Hello Ranger Nation! I have returned! It's been a bad few months for writing, as I was either working at 8 AM and had to go to bed during my usual writing time, uninspired or a mixture of the two. However, during my family vacation of all times, I managed to write the last third of the chapter in about 6 hours during a plane ride (if I'm being honest, Google Docs Offline Mode is the best thing that was ever invented when it comes to document writing. It meant that I could write this while in airplane mode and then update the real doc after I reconnected to Wi-Fi. Try it if you haven't! #notsponsered) Anyways, the point is the chapter is done now and it's before I go back to school! Yay!
If anyone catches the RPM reference in this chapter, you get extra brownie points. I know one of you reviewers is likely to get it (*cough* Rocket *cough*) and if anyone else does, good on you!
I'm happy to say that, after moving around and merging a few chapters in my master list, things will actually be ramping up slightly sooner for the next major plot point. I know some reviewers have been pointing out that my newer chapters have mostly been filler, so I'm trying to tie more plot elements in a bit better and I'm going to try and turbo through what I had left of my "fillery" stuff to get to the next major development. I actually have a double whammy planned out as well as a few surprises, so I hope my writing drive is back and I'll be able to share some stuff with you guys soon.
Until then, on with the story!
Legend 9: All That Glitters…
"You failed again, Whipvern," Morgana said as she looked down at her servant kneeling before her throne. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I may have failed, but now we are aware that the wizard can create new Zords," Whipvern said as she looked up at her queen. "That is valuable information. If nothing else, it makes capturing her even more important."
"I agree," Morgana said. "However, I want to know what you plan to do now."
"I have no plans for the moment," Whipvern said. "But I will have one soon. That, I can promise, my queen."
"While I am not pleased to hear that, I suppose there is nothing more I can do," Morgana said with a sigh. "Liecanthrope! Come here!"
"What is it, my queen?" Liecanthrope asked as he slipped out of the shadows and kneeled before Morgana.
"Your part of Whipvern's plan worked perfectly with that new rune," Morgana said. "I would like you to utilize it again. This time, however, you may tailor it to your own plan."
"I understand," Liecanthrope said. "I will go spy on the Rangers at once and find a way to destroy them. Sometimes, all you need is a little trickery…"
With that, he stood up as black runes surrounded him before creating an energy field he disappeared into.
"Whipvern, I have no further use for you at this moment," Morgana said. "Leave my sight at once."
"Understood, my queen," Whipvern said as she stood up and walked away.
Morgana looked at the tree behind her and sighed. "Just a little longer, my sisters. I'm sure Gilton is driving you all crazy in there if you are indeed conscious. She was alway the most impatient one of us. Take care of them, Thiten. Once I get the wizard, all of you will be free…"
Lance Marlow groaned as his cell phone's alarm began to go off. He sat up in bed and swiped on the screen to stop the annoying beeping. He looked over at his curtains and the faint light from the rising sun. About twenty minutes later, Lance had jumped in the shower and put on a blue t-shirt and jeans. As he started to make his way down the stairs, he could hear his parents talking.
"Robert sent an email this morning," Mrs. Marlow said as she flipped the pancake while looking at Mr. Marlow. "He says that things are going great with his new job in Boston."
"At least one of our sons is working hard," Mr. Marlow remarked as he turned the page of the newspaper. "I'm not quite sure what to do with Lance."
"I know what you mean," Mrs. Marlow said. "He's so obsessed with Kendo and hanging out with his friends. He can't stay here forever. He needs to get a job and live in his own place."
Lance grimaced before continuing down the stairs and walking into the kitchen.
"Morning," he said as he sat down at the table.
"How ya doing, champ?" Mr. Marlow said as he looked up from his newspaper. "Any luck with that job search?"
"Oh, yeah…that," Lance said. "I kinda…forgot."
"There's a difference between forgetting and choosing not to do it," Mr. Marlow said pointedly. "You're 23 years old. You need to get a job."
"Not this again," Lance said. "I'm waiting for the right opportunity to come along."
"You always say that, but you can't wait forever," Mr. Marlow said. "Opportunities don't just fall into your lap. You need to work for them."
Lance sighed. While he knew his father was right, it was also frustrating to be constantly reminded that his parents weren't happy with his life choices.
"Son, let me put it like this," Mr. Marlow said as he folded his newspaper and put it on the table. "Your mother and I have been worried about you for a while. We didn't force you to go to college because you showed little interest. That's fine. However, you need a way to support yourself." He looked at Mrs. Marlow, who nodded, before continuing. "So we're giving you a little push. You need to move out in six months, no ifs, ands or buts. We're also removing your allowance."
"What?" Lance asked in shock. "You can't do that! What am I supposed to do?"
"That's what you need to figure out," Mr. Marlow replied. "I'm sorry, but you need to spread your wings."
"And you're agreeing with him, Mom?" Lance asked as he looked over at his mother. "You want me gone too?"
"We don't 'want you gone'," Mrs. Marlow replied. "We just want you to be independent. We've actually been pushing this off for a little while now because of how hard it is to say these things to you."
"Well, it obviously wasn't hard enough," Lance snapped as he stood up from the table. "I'm out of here."
"Where are you going, Lance?" Mrs. Marlow asked as Lance exited the room. "You haven't eaten breakfast yet!"
All she got in response was the front door slamming.
"Maybe we should have waited a bit longer," Mrs. Marlow said, concern in her voice. "He was acting the angriest I've seen him in a long time."
"No, he needed this kick in the pants," Mr. Marlow said. "I hate to say it, but sometimes kids need tough love to succeed."
"I guess you're right," Mrs. Marlow agreed, though her tone of voice showed that she wasn't completely convinced. "I just hope Lance can eventually understand that."
"I don't understand," Lance said to himself as he rode on his Pegasus Cycle (currently in its disguised mode) down the street. "I like my life the way it is. Why do my parents want me to change it? Maybe Vivian can help me."
As he pulled up to the Diner, he hopped off the Cycle before looking around. Once he was certain that no one was looking, he dispelled the bike with a small exertion of will. He stepped into the diner and walked up to the counter. Luke was currently working the grill.
"Is Vivian around?" he asked.
"Yeah, she should be right there," Luke said as he pointed to one of the center tables. "If you sit down and give her a sec, I'm sure she can take your order."
"I'm not-" Lance said before his stomach growled. "Well, I guess I am hungry."
He sat down in one of the booths and looked over to see Percy sitting at one of the tables, sipping a coffee. Percy noticed him a second later and side eyed him.
"What do you want?" Percy asked.
"Nothing," Lance said. "Just wasn't expecting to see you drinking the coffee here. I thought you didn't like it."
"I don't like the way waitress girl makes it," Percy replied. "Vivian knows just the way I like it."
"You sure you aren't just being too picky?" Lance asked.
"I like things a certain way," Percy said. "Deal with it."
"Alright, boys," Vivian said as she walked over to Lance's table. "That's enough arguing." She looked over at Lance. "Everything alright, Lance? I haven't seen you here for breakfast for a while. Don't you usually eat at home?"
"I'm not exactly welcome there at the moment," Lance replied.
"What happened?" Vivian asked as she sat down across from the young man. After a few minutes of explaining, Vivian nodded.
"I see," she said. "That is, unfortunately, a part of growing up. Eventually, you just need to leave your parents' house and make your own way in the world."
"So you're on their side too?" Lance asked.
"I can see where they're coming from," Vivian replied. "It's not that they don't love you anymore. Quite the opposite. They want you to succeed."
"I guess," Lance said. "But that doesn't answer the question of what I'm supposed to do now. I don't really have any leads on a job and I only have six months to figure it out. Plus I'm not going to be getting my allowance in the meantime."
"I think I might be able to help you," Vivian replied. "I've been looking to get a few extra hands around the Diner. It wouldn't be glamorous, but it pays pretty well and you get to keep any tips you get."
Lance thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Alright. I'll try it."
"Let me get you an apron and a pad of paper," Vivian said as she stood up.
"Wait, I'm starting right now?" Lance asked.
"No better time than the present," Vivian replied. "Gwen comes in in about ten minutes. I'll have her show you the ropes."
