Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Seventeen: Found

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.

With the help of her old kung-fu teacher Liss toughened herself while waiting for further developments. One came when she was contacted by Lost, the strange girl who spews the dark ooze that Mythos monsters spawn from, asking for help. Liss had been planning to master a new power before going to investigate the old amusement park where she believed Lost was being held. However, after a surprise attack by a pair of her enemies from the Sphere, Liss decided there was no time to waste…

"Good evening, Tarock," said the Warlock Mythos with mock cordialness as he hovered off the ground in front of her. "How have you been?"

She didn't answer his smarmy banter. That wasn't what she was there for, and he wasn't an enemy she could spare the energy to fight with all the ones she was sure were lurking below. And with a Mythos with not only overwhelming power but a brain being sent to face her, Tarock felt more sure than ever she was right about them keeping Lost captive in the depths of the old park.

Tarock only leveled Skycalibur at him. "Oh come now," said the Warlock, sounding annoyed. "Surely you've not come to insist on fighting after my generous invitation, have you? You can strike us down, but how many? No being's strength is limitless, not even Tarock's!"

"Not even yours, huh?" Tarock muttered, then loaded her blue card into her Fate Driver.

"Wands Suit!" her Fate Driver called out. Tarock's red armor shattered before lighter blue armor formed over her black undersuit, and the feeling of strength of her Swords Form faded, channeling instead into a feeling of immense speed just waiting to be called forth.

From out of the shadows slithered a mass of Mythos monsters. One was nothing but bone, clutching a long knife that looked like it'd been carved out of someone's leg itself. A two-headed troll with no weapons but hands the size of manhole covers. A fanged, winged monster with a leathery hide, who looked just like the one who'd killed and replaced her vice principal so long ago. They started toward her, and the gem on Warlock's staff pulsed with power.

"Grav!" Warlock's staff said and immediately Tarock could feel an incredible weight crushing down on her, but she wasn't powerless herself.

"Mag Step," she whispered, then dashed away from the area affected by Warlock's power. She moved so quickly everyone else seemed to be standing still, and came up behind where Warlock floated. She ignored the other monsters for the moment, focusing all her concentration on kicking Warlock in the back again and again until her entire body ached too much to continue and everything started to move again.

Warlock gasped in pain and went flying forward. Blue ooze trickled down his back. He probably hadn't expected anyone to be able to get close enough to hurt him if the kicks in Tarock's weakest form could do that much damage.

"Calamity! Dragon's Maw!" the Fate Driver called as soon as Warlock had whipped around to face her. A wave of blue-tinged flame surged from the end of her wand, and Warlock only managed to raise his staff and deflect it around his body at the last second.

"Burst!" called Warlock's staff and beams of fiery energy ripped from the tip as he waved it in a wide arc, sending up huge explosions as they hit the ground. A second later the blasts cleared, but there was no trace of Tarock.

"Find her!" Warlock barked. Already the monsters were forming into groups and dashing out of the room through the doors leading deeper into the building. They already knew what was at stake.

Tarock jumped down fifteen stairs at once. She could hear the snarling of a pack of monsters not far behind, but her attention was focused more on the cold feeling on her arm. On the way to the park she'd been hoping it might be able to lead her to Lost, but there was only a mild chill she figured was from the monsters all over the place. Maybe they had Lost buried really deep, or Tarock could only sense her power when she was puking up a monster.

This building had been the first one she'd come to; that was why she'd started her search there even when her spying with the Wild Cards hadn't turned up anything particularly suspicious anywhere she'd looked.

But…maybe there was another way. Maybe she just needed to make herself more receptive to make it work.

She found a sturdy-looking supply closet door, opened it and slammed it behind her and twisted the lock closed in a practiced motion. Making sure her weapon was aimed at the door to be ready at a moment's notice if she was attacked, Tarock sat in a corner, trying to clear her mind and focus on the image of Lost's face from the dream.

Her mind started to feel fuzzy at the edges of her awareness. The coldness on her arm from the closeness of Mythos monsters traveled up her arm and spread across her entire body. The arm holding up her wand went slack even as she tried to urge it up in case she was attacked.

