AN: Welcome back to Fantaji Sentai Questinger! Go read Kamen Rider Mythos as well and enjoy the chapter!
Fantaji Sentai Questinger
Roll 8: Building a Great Trust
The throne room of Kushiraba Palace, all Sebion generals are gathered….
Not a soul dared make a sound as Vrefaris sat on his throne, clearly fuming at recent events. They all looked at each other, wondering who was going to speak first. Finally a recovering Igritorn spoke, "Lord Vrefaris, I deeply apologize for my failure but rest assured I will defeat the Questingers personally and redeem myself."
Vrefaris glared at him, darkness burning in his eyes, "You will do no such thing Igritorn, in fact you will cease your pursuit of them entirely." Igritorn stammered as he stood up, "Lord Vrefaris please, that QuestinRed caught me off guard, I can defeat them easily."
Vrefaris's hand glowed as his anger grew, "I will say this once, to all of you failures, the 5 Questingers are united, Remlin is now more confident in facing me, and they are sending a message to the people that they can rebel. THAT SEBION IS WEAK!"
Igritorn bowed before him, "Please Lord Vrefaris give me another chance, we can set this right." Vrefaris snapped his fingers, darkness surrounding Igritorn and lifting him up, "You're correct Igritorn, we will set this right. You however will not. You're demoted, now leave my sight at once!"
He snapped and Igritorn was sent flying out of the throne room, the rest of the generals silent as Vrefaris sat back down. As no one spoke, Grant Masters finally stood up, the same cocky smile he always had on his face, "Lord Vrefaris if I may, the Questingers still don't trust each other. Their downfall can easily be engineered if the right buttons are pushed."
Vrefaris nodded slightly, his eyes still glowing, "Do that then Young Grant, destroy them from the inside, however…" Grant raised an eyebrow, "Yes Lord Vrefaris?" He felt himself brought to his knees as Vrefaris appeared in front of him, "Fail in this task and you will face severe punishment, punishment that will make you cry out for anyone to save you, understood?"
Grant nodded, "I understand Lord Vrefaris, I will not fail you." Vrefaris sat back down on his throne, "See that you don't, the rest of you are dismissed." The generals slowly departed, leaving Vrefaris to himself, the leader of Sebion seething in anger at recent events.
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The sun beamed through the blinds into the apartment owned by Remlin, Maki finding herself waking up in a daze as she rose from the floor she was calling a bed.
With nowhere else to go she had been living with Remlin and Valanthe and as she walked towards the bathroom she found one thought in her head as she accidentally tripped over a sleeping Valanthe, the apartment was too cramped.
Valanthe sat up and glared at Maki, "Watch where you're going, not everyone wakes up as early as you do." Maki rolled her eyes, "I wake up early because I like to train before I go to that prison you call school, now get up and help me with breakfast."
Valanthe said nothing as she got up, the two making breakfast as Maki finally broke the silence, "So Valanthe tell me about yourself, you've never really said anything about your past since we've met and I find it rather odd."
Valanthe frowned, "Because I don't like talking about my past, and why do you even care?" Maki glared at her, "Partly because we're the same age and partly because if I'm going to be fighting alongside someone I like to know them so I'm able to trust them."
Valanthe turned around, finishing work on what she was doing, "My past isn't interesting so it's better if you just dropped the subject." The two continued to finish up breakfast and ate in silence, Maki trying occasionally to ask a question but Valanthe kept giving cryptic answers.
As they finished up Maki stood up and walked towards the door, turning back at Valanthe, "I ask you these questions Valanthe because not everyone is trusted so highly by Remlin, so I refuse to believe you don't have a past since we're both older then we look. Next time we play this game I suggest you actually answer because if you keep avoiding me then I'm not going to trust you, if I don't trust you then I'm not going to fight alongside you."
Valanthe said nothing as she walked out the door, Maki wasn't necessarily wrong but Valanthe wasn't ready to reveal everything just yet to her new teammates.
As she got ready for school, she turned to see Remlin arriving in the kitchen, "You know, Maki is right, you should tell her and Megumi everything. Maki isn't one to trust easily and it could be catastrophic for us if you cause her to distrust you."
Valanthe crossed her arms, "Her and Megumi haven't been around long enough for me to trust them, it took awhile for me to tell Yuto and the idiot anything, I'm not going to reveal everything to them right away either." Remlin sighed, "Valanthe I'll say this once, your past is your past. It's your choice, but be warned, the longer you wait, the worse things could be, and I don't feel Maki will hold back like Yukishi did."
Valanthe frowned, he was right, he always was. But still she didn't want to bring it up yet, she was too afraid of being judged again. She shrugged off those feelings as she continued to get ready to head out, her past was hers, she would reveal it when it was time.
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*The Opening theme begins, Silhouette by Kana-Boon*
Instrumentals are heard as a guitar begins as several characters flash on the screen starting with Yukishi before going through several characters before the screen breaks revealing a book called The Legend of Kataryuko. The book opens showing several scenes like the armies of Sebion, the 6 heroes and finally the worlds splitting before the book gets halfway through and it reveals the logo Fantaji Sentai Questinger.
Isse no se de fumikomu gōrain bokura wa, Nanimo nanimo mada shiranu
Yukishi is shown walking the halls of school before transferring into a village dressed in fighter gear.
Issen koete furikaeruto mō nai bokura wa Nanimo nanimo mada shiranu
Yuto is shown being laughed at in the halls before going over to a village where people are shown to be asking him questions appreciating him, now flashing to Valanthe who is shown to be overlooking a village. Maki is shown with her back against a tree in the human world before turning and showing her with her bow in Kataryuko. Finally Megumi is running off a stage and into the streets of a village ready to entertain villagers with a lute.
