Dawn had come but there hadn't been much sleep, the previous night's events weighed on everyone's minds. For Louise, lack of sleep was nothing new, she often had trouble getting a full night's rest. As she flexed her now healed wrist, she thought about the previous night's events, of how they had stopped the kidnapping but failed to prevent the shrouded perpetrator from escaping. If they hadn't been cautious, if they'd have immediately pressed the attack they could have rescued so many more. She looked up and came face to face with her reflection in her mirror, a reflection of the face of failure. For every step that seemed to take her forward, she somehow became farther and farther away from her goals. But no more, for this would be the day that failure ended, and she would finally prove herself worthy of her heritage. The click of her bedroom door opening shook her from her thoughts as Tommy walked in with her laundry, it was now or never.
"We're going," she announced, rising from her seat and making her way to the door.
"Aren't classes going to be starting soon?"
"Navigating to the cave should be easier with the daylight."
"Hold on, you are not going back there, you shouldn't have been there, to begin with."
"I have to go back there, I am a noble and it is my duty to see this injustice be brought to an end!"
"And what do you plan to do?"
"For whatever reason, my explosions can negate other spells, I can open that cave and remove the enchantment from those that were taken!"
"Even so, I'm not going to let you go."
"Why not?!"
"Because you're not thinking clearly and you're doing this for the wrong reason."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're failing to consider that whoever did this may have set a trap. They want these people for a reason so if we just go barging in without a plan, something could happen to the taken people or us."
"And the other thing?"
"Are you doing this for the sake of those taken? Or for yourself?"
Louise grew silent, her hands clenched into fists. Was she really being selfish? Was she wrong for so desperately wanting to do what she was born to do?
"Louise, I know that things have been rough but..."
"You know nothing of what I've had to live with, you haven't the faintest idea! All my life I believed that I was important, that I would do great things when my time came! And yet the only great things that I have done have been disasters, so much so that even my own family looks upon me with shame! I am so close to finally, finally doing something worthy of my name, and not you or anyone will stop me!"
"But you've already done something worthwhile, you were the one that spotted the kidnapping in progress which let us put a stop to it, and you discovered the first lead as to what's been happening."
"But I could have done more! I could have...!"
Louise stopped as Tommy stepped closer and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, she wanted to pull away, to chastise him for this impertinent action, but there was something reassuring in the weight.
"Sometimes the greatest success is the smallest, you did something good last night, Louise. Without you, the missing serving staff would still be missing but we know where they are now, and I can assure you that plans are being made to get them back. So don't doubt yourself, you are going to be great."
"...Thank you."
"Now come on, you've got classes to get to."
As the pair made their way through the castle, it quickly became apparent that something was amiss as large groups of students crowded around any available windows. Realizing that something was happening outside, Tommy and Louise hurried to the entrance and a surprising sight. Outside the front gate stood a cloaked figure and behind it, a vast multitude of servants, each staring blankly and each wearing a uniform with varying levels of grime. The various students that had already been outside were either gathered near the castle entrance, probably to get a better look, or stayed where they had been, unsure of what to do.
"What is going... oh no...", Colbert said as he arrived on the scene, shocked at the sight in front of him.
"What do you think we should do?" Tommy asked grimly, "If this becomes anything like last night, there's no way that we can take them all on without someone getting badly injured."
"For now, it appears that diplomacy is our only recourse."
Colbert stepped forward, past the onlookers and toward the gate, staying as safe a distance as he could manage.
"What do you hope to gain from all of this?" he asked of the cloaked figure, "What is worth taking so many innocents hostage?"
"Staff...of...Destruction..." the figure replied in a ragged tone, as if straining to force the words out, "Or...else..."
With a wave of its hand, something pulsed red on the figure's hand, and each of the enthralled immediately held a knife to their throats. A wave of gasps and murmurs passed through the crowd, and Colbert turned to look up at the academy's central tower.
"What's the Staff of Destruction?" Tommy asked, even if the answer was obvious.
"An ancient artifact said to increase the power of whoever holds it to potentially devastating heights," Louise replied in shock, "I had read about it once, but I had no idea it was being kept here. What do we do?"
"Whether or not the staff is given over, the hostages need to be rescued. Can you try to cast quietly and make another massive explosion like you did yesterday?"
"I can try, but wouldn't the servents be safe once the staff is given over?"
"I doubt it, some of them were left to keep us busy last night and there was no way the hostage-taker could have known we'd stop them non-lethally. The hostages are ultimately disposable."
"What will you do?"