But at the edge of her senses there was suddenly another presence. A shadowy mass that radiated feeling of terror, loneliness…only a tiny silver speck of hope within it that salvation was coming. Closer Tarock could hear the angry chatter of monsters as they searched halls and maintenance tunnels, and it stopped for just a second before it picked up again, louder and angrier than before as they felt Tarock reaching out with the strange extra sense which allowed her to detect their kind, and now allowed them to sense her and zero in on her hiding place. Anxiously she called out with her mind, "LOST!"

The tiny silver dot exploded into a blaze, covering the entire dark mass with warmth. "TAROCK!" came Lost's voice, full of relief.

"I don't have long and I don't really know how this works!" Tarock said. "Can you feel me? Can you tell me if I'm close? What way to I need to go to get to you?"

For a second Lost said nothing, and as the screams of the monsters grew even louder Tarock could feel the warmth of Lost's hope reaching out tentatively in her direction. "You're above me…but I don't know exactly how to get where I am."

"I'll figure it out," Tarock said. "I'll be there soon, but they're almost here. I have to go."

"Be careful," Lost said before Tarock focused on shutting down the connection and returning to her normal frame of mind. Feeling returned to her body, and the screams of the monsters remained the same volume but now she was hearing them from just outside the door instead of the fringes of her mind.

Shakily, her body numb like she'd been sitting in one place for hours instead of minutes, Tarock got to her feet. A hunk of the door was torn open by a monster's claws.

"Woe! Muspel Mace!" Tarock's wand burst into flame as the metal door groaned and another hole was torn in it. Through it stared a collection of monstrous eyes, and a cacophony of inhuman screams at finding her.

Too bad for them.

Above, Warlock was reaching out with his senses as well to direct the monsters under his command. He could feel the small blips of the other Mythos as they spread through the halls below, but had lost track of Tarock after a second of her lighting up his senses. But as a few blips went out a level down, he had an idea where she was for that instant.

Then suddenly he was aware of no longer being alone. Beside him hovered a projection of the White Lady.

"I sensed a contact with the source," she said coolly. "What is going on?"

"Tarock's attacking," Warlock replied calmly. "Somehow she found out about our presence here, and is making her way into the lower levels of the complex."

"About which you seem unconcerned," she pointed out.

He chuckled. "You're familiar with the monsters of ages past, my lady," Warlock said. "Perhaps you'd care to see some of the horrors the human mind has conceived while you were away."

Another wave of shiny black slime trickled across the floor and to the grate. Near the wall Lost lay on the floor, quivering still from the horrible strain of what she'd just been through again. How many more times would that happen? The people she'd met while she was trying to find some safe place to hide…they were all something called "dead." Would that happen to her if she had to go through that too many more times…?

Then she heard a strange sizzling, melting sound and turned toward the heavy metal-door. Lost wondered who could possibly be coming for her when no-one had ever opened that door since she'd been caught and locked into that room. As a ragged seam was burned away, her weary mind realized if any of her captors had come for her, they wouldn't have to melt through the door.

Someone grunted and shoved the door open so hard it banged against the wall. Instead of the Warlock or some malformed beast, though, there stood a female figure in a black suit under light blue armor and mask, scarred in multiple places by claws and blasts. In one hand she held a blue rod with a flaming tip. But amid it all was her belt with a familiar ornate buckle.

"Tarock…" Lost moaned.

"Afraid so," said her rescuer. "Are you okay to go? They torture you or anything?"

"You might say that," Lost replied, and tried to drag herself up on the corner of the old cot they'd given her for a bed. Tarock came over and looped Lost's arm over her shoulder. "We need to leave," Lost gasped. "I heard something when I vomited that stuff up just now. They're sending something horrible after us."

"What? What are they sending out?"

"I don't know…something called a…shug-hoth?" Lost answered, a look of helpless confusion on her face.

"I'll take care of it, whatever it is," Tarock declared. The tension seemed to drain out of Lost's tired face at that, and she simply nodded.