"So, if we pour the mixture into the device…" Lyn said as she did just that. "It should be done soon…"
"Lyn, please tell me I smell a potion brewing and not breakfast being cooked," Arthur said as he stepped into the main room of the Crystal Caves. He was already fully dressed except for his sneakers. Considering how smooth the stone floor of the Caves were, he usually could get away with putting them on in the main room instead of his bedroom. As he tied the laces, Lyn answered him.
"Oh, this is definitely breakfast," Lyn said as she pointed to the machine. "This thing apparently makes great waffles. Vivian recommended it to me when we were at the Diner yesterday, so I went out last night and bought it. What, it doesn't smell good?"
"Not exactly," Arthur said with a grimace. "Did Vivian give you a recipe or something of the like? That does not smell like a normal waffle."
"Well, I didn't have any chicken eggs lying around, so I used some ancient Roc eggs instead," Lyn said. "I'm not quite sure what potion the old geezer was hoping to use it for, but I figured this was a better use, even if they are a couple of hundred years old. Did you know that the Roc egg lasts 400 years without refrigeration or ice magic?"
"I did not," Arthur said as he sniffed the air again and gagged, turning a little green. "I think I will head off to the Diner for breakfast instead. I hope you enjoy…whatever monstrosity you have ended up creating."
With that, he ran out of the caves, leaving Lyn to look back at the machine. She heard Ruby let out a hiss and looked over to see the Carbuncle standing on the table and hissing at the machine. As the machine dinged, Lyn opened it to see that the waffle was completely green.
"Ok, so maybe I misremembered how long the eggs have been in the caves," Lyn said as she looked back at Ruby. "It should be fine, right?"
Ruby slowly walked forward and sniffed the waffle before falling back, gasping for breath.
"It can't be that bad!" Lyn said before sniffing the waffle and holding her nose. "Ok, maybe it can be." She grabbed her staff from its spot on the wall as well as her purple hoodie. As she cast a simple levitation spell, the waffle maker began to float in the air.
"I guess this whole thing is trash now," she said with a sigh. "I'll have to go out and get another one. And probably some chicken eggs, this time."
Ruby let out a cry in agreement.
"Hey, you eat gemstones, so you don't get to talk," Lyn said indigently. "I'll be back. I need to destroy this and get those things."
Ruby let out another cry, almost like a warning, as Lyn put on her hoodie.
"I know I need to be careful," Lyn replied, "and I will. But I need to leave the cave sometimes. And before you say anything else, I know I promised the Rangers I would stay near them. But after that encounter with Capturechaun, I also promised myself that I would be as independent as Gwen. So, that's what I'm going to do. Besides, I'll have my staff with me."
Ruby let out a sigh before curling up in a ball and putting her head down.
"See, I knew you'd understand," Lyn said with a smile as she stepped out of the main chamber, still levitating the waffle maker in front of her. As she focused her magic, it began to condense before finally becoming a small cube, thankfully with the disgusting waffle in the center. Lyn leaned down to grab the cube before standing up again and raising her staff. Purple flames began to manifest around her before forming into a purple bicycle, as well as a helmet. As she focused her power one more time, her staff shrank until it fit in her pocket.
"This is certainly better than walking," Lyn remarked as she put on the helmet and jumped on the bike before beginning her trip down the mountain.
"Sir Wayne?" Arthur asked as he pulled up to the Diner on his Pegasus Cycle that was currently in its black, incognito mode. Indeed, Wayne Pierce was standing in front of the glass door, watching what was going on inside.
"Oh. Hey, Arthur," Wayne said as he turned to the Red Ranger, who stepped off the bike and let it disappear. "I was just watching the mayhem inside. I kinda want to help, but I'm not sure how."
"Usually the best way is to just ask," Arthur said as Wayne moved out of the way and the two stepped into the Diner. There was the sound of grumbling customers and Arthur heard something about the "terrible new help."
"Lance, Table 8 needs more Orange Juice!" Gwen shouted.
"Lance, can you take these pancakes out to Table 3?" Vivian asked.
"Lance, do you have the orders for Table 12 yet?" Luke asked.
Lance looked around frantically. The words on his notepad were gibberish, his apron was all stained and he had a haggard look to his features.
"Arthur, you have to help me!" he said. "I've only been working here an hour, and everything's already gone to hell! I need money, but this isn't worth it!"
"While I don't know much about being a waiter," Arthur said, "I do know much about managing resources and moving quickly. Think of this like a battle where the customers' hunger is the enemy. You need to manage time, energy and materials efficiently, all while staying vigilant about your environment. Keep your next action in mind while not ignoring your current one. Fight to the best of your ability. This is a war you need to win!"
"That seems a little intense…" Wayne remarked.
Lance seemed a bit unsure. Arthur put a hand on his shoulder.
"You are not one to quit something before it is finished, Sir Lance," Arthur said. "Go now. Be the warrior the Diner needs you to be!"
This seemed to spark something inside Lance.
"I see it now!" he said as he looked around at the layout of the restaurant before looking down at the notepad in his hand and over at Gwen, Luke and Vivian. "I know what I need to do!"
As Arthur and Wayne sat down at a booth, they watched as Lance did exactly as Arthur said. As he put the glasses of Orange Juice at one table, he was already prepared to grab the tray Vivian was holding out. As he moved past, he grabbed the tray before taking it over to the next table. Slowly, but surely, the grumbling ceased and the customers were leaving happy. Gwen glanced over at Lance as he took a group's order and gave an impressed smile.
"Not bad," she said to herself before turning back to the soda fountain she was working with.
"I'm heading to the store for more supplies, boss," Luke said as he walked towards Vivian.
"Sounds good," Vivian replied. "I'll watch the grill in the meantime. Or better yet…" She turned in Lance's general direction. "Hey Lance! I'm going to teach you how to work the grill!"
"Oh, this ought to be good," Percy said to himself as he shifted his seat so he could see the grill.
Lyn hummed to herself as she walked down the grocery store aisle. Even though Avalon Hollow was considered a smaller town, it still had a few brick-and-mortar chains around, such as this grocery store.
"Ah, here we go!" she said as she grabbed a waffle-maker off the shelf. The image on the box showed that it was the same model that she had just destroyed. She flipped it over to look at the numbers on the back, as well as the warning information. "Huh, nothing about problems using other bird's eggs. Maybe I should call the company and warn them."
As she placed the waffle-maker in her basket, she felt a wave of dizziness come over her and her body start to heat up. She clutched her head as the room continued to spin. Purple flames began to spark all over her body as she fell to her knees. With a grunt of effort, the flames dissipated, leaving Lyn on her knees on the floor.
"What was that?" she asked herself. "Some sort of side effect of my new incarnation? But that shouldn't be happening…"
"Lyn!" Luke shouted as he ran over to the young woman. "Are you alright?"
"How much of that did you see?" Lyn asked, putting out her hands for the man to pull her up.
"Just you on the ground," Luke said as he pulled her up. "Why? Did someone knock you down?"
"No, I just had some vertigo for a second there," Lyn said as she stumbled for a minute before correcting herself. "I'll be good."
"Are you sure? You don't need a doctor?" Luke asked.
"I promise I'll be fine," Lyn said as she grabbed her basket from the ground. "I just need to get these things and head home."
"If you say so," Luke said as he scratched the back of his head. "Just let me know if you need anything. The same goes for Vivian too. She's always glad to help out Lance and his friends."
"Thanks," Lyn said as she started walking away. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Any time!" Luke said with a small wave before turning towards the shelf. "Now, where are those waffle makers Vivian likes to use?" He looked around before sighing. "Someone must have taken the last one, I guess. Oh well."
Lance gave a sigh of relief as he fell down into the booth that Wayne and Arthur were sitting in.
"Whew," he said as he wiped his brow. "That was hard, but I did it."
"We never doubted you for a moment, Sir Lance," Arthur said.
"I did," Percy said from the table across the way.
"Why am I not-" Lance said before Percy put a hand to interrupt him.
"Let me finish," Percy said. "I did doubt you, but you really showed your skill. You didn't half-ass it like waitress girl usually does. I can respect someone doing a good job and that's what you did. You even worked the grill pretty well."
"Wait, Percy actually respected something someone did?" Wayne asked. "What is this world coming to?"
"I have standards," Percy said. "High standards, but not impossible ones. Let me know when you do something worth respecting."