Udatte udatte udatteku Kirameku ase ga koboreru no sa
Remnil is shown giving the teens their Questinchangers behind them appearing Grant Masters staring at them giving them a cold look as they prepare to morph.
Oboetenai koto mo takusan attadarou
The Questingers appear fully morphed leaping from a book into the world of Kataryuko going head first into some monsters fighting them off.
Daremo kare mo shiruetto
The five stop to look at each other before going to fight a tougher looking monster as a team.
Daiji ni shitai mono motte otona ni naru nda
The humanoid zords appear with each of them charging into battle before all give combining into Great QuestinOh
Don'na toki mo hanasazu ni
A scene of Grant Masters laughing creating monsters as a silhouette of the Questingers fight them
Mamori tsudzukeyou soshitara itsu no hi ni ka
A brief flash of Remlin casting a spell before the Questingers all begin to charge up attacks
Nanimo kamo o waraeru-sa
The attacks merge striking the screen leaving a bright light
Hirari to hirari to matteru Konoha ga tonde yuku
Finally Maki and Megumi are shown joining the other three, all getting ready to charge into battle as a 20 sided dice rolls on the ground ending the scene cutting out before the dice finishes rolling.
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Maki found herself following Megumi towards their classroom, Maki was completely silent as Megumi was busy explaining various things to her, Megumi having taken it upon herself to teach her about what she called the modern world.
Maki could barely pay attention as Megumi explained something called the internet to her, "So the internet! You can find all kinds of information you want on there, and sometimes things you don't want. You can communicate with others all around the world, it's how I interact with fans, it's really cool and you should try it since it's helpful to know how to navigate it."
Maki nodded absentmindedly before looking at the pink haired girl, "Hey Megumi can I ask you a question?" Megumi nodded enthusiastically, "Of course, I've been talking all this time you must have questions at this point." Maki frowned, "What do you think of Valanthe?"
Megumi paused for a moment, thinking of her words carefully, "I respect Valanthe a lot, her and I have never really talked but it's clear she's strong, capable and has been through a lot but still has a certain kind of confidence that makes her really cool. She's a bit mysterious but according to Yuto that's just how she is. Why do you ask?"
Maki looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching, "Because I don't trust her, in order for me to trust people I like to know about their pasts and what makes them tick. Valanthe is too evasive about her past and is too guarded, I can't fight alongside someone like that."
Megumi gave her a smile, "You know what you need in order to get closer to her? A GIRLS NIGHT! We can hangout just the 3 of us, do whatever we feel like, it can be a real bonding experience you know." Megumi quickly shook her head, "No thanks, doesn't sound fun to me, and I really have no interest in spending any more time with Valanthe than I have to."
Megumi frowned and touched her fingers together, clearly thinking, "Why don't you trust Valanthe Maki? Everyone else does." Maki said nothing before the school bell rang, "It's time for class, don't worry about it ok? It's between Valanthe and I."
She turned and walked away leaving Megumi to ponder things on her own, "I know she said not to worry about it but… We're teammates, we all have to get along! That's why we'll have that girls hangout whether you want it or not Maki." She jumped up and down from excitement before calming herself down, running off to class all the while thinking about what a fun time the 3 girls would have.
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Many Years ago in Kataryuko
"Young girl, you know better than to run off like that!" The guards ran after the girl, a young Maki, who had slipped past them to play outside the walls that surrounded the encampment.
She giggled in her childish ways, just happy to have people chasing her. "Tag, tag!" the girl called. "Catch me if you can!" The guards, however, clearly didn't understand the goal, as Maki was easily able to give them the slip.
After all, they were much older than her, and that meant slower. On the other hand, though, she didn't account for a vine trap trapping her just as soon as she did lose the guards.
She struggled, but seemed to stop as her uncle stepped out of the treeline to lower the trap, likely to bring her back. "Looks like I caught a speedy rabbit instead of what I had hoped," the older man mused. "How did you slip by everyone this time?" The girl could only pout.
The man sighed, "Well no matter, you have a home to get back to." He lowered the net and undid the trap, leading her back to within view of the guards. "I'm sorry, little one," he said, "but I need you to head back. You know how dangerous it is out here. Remember, you're safe inside the encampment."
The girl pulled her hand from his grip, stood for a moment, then looked at the man. "Why was that there, uncle?" The man patted her head, prodding her forward as he gave an answer, "To catch those I want to catch, little one. Now get going and I'll be behind you." As she began to run back home she couldn't hear him whisper, "I'm sorry little one."
Maki arrived home as her Father waited for her, his arms crossed as she arrived, "Maki you tried running out of the encampment again. How many times have we told you not to leave here?" Maki frowned, "Only once or twice, who told you? Syltris?"
She saw her twin sister hiding behind the door of their home as if she didn't really need to ask the question. Her Father shook his head in disbelief, "Your Mother had definitely told you more than twice and so have I, and so has your Uncle Qiric. Now get inside, dinner is almost ready."
Maki nodded as she followed her Father into the house, pausing briefly to look up at him, "Papa, why can't we leave the encampment?" Her Father paused for a moment before turning around, kneeling down to her level and smiling at her, "Because there's some bad guys out there that we don't want finding us, so we have the magical barrier around our home so only people we like can enter."
Maki nodded slowly, "Like Uncle Qiric?" Her Father made a face she couldn't quite understand before nodding, "Like everyone here in the encampment, your Uncle is one of those people, most of the time."