They made their way back into the hall, which was lined with steel security doors. Half of them up one way had burned through as the door to Lost's cell had. "Nobody answered when I knocked, and I had to make sure somehow," Tarock explained. "Kinda figured the deepest floor would be the one to check ut."

"I'm glad they've got someone so determined fighting them," Lost breathed.

Tarock grunted and limped down the hall opposite from the direction she'd come. "Let's get out of here, and then maybe we'll see about who's what."

"Sounds like a fine idea," Lost answered.

Beneath Lost's cell rested a large metal vat full of the black slime, standing in the middle of a row of other such vats, those behind it empty with others ahead of it already full and capped. The half-filled vat started to shake as the slime inside started to come to life as a new Mythos monster.

As the mass of dark slime started to crawl through the hallway its form solidified into a mass of glistening bubble-like shapes, randomly blinking open every few seconds to reveal green and yellow eye-like organs to let the horrible thing orient itself. As it lurched down the hall and the mass of globes shifted here and there huge fang-filled mouths were exposed then disappeared again inside its bulk. But for the second the mouths appeared they all gave a strange piercing cry, "Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…!"

Lost slumped against Tarock's shoulder. They'd reached another staircase, but after only going one level up Lost had started to have a coughing attack and Tarock stopped and waited for it to pass. Lost spat up a gob of black ooze but Tarock swatted it with her flaming wand as soon as it hit the ground.

But with that done she let the flames fade out. Tarock's body was aching from all the power she'd used already that day, and the powers of her Wands Form were among the most exhausting she had. They hadn't run into any other monsters on the way up, and even as tired as Tarock was feeling to get as far as they had, that worried her.

"You okay?" she asked Lost. "Ready to keep going?" Lost nodded and they started up the next set of stairs. As they went there was the unmistakable sound of running footsteps coming from below, and Tarock peered over the railing to see two dark shapes charging up the stairs while a third flew straight up at her, clipping her mask with the tip of his wing.

Tarock staggered back a few steps, and Lost cried out as she let go of Tarock's arm and fell down hard onto the concrete landing. The Pyre Brand in Tarock's hand flashed and extended into a staff, just in time for that Skeleton with the long bone knife to try to jab it into her ribs. She thrust the end of her weapon into a gap in his own ribcage, hoisted him off the ground and dropped him over the edge of the staircase.

The Vampire dove back down suddenly and tackled Tarock against the wall. She threw punch after punch at his chest but he didn't budge an inch. Her Wands Form was her weakest even when she had all her strength, but the last few battles were catching up to her quickly. Vampire bared his fangs and started to lean toward Tarock's neck. She was grabbing for another card when there was a flash of light and the vampire screamed in pain, a gleaming white arrow jutting from the side of his head. For just a second Tarock concentrated and slipped into her Mag Step power, kicking Vampire a dozen times and sending him flying into the blue-furred Werewolf Mythos who'd just come into view. The two monsters went tumbling down the stairs.

Tarock limped to the edge of the stairs to see them sprawled out on a landing a floor below. She turned to see her rescuer and there stood Vaga, bowgun in hand.

"Looks like I made it just in time," he said in a smirking tone. A glittering snake jumped into his hand and morphed into a card. "You and your friend okay?"

Lost gaped at him. "Another Tarock?"

"Sort of," Tarock herself replied. "Thanks."

"Yuh…uh, you're welcome," he stammered.

The two monsters started scrambling over each other to get back up and Tarock braced herself for another battle when she heard something that made her freeze where she stood. A distant but sharp, inhuman sound chanted over and over. "Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…!" The two Mythos started to charge up the stairs toward Tarock, but were stopped when two thick tendrils of shiny black globes whipped out of the hallway below and wrapped around the monsters and pulled them out of sight.

"GO!" Tarock screamed. She looped Lost's arm around her shoulder and lurched up the stairs until Vaga took her other arm and they climbed to the top of the stairs. Behind them the strange chanting cry was getting louder, closer.

"Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…!"

Vaga opened the door at the top of the stairs and they ran out into the park grounds behind the rusting remains of an old swing ride. They stumbled away as fast they could while dragging Lost, Vaga kicking the heavy metal door shut behind them.

They'd hardly gone three steps before the door creaked and went flying off its hinges, striking Tarock across the shoulders and knocking her sprawling. Vaga cried out her name but then the doorway exploded into shards of concrete as the hideous mass of glistening spheres and mouths erupted out of it, pushing the forty-foot ride beside it over with a single errant swipe of a tentacle. Its mass reached out, circling around the three of them, and all the while mouths slipped in and out from between the orbs, giving off that horrible repeating cry they'd heard below.

"VAGA NOVA!" Vaga screamed, punching the points of a triangle in the air and unleashed the massive power blast that was his strongest attack. A column of green light shot out and ripped into the roiling body of the gigantic Mythos. Orbs were thrown in all directions and one thick appendage was blown entirely off the hideous mass. It tumbled through the air, already dissolving into blue smoke before it even hit the ground but in another second another mass of orbs seethed from the monster to take its place.

By then Tarock had gotten up and moved to have Lost between Vaga and herself as the monster closed in on them. Vaga had hit it with everything he'd had and still it kept on coming. Could anything stop it?

Tarock sucked in a deep breath. According to Jack, the Royal Core had an even stronger power than calling up an ally for her. But after all the fighting she'd done, all the power she'd thrown around in the last hour…even with how much she'd toughened up sparring with Sensei, could she pull that off? Could the strain even kill her by itself before the monster got near, if she couldn't?

But then, if she didn't take a chance on it in a second they'd be crushed or eaten or whatever the hell this thing did to its victims.

She pressed her palm to the Royal Core for a second, and her Fate Driver called "Coronation! Ace of Wands!" Her Pyre Brand flashed and the tip of the staff was replaced with a plate with three barbs sticking out, forming a triangle seen from the front. They were rippling with puffs of energy and Tarock whipped it around to aim her new weapon at where the mass of globes were the thickest.

"Ace High! Soulfire!" called out the Fate Driver. Then a jet of flame gushed from the spikes on the Pyre Brand, pushing Tarock back ten feet. The flame didn't burn at the monster to Tarock's dismay, but then she saw it was flowing between each of the orbs, spreading through the entire mass. As the coiling fingers of fire went deeper and deeper the orbs at the front crumbled into huge mounds of black dust.

The Mythos thrashed violently and shook the ground as more and more of its body was consumed by the power of Tarock's attack racing through each orb. The mouths appeared from its mass faster and faster, crying out faster and shriller, until nothing was left but a jagged hole in the ground and piles and piles of dust that a second ago had been trying to absorb them.

"How…how the hell did you do that?" Vaga gaped at the display of power he'd just witnessed.

Tarock grunted and waved at the Royal Core on her belt, too exhausted to rise from her knees or deliver any elaborate explanations. "You've got another power now?" Vaga groaned.

"Yeah, Jack gave it to me for my birthday," Tarock said.

"Wait, I missed your birthday?!" Vaga gasped. "Oh god, I'm-"

"You're worried about the dumbest thing in the world right now, you know that right?!" Tarock cut him off. "We have to get out of here, now! Before they send something else after us!"

"Right!" Vaga said and tossed a disc of metal into the air that flashed and turned into the Air Talon, which he immediately jumped on. He held out a hand and Lost climbed up behind him. Tarock threw a disc of her own that flashed and transformed back into Shift Runner's bike form. She staggered onto the seat and immediately started to speed down the avenue in front of them. Vaga was right beside her and the air seemed to stretch around them as they reached the speed where they left Earth behind

Swarms of monsters emerged into the avenue from numerous buildings and manholes, but all there was left to find were piles of dust.

Tarock led the way as they approached the Sphere, but the only destination she had in mind was one with no enemies around, and they came to a stop at a small stone hill with a cascading waterfall on the nearest side. As soon as Shift Runner stopped Tarock lurched off and fell face down in the grass, flickering back to Liss.

