Part One

Chapter Three

By now, Broxsen and Riviel had recovered, but I noticed Jason hadn't taken his eyes off the stone assassin. "It seems another player has made itself known," Broxsen chuckled, and rested his hand on the statue's arm. "Still, what an opportune time to make a name for ourselves."

Riviel reached for his knives. "The truth cuts deepest, does it not?" he asked.

"Well put brother," Broxsen nodded. "The red one. Get him!" And they charged across the field, crashing into Jason and taking him to the ground.

"Hey!" I shouted, as Jason scrambled to his feet to defend himself. I instinctively turned to follow after them, but for half a second?

I took my gaze off the stone assassin.

There was the sound of footsteps, something big thundering towards me, and I was struck on the chest by an almighty blow. I flew across the grassy field in an explosion of sparks, where I crashed to the ground in a tangled heap. Whatever had hit me felt like a Mack truck. I gasped for air for a few seconds, struggling to breathe, when I remembered the stone assassin. I looked up quickly and spotted him, frozen in place two feet away. But he was towering over me and ready to strike, his clawed arm raised high. Keeping my eyes on the creature's face, I reached for my blade blaster with my free hand, pointed it at the statue's chest and fired. The battlefield lit up. I shielded my eyes from the blast without thinking and felt the creature's foot slam into me, kicking me halfway across the field where I slammed into the wire fence.

Before I'd even gotten up, I looked around frantically to find my attacker. He'd followed me across the field in a fraction of a second but was now caught in place a few metres away. Refusing to even blink, I tightened my grip around my sword and staggered to my feet. I'd been hit by a lot of opponents, the last few years, but I'd never been hit like that before. My whole body was screaming. Every muscle was on fire. But staring at the monster's body, my face fell. I'd seen our blade blasters shatter stone and slice through metal, but the weapon had no effect on my attacker. I couldn't even see a scorch mark on the statue's chest. I holstered my blaster and raised my sword. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jason fighting the two brothers and trying to get back to me. But I didn't take my attention off the stone assassin for a second.

"Jase!" I called. "I don't think I can beat this thing on my own!"

Charging forward, I slashed for the beast's armour with my sword, carving the blade across the assassin's chest again and again. Sparks rained down after every slice, but it was having no effect and I was running out of ideas. I couldn't hurt this thing in its stone form, and it was too powerful and too fast to fight while I couldn't look at it. In desperation, I charged my sword and slashed the weapon for the beast. The blade's glowing arc sliced into the assassin's body and the area lit up. I blinked instinctively and the creature slammed its fist into me with the force of a freight train. The blow lifted me off my feet and threw me into the branches of a tree across the field. Light exploded behind my eyes, and I collapsed to the grass in a crumpled heap and moved no further.

A few metres away, Jason struck Broxsen away only to look back and see me fall. He uttered a quick prayer I was only unconscious. "Pete!" he shouted, when Riviel darted forward and slashed his blades across Jason's chest, throwing him to the ground.

With his heart hammering in his chest, the Red Ranger climbed to his feet and surveyed the battlefield. On his right was the stone assassin, who'd turned his full attention to Jason. He was a lot closer than Jason would've liked, but for the moment, he was frozen in place. On the left were the two alien brothers, far tougher opponents than he'd first thought. He swore under his breath, but his mind was racing. There was no way he could fight all three at once, certainly not with the stone assassin rampaging every time he took his eyes off the creature.

But maybe he didn't need to?

"What's the plan red?" Broxsen sneered. "It seems like you're outnumbered."

"When the army rises from the deep, will the dragons be enough?" Riviel added.

"Let's change those odds," Jason said. He took to the air, lightly somersaulting over the heads of Broxsen and Riviel before dropping down in front of them, with the stone assassin behind him.

"Keeping the assassin at your back was either very brave or incredibly stupid," Broxsen said.