Maki cocked her head to the side in confusion, "What does that mean Papa?" Her Father frowned, "Your Uncle doesn't always make good decisions, I'll tell you more when you're older."
Maki nodded and smiled at him, "So what's the name of the bad guys anyway?" Her Father paused for a moment before putting a finger to his lips, "I'll tell you but you can't tell your Mother or Syltris ok?"
Maki gave him a thumbs up, "Syltris might be mad at me since we tell each other everything but I can keep a secret for you Papa." He leaned in, bringing his lips up to her ear and whispered, "Sebion"
Maki registered the name for a moment before looking at her Father, "That's a silly name Papa." He chuckled a bit from her reaction and nodded, "You're right it is Maki, but if you ever hear someone say they're from that group then please run away from them."
Maki nodded quickly and her Father smiled at her, "Good, now let's go eat dinner." Maki followed him into their home, not really having any idea that the silly name she had just heard would bring about suffering.
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It was late at night and Maki had been in a deep sleep before she could feel someone shaking her. As she opened her eyes she could smell something burning as she saw her Father shaking her awake. He was dressed in combat gear and had a sword at his side, "Papa what's going on?"
She could see her Mother waking up Syltris as her Father forced a smile onto his face, "Maki, I need you and Slytris to go somewhere safe, somewhere no one will find you, ok? Your Mother and I will come get you when it's safe to. Promise me to not come out or stop to talk to anyone ok?"
Maki nodded slowly, "Ok Papa, we have a really good hiding place none of the other kids could ever find!" Her Father nodded before taking a necklace from his neck and placing it around hers, smiling at her, "This is our family crest, it'll bring you two good luck and protection, never take it off understood?"
Maki nodded as her Mother turned to her Father, tears in her eyes, "Sebion is going to reach us soon, they need to go." Maki's eyes widened, those were the bad guys that her Father had mentioned. She and Syltris followed their parents out of the home as Syltris turned to her sister, "Papa gave you a necklace? Mama gave me a dagger."
Maki frowned, "I'd want to trade but Papa said never take off my necklace." As the two finished talking their parents looked at them, they gave both of them a quick hug before sending them off, the two sisters still unsure of what was going on.
They reached their hiding spot without seeing anyone, sitting there for what felt like hours as they could hear screams and the smell of smoke. Maki grimaced and moved away from the hiding spot, being stopped by Syltris, "Where do you think you're going?"
Maki shook free from her grip, "I'm worried about Mama and Papa, we need to see what's going on." Syltris frowned for a moment before sighing, "Fine, but let's just try to stay out of sight."
Maki nodded and the two began to sneak through the encampment, walking past other members of the encampment who seemed to be asleep. As they reached the center of the encampment, Maki was pulled behind a wall by Syltris as they could see a bunch of evil looking creatures gathered in the center.
Maki's eyes widened as she could see their parents, restrained with rope as a dark skinned elf stood in front of them. Maki tried screaming for her parents but Syltris stopped her by covering her mouth, putting a finger to her mouth to shush her.
The dark elf kicked their Father in the stomach, "Did you really think you could hide from Sebion, hmmm Luven? You and your wife Shalee could only evade us for so long."
Luven spit blood on the ground before sneering up at the elf, "Drop dead, you may as well just kill me because I'll never stop fighting against the injustice you and Sebion commit in this world."
The dark elf laughed maniacally before withdrawing a dagger from his side, "Oh, we planned to kill you, but first we wanted to tell you how we found out about this place."
He gestured with his hand and out from the creatures appeared Qiric, causing Maki to almost break out of Syltris's hold but was further restrained by her. Luven looked horrified as Qiric avoided meeting his gaze, "Qiric? Brother why? We allowed you here even after all you had done!"
Qiric frowned before removing a large bag from his pocket, "I tried Brother, I really did, but Sebion, what they offered me, how could I pass up on it! Vast sums of gold!"
Luven tried to stand up but couldn't as he screamed at his brother, "I'll kill you Qiric, mark my words I will kill you! You traitor!" Qiric shook his head as one of the creatures unsheathed its weapon, stabbing Shalee in the chest as she fell to the ground dead.
Maki nearly screamed but was stopped by Syltris who thrust her dagger into Maki's hands, "I'm going to try and save Papa, take my dagger and hide back at the spot. Remember what Papa said."
Maki could barely nod as Syltris put her forehead to hers, a sign of love between the two before she ran out attacking several of the creatures before punching their uncle, not doing much to him.
Before she ran she saw the dark elf thrust his blade into his Father's neck. Maki held back tears as she ran from the area, her legs carrying her towards the woods as she no longer cared if she passed any of the creatures attacking their encampment.
As she continued to run she found herself nearly running an elf with blonde hair and slightly more tan skin than her own, as she stopped she found herself passing out before he could say anything to her.
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Present Day
It was after school and Maki had "convinced" the archery club to allow her and Yukishi to use their equipment. He had wanted to learn a bit of archery and she was more than happy to give him a few pointers.
He watched as she hit a perfect bullseye, "Not bad, though I'd be more than impressed if you could do it with your eyes closed." Maki giggled a bit and took an arrow out from the quiver, "Careful there fôph, the last guy who asked me that ended up with an arrow in his knee."
Yukishi smiled at her, "So what I'm hearing is you can't do it then." Maki gave him a smile back before closing her eyes and firing her arrow, hitting the bullseye once again.