Vaga jumped down and knelt by her side, his own armor dissolving away as he did. "Is she all right?" Lost asked, wringing her bony hands in worry.

"I'm fine," Liss groaned. "None of them got me that bad, I'm just exhausted from using all that power."

Ben laughed a little. "No kidding! Damn, Liss, that was amazing!" As he talked he took off his jacket, folded it up and then lifted Liss up so he could put it on the ground and lower her head back down on it. "You looked just like a real wizard with that thing when you took care of that monster!" he said with a smirk.

"You start giving me crap and as soon as I can stand up I'm gonna kick your ass," Liss groaned.

"Whatever, Gandalf," Ben said with a grin and walked over to Shift Runner and started going through the storage compartments on the sides. "…Liss? All the food you have is hot dogs and spam."

"Sorry, I couldn't fit a microwave in there," Liss replied.

"Well anyway," he asked, "What's the plan?"

Liss gave him a confused look. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the one with the most experience," Ben shrugged. "You're the one who tracked her down and got away from the monsters."

"Well," Liss said, "I was going to take her to Shardak to see if he could help figure out a way to keep her from making more monsters."

Ben sighed. "I see. Well, if we're cooking out I should go get some firewood. You ladies hang here and catch your breath, I'll be back soon."

"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Liss yelled, but Ben walked away into a stand of trees.

Lost looked at her curiously. "What else would he mean by that?" she asked. Liss flipped herself over onto her back and shook her head.

"Never mind. I'm just tired," Liss answered and sprawled out.

"Thank you for coming," Lost said softly, almost whispering.

"Nobody should have people doing things like that to them," Liss said. "Maybe that didn't exactly happen to me, but I know what it's like to have bigger people push you around."

"I'm sorry it sounds like you didn't have anyone to come and save you from them," Lost replied, but Liss shook her head.

"I'm not waiting for anybody to do anything for me anymore," Liss replied, looking away. "I got that beat out of me a long time ago."

Lost went over to the pool of the waterfall and took several long gulps, then let out a relieved sigh. She didn't strictly need to drink, she'd found, but after a few of her "attacks," a nice cold drink was one of the few real reliefs she'd found. "Then I'm sorry it was painful learning you had to fend for yourself."

Liss sat up and turned to face her. "Being able to fight your own battles isn't a weakness."

"But can you fight all of them yourself?" Lost asked.

Liss said nothing.

Lurian finished cleaning a particularly nasty abrasion on his wife's arm from their battle with Tarock, and tied a bandage around it. Nema finally felt able to get to her feet after that, but Lurian lightly held onto her shoulders as she did. "What now?" she asked.

"I don't know," Lurian sighed. "I don't imagine the Arcana will welcome us back after Tarock slipped through our fingers again…"

"That is an understatement," said two voices, male and female, in perfect unity. Light surged from their bracelets and a projection of Mila and Felco, the Arcana locked in their eternal embrace and glaring at the two humans in extreme displeasure.

"You were given the might of the Arcana!" stated Mila, "A power second only to the almighty Empress herself! And again and again, Tarock evaded you or defeated you utterly!"

"Return to Mazones at once," Felco demanded.

"And what if we don't?" Nema retorted. Lurian gave his wife a look of horror before it occurred to him she might have a point. With even the Empress likely turned against them, what could possibly be left for them in Mazones?

"You defy us?!" screamed Mila. "Your caretakers, your guardians, those who empowered you?!"

"Tarock's defying you," Nema said. "Strange how she seems to be the only one getting anywhere with the damn Mythos. And she had the chance to finish us off, but didn't take it."

"Only we have the power to rekindle your union," Felco reminded them, "To restore the strength those memories once had."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Lurian replied, and locking gazes with Nema, they both concentrated and broke the connection.

A minute passed before either of them said anything. It was Nema who spoke first. "They're going to be watching, you know."

"Let them," Lurian said. "Let them see what we can do without them. What more will they do, if they gave their power to someone else to do their dirty work in the first place? Is the Empress going to hunt us down when she can't even spare the time to do that to the deadly Tarock herself?"