"Once the hostages are freed, I'll charge in and deal with whoever that is and if they are given the staff, they'll be even more of a danger and not just to the hostages. For now, all we can do is wait until a decision is made."
Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours, the onlookers stood silent, not daring to move. Tommy could feel his heart pounding in his ears, what was taking so long? It was then he received his answer, as the crowd parted to allow the old man from the previous night to pass through. Tommy got a better look at him this time, long black robes contrasted by long white hair and beard, he looked every inch the typical old wizard. In one hand he held a gnarled wooden staff as tall as he was and in the other, an equally long object wrapped in cloth with a shining emblem upon it, with one end notably rather wide and round.
"Get ready to cast," Tommy said to Louise, receiving a nod in return.
The old wizard walked until he stood beside Colbert, the two exchanging a nod before he held out the wrapped object.
"This is what you want!" the old man called out, his voice wizened but strong, "Release them at once!"
It all happened in barely an instant. The hooded figure raised their hand and the front gate burst open as if smashed through by some unseen force. The wrapped staff wrenched itself free from the old wizard's hand, flying to that of the hooded figure, and the figure began to laugh. A high, cold, insane laugh, the figure's body shuddered as if everything it had held back was being released at that moment.
"That's impossible..." Louise said in shock.
"Start casting, now," Tommy ordered, and proceeded to make his way through the crowd, his hand drawing closer to Derflinger.
It was then that Tommy's world froze. The figure unwrapped the staff, the emblem fading from the cloth, to reveal its contents. A simple black shaft with a golden pommel, topped by an intricate golden circle resembling a crescent moon, and a large, spherical, crimson orb embedded into one side. It was like it had emerged from his memories, from his nightmares, for what filled his vision was none other than the staff of Rita Repulsa.
Tommy's feet moved before he could think, his hand flashing to his pocket and grabbing his morpher, but he wasn't fast enough. The figure cackled once more and threw back their head, the hood falling to reveal a woman with long green hair and pitch black, pulsing veins that snaked across her face. She raised the staff above her head slammed it back to the ground, releasing a shockwave that knocked Tommy off his feet.
It had all begun with a game of chess. Kirche was bored, a sensation that she was often acquainted with when her two favorite pastimes were not within reach. Where was the zero or a cute boy when she needed them? It wasn't all bad, however, chess with Tabitha was always an enjoyable way to spend her free time. Save for when she lost, of course, which led to no end of baffled irritation. How did Tabitha always do it? How did she always win despite paying all of her attention to a book? Not to mention it was rather rude to not look her opponent in the eye but Kirche never faulted her for it. Tabitha always seemed to find more comfort in books rather than people and that was fine by her, who was Kirche to judge her best friend?
Tabitha's room was rather sparse, even baren if not for the fact that she had at least some furniture. A simple bed in one corner, a simple dresser in another, it wasn't until they had become friends that Tabitha added the table and chairs upon which they played their games. As they set up one last game before class, they had heard a loud thump coming from outside, no doubt Louise was failing as usual. Or so she thought. The room shook violently, toppling the pair and shattering the glass in Tabitha's window, even knocking the window frame out of the wall and into the room.
Tabitha was on her feet in an instant, her impassible, bespectacled features coming into view as she leaped toward the broken window with staff in hand. Kirche was on her feet soon after and was at the window, what she saw was not what she had expected. A crowd of students and faculty, including the headmaster of all people, all on the ground. Beyond the front gate was a mass of what looked like servants whom she assumed were the ones that had disappeared, and... was that the headmaster's secretary? In her hands was a staff of some sort, raised aloft and emitting rays of crimson light that arced out and struck the ground, the ground itself jagged and broken, fissures weaved through the earth like some obscene spider's web.
A sharp whistle pierced the air and Kirche knew what was coming. Within seconds, a large, blue and white scaled dragon flew into view, coming to a stop at the window and hovering in place, the beats of its mighty wings creating strong gusts that billowed their hair and clothes.
"Get on," Tabitha said, barely audible above the wind as she did so herself.
Kirche did so and they took off, soaring to the site of the trouble. Within moments, they dived at the secretary, Sylphid opening her draconic jaws to unleash a burst of densely packed wind. Only, it did nothing. The wind dissipated instantly against an unseen force. They were then knocked off course, sent careening in the opposite direction to collide with the ground. Or at least they would have, if not for Sylphid righting herself at the last second. As they regained their bearings, Kirche saw what was to come. Golems, fifty in number, maybe more, rose from the earth. Tabitha wasted no time, she jumped to the ground and immediately began to chant, her staff waving and weaving through the air.