She opened her eyes and put the bow down, "No, I just said someone could get hurt. Now come up here and try." Yukishi nodded and walked over picking up the bow, "Well who am I to say no to a pretty girl's challenge."
Maki shook her head and giggled, "Buttering me up won't get you any more tips on archery than I'm already giving you." Yukishi gave her a playful frown, "What, I can't give you a compliment without having an ulterior motive?"
Maki shook her head, "From what I've learned in life, no you can't." He chuckled before trying to set up the bow, struggling to the arrow onto the string as she finally sighed, getting behind him and grabbing both of his hands, helping him line it up, "Here, just like this, now just pull the string back and release."
He released the arrow and it flew towards the target, almost getting it in the center causing him to smile, "Alright!" Neither really noticed that they were still in the same position they'd been in as Maki smiled at him, "Not bad for a beginner but I was helping you."
There was a silence for a moment before the door to the school opened and the two heard a voice, "Am I interrupting something?" The two quickly pulled apart as they turned to see Grant standing there, "Oh hey Grant what are you doing here?"
Grant shrugged, "I was bored and the club hasn't started yet so I figured I'd look for something to do." Yukishi nodded as Maki crossed her arms, "You couldn't just hangout in Remlin's class?" Grant shook his head, "Nope, Remlin and Valanthe were talking about something, must be some family stuff. Seemed boring so I just left."
Grant noticed Maki's eye twitched as Yukishi frowned, "Well you know how things are, it's between them. Like you said, family stuff." Grant clenches his fist at what Yukishi said, "Yeah, like I said." Maki finally opened her mouth, dropping her bow, "Yukishi can you clean up? I have to go do something real quick." Yukishi nodded as she nearly ran off, leaving him confused as he had a bad feeling in his stomach.
Grant watched her leave, he unclenched his fist. "So I'm thinking Yuto probably owes me money for that bet between the two of us." Yukishi looked at him, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Grant chuckled as Yukishi gathered up the equipment they'd been using. Yukishi knew Maki had a problem with Valanthe and even he wasn't that stupid enough to not notice her attitude changed after Grant mentioned her and Remlin. He wished he could help her trust Valanthe but truthfully he wasn't sure how since even he didn't trust Valanthe 100% yet.
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It didn't take long for Maki to arrive at Remlin's room, hearing voices she decided to listen at the door, her advanced hearing as an elf allowing her to hear what Remlin and Valanthe were talking about, "Valanthe you will have to say something eventually, Maki is getting restless with your lying and avoiding her questions and it won't be long before there's conflict."
Maki scowled as she continued, so even Remlin agrees that whatever Valanthe was hiding shouldn't be kept a secret. She continued to listen as Valanthe seemed to ignore Remlin, "Remlin you and I both know how that will go. The idiot nearly wanted to kill me once he found out, Maki hates Sebion with a passion. What do you think she'd try to do to me when she finds out I'm Ex-Sebion? I'd probably end up with an arrow in my chest."
Maki's hand curled into a fist as she heard this, the memories of her entire encampment slaughtered by Sebion playing in her mind. Valanthe was Sebion, how could Remlin allow her to fight alongside them? How could anyone even trust her?
Valanthe was certainly right though she was going to end up with an arrow in her chest. Deciding she wasn't going to allow this conversation to go further, she knocked on the door and charged into the classroom, startling both of them, "Remlin, we need to talk now!"
Remlin regained his composure and nodded, "Of course Maki, I was actually about to call you as my contacts finally came back with news about where they might be keeping some of those captured from your village."
Maki glared at Valanthe who seemed to ignore it and just looked at her uninterested, "It's not about my village Remlin." Before she could say anything Megumi came walking into the room all excited, "There you two are! Maki I know you said you didn't want to but I thought the three of us should have some girl time so come on you two I've made plans for us."
She grabbed Maki by the wrist and began to drag her out of the room, Maki continuing to glare at Valanthe but not really protesting as Megumi was certainly stronger than she looked. Valanthe looked at Remlin who shrugged, "You should go, try to have some fun and actually make Maki trust you."
Valanthe sighed and nodded, Megumi had good intentions and she did need to earn Maki's trust since maybe then she wouldn't kill her. Reluctantly she followed the two out of the room, unsure exactly what girl time meant or what she would be subjected to.
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As it turned out, Valanthe wasn't a fan of "girl time", Megumi had dragged her and Maki to what she had learned was called a mall.
Dragging the two into a clothing store she was trying her hardest to humor the pink haired girl as she was holding up an outfit she would never dream of wearing, "Come on Valanthe just try it on, you wear way too much black and you need to branch out a bit."
Valanthe crossed her arms and frowned, "What's wrong with what I wear now? I like it and it's comfortable, I see no reason to change that." Megumi frowned and turned to Maki who'd been standing in the corner silent, "What about you Maki? I know you like your brown and green combo but this would look so cute on you."
Maki shook her head, "Megumi, neither of us are interested in shopping, can we just move on?" Megumi frowned before obliging them, she took them to a music store next and that was at least better than the shopping.
Valanthe was learning to appreciate the music of this world, she never really got to enjoy any when she was in Sebion so listening to it now was nice. Still she couldn't help but feel she was being watched as Maki seemed to be trying to burn holes into the back of her head.
Next Megumi had them get ice cream, which she can definitely say she enjoyed, she didn't like to admit but she had a sweet tooth and ice cream was something she couldn't get in Kataryuko.
Finally Megumi dragged them to an arcade, reasoning that Maki and her would enjoy that a lot more. When she did, playing competitive games was something she enjoyed and she especially enjoyed what Megumi said was called a fighting game.