"Why, so you can give your pathetic compliments?" Gwen asked as she walked over to the boys. "I heard the jab you took at me, Percy. Do you have to take someone down, even when building someone else up?"
"Do good work and I'll compliment you too," Percy said. "Though I expect I'll be waiting a while."
Gwen gave a growl of frustration before heading over to the next table. As she walked past the front door, she looked over to see Luke with a bunch of groceries.
"Luke's back!" she shouted over to Vivian, who was currently working the grill for the last few remaining customers in the Diner. Luke made his way through the door and carried the groceries into the backroom before returning to the grill.
"I found everything on the list you gave me, boss," Luke said. "Well…except for the waffle maker. Lyn must have grabbed the last one before her fall."
"Is she alright?" Vivian asked.
"She told me she was," Luke replied. "I didn't push it, but I didn't exactly believe her."
"Tell me everything!" Arthur said as he ran over to the counter. "Lyn is my friend. I must know what is happening with her."
"I wish I had more to tell you," Luke said with a shrug. "She said something about vertigo before leaving to go back home. I would talk to her about it if you want to know more about what happened."
"Very well," Arthur said. "Who will go with me to check on Lyn? I worry for her health if she is struggling to maintain her balance.
"I'll come!" Wayne said suspiciously quickly. "I mean, if you're worried, I'll come with you."
"As will I!" Lance said as he stood up to follow. As he started to follow, Gwen grabbed him by the back of his blue shirt.
"You do remember that you have a job now, right?" Gwen said, causing Lance to groan.
"The two of us will be staying here to work," Gwen said. "Good luck, guys."
"Sir Percy, will you join us?" Arthur asked.
"Hard pass," Percy said. "I have important things to do here."
"Very well," Arthur said. "Sir Wayne and I will contact you when we have more information."
"See you guys later," Lance said as the two left the Diner. He turned to Gwen. "Why did you stop me from leaving? Helping friends is more important than a job."
"You need money, remember?" Gwen replied. "You told the team this morning." She looked at Percy, who hadn't moved from his chair to follow Arthur and Wayne. "And why aren't you going? You don't work here, so you don't have to stay. What are these 'very important things' that you have to do?"
"The first thing is finishing my coffee," Percy said as he sipped from the mug. "Then I'll likely speedrun some crosswords and…"
"What's it like?" Gwen asked.
"What's what like?" Percy asked.
"Being arrogant and self-centered your whole goddamn life?" Gwen asked. "None of that is important! You just don't want to help someone else. Just remember this when you need something from the rest of us."
"I will never need anything from any of you," Percy replied.
"Keep telling yourself that," Gwen said as she and Lance went into the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Liecanthrope stood on the Diner's roof. In his palm, a black rune was slowly spinning as the Rangers' voices came out of it.
"The rune 'bugs' I planted seem to be working perfectly," Liecanthrope remarked. "I wasn't sure the rune would work, but now I can listen in whenever the Rangers are here. It may have taken some experimenting, but now I know that the Blue Ranger is desperate for money. The reason why is irrelevant. I just need to find someone who can 'help' him a bit."
With a small laugh, some black runes surrounded him before creating a field he disappeared into.
"I can give you fifty bucks for it," the pawn shop owner said as he looked over the comic book in his hands.
"But the website I checked said it was worth at least a hundred!" the man on the other side of the counter said.
"And I think it's worth fifty," the pawn shop owner replied. "Take it or leave it."
"I'm going somewhere else," the other man said as he grabbed the comic book out of the owner's hands. "Maybe they'll actually give me what it's worth!" With that, he stormed out of the shop.
"Damn, I was really hoping he would take it," the pawn shop owner said to himself. "Too bad he did his homework. That could have been a big profit for me."
He looked over at the valuable items littered around his shop. He had been lucky enough to sucker many people out of those items with very little cost to himself. In fact, a woman had just been in five minutes ago that he had tricked into giving up her mother's necklace for 1/4th of the value. The solid gold chain had informed him of the value, not that the woman had seemed to notice. He gave her $1000, and she had left happy, unaware of what she had just done.
"People are such idiots," he said to himself. "They think bills of paper will show their class. But it's the metals one owns that shows your true worth." He looked at the clock on the wall and smiled. "Time for a smoke."
He walked over to the sign hanging on the door and flipped it to 'closed' before stepping out back. As he pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and prepared to light it, he heard a loud sound behind him. He whirled around to see Liecanthrope crouching on the ground from his landing. As the werewolf stood up to full height, the pawn shop owner dropped his unlit cigarette and lighter, causing the lighter to clatter on the ground and the cigarette to roll away.
"What the hell are you?!" the pawn shop owner demanded as he backed his way towards the shop.
"A potential business partner," Liecanthrope replied.
"Like hell you are!" the man shouted. "You're one of those monsters the Power Rangers fight, aren't you?"
"Not exactly, though you aren't far off," Liecanthrope replied. "I work with them in the service of our queen. I was hoping you would like to join us in destroying the Rangers."
"What? Those monsters were human?" the man asked. "And you want to make me one? Hell no!"
"I think you misunderstand me," Liecanthrope replied. "I can grant you the powers of one of those 'monsters' as you call them, but you can maintain your humanity."
"And what powers are those?" the man asked warily.
"I've heard of your obsession with valuable metals," Liecanthrope said. "How would you like to be able to transmute them?"
"Trans-wha?" the man asked, more confused than scared at this point.
"Transmute," Liecanthrope answered. "The ability to take one element and change it into another. You could make as much gold and silver as you want."
"As much as I want?" the man asked, his face lighting up. "And all I have to do is defeat the Power Rangers?" He took Liecanthrope's hand and shook it. "You've got yourself a deal, good sir!"
"Excellent," Liecanthrope said. "I've got a plan, but you'll need to follow my instructions to the letter. After all, we have a secondary goal as well…"
"Don't panic. Don't panic," Lyn said to herself as she hurried around the Caves' main room, grabbing a few things from the shelves and placing them on the table. As she reached for a vial, she cried out in pain as purple flames sparked up along her arm. She recoiled from the wooden shelf, afraid to set it alight with the purple sparks. "Ok, definitely panic!"
Ruby let out a cry as she looked up from where she was laying her head.
"Sure, you can say that I need to focus, but that's kinda hard when my body's literally lighting on fire!" Lyn argued. "I just don't get it. I wasn't having trouble before. What changed?"
Ruby gave another cry, as if giving a suggestion.
"You sure?" Lyn asked. "I know this new type of Fae Energy I'm using is still very experimental, but that seems like a bit of a jump in logic."
Ruby let out a sigh before putting her head in her paws again.
"Fine, you don't need to act like that," Lyn replied. "I'll try it."
"Lyn? Are you here?" Arthur's voice echoed from the entrance.
"Oh crap!" Lyn said as she looked all over to make sure the fire wasn't sparking anywhere else for the moment. She gave a sigh of relief just as the two Rangers walked into the main room. "Hey, what's up?"
"We just heard from Luke that something might be ailing you," Arthur said. "Something about vertigo?"
"Oh, that," Lyn said. "Yeah, totally fine. Nothing to worry about, I promise." She hoped and prayed that Arthur wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying through her teeth.
"What were you doing out, anyway?" Wayne asked. "I thought you were going to stay safe by hanging with us or staying in the Caves."
"It was very important that I went out this morning," Lyn said.
"But you know Morgana's after you!" Wayne replied with concern in his voice. "I really hope it was a very important reason like you said."
"It absolutely was," Lyn replied. "I needed to ensure breakfast tomorrow morning would be perfect."
"Lyn," Arthur said in a stern voice. "It was foolish of you to go out alone in the preparation of food. You need to be more careful."
"Are you suddenly my dad now?" Lyn snapped back. "I wanted to be independent. Is that so bad?"
"It is when it puts you in danger," Arthur replied. "As Sir Wayne pointed out, Morgana is after you. You should not give her more chances to capture you."
"I can defend myself!" Lyn shouted.
"Not from Morgana!" Arthur shouted back.
"You don't know that!" Lyn argued. "When we sealed Morgana away, I was the one who did most of the work! And when Camelot fell, I was the one-" She suddenly stopped herself. She whirled around and stormed out of the main chamber.
"Where are you going?" Arthur demanded as he followed her outside. "Tell me what you were going to say about Camelot! You must tell me!"