They started to walk out of the empty lot, Lurian putting his hand on Nema's back. A second later he felt her hand between his own shoulders. "This is an entirely different world," Nema said. "Do you really think we should try to make our way here?"

He patted her reassuringly on the back. "We took on more than that when we were in a worse place, mentally," he reminded her and held up his changing bracelet.

"Since there'd seem to be a fair amount of Mythos on Tarock's home ground, I suppose we find the people in charge around here and offer our services," Nema suggested.

"Sounds like a fine place to start," Lurian smiled.

After a while Ben got back with an armload of dry branches, and started trying to light a fire with two sticks when Liss showed him while she hadn't managed to bring a microwave, she'd still thought to pack a small can of fire starter and a lighter. A few minutes later they and Lost were gathered around the fire heating up their makeshift meal.

"Okay," Ben said, "can I be sorry for missing your birthday now?"

"I'm used to people missing it," Liss said, not taking her eyes off the fire. "It's on the same day as a holiday, it just happens."

"What? Oooooooooooooh. Okay"

"Erm," Lost mumbled, and flinched when Liss and Ben both turned to look at her. "Excuse me, but…I don't understand. What's a 'birthday'?"

"It's a celebration of the day you were born," Ben explained. "Your friends and family get together and give you presents. Liss's is on a day where people already celebrate something, so…not many noticed, I guess."

Lost looked confused, but nodded. "I'm sorry to hear there isn't as much celebration for you, Liss," she said. "I think you were very brave the way you rescued me by yourselves, if that helps."

"I came by myself," Liss replied, and shot Ben a probing glance. "Were you following me?"

"I sent the cards to find you in case you needed help," Ben said pointedly. "And don't forget who saved you when that Vampire-thing was just about to bite your head off."

Liss speared a hunk of spam on a stick and swallowed it. "I said thank you," she said quietly. "And I meant it."

Ben nodded slowly. "Well okay then." He plopped a piece of cooked meat in his mouth and gagged on it. "You were gonna live off this stuff? Tomorrow we'll go to Avalon and stock up on real food before we go and talk to Shardak."

Regarding the others curiously, Lost chewed on a hunk of spam before she swallowed it. "Is there something wrong with this?" she asked. Her body didn't seem to need food, at least not nearly as much as a human's, and she'd never really had the chance to try eating before. Still, Lost felt a bit stronger and more energetic from doing it.

"You'll know after you get the chance to eat some real food," Ben told her. "Nobody's doubting your commitment, Liss. You don't have to prove it by making yourself eat this garbage."

Just to spite him Liss put another piece of spam in her mouth and chewed it as slowly as she could. He flinched as it went down her throat. "Anyway," Liss said. "We should probably take turns watching in case anything shows up to try to get Lost back. I'll go first."

"You really don't need-" Ben started to say, but Liss gave him a sharp look.

"I can handle it," she said.

"I know you can," he said. "We all know you can. I was just trying to help."

"I know," Liss replied, more gently. She and Ben got up and unrolled sleeping bags, and Liss indicated for Lost to take hers. She did with a simple nod, and then for the first time since she could remember went to sleep not fearing one of her attacks or being found by one of her loathsome creations.

When the light of morning crept through the camp Lost stirred, and saw Liss sitting on a log watching out for any intruders. Ben was still sound asleep in his bag.

Had Liss been up all night long standing guard…?

The morning rush of getting two daughters ready for school hadn't even started yet when Angelo Bell heard something bounce off his bedroom window. He flung open the pane in anger and was about to hurl a mouthful of his best invective when he noticed the person standing in the alley behind his building wasn't a cocky sandy-haired teenage boy.

Instead it was a shortish woman with short dark hair and a familiar intensity in her eyes he could see even from a second-story window. "Morning, Miss Decker. Paige, I mean," he said. "You like to come up?"

"No thanks," Paige said. "I was just wondering if you'd seen my stupid little sister after that light show yesterday. Out by the old amusement park."

