Episode 35: Part 1
The next morning, the Vanguard Rangers gathered together at the old stone tower that had served as their home base over the past year and a half. Standing out on the tower's front lawn, they found Professor Bishop waiting for them with a sober expression.
As the six Rangers met him, they exchanged a silent nod of acknowledgement as a gentle breeze began to gust. Despite it being early March, the weather was unseasonably mild and the light of sun shone warmly on them.
After a pause, Bishop checked his watch, "We'd best get going. Noon is approaching."
The Red Ranger nodded and drew his Keyrune, "I know Professor. But before we go… I wanted to try something."
Bishop gave a curious look as Joe continued, "We know that Archangel Auriel had entrusted the protection of his trumpet to a loyal ally… one who acted as his flag bearer and herald when going into battle. If Gideon has challenged us to a formal battle, then I think our side's going to need of an official Herald too."
"And you want me to be the Herald?" Bishop gasped in shock, "Why not Danny… or Kara even? It makes much more sense that one of them should take that duty."
Dan and Kara shook their heads as Joe smiled, "No Professor. We had a group vote and we chose you. If anything should happen out there, we can trust that our Keyrunes and Trumpet would be safe in your care."
"I… thank you everyone," the professor stammered.
The Red Ranger summoned his Trumpet and held it out to Bishop. As the Professor grasped it with his own hand, a shimmering light engulfed him, endowing him with a fine suit of Empyrian half-plate armor and a barbute helmet. The plates were made of polished white steel and a decorative tabard was draped over the Professor's torso. The surcoat was a deep red color with a white sunburst. Looking at his arms, Bishop found himself equipped with a round steel shield and a finely crafted mace.
As Bishop continued to stare in wonder at his knightly transformation, Joe smiled and turned to the others, "Now we're ready."
Some time later, the first five Vanguard Rangers descended from the skies and gently touched down of the Alabaster Flats just outside the city. It was a large flat plain and the recent thaw of the winter snow left the yellow-green grass matted down. Using her powers of lightning movement, Kara arrived on the field moments later with Bishop in tow. While the other Rangers were already morphed, he was still girded in his new battle armor as well.
"It's almost time," Claire remarked while scanning the plains tensely, "I wonder where Gideon is."
Up above, the skies had begun to cloud up leaving a thin obscuring haze in the air while filtering out the brightest rays of the sun. A few moments later, the Rangers heard the sounds of wings from above and looked up to see a familiar angelic figure descend from the cloud cover. As Archangel Gideon strode forward in his suit of golden plate armor, he swept his wings back briskly as if adjusting a royal cape.
The beautiful fair featured Lord of the Cambion Legion gave a mild look of interest as he addressed his opponents. "Rangers, you've come… and you brought a friend."
"I am acting as the Herald of the Empyrian Angels," Bishop called out, trying to temper his own fear of the demon prince.
Gideon smiled, "Following ancient customs of my people. I'm impressed humans. I hope you don't mind if I brought a few witnesses too."
The Rangers watched in shock as they saw a large line of Magog soldiers march over a nearby hill at the edge of the plains. The battalion of demon foot soldiers approached before they halted and stood at crisp attention.
"What are they doing here Gideon?" Kara growled, "We agreed we would only fight you."
The Archangel shook his head, "The Magogs will stand their ground and not attack, but my quarrel is not with you Gold Ranger. I only agreed to fight those five who would pretend to lay claim to the powers of my brothers and sisters."
Kara glanced over to Joe expectantly. Though he couldn't see her face behind her visor, the Red Ranger could already read the indignation in her body language.
"He can't be serious," she said clenching her fists.
Bishop grimaced before chiming in, "Maybe it is best if we stand back in reserve. Gideon's still got a small army here waiting in the wings."
"We can't trust that Gideon would keep his word either," Joe added looking at the Gold Ranger, "Kara, we may need you and Bishop to cover our backs, or be the last line of defense for the city if anything should happen to us."
For once, Kara's fears and concerns for her own Ranger family were getting the better of her but she took a breath and nodded, "All right. Everyone… just be careful."
The first five Vanguard Rangers stepped forward and produced their Keyrunes slowly.
"We're here just as we agreed," the Red Ranger called out, "It's time to end this ancient conflict once and for all."
"I will look forward to it," Gideon smiled calmly as two high ranking demon attendants came forward and presented him with his weapons, a magnificent longsword and a decorative shield.
The Archangel took his weapons and waited patiently as the Rangers used their Keyrunes to summon their own golden armor and ready their weapons. Up above, the haze of clouds began shifting slowly opening up scattered curtains of sunlight from the sky.
"This is it everyone," Danny said quietly to the others while gripping his spear tightly, "We have to go all out now."