"Windy Icicle!" the girl cried, a barrage of frozen projectiles forming, flying out to skewer some of the golems.
Only the golems did not falter, whatever magic that had summoned them allowed them to reform almost instantly. Kirche descended from the great reptile, wand in hand, and began an incantation of her own. If frigid precision could not end the constructs, then perhaps a passionate blaze would.
"Fireball!" the redhead cried, the great incendiary orb lept from her wand, colliding with and engulfing the earthen menace.
But it seemed not even the most ardent could slow them as they merely strode flew the raging flames, stone bodies smoking and glowing as they continued their march, with yet more rising behind them. Sylphid roared and lept, soaring above their heads only to crash into their foe, mighty talons and tail thrashing out, crushing the golems and tossing them to the winds. And yet, even with the might of a dragon on their side, the enemy remained implacable. Where one was destroyed, more took its place. But they would not retreat, not so long as a flame burned within.
Guiche was having a bad day. But why would he? He was a Gramont, a noble! The son of a general! So why did he cower? He had trained in swordsmanship from a young age, mastered his family's magical arts, and yet when the very thing that he trained for arose, he fled and hid. It was humiliating, an embarrassment, especially on top of his humiliation from the previous day. He could still feel the sting from being struck by the thorns of two beautiful roses. He had deserved it, he had sullied their dignity and reputation, and in turn, his own. Despite years of lessons in battle and courtship, he was a failure.
"Mighty Battlements!"
Guiche peered above his hiding spot, his corner in the entry hall, to spy the back of the headmaster himself, his staff held high as he commanded walls of earth befitting their name to rise and encircle the entrance. Such a feat, truly the skill of a Square Mage. And yet despite his study, Guiche was but Dot, still but a bud yet to fully bloom. He heard more cries, more spells being cast to slow the encroaching enemy, and allow those who had been outside to retreat to safety. He prayed to be invisible, hoped that none saw him as he tucked his tail.
It was then that he heard it, through the chants and cries, a scream. It was faint in the din of war but it came from a voice he knew in his heart. Montmorency? What was she doing out there?! He stood before he thought, his rose wand in hand before he realized. He charged forth, through the throngs of those in retreat, past the defenders who called his name in protest, but he was deaf to them all. Only one voice reached him now, and he would not fail to heed its call.
What was Montmorency thinking?! The call for retreat should have been obvious, she should have rushed to the safety of the castle and hid till all of... this had been dealt with. And yet she stayed planted, her feet stuck to the ground as she watched another student trip, one that he knew. It was Katie. Katie, who had lured Guiche away from her, who had been responsible for such utter indignity. Montmorency knew it was petty, but she wanted to watch, to see what would happen to the uppity first year.
The stone monstrosities drew closer, closing in, mindlessly seeking any target as seemed to be their want. This is what Katie deserved, what she had wrought with her own two hands. So why was Montmorency charging forward and placing herself between the object of her disdain and certain doom? She brandished her wand, preparing to cast in an attempt to hold off the threat... yet she had no idea what to cast! She wasn't a warrior, she was an alchemist! She made perfume! All she could do instead was hold out her arms, close her eyes, and await the inevitable... but the inevitable never came.
She opened her eyes and the scene before her shook her to her core. Guiche, sword in one hand, wand in the other, with five bronze constructs of elegant design, in a clash with the stone constructs.
"Run!" he commanded, teeth clenched from the exertion alone, his feet and those of his valkyries slipping under the unrelenting opposition.
Seeing no other option, Montmorency did as she was commanded, helping Katie to her feet as they bolted for safety. The retreat was halted, then, by the sound of snapping metal. Montmorency turned, only to see Guiche reeling, his sword snapped in two and a fresh cut now drawn upon his face, fresh blood seeping out from just below his eye. On instinct, she reached out and grabbed him, pulling him from the jaws of death and ran with both in tow. In moments, they were safe within the castle, her heart beating in her ears.
"Montmorency! I..."
She could only look at Guiche, unsure of what to do or say, before she ran further inside.
"Wait! Montmorency...!
Why? What had she done? What was she thinking?
Siesta's heart pounded, almost as if it would break through her chest. Why was all of this happening?! It was bad enough that she was being haunted, but then she had been kidnapped, and now this? She should never have left the village! All she wanted was something to call her own, even if it was as small as being a maid. No, she had to get a grip! This was not who she was, she was trained to be better than this! She closed her eyes and knelt, she breathed slowly, just like she had been taught. Her heart slowed, her mind cleared, the hand that clenched so tightly to the broom handle lessened. She was one with the now, she was the calm at the center of chaos. This was their way, the lineage of the dragon.