Still Maki seemed to be ignoring her as she tried several times to bait her into having a competition with her in games but Maki continued to glare at her and occasionally play with Megumi in something.
Eventually the three left the mall, the sun was setting and Megumi continued to talk their ears off as Valanthe finally had enough, "Maki, what is your problem?" Maki's eyes twitched, "What do you mean my problem Nailo?"
Valanthe glared at the fellow elf, "I've been trying this entire evening to do what Megumi wants of being friends and hanging out as she calls and you've stood in the corner glaring at me and moping. I have tried to be friends with you, I am trying my hardest and you're acting colder than an Ice Folk."
Maki scowled at her, "Fine, you want to know what's wrong? WHEN THE HELL WERE YOU GOING TO TELL EITHER OF US YOU WERE IN SEBION!" Megumi let out a gasp, partially from how loud Maki had just yelled that and partially because of the revelation.
Valanthe stepped back and began to get defensive, "How did you hear that?" Maki crossed her arms, "So is it true or not?" Valanthe frowned and clenched her fist, "Look if you must know I was in Sebion ok? I was manipulated into it by one of their generals and Remlin helped me defect once I found out who they actually were. I've tried to become a better person and move on with my life."
Valanthe tried to step forward but she found herself with an arrow pointed at her, Maki having summoned her bow, "I don't care about circumstances, I refuse to trust anyone once associated with Sebion."
Megumi tried to get in the middle of the two, hating to see them fight, "Maki please, Valanthe is our teammate and clearly everyone else trusts her so please let's just hear her out."
Maki shook her head, "You can hear her out all you want but she's lied to us and has most likely done some awful things in the name of Sebion. I'm not going to stand her and be lied to anymore. Do what you want Megumi but I have some things I need to do."
She left Megumi and a speechless Valanthe. Valanthe wasn't sure what to do at this point, Maki wasn't wrong, she'd done horrible things. All she could do was stand there as Megumi just stared at her wanting answers as well.
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Many Years Ago
She woke up in a daze as she could still smell a burning smell. She opened her eyes to find herself at what seemed to be a camp, a campfire going as the same elf she had run into earlier. She looked around to see those same creatures from before, dead around the trees, each killed rather brutally.
She got up before she saw the elf turn away from the fire, "Finally awake? Some Yamblins came after you but I took care of them." Judging by his features she could tell he was a wood elf, "Who are you?"
The elf stood up and approached her, he didn't seem threatening but then again neither did her uncle, "I could ask you the same question. Names Tordryn Matthews, I happened to be camping out here when you ran into me."
Maki frowned, "I'm Maki, I lived with my parents in the encampment near here but it got attacked by some evil men my Papa said were named Sebion." Tordryn sighed and bent down to her level, "So you must be from the resistance camp then, well it's too late to go over there now but if you're willing to wait a few hours I'll escort you over there to see if we can find any survivors."
Maki nodded, "How do you know about my home?" Tordryn chuckled a bit, "I have some experience with the resistance but I don't do that anymore." Maki nodded and sat down at the fire, the two waited for hours.
Tordryn wasn't much of a talker but he did listen as she told him all about her life and her family. Finally he stood up and told her it was time, the two walking back to the encampment. Tears began to fill her eyes as she saw it absolutely decimated, everything burned, dead bodies everywhere and nothing left.
Tordryn frowned, "How many people lived here?" Maki shrugged, "My Papa mentioned once there are over fifty people living with us, but I never counted them all." Tordryn nodded, "I'm sorry kid, I've lost people to Sebion too."
The two finally reached the center of the encampment, finding her parents' bodies and nothing else. Maki walked up and knelt down at her parents' side, the tears starting as Tordryn looked at the destruction, "I'm guessing those were your parents?" Maki nodded, "My sister isn't here though, she was trying to hold them off so I could run."
Tordryn nodded, "Brave girl, Sebion doesn't like bravery but who knows maybe she's out there somewhere." Maki cried more before Tordryn walked over to her, having picked something up, "Your parents were brave kid, standing up to Sebion when at this point everyone knows that never goes well. They'd be happy to know you survived."
He put something in front of her, it was a small bow, she picked it up and looked at him, "What's this?" He crossed his arms, "You're gonna need something to protect yourself out there, and while that knife you got on you is fine, this seems more your size."
Maki nodded, "What do I do now?" Tordryn sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "First, we're gonna give all these people a proper burial, a friend of mine once told me everyone deserves that. After that I suppose you can follow me around a bit, after all you're gonna need someone to show you how to survive."
Maki looked down at the small bow in her hands and nodded, "Ok, are you going to teach me how to be strong like you?" Tordryn shook his, "Nah I'm gonna teach you how to survive, and first lesson kid, never trust anyone, not even me."
Maki nodded as she followed him around, helping him prepare the burials. She would become strong, she would survive, and one day she would make Sebion pay for what they did to her family and her home.
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Present Day
Yukishi yawned as he exited his garage, he was going for an evening run after dinner. As he walked he turned around, "Oh hey Maki, what brings you to my house at 8 at night?" Maki crossed her arms, she clearly wasn't happy, "Did you know?"
Yukishi raised an eyebrow, "Know what?" Maki frowned, "About Nailo being a former member of Sebion?" Yukishi thought for a moment before nodding slowly, "She didn't tell us at first, we had to learn it from her former boss."
What happened next shocked him. Maki shot forward, grabbing him by the shirt, "YOU KNEW AND DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?" Yukishi held his hands up, really not looking to get his ass kicked by her, "Remlin forbade Yuto and I from saying anything, he wanted Valanthe to tell you on her own."