"'Must'?" Lyn asked as she summoned her purple bicycle and pulled on her helmet. "You're the king of nothing, Arthur! I don't have to listen to you!" She started pedaling away. "Maybe Morgana should find me. I can finally blow off some steam then."
"Lyn, get back here!" Arthur shouted at her retreating figure.
"Are you alright?" Wayne asked as he walked out of the Caves and over to Arthur. "I've never seen you get that stern before."
"I know," Arthur said as he blew out a breath. "I just worry she is not as powerful as she thinks she is. I am trying to protect her from a situation that even her magic cannot get her out of."
"I get that," Wayne said. "But you might have pushed things too far."
"I heard the name Camelot, and I thought I could get some answers," Arthur said. "That is why I followed her out here."
"Camelot was your court, right?" Wayne asked.
"That is correct," Arthur replied. "I remember many of the good times there. My and Guinevere's wedding. The creation of the Round Table and its order. The knighting of our greatest warrior, Lancelot. But then it fell, and I remember very little of what transpired during that event. Lyn knows more than she is letting on about Camelot and I will keep pushing until I get answers."
"I guess that makes sense," Wayne said as he rubbed the back of his head. "So what do we do now?"
Arthur was about to answer when their watches gave the alerting sound of horns playing. When Arthur pressed the button, Gwen's voice came through.
"Guys, we've got some Redcaps coming towards the Diner," Gwen said. "We can stall them for a little while, but we're going to need you two to get your asses down here!"
"We are on our way," Arthur said before cutting off communication. He turned to Wayne. "As Gwen said, we must hurry. Let us go at once."
"Right!" Wayne replied as the two summoned their Legend Blades and pulled out their Pegasus Shield Emblems before inserting them.
"Number Six! Pegasus!" the Legend Blades announced as the emblem let off a powerful bronze light. "Time to Start the Legend!" The two Rangers pressed the red button on their Blades and rock music began to play.
"Activate Wing Power!" the Legend Blades announced as the rock music ended. In a flash of bronze light, two Pegasus Cycles appeared in front of the Rangers. They morphed in an instant and quickly mounted their bikes.
"Let's ride!" Arthur said as he led the way down the mountain, Wayne right on his heels.
Gwen let out a cry of pain as the Redcap's pikestaff struck her in the abdomen. Sparks flew as she fell to the ground.
"Gwen!" Lance said as he broke away from the Redcaps he had been fighting and ran to Gwen's side. "Are you alright?"
"I'll live," Gwen said as she stood up. "Though Arthur and Wayne won't if they don't get here soon. There may not be a Fae Beast here, but we still could use them to help out."
"They'll be here," Lance said. "They know their duties, just like the rest of us. Arthur especially so."
"Can you two cut the chit chat and get back into the fight?" Percy asked as he parried a pikestaff thrust and slashed into the Redcap that had attempted the attack. "We can't rely on them to show up and save the day. We need to do things ourselves."
"Sure. I don't disagree" Lance said as he leveled his sword at the Redcaps charging towards him and Gwen. "But it'd still be nice to have the-"
"Help!" a voice shouted from a nearby alleyway. "Somebody! Anybody! Help me!"
"I've got it," Lance said as he rushed over to the alleyway, only to see a man slowly crawling backwards away from Liecanthrope. "Well, it looks like I found the commander."
"Blue Ranger," Liecanthrope said. "If you're here, then my plan to draw you Rangers out worked."
"Oh, you drew us out alright," Lance said. "But you might regret the fact you did!"
He leapt into the air and came down with a slash, putting himself in between Liecanthrope and the man. Liecanthrope raised an arm and allowed it to take the damage before slashing with his other hand's claws into Lance's chest. Lance cried out as he flew backwards from the strength of the attack. He rolled a bit on the ground before slowing to a stop.
"That was your strategy?" Liecanthrope asked. "I am not impressed."
"I don't need you to be impressed," Lance replied as he stood up and inserted his Hippogriff Shield Emblem into his Legend Blade. "I just need it to work."
"Number Two! Hippogriff! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blade announced. As Lance quickly hit the red button once, rock music began to play.
"Activate Wind Power!" the Legend Blade announced as Lance raised his sword.
"Hippogriff Wind Vortex!" he shouted as blue-tinted wind swirled around Liecanthrope. It grew in intensity until it had become a full-fledged tornado. Liecanthrope stood there as the wind began to cut into him, showing no sign of damage or pain. Lance quickly pressed the button on his Legend Blade twice as he charged forward.
"Hippogriff!" the Legend Blade announced. "Legend Break!"
Lance charged forward and through the tornado, slashing across Liecanthrope's chest as he passed with his glowing blade. He posed as he stood with his back to Liecanthrope. However, there was no explosion.
"You have grown since last time, Blue Ranger," Liecanthrope said as the tornado died and he turned to face his opponent. While he had a few scratches on him and one big one where Lance had struck him with the Legend Break, he still appeared to be mostly unharmed. "I will take my leave today, but I will be back and when I reappear, I will destroy you and all of the Rangers."
Black runes appeared around Liecanthrope and created an energy field he disappeared into.
"That was surprisingly easy," Lance remarked to himself as he walked over to the man that Liecanthrope had been targeting. "Are you alright, sir?"
"I'll live," the man said as he stood up. "Glad you were here, though. I have no idea why that wolf-man targeted me, but at least you fended him off. You deserve a reward, and I have just the thing."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with a golden heart hanging off the chain. He offered it out to Lance.
"Why don't you take this off my hands?" he asked. "I'm a pawn shop owner and this just hasn't been selling. I think it's got to be worth at least $5,000, but you can have it for free."
"I can't take this," Lance said as he pushed the man's hand back towards himself. "Especially if it's worth that much."
"I insist," the man said as he pushed past Lance's hand to hang it on his sheathed sword. "Sell it, gift it, wear it. Whatever works for you." He turned to leave. "Now, I've got to head back to the Cash 4 Gold Pawnshop. See ya around!" He quickly made his way out of the alley and onto the street. In a minute, he was gone.
Lance looked down at the necklace before grabbing it with a gloved hand and holding it to the light of the shining sun.
"Now, what do I do with this?" he asked himself. "That guy didn't really give me an option but to take it."
"Sir Lance!" Arthur shouted as he ran down the alley towards the Blue Ranger. "Is everything alright here? Did you fend off the Redcap?"
"Oh, it wasn't a Redcap," Lance said. "Come on. I'll tell you about it in the Diner. Vivian let me out early for my first day, but it's probably the best place to meet right now."
As the two Rangers headed towards the Diner, they missed Liecanthrope on the ledge above.
"Excellent," he said simply as he watched. "Now for phase 2."
"What the hell does Arthur know, anyway?" Lyn said as she pedaled furiously down the street. Many people were moving out of her way as quickly as their legs would carry them. Purple sparks continued to appear all over her body in random bursts, but many of the passerby assumed it was just a trick of the light or were more focused on not getting run over. Lyn was so focused on her pedaling and anger that she missed the figure in front of her. As she crashed into the figure, she tumbled to the ground. The figure, meanwhile, remained standing.
"Hello, wizard," Whipvern said as she towered over the fallen girl. "While we've never met, I'm quite sure you know who I am."
"Whipvern," Lyn growled as she reached into her pocket. "What are you doing here?" Whipvern was about to answer when Lyn continued. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm just glad I have something to burn."
Whipvern stood her ground as Lyn launched a stream of purple flames at her. The flames washed over her and barely left a scratch. If Lyn was shocked, she hid it well.
"You want to fight?" Whipvern asked nonchalantly as she drew her whip from its holster on her hip. "Well, I'm happy to oblige. I'll bring your beaten body back to my queen and she can have her way with your power, whatever she plans to do with it."
"Just like Arthur, you doubt my abilities," Lyn said. "I'll make sure you regret that!"
"That's big talk, coming from a small girl like you," Whipvern replied. "Let's see your power, then!"
Lyn let out a cry of fury as she launched a barrage of purple fireballs at Whipvern. Whipvern put up her arms to block the attack and was pushed back for her efforts. Her armored forearms began to smoke a bit as she uncrossed them.
"Not bad," Whipvern remarked as she readied her whip. "I can see why my queen desires your power. However, I will still win this fight."