Siesta opened her eyes and rose, focused, refined from years of training. She took off down the hall, its doors and windows passing in a blur. Around corners and down flights of stairs, her pace unwavering. It was then that she caught sight of it through a window, a red glow that resonated with something at the back of her mind, pulsing out into the air. She slowed and watched as a fresh wave of horror washed over her, the servants at the gates, once stationary but now writhing. They charged, joining the masses of golems in the attack on the academy. She redoubled her pace, practically flying down the halls till she reached the entrance, leaping the final stretch of stairs. As she landed, she swung the broom in her hand on the ground, its head snapping off from the force. Makeshift staff in hand, Siesta charged.
Within seconds, a golem lunged toward her. She pivoted without a thought, dodging around its strike and she brought her weapon low, knocking it off its feet with a sweep. Then came another, charging from the side but it too fell, a hard kick sending it back. Siesta winced as a sharp pain shot through her foot but she couldn't let that stop her. Suddenly, something hit her from the side, knocking her off balance. She turned to see it was another maid, one that she shared quarters with. The pair fell and Siesta raised her weapon, trying to hold off the other girl as she tried to claw her face off, the other maid snarling with a frenzied look in her eye. Siesta raised her foot and kicked, pushing the other girl off and behind her. She had barely made it to her feet before more of her co-workers descended upon her, teeth gnashing and hands lashing out, grasping for anything to sate their bloodlust.
She did not wish to hurt them, but circumstances did not allow for that luxury. She struck, the end of her staff finding its mark in a cook's midsection, followed by a maid's knee, then another's shoulder. Siesta dodged and ducked, parried and struck as more came and others rose despite the injuries she had already inflicted. She stumbled, nearly falling as her uniform's skirt caught her foot mid dodge and for a brief moment, wished she had trousers instead. On instinct, she swung, but realized too late that her target was one of the golems. The broom handle splintered on impact, shards flying as she realized she was now disarmed.
Seeing no choice, Siesta began her retreat, if only so that she may find an opportunity to rearm herself. At least, that was the plan, if only for the slight problem that she was surrounded. Golems and servants, she had to choose her next moves carefully. She dodged to the left as a golem made to strike, she pivoted around another, she flanked a cook and kicked his knees out from under him. This was her chance, Siesta stepped onto the downed man and with all her might, she pushed off, leaping over the heads of her assailants to land in a roll before dashing to the safety of the castle.
Tommy's vision swam as he stood, he hadn't taken a hit like that in years. He immediately reached for his pocket, only to realize something was missing. He checked his entire person, he checked the immediate area but it was nowhere in sight.
"Are you alright?" Colbert called out from nearby, his staff at the ready as he prepared to cast another spell.
"I think so, have you seen my morpher?"
"Your what?!" Louise replied between spells of her own, her explosions dropping enemies as they rose.
"It's a round, silver thing with a gold coin in the middle," Tommy said, "I have to find it."
"Now is not the time to be searching for personal effects!" the old wizard shouted, "We must find a way to end this!"
"Trust me, it's the only thing that can end this," Tommy said firmly, "Cover me while I look for it!"
Tommy drew Derflinger and entered the fray, slashing and cleaving through constructs as he searched, spells flying out from behind him. As his eyes panned across the courtyard between cutting down a stone enemy or evading a human one, he saw who all was caught in the fight. The three from the lover's quarrel, the two blonds managing to save each other and the brunette as they came under attack. The redhead and her blue-haired friend, and... wait, was that a dragon? Siesta, leaping over enemy heads, and Louise behind him, each holding their own against an unyielding tide. Tommy had to admit, they had potential, he would have to keep a close eye on them.
"Hey, Partner, on your right!" Derflinger called out as his blade bisected an earthen head.
Tommy turned and saw it too, exactly what he was looking for, miraculously undamaged but surrounded by foes. He lunged, his blade skewering a golem, twisting it as he wrenched it fresh to cut down two more in the same swing. It was then that he had the unfortunate luck to come face to face with the very large, built like a brick house head chef. Tommy dodged a swing, ducked under another, chopping down golems where he could. The larger man dove at him, like a jungle cat trying to crush its prey beneath its superior size, but Tommy dove underneath, tucking into a roll and grabbing his morpher as he landed on his feet. He then lept, up and away from the surrounding foes, landing in a more open space in the battlefield, turning to face the enemy and plunging Derf into the ground.
"Let's try this again. It's Morphing Time!" he cried, raising the Power Morpher and thrusting it forward in both hands, "Tigerzord!"