Maki's grip tightened on his shirt, "You know how I feel about Sebion, she can't be trusted!" Yukishi tried to free himself, succeeding before grabbing her hand, stopping her from grabbing him again, "Look I get it, I had a hard time trusting her too, but she's one of us."
Maki looked at him, calming down slightly, "Do you really believe that considering how she treats you? She calls you an idiot constantly and is always hostile with you, can you really call her a friend?"
Yukishi opened his mouth for a moment before stopping himself, before finally speaking, "Valanthe and I argue a lot, but I trust her, she's proven herself to all of us." Maki broke free from his grip, frowning, "I can't trust her, I refuse to. But, I do trust you, will you help me with something?"
Yukishi nodded, "I'll help you however I can, just don't ask me to go against Remlin." Maki shook her head, "I'm not getting Remlin involved. I've been looking into where Sebion may have brought some of my fellow rangers after my village was attacked. Remlin gave me some info about where they may be. Will you help me rescue them?"
Yukishi frowned, "I'm willing to, but I don't think we should do anything without Remlin and the others." Maki sighed and turned away, "Do what you need to Yukishi, but I can't trust Remlin right now, he's just as guilty as Valanthe. I'll go by myself."
She walked away from him, he wasn't going to chase after her, charging in just the two of them would be stupid. He took out his phone and dialed a number, "Remlin? It's Yukishi, I need to talk to you."
He listened for a moment, "Got it, I'm on my way to your apartment." He sent a quick text to his parents before walking towards Remlin's apartment, they didn't have much time before Maki did something stupid.
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Yukishi arrived at Remlin's and walked in to see Valanthe and Megumi already there, "Oh you two are here already?" Valanthe crossed her arms, "I live here idiot."
Megumi frowned and put a hand on her shoulder, "Yukishi, it must be something pretty important to come out here." Yukishi nodded, "So I guess Maki found out about Valanthe's little secret, she came to my house asking me if I knew about it."
Remlin nodded, "Yes we know, she confronted Valanthe before running off, I guess we know where she went now." Yukishi sighed and scratched his forehead, "She said she was going to try and rescue some people from her village. She asked me for help but I told her we should do it as a group, she insisted on not letting Valanthe and Remlin help."
Valanthe cursed under her breath, "She's going to get herself killed trying to break into Sebion prisons." Megumi looked down and held her wrist with her other hand, "This is all my fault, I never should've tried to force Maki and Valanthe to be friends."
Valanthe shook her head, "No it's my fault, I should've been honest with both you and Maki. You're members of the team and I vowed to be more honest with the team." Remlin stroked his beard, "What's important here is growing from your mistakes and being more honest with everyone."
Yukishi nodded, "So what's the plan now then Remlin." Remlin crossed his arms, "Maki is going to need help where she's going, you'll need to get there quickly before anything bad happens."
Yukishi put a hand on his chin and nodded, "Alright then, Megumi and Valanthe go ahead and meet up with Maki, I'll go grab Yuto and we'll meet you there." The two nodded as Remlin frowned, "You two be careful, you won't be at full strength until all 5 of you are assembled and we can't guarantee that Maki won't lash out at you."
They nodded and Yukishi left out the door to go get Yuto, hoping that they'd all make it in time to prevent Maki from doing something dangerous.
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Many Years Ago
It had been years since she had started traveling with him, he was almost like a father to her at this point. She had gotten strong, and he had been saying it may be time for them to part ways soon. It was a normal day for them, resting in a tavern. She hated taverns as there were too many factors she couldn't control and people she didn't trust. The village they were in Myrefall, it was nice and there were rangers like her she could learn from.
As they sat at a table the door opened rather violently, and in walked in a man who looked like he didn't belong in a tavern like that. Wearing royal looking clothes and a crown, he had not only a sword at his side but a pepperbox as well. What she noticed first was resting upon his unkempt black hair were a pair of horns. She saw an annoyed glance from Tordryn as she looked at him, "What is that person?" Tordryn frowned and clearly looked annoyed, "A fucking asshole, that's what he is."
The man approached their table and nodded at Tordryn, "Tordryn" Tordryn stood up and frowned, "Asshole" Maki got up and between the two of them, "Uh excuse me, what are you exactly?"
The man smirked at her, "What, you've never seen a tiefling?" Maki shook her head as Tordryn put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her away from him, "Stay away from him kid, you'll either end up in hell or get involved in some crazy bullshit." The man crossed his arms, "Don't be so cold Tordryn, we're the only two left after all. Honestly it's rude you haven't introduced me yet."
Tordryn rolled his eyes, "Fine, Maki this is Dangan Fame, we adventured together before the world was separated." Dangan frowned, "You know Tordryn I wasn't expecting you to have a daughter after the last kid."
Maki wanted to comment but Tordryn wasn't really letting her near him, "Not my kid, not by blood at least. Now what do you want, asshole, because you only show up when you need my help."
Dangan held up his hands in defeat, "You got me, I do need something." Tordryn crossed his arms, "Fine what do you want since I do owe you a favor." Dangan smiled and gave him a nod, "Excellent, it's better if we go to my realm for this, you know Orann and Miridar keep asking when you're going to come to visit so they're going to be so excited."
Dangan began to leave and Tordryn started to follow him, Maki following closely behind but he stopped her, "Not this time kid, you aren't going with us." Maki frowned, "What why not?"