Bishop and Kara held their breaths watching the silent standoff until a ray of light from the cloud cover passed over Gideon and he raised his sword, reflecting the glare toward his enemies. In a flash, the Archangel surged forward at blinding speed, ready to strike. Just as quickly, the Rangers split off into the air in several directions, before changing direction and diving back down on Gideon in a furious storm of wings and steel.
Bishop, Kara, and the rest of the Cambion troops watched with wide eyes as six angelic warriors began to clash on the wide open grasslands. Danny was the first to strike leading with a spear thrust, but Gideon raised his guard with his sword and deflected the blow sideways. Using the momentum of his parry, the Archangel raised his head just in time to bring his shield up and stop the blow of Nick's warhammer which reverberated across the battlefield with a thunderous sound of ringing steel.
As the Green Ranger pushed off and leapt backwards into the air, both Claire and Izzy followed up, leaping toward Gideon with their own weapons. Again, the fallen Archangel demonstrated his superior defense as his six wings extended out and rapidly curled around him in a defensive shield halting the girls' attacks. As he parted his wings and the girls darted away to both sides, Gideon turned his head slightly to see Joe attack from behind with a leaping overhead strike of his saber. Using his rapid speed, the Archangel dodged the blow and circled around to counterattack with his own sword.
To Gideon's surprise, Joe followed through from his attack and made an intuitive counter-blow, effectively blocking Gideon's strike. As the force of the colliding blades sent both combatants skidding backwards, the Rangers regrouped as Gideon began to smirk in amusement.
"Very impressive. You Rangers have come a long way in your combat skill. The original five would have been proud."
"Are you going to talk us to death Gideon?" Nick called back in a challenge as he waved his Keyrune along the ground causing a wave of spike shaped rocks to erupt from the ground. The Archangel took to the skies to evade the elemental attack and beat his wings, unleashing a hail of fiery bolts from his wings back at the Rangers.
Danny stepped forward and made circular sweeping motions with his Keyrune calling forth a swirling body of water that followed his motions and deflected the magic, acting like a liquid shield. As the blast subsided, Claire gave her own Keyrune a wave and turned the water into large icy snowflakes with jagged edges, sending them whirling back at Gideon in the air like throwing stars.
The Archangel blocked several with his shield and slashed the others aside before diving down to attack again. The moment Gideon neared, Izzy focused on her Keyrune and summoned the most powerful wall of wind she could to halt their enemy. Gideon momentarily froze in the air, struggling to push through, allowing Joe a chance to rush forward unleashing a searing hot jet of flames from his own Keyrune.
Again, Gideon raised his ornamental shield and warded off the intense flamethrower, but as the wind dissipated, he lowered his shield and gasped in surprise as the Red Ranger made a direct winged leap at him, thrusting with his blade. Gideon turned his head just in time, but felt the tip of Joe's saber graze the side of his cheek, drawing first blood.
As the Rangers regrouped again, Gideon put a hand to the nick on his face and gave a look of pure fury. The wound itself was insignificant, but those insolent children had just marred his beauty and wounded his pride.
"You Rangers will pay for that," the Archangel snarled. With a cruel smile, he turned his eyes toward Kara and Bishop who were still watching from a safe distance. Gideon brandished his weapon and made a straight beeline toward them.
"No!" Danny cried out in horror as he reacted first and tried to interpose himself in their defense. In a heartbeat, Bishop gasped as the fallen Archangel surged forward, but Kara tackled the Professor to get them clear, while the Blue Ranger raised his spear and took a defensive stance. Danny felt his hands shake as he blocked Gideon's blow, but the sheer force of it, threw him off balance. As Gideon turned the spear aside, he charged his blade and struck the Blue Ranger with a devastating counter slash. Everyone gasped in shock as Danny collapsed on his side and his golden armor instantly dispelled.
"Fandaniel... you were always meddling and getting in the way of my schemes," Gideon sneered as if speaking to his ancient brethren.
At that moment, Izzy gave an anguished cry of fury and raced forward, trying to drive her rapier into the back of Gideon's exposed neck to avenge Danny. The fallen Archangel frowned and dodged the wild blow, while flexing his six wings. To the Pink Ranger's shock, she was pummeled by the six wings and violently thrown aside, landing near Danny on the ground. As Izzy lay stunned, her armor evaporated in a shimmering light.
"You were always too soft-hearted Ambriel. So preoccupied with others' pain that you would forget yourself."
As Gideon said that, he recoiled back a step as Nick charged from the side and delivered a furious hammer blow into his enemy's side. The Green Ranger roared in fury as he struck Gideon full on with another earth shattering blow, but Gideon only laughed amid the shower of sparks and the minimal dents that were left on his cuirass. He grabbed Nick's next strike and threw the shocked Green Ranger sideways, striking him with a powerful sword blow and dispelling his armor too.