"But as long as someone's looking at it, that thing can't move," Jason replied. "I'm betting neither of you is gonna take your eyes off me for a second." Broxsen's face fell, and Jason held out his arm and summoned his Power Sword. "So let's dance, boys."

Jason exploded forward, slashing his sword for Broxsen in a wide overhead swing. Broxsen stepped back out of harm's way, and while he was off-balance, Jason sent him reeling with a blow to the jaw. He spun back to face Riviel as the smaller brother attacked, raising his sword and catching Riviel's blades in mid-air. He struck them away and forced Riviel back with a low kick, before spinning around to keep the stone assassin in check, catching the monster in place a few metres away. The grass shook as Broxsen thundered towards him, but Jason spun around his opponent and sent him crashing with a spinning back kick.

With one more glance to keep the stone assassin out of the fight, Jason followed after the stunned Riviel. The alien struck away Jason's sword but Jason swung again, forcing one of Riviel's blades out of his hand. Without slowing down, Jason slammed his free hand into Riviel's other wrist to send the second blade flying. He heard Broxsen approaching and kept him at bay with a wide swing of his sword, before spinning back towards Riviel and stabbing his sword into the grass. Increasingly frustrated, Riviel's eyes lit up. Jason took to the air as the blasts scorched beneath him and slammed into Broxsen, forcing him back. Riviel gasped in horror, but Jason regained his footing, grabbed Riviel's arm and spun the alien off his feet, throwing him into his brother and taking them both to the ground.

In the same motion, Jason grabbed his Power Sword, ran his hand over the blade to charge it with power, and threw it straight for the stone assassin, shutting his eyes for a fraction of a second.

There was a horrible screech, and Jason opened his eyes to see his sword embedded in the chest of the stone warrior, the blade protruding from the creature's back. The expression on the monster's stony face was one of wide-eyed disbelief, as he reached in vain for the sword now lodged in his chest.

Climbing to their feet, Broxsen and Riviel couldn't help but stare. "What did you do?" shouted Broxsen.

"I bet that heart is having a hard time repairing itself with my sword in the way," Jason began. "Funny thing about energy. It can't be created or destroyed. You said it yourself. Nothing in the world can get through that armour. And where do you think all that power in my sword is going?" He paused. "Basic physics, boys."

"The seven prevail," Riviel murmured, "and the fox is lost."

The beast's armour began fracturing, cracks splintering away from the Power Sword lit by the crimson light that was shining from within. As they stood watching, more and more cracks began to appear as the beast began shaking, the ground shuddering beneath its feet. With that, the stone assassin toppled backwards and exploded, ripped apart by an almighty fireball that shook the field and sent a plume of smoke rocketing skyward. Jason summoned his sword back to him, while the two brothers screamed in anguish and raced over to the debris, gazing in horror at the remains of their assassin.

"Well," came a voice, and Jason turned to see me climbing to my feet over by the fence. "That's a new way of doing that," I finished.

Jason jogged over and helped me to my feet. I was shaky, but I stayed upright. "Honestly?" he began. "I was fifty fifty on that actually working."

"Billy would be proud."

Broxsen turned to face us, pieces of the stone assassin crumbling to ash in his hands. "Do you realise what you've done?" he shouted.

"Beaten your unbeatable assassin," Jason replied. "Guess what happens next."

"You will pay for that!" Broxsen roared.

Riviel reached for his knives. "Broken toys require a sacrifice!" he added.

Lightning flashed in the sky above us. Instead of striking the two monsters, it crackled through the clouds in broken fits and spurts, as if Zedd's magic wasn't quite working today either. Finally, the bolts struck down around us, and Jason and I leaped to safety as Broxsen and Riviel rose above us, the vengeful brothers rejuvenated and fifteen storeys tall.

"Time for one last dance," I said, and we raised our arms to the sky. "I need dinozord power, now!"

"Red dragon thunderzord, power up!"