With a press of the switch, the silver faceplates split open, and he was engulfed in light. The golems charged but they were cut down in a flash, bisected by a single mighty swing of an unseen blade. As the light faded, the change was evident. Simple boots gave way to boots of pure white with gold cuffs and black trim, black tunic and brown pants replaced by a white bodysuit, torso and legs separated by a gold belt with attached holster. Bare hands became covered in white gloves with the same gold cuffs as his boots, and his torso encased in a black and gold chest plate emblazoned with an emblem resembling a tiger's stripes and claw. In his right hand, a white saber with gold trim, it's single-edged blade gleaming in the sunlight. And upon his head, a white helmet with a black visor, enclosed mouth, and bearing a pattern of black and gold resembling the head of a tiger.
"Good to see you, Tommy!" the saber's pommel in the shape of a stylized tiger's head spoke.
"Good to see you too, Saba. What do you say we shake the dust off and put an end to this?"
"I'm right beside you the whole way!"
The White Ranger blurred into motion, carving through golems and leaping over enthralled civilians faster than most eyes could see. He was like a bolt of white lightning, and he felt like it too. The rush of power was a welcome one after so long, Tommy couldn't help smiling at being in his element again. Saba's blade sang with each swing, cutting cleanly through the constructs as if they were never solid, and Tommy's punches and kicks shattered them instantly. It was then that his target came into view, Rita's staff and the green-haired woman that wielded it, her eyes wide with gleeful madness as she summoned more golems.
Tommy easily blitzed through the crowd that tried to stall him, bits of rock and dirt flying with each motion until he had reached her. He swung Saba, aiming at the staff to destroy it, to finally end the nightmares that it and its original owner had spread to so many. Saba blade did not connect, however, an invisible wall intercepting his attempts. He swung again, and again, and again, throwing every ounce of speed and power into his blows. The wall began to crack, fissures seemingly spreading out through the air itself, the woman slowly becoming more terrified.
"No, no, no, no, NO!" she screamed, swinging the staff into the ground and knocking Tommy back once more.
The staff then pulsed red and the ground began to shake, lurching and swelling up as something rose beneath the woman's feet. The constructs that had previously terrorized the academy suddenly shifted goals, scrambling to their creator and merging themselves into the ever-growing mass of earth. Eventually, it took shape, a golem of titanic proportions, standing easily as tall as the academy's tallest tower, and still growing. Tommy watched as the monstrosity rose before him, silently wishing that the White Tigerzord hadn't been destroyed. It swung its gargantuan arm, trying to crush Tommy, obliterating an entire section of the academy's outer wall in the process.
He leaped back, spinning through the air as debris flew around him. He leaped again, dodging a second swing from the oblong masses of dirt and rock, any farther and the academy would be doomed. He dashed forward beneath the third swing and jumped, straight into the air, higher than was possible under normal circumstances, and latched onto the super golem's outstretched arm. In a second, he stood upon its arm, but he was far from safe. Masses of stone tendrils erupted from rocky flesh, attempting to crush, spear, and ensnare the White Ranger but he cut through them. The farther he ascended, the more they came, and the more he refused to fall. With one final jump, Tommy ascended to the titan's head, where the woman stood, continuously muttering.
"Stop this now, you can't win!" Tommy commanded, giving the sorceress one last chance.
"...mine, mine, mine, mine... mine all mine all mine... MINE."
She swung the staff, its crimson orb glowing and firing great crimson bolts of magical energy. Tommy dodged, the blasts impacting all around him, blasting parts of the massive golem away. He closed the distance and swung, Saba's blade blocked as she raised the staff to defend herself, but that was exactly what Tommy wanted. With superhuman speed, he reached out and grasped the staff, pulling it from her grasp and threw it into the air.
"NO!" she cried, trying desperately to reach out and catch it.
"Full power blast!" Tommy commanded, spinning Saba into a reverse grip and taking aim.
"On it!" the sword replied, firing beams of energy from his eyes, hitting their mark.
The staff glowed as the energy engulfed it before exploding into a cloud of pitch-black mist that slowly dissipated. The massive construct jerked and shuddered, grinding to a halt as the magic that once animated it was no more, now nothing more than a giant pile of dirt in the rough approximation of a person. Now powerless, the woman fainted and Tommy caught her, the black veins receding but not completely. He then spied the ring with a red jewel on her finger, carefully removed it, and crushed it in his fist, the same black mist leaking between his fingers. The danger over, Tommy gently picked up the woman and turned to survey the battlefield, the destruction inflicted upon the academy, and the gathered crowd of onlookers. He was going to have to answer a lot of questions.