Tordryn looked at Dangan before looking back at her, "Because it's time you strike out on your own. Stay here, become a ranger, become strong without me and one day I'll be back to see how you're doing."
Seeing that he wasn't going to change his mind, Maki nodded, "Fine, but promise you'll come back, I don't want to lose another family member." Tordryn smirked and nodded, "Listen kid, one last lesson. When I told you not to trust anyone, there's an exception to that rule."
Maki raised an eyebrow, "What's the exception?" Tordryn crossed his arms and looked at Dangan again, "The people you can trust are those who are idiots and naive people. They aren't capable of lying or trickery and even if they aren't the nicest, you'll still know who you're talking to if you're with them. Take care of yourself kid, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
She watched him leave, confused by what he meant by that. That was the last time she ever saw him, for years she tried to find out news or if anyone had seen him. But sadly no one ever did, he never returned and she had lost the only other person she called family.
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Present Day
It didn't take long for Maki to find the prison where her fellow rangers were being held. It was convenient that Remlin had put it into their QuestinChanger's being able to go to and from Kataryuko so they didn't have to rely on him anymore. It was also nice of him to leave what he'd found in his office so she could steal it.
Things had gone well at first, sneak in, take out a few guards, then there turned out to be more than she had thought at the prison. There were too many, she'd run out of arrows and she was now reduced to using the dagger Syltris had given her.
If this was where she was going to die, then she would go down fighting. As she began to tire out she felt someone grab her and pull her back as something ran past her. Turning she saw Megumi smiling at her as she turned and saw Valanthe now fighting off the rest of the guards.
Maki frowned, "What are you doing here?" Megumi handed her arrows and handed them to her, "Helping you, you're our teammate Maki we weren't going to let you do this alone."
Maki was about to protest when Valanthe appeared, the guards having been cleared for the moment, "Look you don't want to trust me, that's fine, because I don't trust myself sometimes. But what you can trust is that I'm serious about stopping Sebion and I would sacrifice my life if it meant doing so."
Megumi nodded, "And even if you still don't trust her then trust in me, and I'll trust her for the both of us." Maki frowned and shook her head, "You're really naive you know that?" Megumi nodded, "Listen I may not know much about what's going on but I know you're my friend and I'd never lie to you."
Maki gave her a small smile, this must've been what Tordryn was talking about years ago, Megumi wasn't going to lie or trick her, she was just a genuine person. Maki sighed and stepped forward, nodding at Valanthe, "I still don't trust you, but I'm willing to fight alongside you until one way or another you prove me wrong." The Yamblins started appearing in droves, causing the 3 to get ready as a fireball hit the Yamblins, causing them to turn around to see Yukishi and Yuto arriving.
Yukishi nodded at them and smiled, "Hope we aren't too late." Maki shook her head, "You're right on time." Yuto scratched the back of his head, "Sorry we would've been here sooner but I insisted Yukishi catch me up to speed about what was happening."
Valanthe scowled, "Apologize when we aren't surrounded by Yamblins." The 5 held up their changers, removing their dice from their pockets and all placing them into their changer, "FIGHTER!" "WIZARD!" "ROGUE!" "RANGER!" "BARD!"
The Five went towards the buttons and pressed them as they called out, "QUESTINCHANGE!" Bathed in their respective colors lights, the changers began to announce, "D20!"
"Dive In! Fight for Glory!(Questinranger!) Fighter Classssss!"
"Dive in! Knowledge is power! (Questinranger!) Wizard Classssss!"
"Dive in! Lurking in the shadows! (Questinranger!) Rogue Classssss!"
"Dive in! Hunter in the trees! (Questinranger!) Ranger Classssss!"
"Dive in! Magic in the music! (Questinranger!) Bard Classssss!"
All 5 Questinger's emerged from their respective lights as QuestinRed held up his sword, "The Brave Fighter: QUESTINRED!" Blue went next, holding out his staff in front of him, "The Intelligent Wizard: QUESTINBLUE!"
Black went next, spinning her daggers around before posing, "The Sly Rogue: QUESTINBLACK!" Green got down, aiming an arrow at the enemies, "The Keen Ranger: QUESTINGREEN!" Finally Pink went, strumming on her lute, "The Playful Bard: QUESTINPINK!" All 5 gathered as they posed, "The legendary heroes who'll save the world one roll at a time, FANTAJI SENTAI QUESTINGER."
QuestinRed pointed his sword at the Yamblins, "Now let's finish this quest!" All 5 Questinger's charged at the enemy, Red already changing into his Samurai subclass and finishing off Yamblins with ease, causing them to fall around him.
Blue and Black had teamed up, a much larger Yamblin had appeared and Blue had used a witch bolt on it, keeping it in place with the energy from the spell as Black appeared from behind, finishing it off with two strikes from her daggers.
Green and Pink had the largest group, Green trying to hit every single one with her arrows as she frowned from beneath her helmet, "Dammit I'm not fast enough to hit all these things." Pink nodded at her and began to play a song on her lute, "Let me help you out then!"
She hit a button on her changer, "D8: Bard's Inspiration!" Waves began to come from her lute as they hit QuestinGreen, causing her to feel faster as she managed to hit every Yamblin. As the rest of the Yamblin's were finished the Questinger's regrouped, thinking the battle was over before they heard a massive roar, the very same Armanite that had defeated Yuto and Valanthe landed in front of him.
Black cursed, "Dammit not this thing again." The demonic looking centaur roared again at them as it began to grind the dirt with its hooves. QuestinGreen shook her head, "It only defeated you last time because you weren't at full strength, if all 5 of us combine our attacks I'm sure we can win."