She lashed out with her whip, striking the hand that Lyn was using to hold her staff and causing the young woman to drop it with a shout of pain. Now that her target was unarmed, Whipvern lashed again and again with her whip, striking Lyn in various places. About a dozen lashes later, Lyn was covered in red marks and cuts where the diamond end of Whipvern's weapon had struck her.
"Done yet?" Whipvern sneered.
"Not by a long shot," Lyn replied as her staff was surrounded in purple flames and flew into her hand. The flaming aura remained as Lyn ran forward for a melee assault. Whipvern blocked some attacks with the body of her whip or her forearm protection, while accepting others on her bare skin. By the time Lyn stepped back to catch her breath, Whipvern was still almost completely unharmed.
"This is the great wizard I was supposed to fear?" Whipvern mocked. "You're nothing but a child punching above your weight class. Let me show you the difference in our power levels."
She raised a hand and created some silver runes that swirled around the end of her whip as she held an end in each hand. The diamond on the end of the whip began to glow silver before Whipvern lashed out once more. However, as Lyn raised a barrier to block the attack, the whip shattered it on contact before continuing through. Lyn cried out as the diamond struck her in the gut and sent her tumbling to the ground. As Lyn tried to rise again, Whipvern began to walk towards her.
"I was really hoping for more of a challenge," Whipvern said as she continued forward. "It's time for you to come with me. My queen will have words with you."
Lyn looked up to see Whipvern towering above her. As the Fae Beast General reached out to grab Lyn by the arm, purple fire began to spark again all over Lyn's body.
"Stay away!" the young wizard screamed as an explosion of purple flames emanated from her body, forming a bird-like construct made of purple fire behind her and sending out a wave of force that blasted Whipvern back. As Whipvern tumbled along the ground and finally slowed to a stop, Lyn had already stood up. The bird-construct behind her let out a screech before circling around Lyn.
"You would do well not to underestimate my power," Lyn said, her eyes glowing purple and purple flames flowing all over her body. The bird-construct hovered above her as she spoke.
"This isn't over," Whipvern said as she slowly stood up, clutching the shoulder she had landed on. "I will return and defeat you. I can assure you of that." Silver runes began to surround her before forming an energy field she disappeared into.
As soon as Whipvern had teleported away, Lyn let out a groan as she fell to the ground. The purple flames, as well as the bird-construct, vanished as she closed her glowing eyes and opened them to reveal her normal blue ones.
"I don't know where all of that power came from, but you don't hear me complaining," Lyn remarked as she slowly moved to a sitting position on the ground. "I still don't understand exactly what's happening, but I feel like I'm getting there. Old man, what the hell did you do to our body?" She looked around to see that the street was completely empty. It seemed that all of the magic flying around had scared everyone away. "Time to get out of here before people start asking questions."
She quickly created her bicycle with her magic and put on her helmet before riding away, leaving little trace that a battle had even occurred there.
"A necklace?" Arthur asked as he looked over the jewelry in his hand. "This is indeed odd to simply give away. It appears to be real gold."
"If so, it's likely worth a small fortune," Wayne said as he took it from Arthur and looked at it. "What are you going to do with it? You could be totally set for a few years if you sold it. You were saying you needed money, right?"
"So, you guys think I should sell it?" Lance asked.
"Maybe you should," Gwen said as she took the necklace in her hands. "It's beautiful, but I don't see you having a need for it."
"Selling it sounds like a bad idea to me," Percy said as he took another sip of his coffee. "You've heard the phrase 'beware of Greeks bearing gifts', right?"
"Can't say I have," Lance replied as he watched Gwen sigh and put the necklace on the table.
"It means that you should be careful when someone gives you a gift, especially an enemy," Percy said. "Honestly, do you ever crack a book?"
"What makes you think he is an enemy?" Arthur asked, ignoring Percy's verbal jab at Lance. "There is little indication of that."
"You said it yourself," Percy replied. "A necklace is a pretty odd item to just give away. You don't suspect the guy of ulterior motives?"
"I suppose you have a point there," Arthur said as he stroked his chin.
"So, what do I do?" Lance asked. He took the necklace and examined it again. "It feels somewhat wrong to sell a gift, but I could really use the money…"
"Then do it," Gwen said. "I've known you for a long time and you've never been the most decisive person. If you've made a decision, then run with it."
"Ok," Lance said, a bit more confident now. "I'm going to do it." He grabbed the necklace and made his way out of the diner.
"Nobody ever listens to me," Percy grumbled as he finished his coffee. "Hey, waitress girl! Get me another coffee!"
"No more coffee for you," Gwen replied. "That was your third cup. I'm surprised you're not jumping off the walls with that much caffeine in you."
Percy pulled out a twenty and offered it to Gwen. "Fine, but I expect exact change."
"Yes, your majesty," Gwen replied with a sarcastic bow before she took the money to the register.
"You sure Lance is good to go on his own?" Wayne asked as he turned to Arthur.
"It is important that Lance walks the path he thinks best." Arthur said, "and I see no need to interfere. Besides, he is merely trading the necklace for currency. Not much can go wrong there."
"What's happening to me?" Lyn asked as she stumbled into the Caves. "It feels like my power keeps increasing and decreasing rapidly. Oh god, I'm not going to die too, am I?"
Ruby gave a reassuring cry as she leapt onto the table.
"This is not my powers adjusting!" Lyn shouted as she paced. "That should have happened right after my rebirth. It's been several weeks since then and this is the first indication I've had of power fluctuations."
Ruby gave a cry in response, which made Lyn grimace.
"I know it's experimental magic," Lyn replied. "The old man still made careful considerations in the specifications of the magic and I read his notes. His use of the magical laws was sound. This shouldn't be-ah!" Lyn stumbled into the table. "Shouldn't be happening."
She sat down on the stool and sighed.
"I don't know what to do," Lyn said. "It's like-" She grunted in pain again as her eyes glowed purple. In her vision, she saw Lance facing a metallic bird-like Fae Beast with the other Rangers lying on the ground around him. The Lance in her vision leveled a Shield Emblem before inserting it into his Legend Blade. Though the image was obscured, the text was quite clear: DWARF. Then, as quickly as the vision appeared, it faded. Lyn let out a gasp as her eyes returned to normal. Ruby mewed at Lyn as the carbuncle made her way over to the table and leapt onto it.
"I…don't know," Lyn answered. "It was some sort of vision, and I can only assume it was of the future. If that's the case…" She stood up and pulled off her hoodie before throwing it on the table. "...Then I have some work to do."
"I'd like to sell this necklace, please," Lance said as he places the necklace on the counter, not even looking at it for the moment
"This is a joke, right?" The pawnshop owner asked as she looked down at the item that had been placed on the counter. "That's more of a dog collar than a necklace. Trust me, kid. You ain't going to get much for that. It's probably better to just throw it out if you're done with it."
"What are you talking about?" Lance asked before looking down to see that the necklace had changed. "What the hell?" What had once been gold was now a dull gray metal. While it was still in pristine condition, it was also now practically worthless. He quickly grabbed what had been the necklace and hightailed it out of the store.
"What's going on?" Lance asked himself as he stepped out onto the street. "I know it was gold when I walked in. Metals don't just change like that. This seems like the work of a Fae Beast, but that man was definitely human. Unless…"
Lance pressed the communication button on his watch and spoke into it.
"Guys? I'm going to need you to meet me at the Cash 4 Gold Pawnshop. I think there's something strange going on there. I'm going to head there first. Lance out."
"This is going too slow," Lyn said as she stirred the cauldron as quickly as she could. "Lance is going to need that Emblem soon, if his message is anything to go on."
Ruby mewed at Lyn, as if suggesting something.
"I mean…that might work," Lyn said. "Even if it doesn't, I've got nothing to lose, right?"
She grabbed her staff from its place on the wall and raised it. Purple flames began to swirl around her and formed into a bird-like shape. As Lyn pointed her staff at the cauldron, the flame-bird flew towards the cauldron. The flame-bird flew into the cauldron and caused it to glow purple. As it began to rattle and shake, large drops of liquid flew out. Lyn let out a cry as she leapt back, with Ruby right on her heels. Lyn let out a sigh of relief as the glowing and shaking stopped. She took a step forward and stumbled.