"I didn't see any light show, but that's pretty far away," he admitted, then smiled slightly, somewhere between proud and cocky. "It wouldn't surprise me if Liss was the reason for that."

"So she hasn't touched base with you either," Paiged sighed.

"No, I hardly seen her at all except for classes the last week. Trying to figure out that new toy the Robin Hood guy gave her. That why you came over here at this hour? You couldn't have called?"

"I tried. Twice. Her number and yours," Paige answered.

"She can take care of herself pretty well. I wouldn't worry," Angelo said.

"I don't know," Paige replied and sighed. "I just have a really bad feeling about this time…like Liss is in bigger trouble than even she's ever been in."

"All right," Ben said, "We can stock up here and then we'll see about going to see Shardak."

They were riding slowly down the small street leading up to one of the gates of Avalon between clusters of tents and the people living in them who'd been driven from their homes by the Mythos. Nobody let loose with a resounding cheer, but Liss hadn't been hoping for one. This was a little side trip they were making to satisfy Ben, and then they were going to see Shardak to hopefully figure out their next move. They'd agreed not to bring Lost inside the city in case she coughed up a monster, or she was caught by the guards who might hold her and keep Ben and Liss away out of suspicion. That could be disastrous if a monster showed up suddenly right in the middle of Avalon.

"All right ladies, I'll be back in a little bit," Ben said. "Don't let Liss trick you into eating anything else until then."

After he disappeared into the crush of people entering the city, Lost turned to Liss and asked, "Is he right? About the food we had last night?"

"There's nothing wrong with being able to get by on just the basics," Liss answered. "Nobody said this was supposed to be cool or sexy."

"You sound very dedicated," said Lost, who didn't know what either of those words meant.

"If you're not giving it everything you've got, why are you even there?" Liss asked.

Tarock spun in midair, flinging huge fireballs at the monster astride his black horse, consuming him completely. It was the third time the men had watched the projection, but still they watched the display of power in awe.

"That's what I'd be able to do?" Jaster asked. He was a big, burly man with a short red Mohawk.

"Not exactly," said Laski, a thin bald man with a drooping mustache and piercing blue eyes. "But close."

"Wish I had a daughter that motivated," muttered Bowan as he stroked his long brown beard.

"So gentleman," asked the young lady behind the desk, trying to keep them on task, "which corps would you be interested in trying out for?"

"Cups," Laski said.

"Swords," Jaster answered.

"None for me, thanks," Bowan said, getting dirty looks from the others, but he ignored them.

"Excellent. Sign here," the lady behind the desk said.

Ben wandered by the low stone building and stopped when he saw the three men outside the entrance watching the projection of what looked an awful lot like Liss in her blue armor in a very familiar town. Hanging above the entrance to the building was a banner with four symbols on it: a sword, a cup, a wand and a five-pointed star.

He smiled lightly. So they were getting some recognition, it looked like. Maybe, things were finally starting to look up for them, he thought.

Looking back, he shouldn't have let himself think that.

Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Nema: We're just trying to find a fresh start.

(Lurian and Nema speak to a dubious-looking Angelo and Paige)

Liss: (angrily) I'll crush anyone in my way.

(In her Cups Form, Tarock fires a massive blast from her hand that obliterates a Mythos monster, a row of tents and tears hunks of rock out of the wall of Avalon)

Lost: What am I?

(Liss and Ben look on as Shardak encases Lost in a sheath of light)

Shardak: You're nothing I've ever seen.

(Lost holds onto Ben as he and Liss ride into the wilderness of the Sphere)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

End Book 2

Well, another arc closes on a pretty major turning point. Ben and Liss have saved the source of the Mythos, and they're going to be trying hard to get Lost back. They aren't just drawing from old legends for their monsters either. And there's a hint Ben might not be happy with Liss having way more toys than he does.

The next chapter might be a little ways off. With this arc ended I think I'm going to take some time to nail down my plans for the future and maybe do some work on another fic I've been neglecting. Merry Christmas, everybody!