The 5 nodded together and pressed in their dice, "D3: CRITICAL TEAM STRIKE!" Charging up their attacks, QuestinBlue and QuestinPink both fired a ball of energy and waves of energy respectively, before QuestinGreen shot a massive arrow, merging with both, as QuestinRed and QuestinBlack slashed several times at the Armanite.
The attacks merged to almost become a massive 20 sided dice, hitting the Armanite and effortlessly destroying it. The 5 turned around and began to celebrate their victory before the ground began to shake, the Armanite resurrecting and growing larger as they all looked down. Blue was in awe of its size as he commented, "I'm not even sure if QuestinOh could bring that thing down."
Red turned to Green, "Maki that question you asked me earlier, yes I'm sure I can trust Valanthe, she's my friend." Before she could respond, Remlin's voice called them from their changer's, "I forgot to tell you before you left, with all five of you here you can combine all your figures to form an even stronger QuestinOh."
They nodded as Red turned to all of them, "What are we waiting for, let's try it!" They all pressed in the dice to summon their figures, "D15: SUMMON FIGURES!" All 5 figures appeared from the sky as they all jumped into them, each landing as QuestinRed pushed the dice in on his changer, "D16: FIGURES COMBINE!"
All 5 figures began to break apart, Red's beginning to form the usual head before Green and Pink's attached to it to form the arms and Blue and Black's formed the legs. The usual shoulders of Red's separated to reveal the head and the hat of QuesinOh attached to it and got a bit bigger as its eyes flashed yellow.
Two swords appeared and the new giant grabbed them, the Questinger's appearing in its cockpit as they finally announced, "Super Gattai Complete!: Great QuestinOh Awaken!" Great QuestinOh posed with its swords as the Armanite roared at it, charging at it and trying to slash at it with its claws, stomp on it and headbutt it.
Great QuestinOh dodged the attacks and slashed at it several times with its swords, being faster than the bulky robot looked. The Armanite stumbled backwards as the Questinger's taped their diece again, "D19: GREAT QUESTINOH FINAL STRIKE!"
The robot charged its blades before shooting forward, completely passing through the Armanite as it exploded, leaving the Great QuestinOh to power down as it stood victorious. From the sidelines Grant Masters looked at what had just transpired, anger and fear on his face as he realized what his failure meant for his future.
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The group finally arrived back at Remlin's apartment, having helped Maki's allies escape and making sure they couldn't be followed. They were tired as it was getting late at night, and Valanthe turned to Yukishi, "Hey idiot… I mean Yukishi, thanks for what you said to Maki, I appreciate you considering me a friend and trusting me, it means a lot."
Yukishi crossed his arms and smiled at her, "Does this mean you consider me a friend as well?" Valanthe rolled her eyes, "Don't push it idiot." Yukishi sighed in defeat as Valanthe approached Megumi as well, "Megumi I wanted to say I appreciate you trusting me, I don't think Maki would've been convinced if it wasn't for you."
Megumi smiled at her before looking at the apartment, "I'm happy to help Valanthe, speaking of that, this apartment is really small and cramped, I'll be happy to help with that as well?" Valanthe raised an eyebrow at her, "Help how?"
Megumi smiled and in just a mere 15 minutes they had all arrived at Megumi's rather large apartment as she welcomed them inside, "I can't let my friends stay in such a small place, I'll be happy to let you share my place."
Remlin coughed and shook his head, "Megumi I appreciate the offer but I enjoy my privacy, so while Maki and Valanthe can stay here I'll stay where I am." Valanthe and Maki both nodded, causing Megumi to jump for joy, "Yes! It'll be like a sleepover! We can stay up late, eat junk food, and talk about our deepest darkest secrets. It's gonna be so much fun!"
Maki and Valanthe looked at each other in horror, "I regret this already." Maki nodded in agreement before Yukishi and Yuto turned towards the door, having to leave before the party could really get started.
Saying their goodbyes, Yukishi smiled at Maki, "I look forward to our next archery session, see ya later Maki." Maki gave him a flirtatious smile as Valanthe looked at her in disgust, "Really? Out of everyone you pick him? You could do a lot better."
Megumi looked at the two in confusion, "What do you mean by picking him?" Maki shrugged, "Trust me Valanthe, he's already mine, he doesn't realize it yet." Valanthe shook her head and walked away, exploring the apartment as Megumi turned to Maki, "Wait Maki I still don't get what you mean."
The pink haired girl followed her into the kitchen, still confused as the girls' time of living together began. Things still weren't 100%, but it was peaceful for the moment, and that was what really mattered.
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Back at the castle, Grant walked backwards, away from Vrefaris who was clearly displeased with the plan's failure. Grant held up his hands in defense, "Please Lord Vrefaris give me another chance, I can easily defeat those fools."
Vrefaris's eyes glowed as he chuckled, bringing Grant to his knees, "Oh you'll be given another chance boy, but for now for your failure I'm going to teach you discipline as you clearly don't respect my power."
Laughter and screaming could fill the throne room as Vrefaris followed through on his promise of torture. Though it had been a happy ending for the Questinger's, things could not be said for Grant Masters.
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TO BE CONTINUED!
Next Time on Fantaji Sentai Questinger!
Two people are speaking to Megumi
"Megumi your Father and I have decided you'll be returning to your idol career."
Yuto is speaking to Megumi
"You shouldn't let your parents control you, make your own decisions."
Finally Megumi is in Kataryuko, unknowingly encountering Malin
"Trust me, I understand your problems, I have my own issues with my Father."
The END