"I feel so sleepy," she said as she rubbed her eyes. "Must have drained most of my Fae Energy creating the Emblem so quickly." She shook her head to help her focus. "Doesn't matter right now, though. I need to get this to Lance."
She slowly reached into the cauldron and pulled out the Emblem. It had a golden silhouette of a Dwarf holding an ax on it, as well as a golden 8 emblazoned on the bottom and the word "DWARF" written on a yellow ribbon in gold, just as it had been in Lyn's vision.
"Now to shape the weapon that goes with it," Lyn said as she began to focus her magic again. A glowing long handled weapon began to take shape in front of her. A few minutes later, she used some of her remaining Fae Energy to place the weapon into the Emblem's crystal core.
"I don't know if I have the energy to bike there," Lyn admitted to Ruby as she slumped forward. "I must have put more energy into that Emblem than I thought. I know I don't usually ask anything of you, but could you take it to him? I just need to rest." She offered the emblem out to the carbuncle, who took it in her mouth. As Ruby scampered out of the Caves and towards the town, Lyn collapsed onto the cold, hard ground and let sleep embrace her.
"Cash 4 Gold Pawnshop," Lance said as he looked up at the sign. "This is it." He turned to look down the street. "Maybe I should wait for the others…" He contemplated for a minute before shaking his head. "No, I need to deal with it. This Fae Beast targeted me. That means I should be the one to take it down."
He pushed open the door and walked over to the counter. The man was standing there with a sinister smile.
"I was wondering when you would come," he said. "Took ya long enough to come here. What happened? Selling the necklace didn't work out for you?"
"You knew it wouldn't," Lance replied. "I'm assuming the goal of that trick was to get me here. What I can't figure out is why you went in such a convoluted way to do it."
"The wolf-man gave me powers and told me to use them how I saw fit," the pawnshop owner replied. "Ya know, as long as I took you Rangers out somehow. I thought maybe I could teach you a lesson in the process."
"That lesson being…?" Lance asked, trying to prompt an answer.
"That metals are the most important things in the world," the man said. "Forget anything else, if you don't have precious metals, you have nothing! That's why I punished you for trying to sell it!"
"You gave that as an option when you gave it to me," Lance reminded.
"That was a test of your values," the pawnshop owner replied. "One you completely failed! It's obvious to me now that you value the wrong things in life. I'm going to teach you the error of your ways!"
He grabbed a mop from its spot next to the counter. As he focused his power, a ring of energy traveled from his hand to the mop and transmuted it from wood to hollow aluminum. He leapt forward and swung the mop like a bat, trying to strike Lance in the head. Lance barely dodged before grabbing a bucket on the floor next to the counter and blocking the next strike with it. However, the transmuted mop was more than the flimsy bucket could handle, as the mop busted a hole in the bucket.
"Whoa!" Lance said as he dropped the bucket and dodged the next few swings. "You really need professional help. Have you tried a therapist, maybe, or even a doctor?"
"You'll need a doctor when I'm done with you!" the pawnshop owner shouted as he swung again, only for Lance to slide out of the way. As Lance attempted to dodge the next strike, what had once been the strings on the end of the mop scratched him on the cheek.
"Alright, I know I'm not supposed to escalate a fight, but this seems a little unfair," Lance remarked as he summoned his Legend Blade in a flash of blue light. He blocked the next mop swing with it before slicing the mop diagonally when the pawnshop owner tried to strike again. Lance then lowered his sword. "There. Can we talk now?"
"We have nothing to talk about!" the pawnshop owner replied in a defiant tone. "When I kill you, you can discuss whatever you want with whoever awaits you on the other side."
He bent down and pressed his palm to the floor, causing the tiles to become liquid-like. The liquid metal rippled under Lance's weight and kept him off balance. As Lance struggled to steady himself , the pawnshop owner ran over to an antique cutlass he had on display and pressed his palm to it to refine the metal and remove the rust before pulling it off the shelf. As Lance leapt off of the transmuted tiles and onto solid ground, the pawnshop owner swung at him again and again with the cutlass. However, the pawnshop owner lacked any real skill in using the sword and Lance very quickly used his Kendo skills to knock the blade from the man's hand and knocked him to the floor.
"Please, just surrender," Lance said. "I can get you help."
"I don't need any help from you," the man said as he grabbed a horseshoe and transmuted it into a heavier metal that he then struck into Lance's head. As the young man fell to the ground, the pawnshop owner was already running over to another object, this time grabbing a long necklace that he wrapped around Lance's neck. Lance was too stunned by the horseshoe attack to fight back too much and as the man started pulling the necklace tighter, Lance struggled to get it off.
"Once I kill you, I'm going after your friends next," the pawnshop owner said as Lance struggled. "After all, with all this power, who can stop me? I'll get all the gold and silver I could ever want and kill anyone who denies me what's mine!"
"Final…warning…" Lance managed to get out as the man pulled tighter.
"Save your breath," the pawnshop owner said. "Or better yet, just stop breathing altogether!"
Lance started to turn as blue as his shirt as he grabbed the man by the arm and flipped him over his shoulder and through the glass window. In his surprise, the pawnshop owner released the necklace and Lance gasped as air filled his lungs again.
"Owwww," the man groaned as he struggled to stand up after the impact he had just had.
"I gave you a final warning," Lance said as he stepped out of the broken window, his Legend Blade back in his hand. "You didn't listen, so you had to face the consequences."
"I…I can't beat you, even with my power," the pawnshop owner said as he slowly backed up. "Wolf-man? If you can hear me, I need more power!"
"Do you know what that entails?" Liecanthrope said as he stepped up to the edge of the roof above. "You will lose your humanity."
"If it lets me kill this fool, I'm not sure I really care anymore!" the pawnshop owner said. "Do it!"
"As you wish," Liecanthrope said as he created a black rune in his hand and let it fly towards the pawnshop owner. It branded itself into the back of the man's neck as his body began to become more bird-like. However, he also had a living-metal quality to him, as well as a magic pentagram of some kind on his chest. His wings were large and full of sharp metal feathers while the rest of his body shined in the light.
"This battle will be elementary for Alchemantore!" the monster, dubbing himself as Alchemantore, said as he extended his wings.
"You know your mission," Liecanthrope said as black runes began to fly around him. "Make sure you complete it." The black runes formed an energy field he disappeared into.
"Time to level the playing field," Lance said as he sent away his Legend Blade, pressed the button on his watch, transforming it into his Legendizer and then pulled out the Hippogriff Shield Emblem from his pocket. He quickly inserted the Shield Emblem into his Legendizer.
"Hippogriff!" the Legendizer announced as its eyes flashed yellow.
"Legendary Knight, Ready to Fight!" Lance shouted as he pressed the left button on his Legendizer.
"Legend Begin!" the Legendizer announced.
Morphing Sequence
Lance is standing in a cyclone of blue wind with a sword embedded in a stone in front of him. As he draws the sword and raises it above his head, the blade begins to glow. The glow then transfers from the blade to Lance, traveling through the hilt, down his arm and then through his whole body excluding his head. As Lance puts the blade into the loop on his left side, the glowing energy forms into his Ranger suit. Wind then swirls around his head, creating the helmet as the screech of a Hippogriff can be heard in the background.
End Morphing Sequence
"Time to deal with you!" Lance said as he drew his Legend Blade from the loop on his belt.
"I have to agree," Alchemantore said as he pulled a feather from his metallic wing and transmuted it into a sturdier metal before welding it like a sword.
The two combatants quickly scanned their opponent before charging at each other. Sparks flew as their blades clashed. Lance continued to push against Alchemantore as the bird-like Fae Beast used his enhanced strength to try and overpower Lance in their clash.
Lance suddenly switched the direction he was pushing and slid across Alchemantore's feather to strike him in his unprotected hand. The Legend Blade, however, merely bounced off the Fae Beast's metallic skin. Alchemantore kicked Lance in the chest with his taloned foot, sending him flying back. Lance let out a grunt as he slammed into a wall, creating an indentation in it in the shape of his body.
Alchemantore extended his wings again and launched a barrage of razor-sharp feathers at Lance. The feathers flew into Lance's suit and pinned him into the wall. Alchemantore flew forward at a surprising speed, his feather-sword extended forward. Lance struggled against the feathers holding him in place but quickly found that he was getting nowhere. Lance shut his eyes as Alchemantore flew forward.