The sky grew dark and the red dragon appeared in the sky with the rumble of thunder, roaring down out of the heavens towards the two brothers. At the base of the mountain, the ground split open and the orange Stegozord charged forth, powering towards us and shaking the mountain with every step. Jason and I tapped our communicators and shot towards our mighty zords, materialising in the cockpits a second later.

"Red dragon, locked on!"

"Stegozord, let's take 'em down!"

The two brothers stepped down off the mountainside and onto the valley floor with great thundering footsteps as the zords approached. The red dragon roared towards Broxsen, and Jason sent a plume of flame from the zord's mouth. The area lit up with sparks and smoke, but Broxsen recovered quickly, leaping up and raking his claws along the zord's body. Behind him, Riviel's eyes lit up as the Stegozord closed in, but I pushed the zord through the onslaught and returned fire, launching a barrage of fireballs from the zord's mouth. Riviel remained standing, and Jason flew the red dragon back towards me and hit the radio.

"Think we should take things up a notch?" he asked.

"You read my mind," I said.

"Warrior mode, online!"

In a flash of light, the zords transformed. The dragon's neck and tail flipped down to create the warrior mode's legs, and while the dragon's hands fused together to form arms, the warrior zord's head settled down over the zord's shoulders. On the ground, the Stegozord's back legs extended while its front paws pulled back to reveal hands. The dinosaur head rolled down to become the zord's chestplate, while the warrior mode's face rose into view. As the red dragon warrior touched down, the Stegozord stood up and raised its fists, both zords ready for battle.

The zords fell back-to-back as the brothers closed in. Riviel raised his blades and stared down the Stegozord, while Broxsen was marching straight towards the dragon.

"What do you say we switch things up?" I asked.

"Sounds good to me," Jason replied.

The zords spun around on the spot. Broxsen came to a halt, while Riviel blinked in surprise at facing the red dragon. Without waiting, Jason charged the red dragon forward, shaking the ground with every colossal step and landing a powerful blow on Riviel's chest. The alien stumbled back, but recovered quickly and slashed his blades for the zord's head. Jason steered the red dragon out of danger and with a flash of light, the zord's staff appeared in its outstretched hands. Riviel swung again, but the zord blocked one blade in a shower of sparks and struck it away, before batting away the other blade and slamming the staff into Riviel's jaw, the force of the blow sending the monster crashing.

Across the valley, Broxsen recovered from his surprise and thundered towards the Stegozord, swinging a punch like an avalanche towards me. The zord stepped around the move, but Broxsen slammed his forearm back into the zord's chest. Sparks rained down around me, but I held the zord steady. Striking Broxsen's arm away, the zord shoved him back, before slamming its fist into his stomach. The alien roared and retaliated but I was ready for him, and the zord ducked one blow and batted away another. Pushing the zord forward, I kept Broxsen off-balance with a low kick before landing a powerful blow to the giant's stomach. Broxsen's eyes bulged in pain, and before he could strike back, the zord smashed its fist into his jaw, sending him to the ground where he reduced an abandoned farm building to splinters.

Even as Broxsen staggered to his feet, the Stegozord was summoning its gigantic spiked mace. As the zord's eyes flashed, lightning struck down to charge the mace with power, and the zord swung the mace straight for the monster. Power exploded from the weapon's arc, slamming into Broxsen and instantly destroying him in massive fireball that roared skyward.

Across the battlefield, Riviel's face hardened in rage at the fate of his brother, and his eyes lit up. The valley erupted in smoke and flame, but the red dragon lifted off and the blasts passed harmlessly underneath. As the dragon fell back to Earth, the zord spun its staff around until the weapon was crackling with energy. Touching down, the zord swung its staff for Riviel, and a surge of crimson energy smashed into him.

Riviel froze, mortally wounded. For a second, he looked almost at peace. "And he is free at least," he murmured, "to the ruin of the world," and then he toppled backwards and exploded, shaking the valley as he was destroyed.

The zords lowered their weapons and turned to each other.

"And that's how it's done," I said.

"Good job," Jason breathed, and collapsed into his seat. "What a day."

To be continued.