"Hashmael... always so predictable," Gideon sighed, "Brave, but reckless."
He was silenced as a volley of freezing arrows blasted him from the other side, but Gideon broke away the ice and scoffed at the scorch marks on his armor. Turning toward Claire, he leveled his six wings and charged them with golden energy, firing a volley of super-heated projectiles at her. The White Ranger darted about in the air, dodging the golden fireballs as they tracked her movement like homing missiles. As she maneuvered clear, she gasped as Gideon swooped in front of her and sent her crashing to the ground with a powerful sword blow.
"Sandalaphon... so clever... but so pathetically weak," the Archangel laughed triumphantly as Claire rolled nearby the other fallen Rangers and lost her armored form as well. Flexing his wings again, Gideon slowly descended to the ground to confront the Red Ranger who now stood alone in shock.
One moment, the Rangers had actually been holding their own against Gideon but now... his four friends lay on the ground, stunned, de-powered, and possibly wounded as well. Joe turned to Gideon as the Archangel leveled his sword and gave a malevolent grin, "And finally Auriel... my brother... my rival... and my greatest enemy of all."
The Red Ranger turned and took one more glance to his injured friends who all lay stunned, trying feebly to rise to their feet again. He had to protect them and he had to do something to stop Gideon once and for all. He took a breath, trying to steady his heart and his shaking hand before summoning the Battlizer Trumpet. "All right Gideon... if you want a fight with Archangel Auriel, then that's what you're going to get!"
Gideon covered his eyes for a moment as Joe sounded the Trumpet and summoned the Red Seraphim armor. Before the Archangel could respond, the Seraph surged forward and plowed into him amid a tumultuous wave of flames and sunlight.
Kara and Bishop watched as the Seraphim swept Gideon up into the skies, leaving a large swath of scorched grass below. Amid the tempest of light and fire, Gideon roared in fury and raised his shield as Joe brought his longsword around in a powerful strike. The force of the sword blow caved the shield in and sent it spinning away as the two angels continued to tangle in the air at close quarters.
"You cannot overpower me," Gideon fumed turning his sword and trying to line up a counter thrust, but Joe grabbed the Archangel's forearm to restrain him. Bringing his sword arm around, the Seraph smashed his weapon-holding fist into Gideon's face, stunning him. With another cry of fury, Joe brought his longsword around and struck Gideon, hammering him across the chest repeatedly with punishing slashes.
As he pummeled Gideon, the Red Ranger could feel his strength beginning to fade as he reached the human limits of the armor. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to keep holding the form for as long as he possibly could in hopes it would be enough the slay Gideon. As the two tumbled in midair, Joe took one last great slash as he drove them both back into the grassy battlefield below. The blow shredded a section of Gideon's golden breastplate apart and left a deep scorch wound as the two slammed into the ground in a fireball.
Bishop and Kara shielded their eyes and staggered from the shockwave. They continued to stare in horror as the fires subsided and the smoke began to clear. By now, the other Rangers had weakly staggered to their knees and watched the spectacle unfold in stunned silence. Amid the fires, they saw a haggard looking Gideon stagger slowly to his feet. His once magnificent armor was now scorched, dented, and shredded while his mouth bled openly from where he had been punched.
The wounded Archangel advanced slowly with a murderous look toward the form of the exhausted Red Ranger who struggled to rise to his own knees. By now, Joe's armor had dispelled and his saber sword was broken in half. As he staggered over, Gideon grabbed the Red Ranger by the throat and lifted him up with an injured grunt, "You arrogant little human... to think you could take on he guise of Auriel and strike me down like he did... you will pay for your insolence."
Gideon spat a gob of his blood into the ground before extending his six wings and blasting the Ranger at point blank with his own searing golden fires. Joe screamed in pain and was thrown to the ground near his fellow Rangers while Gideon drunkenly reached to the ground and picked up his own sword.
The four other Vanguard Rangers gave horrified cries and despite their own wounds, stumbled over to help their injured leader sit up. As they gathered around him, he could only groan in pain as his suit bore terrible scorch marks from Gideon's attack.
"It's over Vanguard Rangers..." Gideon said raising his sword and igniting it with golden energy once more, "The battle is over and your world is mine."
With one great swing, the fallen Archangel sent a wave of energy toward the five from his sword. As each of the five Rangers feebly raised their hands to their eyes, they were all blinded in a white hot light.
A/N:
Don't worry everyone, the story's not over yet. Our heroes will get better... I hope... so stay tuned! More on the way coming soon!
Dies Irae: "Day of Wrath" in Latin