A few seconds later, there was the sound of metal striking something solid, but when Lance opened his eyes, he quickly figured out it wasn't him. Instead, a large stone wall has been created to protect Lance from the attack. Although the feather-sword had pierced the stone wall, it reduced the momentum enough that Alchemantore hadn't been able to break completely through. Lance looked over to see the four other Rangers pulling the feathers out of Lance's suit to free him.
"Sir Lance, you are not usually one to be this reckless," Arthur said as he removed the last feather. "Fighting a Fae Beast alone is not an easy task for one to accomplish, even with your powers. You must be more careful."
"Thank goodness I used my elemental powers to save you," Wayne said. "Otherwise you'd be shish kabob right now."
"You guys are right," Lance said as he brushed off his suit a bit. "Things got out of hand really quickly. I knew you guys would come, though. I was just stalling a bit."
"Does stalling require you to get beaten so badly?" Percy asked.
"This guy is stronger than he looks," Lance replied. "He has the ability to transmute elements or something to that nature. He can also hurl his feathers, like you guys saw.
"Great, a Hershina copycat," Wayne remarked. "Or should I say 'copybird'?"
"What you call it is unimportant," Arthur said as he stepped forward towards Alchemantore and drew his Legend Blade.
Alchemantore pressed his palm to the stone wall and caused it to transmute into a gaseous element that flowed away from the feather-sword, allowing the Fae Beast to grab it again.
"This Fae Beast is dangerous if left unopposed," Arthur continued. "We must stop him!"
"You don't know the half of it," Lance said as he stepped up to match Arthur and also drew his Legend Blade. "He said when he was human that he was planning to kill anyone who gets in his way."
"Then we need to beat him here and now, right?" Gwen said as she joined them and pulled out her Legend Blade too.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Wayne said as he did the same.
"Let's get this over with," Percy said as he joined last.
As Alchemantore pulled another feather from his metallic wings and transmuted it into the same metal as his other one, the Rangers charged. Alchemantore raised one feather-sword to block Arthur and Lance's leaping attacks while also parrying Wayne's thrust with his other feather-sword. He then slashed his wing into Wayne's chest, sending him flying, before using his now-free blade to rake Arthur and Lance across the torso. As Gwen and Percy came in with passing slashes, they simply scraped across the Fae Beast's metallic skin and did little damage. As the two Rangers stumbled forward a bit from a lack of the serious impact they were expecting, Alchemantore whirled around and slashed them in the back with his feather-swords. As they fell forward from the strength of the assault, Alchemantore pressed the offensive, touching the feathers on his wings before launching a barrage of them at the two Rangers.
"Oh no you don't!" Wayne said as he pressed the red button on his Legend Blade.
"Activate Stone Power!" the Legend Blade announced as the blade glowed green. Wayne stabbed the Blade into the ground and watched as a stone wall shot up in between the Rangers and the feather-projectiles. However, this time, the feathers plowed right through the stone wall and still struck the Rangers in the back.
"You thought you could try the same trick twice?" Alchemantore said with a laugh. "Transmuting my feathers to a durable and lightweight metal was childsplay for me!"
"Keep bragging," Percy said as he slowly stood up. "Let's see where that mouth gets you."
"Is anyone else seeing the irony here?" Gwen remarked as she stood up to join him while still trying to recover from the attack.
"Do you have a plan, Arthur?" Wayne asked.
"I do," Arthur replied. "'Tis time to turn up the heat, as you sometimes say."
He pulled out his Dragon Shield Emblem from his belt buckle and flipped up the pommel of his Legend Blade before inserting the Emblem.
"Number One! Dragon! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blade announced. Arthur pressed the red button once as rock music began to play. It finally stopped as the Emblem glowed and fire swirled around the sword. "Activate Fire Power!"
"Dragon Fire Cutter!" Arthur shouted as he launched an arc of scorching flames at Alchemantore. The arc of fire struck Alchemantore in the chest and caused him to gasp in shock and pain as he felt his body start to heat up. His metallic skin quickly became orange and hot as he started to melt.
"You can't do this to me!" Alchemantore shouted as he slowly melted into the ground. "I am invincible!"
"That word…I do not think it means what you think it means," Wayne quipped as the Fae Beast melted into a pile of metallic goo.
"Welp, that's over with," Gwen said as she sheathed her Legend Blade in the loop on her side. "I need to get back to the Diner, so I'll see you guys-" She let out a cry as the liquid metal flowed around her and the other Rangers before solidifying, locking all of the Rangers' feet in place. "What the hell?"
"It's like I said," Alchemantore said as the liquid metal flowed upwards and solidified into the Fae Beast. "I'm invincible!"
"He's not dead?" Lance asked. "How is that possible? We saw him melt!"
"I can manipulate my own elemental composition at will," Alchemantore replied with a smirk. "You honestly thought you could change my state of matter and I wouldn't be able to change back? You're more foolish than I thought!"
"We need a new plan and fast!" Wayne said.
The Fae Beast extended his wings and launched a barrage of razor-sharp feathers at the Rangers. They all cried out as sparks flew from their suits wherever the feathers hit them. They all collapsed to the ground, as the liquid metal flowed away so they landed on the hard pavement instead.
"We can't pierce his skin, he can break through our defenses and fire doesn't melt him!" Lance said as he struggled to rise. "I don't know if we can really do anything else to him."
"We must do something," Arthur grunted as he tried to rise as well, only to fail and fall back to the ground. "You have told us what he plans to do to anyone in his way if we lose and we cannot allow that to happen."
Lance was about to reply when he heard a familiar cry next to him. As he looked over, he saw Ruby standing there, Dwarf Emblem on the ground in front of her.
"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Lance asked as he moved to a sitting position
Ruby gave another cry as she pawed at the Emblem in front of her, as if telling him to take it.
"You want me to use this?" Lance asked, trying to understand. "Did Lyn send you?"
Ruby mewed as she pawed the Emblem again.
"I'll take that as a yes," Lance said as he grabbed the Emblem and stood up. "Let's try this out and hope it saves the day."
He leveled the Shield Emblem in front of him before flipping open the pommel of his Legend Blade and inserting the Emblem.
"Number Eight! Dwarf! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blade announced as the Emblem glowed a strong golden color. Lance pressed the button once and rock music began to play. Finally, the music stopped. "Activate Axe Power!"
The Legend Blade glowed gold before shifting into a large double-headed battle-ax. It was entirely made of a silver metal, though the ax heads had blue highlights on them. There was also a window with the Dwarf Shield Emblem inside the long handle and a red button under the window.
"Whoa!" Lance said as he nearly dropped the ax from the sudden change in weight. He quickly steadied himself and looked down at the ax with a smile. "I think I can work with this."
"If you think some new weapon is going to stop me, you're very much mistaken," Alchemantore said as he pulled two more feathers from his wings and transmuted them into a sturdier metal. He quickly spun them in his hands, as if taunting Lance.
"This new weapon will stop you when I do this!" Lance said as he pressed the button on his belt buckle and pulled out the Hippogriff Shield Emblem. He popped open a compartment near the window in the ax and pulled out the Dwarf Shield Emblem before inserting the Hippogriff Shield Emblem.
"Number Two! Hippogriff! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Crusher announced as the Emblem glowed blue inside the window. Lance pressed the button under the window as heavy metal music began to play. It quickly stopped as the ax head began to glow blue. "Activate Wind Power!"
"Hippogriff Swinging Whirlwind!" Lance shouted as he began to spin around and around with his ax outstretched. The glowing of the ax head got stronger and stronger as the wind picked up until Lance let go, launching the ax and the whirlwind it formed into Alchemantore. The Fae Beast cried out in pain as the more powerful ax struck him in the chest and embedded itself in there and the whirlwind cut into him rapidly, creating little nicks in his metallic skin.
"What's going on?" Alchemantore said as he fell to one knee. He tried to pull the ax out, but it was too deeply embedded to accomplish that goal.
"I can't explain the science to you because I don't know it myself," Lance said. "But bigger weapons usually equals more damage in RPGs, so I'm assuming the same thing applies here."
"You'll pay for that!" Alchemantore said as he quickly transmuted his body into a liquid to escape the ax head. He reformed into solid metal a few feet away.
