ven and her copies weaved through the sparks. The first copy came in low then jumped, slashed at Black Annis's face and then went somersaulting over her head. Ven herself came running at Black Annis in a wide arc, ducked low under a swipe at her head and dragged her dagger across the monster's back. Then she was off and running before a counterattack could come.
It didn't come. Black Annis crumpled to the ground from the last attack she'd been dealt. The last Ven-copy ran forward and raised her Ven Gasher high to deal the deathblow. Then suddenly Black Annis dug into the ground with her good arm, ripped up a huge hunk of stone and slammed it into the Ven-copy with a hideous shriek. The copy flickered away into nothing and Black Annis turned, swiping her arm and filling the air with another barrage of sparks. Several slammed into Ven and her last copy, knocking the original into the air and blasting the copy into nothingness.
"Nema!" Donis screamed. Before he could do anything Black Annis hurled herself at him, long metal nails extended at his throat. Desperately he pulled back on his bow, terrified not enough time had passed for it to fire again, but a blindingly bright arrow formed and then impaled itself in the monster's chest at point blank range. She was blasted off the ground…
…and then Ven stood up on shaky feet. Her bracelet announced "Ven Separator," and she threw the Ven Gasher as hard as she could before collapsing to her knees.
The dagger spun through the air, slicing through Black Annis as it went back and forth leaving rippling blue energy in the gaps between her limbs. The blade returned to Ven's hand like a boomerang, and then faded along with her armor. Black Annis herself finally dissolved into blue mist that was then carried away on the wind.
Donis dashed over to where Nema lay, his armor fading as he did. She was bleeding through her clothes in multiple places, but after he finished feverishly binding her wounds, she managed to open her eyes.
"We failed," she rasped. "They probably have that 'Lost' by now…"
Lurian shook his head slowly and smiled. "We haven't lost, love. We've had a setback but we've slain a dangerous Mythos."
"One of hundreds," Nema coughed. "And I nearly had to die to do it."
He took her in his arms and embraced her tightly. "But you didn't die," he said quietly. "We've been through so much, Nema. Are truly going to lose it all now? When we have the blessing of the Arcana of themselves? We can win this!" A second later he added, "My love…"
Slowly Nema let out a sigh, then raised an aching arm and looped it around Lurian's back. "Maybe," she said.
Lurian smiled over her shoulder and hugged her tighter. He'd take it. It was as optimistic as she'd been in a long time.
A blow shot by Liss's head but she swayed to the side in time then grabbed her attacker and put him in an armlock.
"Not bad," he smiled. Suddenly he raised his arm, hoisting her off the ground, and slammed her on her back. Then he extended his hand to help her up. Not to his surprise, Liss didn't take it. She got her feet under her and stood up, ready to fight on.
She circled him slowly, looking for an opening, then ran and jump-kicked at his side. Her foot was about to connect before he knocked her leg away with a powerful swing of his arm. Liss managed to land on her feet, but was starting to feel frustrated with how hard she was breathing on how few hits she'd actually landed. She'd done a lot better in fights were a lot more was at stake, why was she doing so badly now?"
Her opponent relaxed his stance. "Ready for a break, Liss?" Angelo asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess," she said, and twisted the cap off a bottle of water before taking a long swig. Liss leaned back against the door leading off the roof of the dojo, and took a deep breath. She'd asked for this, and she'd meant it, but still she felt annoyance at how things were going.
"Don't have too much, we're not done," Angelo informed her.
"Yeah," Liss said, then took another drink. "Sensei, how many more nights are we gonna spend with you 'seeing what I'm like now'?"
Angelo chuckled. "Oh, you got some magic powers or something now so you get to skip ahead, huh? Doesn't work that way, honey. Power's nothing without control, and I gotta see what your style turned into when I wasn't around."
"I was kinda hoping we could at least skip the intro stuff," Liss griped. "This isn't exactly my first day."
"You want my help, you follow my lesson plan," he said, then went back into his stance. "Ready for more?"
But Liss didn't answer. A sharp feeling of cold settled on her arm and lingered for almost ten seconds longer than usual. It was something strong.
Angelo looked over at Liss and saw her grimacing in pain. "What's wrong? Is one of those monsters around?" he asked. Liss didn't answer, she already had a red card in her hand and loaded it into her belt.
"Swords Suit!" it said. A transparent image of a card with a sword in the middle appeared above Liss but she didn't wait for it to fall and form her armor, jumping straight through it and emerging in her bright red Swords Form.
At the height of her jump she could see it: the biggest, blackest bat she'd ever seen glided by on impossibly wide wings. And she had no doubt there was a figure wearing a long flapping cape on its back as it went past.
Another jump carried her to a rooftop a block and a half away. Tarock jumped again after the bat-shaped creature, and in mid-air summoned her sword and slashed with all her incredible strength along the bat-creature's underbelly. It shrieked and started to flail its wings, turning over and over in the air and losing altitude with every second. Finally it slammed into the street with a sickening wet crunching sound.
Its rider did not. He hovered in the air, shielded by an egg-shaped bubble. Tarock gripped the hilt of her sword tightly as he drifted down to the ground and let his protective bubble fade. He looked straight at Tarock and in the darkness of his hood she could see a half-circle of purple light, the same color as the diamond-shaped jewel on the long wooden staff he carried in one hand.
"That was a very specific type of servitor you just killed," he said in a smooth, neutral voice.
"Good," Tarock said. "You seem like a really specific type too."
He laughed, supreme confidence oozing off the tones. Tarock clutched her sword, not liking it one bit. "You made your first mistake when you put on that belt," he said. "Starting a fight with me was another."
Then the jewel on his staff flashed and heavy metal chains coiled outward around Tarock.
Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock: Re-Dealt:
Tarock swings her sword at the new Mythos, who blocks it on his staff
Mythos: Why do you gamble with your very soul to fight us?
Liss clutches her head in pain, and then Lost cowers in a darkened concrete room
Lost: Help me, Tarock…terrible things are going to happen and time's running out…
In her Swords Form, Tarock touches a rhomboid-shaped jewel hanging on her belt and a red-armored woman with a sword flickers into existence
Master Shardak: Liss, grow, strengthen yourself and fight as you've never fought before. Or we are all doomed.
Tarock: What am I?
Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.