"You not only threatened innocent people, but attacked my friends as well," Lance said in an uncharacteristically confident tone. "I'm not going to let that slide. I don't care if you're made of gold, silver or even diamond. No one hurts my friends!"
He quickly replaced the Hippogriff Shield Emblem with the Dwarf one and pressed the red button twice. Heavy metal music played again as the Emblem glowed gold. Lance raised the Legend Crusher over his head as golden energy flowed from the Shield Emblem to the ax head.
"Dwarf! Legend Slash!" the Legend Crusher announced as the ax head glowed a brilliant gold.
Lance brought the ax down in a powerful two-handed slash that bisected the Fae Beast directly down the middle.
"This wasn't an equal exchange!" Alchemantore shouted as he fell to the ground and exploded.
"Transmute that," Lance said as he whirled around to pose in front of the explosion. As he pulled out the Dwarf Shield Emblem, transforming the ax back into the Legend Blade, he watched as the other Rangers slowly made their way over to him.
"Well done, Sir Lance!" Arthur said as he patted Lance on the back. "You have accomplished a great feat this day. Not many can say they have faced a Fae Beast alone and won."
"I got a lot of help from the rest of you," Lance said as he rubbed the back of his helmet sheepishly. "It was really a team effort in the end."
"You did something none of the rest of us can claim," Percy said. "If you ask me, you should take credit where credit is due."
"I hope you don't think that was it, Rangers," Liecanthrope said as he appeared from a field of black runes. "You may have a new weapon now, but that will not help you when Alchemantore grows!"
He put out a hand as the resurrection rune appeared in it before floating over to Alchemantore's remains. There was a tornado of black energy that quickly pieced Alchemantore back together. The resurrection rune then flew over Alchemantore's head before branding itself in the back of his neck, right where the old rune had been.
"I'm good as gold!" Alchemantore said as he grew to the size of a skyscraper.
"This is transmutation on a whole other scale!" Wayne said as the Rangers looked up at the giant metallic bird.
"'Tis Zord time!" Arthur said as he pressed the button on his belt buckle, allowing them to spring open like double doors, before pulling out the Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem. The others did the same before all five inserted their Shield Emblems into their Legend Blades.
"Dragon Legendzord! Hippogriff Legendzord! Gargoyle Legendzord! Basilisk Legendzord! Unicorn Legendzord!" the Legend Blades announced as they glowed their Rangers' respective colors. "Time to Start the Legend!"
Beams flew out of the tips of the Rangers swords and flew into a cave where there were statues of the Rangers' legendary creatures. As the beams struck their respective statues, the statues' eyes burst with energy and glowed in the darkness. With a large crack, the statues' Stony exterior shattered and revealed the Legendzords. They all bellowed as they ran, flew or slithered out of the cave. In a few seconds, they were at the Rangers' location.
"Here we go," Lance said as the Rangers leapt into their Zords, with holes opening in the heads to allow entry. The Rangers quickly stabbed their swords into the contraption on their right. The Zords once again bellowed in response to the link.
"I see no point in wasting time," Arthur said as he pulled the Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem out and leveled it before hurling it forward. "Zords Combine!"
The Gargoyle Legendzord's body rotated upwards as the wings folded onto its back and its back legs folded into the body. Its front arms supported the weight that the head was now bearing. A large hole opened in the end of the Legendzord's body that was up in the air.
The Unicorn Legendzord did a similar thing, its legs also folded into the body as its front legs bent to support the weight that the head was now bearing. A large hole opened in the end of the Legendzord's body that was up in the air.
The Basilisk Legendzord's head came off as it curled into a "u" shape. Each one of the Legendzord's ends slid into the holes in the Gargoyle and Unicorn Legendzord's bodies and clicked into place, forming the hips and upper legs.
The Dragon Legendzord and Hippogriff Legendzord arced upwards. They let out a roar and a screech respectively as their bellies slammed together. The heads and necks of the Legendzords rotated around to create arms, while the heads detached and attached to the shoulders. However, there was still a large shield-shaped hole in the chest of the Megazord and two large bumps right where the head should be. The main body of the Megazord slammed down onto the legs as the Basilisk Legendzord's head connected above the waist. For the final steps, the Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem slid into the shield-shaped hole in the chest and the bumps, half red and half blue, opened up to reveal a Knight-like helmet with a robotic mouth visible under the visor.
"Gallant Legend Megazord!" the Rangers shouted as they landed on the platforms, each one in their own color, before inserting their Legend Blades into the contraptions at their sides. "Ready for Battle!"
"You're fighting me with a giant metal machine?" Alchemantore asked with a laugh. "You Rangers are stupider than I thought!"
As he stomped forward, the Rangers all looked at one another from their platforms.
"What do we do?" Lance asked.
"The first thing we need to do is keep him away from us so he doesn't melt the Megazord into mercury," Percy said. "If he did so, not only would we be defenseless, the town would also be covered in literal tons of toxic metal."
"Maybe we can keep him away with some wind?" Wayne suggested. "It worked pretty well the first time."
"That sounds like a good plan," Arthur said. "Sir Lance?"
"Got it," Lance said as Alchemantore got even closer. He pulled out the Hippogriff Legendzord Shield Emblem, leveled it, and hurled it forward.
The Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem flew out of the Gallant Legend Megazord's chest and launched towards Alchemantore, pushing against his progress forward. Meanwhile, the Hippogriff Legendzord Shield Emblem flew into the chest. Arthur and Lance's platforms glowed as they switched places in the cockpit, with Lance now in the center.
"Gallant Legend Megazord: Wind Mode!" Lance shouted.
As the Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem vanished, its job done, Alchemantore charged forward once more. However, the Gallant Legend Megazord turned so that the Hippogriff head on the left side was facing the Fae Beast. The mouth of the Hippogriff Legendzord opened to release a miniature vertical tornado right at Alchemantore. The Fae Beast cried out as he struggled against the whirlwind pushing against him but was quickly losing momentum.
The Rangers drew their Legend Blades from the contraptions at their sides as the Megazord extended its right hand and summoned a brilliant silver saber.
As the whirlwind pushing against Alchemantore calmed down, the Fae Beast stumbled forward. However, when he looked over at the Megazord, he saw the Megazord level its glowing saber.
"Uh oh," he said.
"Uh oh is right!" Lance said as he opened his belt buckle and pulled out a duplicate Hippogriff Legendzord Shield Emblem before inserting it into the Legend Blade and pressing the button twice. "Because Your Legend is Over!"
"Hippogriff Legendzord! Legend Break!" the Legend Blade announced as the Rangers slashed horizontally. The Gallant Legend Megazord ran past Alchemantore while slashing with its sword.
"I've lost my luster!" Alchemantore shouted as he fell to his knees before exploding, the Megazord posing in front of the flames.
"My knights," Arthur said. "Victory is ours!"
"You know, I've never seen you so fired up before, Lance," Wayne said as the Rangers made their way towards the Crystal Caves. Ruby had disappeared during Lance and Alchemantore's 1v1 and the Rangers had decided to come back to the Caves (after Gwen told Vivian she had to leave early for the day, something the older woman had taken in stride) to investigate why Ruby had brought the Emblem instead of their mentor.
"If there's one thing I value more than anything else, it's my friends," Lance said as they stepped into the entrance. "Money isn't as important when you guys are around, even if I need to live on, because a life without you guys in it wouldn't be worth it. So when that monster threatened you guys, something just snapped."
"Well, I think-" Gwen said as she and the others walked into the main room. She quickly stopped mid-sentence as she ran over to the prone wizard. "Oh my God! Lyn!"
Lyn was lying on the ground, unconscious, and as the other Rangers ran up to join Gwen, they could tell her breathing was shallow.
"Well, don't just stand there!" Gwen said as she looked up at the others. "One of you should call an ambulance! Otherwise, she's probably not going to make it!"
As Lance began to dial, he and the others could only hope they would get their friend the help she needed in time…
Well, that's certainly one way to end a chapter/episode! I'm hoping to have another chapter out by the middle of September but no promises (after all, you should never make a promise you might not keep!). I'm hoping school will be a bit calmer in the beginning and I'll be able to get another chapter done. The best way to find out when the next chapter releases is by following the story or myself. Heck, why not do both, especially if you don't really have enough to say for a review? Any support is good support!
Until next time, may the power protect you, always.