Chapter 3: Code Busters
Walking through the forest, Penelope couldn't help but let out a loud yawn that she didn't bother trying to stifle. Despite her desire to return to bed, she kept walking, even as she yawned again.
A few days had passed since the earthquake that had caused a crack in the Gate to the Underworld, allowing evil forces to return to the surface. The Woodland Village had been badly damaged, and while most people had mercifully escaped uninjured, there was still a lot of work to be done to make it a liveable home again.
Looking up as she heard someone else around, Penelope managed to smother her yawns to smile warmly. The young blonde didn't even seem to realise she was there, not looking up from her list.
"Beetle's Bane…check!" Claire ticked off items from her list that she had collected. "Slug Root…check," she nodded, before Penelope cleared her throat. Claire jumped, almost knocking all the supplies she'd gathered out of the basket that was swinging from her arm.
"Good morning, Claire," Penelope greeted. "I didn't mean to startle you," she said, and Claire smiled back, flustered.
"Oh, good morning Penelope," Claire was chipper as ever, and it made Penelope's smile soften as her mind was drawn to a memory of the past. "Out collecting supplies too?" she asked, and Penelope nodded.
"Most of my supplies were used up after the attack on the village, and I'd like to keep a large stock just in case," Penelope said. Claire's smile faded at her words.
"How is the Woodland Village doing?" she asked. She'd often visited the small village growing up, and it had hurt to hear that it had almost been destroyed by dark magic.
"It'll take some time to recover, but they'll manage," Penelope said with a nod. "They're a strong people, and with Caspian in charge, they'll be back to normal in no time," she assured, trying to coax Claire's smile back. "Are you…" Penelope trailed off as she heard strange sounds in the distance.
"Penelope?" Claire tilted her head, before she heard the whizzing sound in the air too. The loud cheers then earned Penelope's attention, and she turned quickly.
"Get down!" she shouted, grabbing Claire and tugging her to the ground carefully. Claire's eyes went wide, and they watched as five colourful figures shot overhead.
"Sorry!" Nick shouted over his shoulder, having seen the two at the last moment as he and his team of Rangers practised their flying on their Mystic Racers. Penelope shook her head as she straightened, and Claire couldn't help but laugh.
"I best get these collected before the Rangers return to try again," Penelope said, patting Claire on the shoulder. "Good luck, and…try to keep sharp," she told her, and Claire nodded, waving as Penelope left her to it.
Up in the air above, the five Rangers cheered as they raced one another back to Rootcore. So far, Nick had maintained the lead, and he couldn't help but challenge the others behind him.
"Come on, Pinkie! Keep up!" he taunted, tipping his Racer into a nosedive.
"No-one calls me Pinkie!" Vida yelled. The others cheered as Vida tipped down to follow Nick. They dove beneath the treeline, weaving around the trees. As Nick and Vida taunted each other, neither noticed Chip slowly gaining on them, and as Nick was forced to stop before he crashed into a tree, Chip took the lead.
"No!" Vida groaned, urging her Mystic Racer forwards to try and catch up to Chip.
"On your left!" Vida's eyes widened at Titania's voice, and turned just in time to see the Morphed Black Ranger fly past, far faster than Vida had been able to move, and she wasn't even using a Mystic Racer.
Fluttering so fast they were a blur were a pair of pink and green insect-like wings, and they carried Titania through the air. She giggled as she twirled and spun around each tree, gaining on Chip. "Hey Chip! Can you go any faster?" Titania shouted, and before he could even think to look around, Titania flew out from under him and kept going.
As they reached Rootcore, Titania and Chip circled the tree once, slowing to allow the other four Rangers to catch up. At Nick's call, the five on their Racers leapt off, demorphing as they dropped to the ground. When their feet hit the ground, they looked up just as their Mystic Racers returned to their broomstick form, and dropped from the sky.
"Hey, you learned this time," Titania grinned as she landed much more lightly. As she did, her Black Ranger suit shattered, and the wings vanished in a ripple of rainbow light.
"Very good Rangers. That's enough Mystic Racer practice for today," Udonna called out as she walked over. Instantly both Chip and Vida groaned loudly.
"Oh come on! Just one more lap around the forest?" Chip pleaded with big eyes.
"Yeah, I'm just getting warmed up," Vida said as she looked at her broom. "We almost had Titania that time," she said, before hearing a scoff nearby.
"Trust me. You didn't," Carvallain said as he walked over to join them.
"Missing Racer practice again, huh?" Nick eyed the Elf, who gave him a haughty look.
"I finished my beginner practice on a broom when I was half your size," he said, and Nick bristled. However, their argument stopped before it began as Udonna cleared her throat.
"I'm afraid not," she said, giving both a stern look. Udonna had made it clear from the beginning that she wouldn't tolerate the team fighting. "It's time for elementary incantations," she told the group.
"Boring!" Chip and Vida chimed together. Even Nick and Xander looked a little disgruntled that they were forced to stop racing to learn incantations.
"Hey…I think that sounds kinda interesting," Maddie admitted as she lowered her broom and started to follow Udonna away.
"Only you, sis," Vida muttered.
"What about us?" Carvallain asked as he caught up to Udonna. "Please don't tell me that you intend for us to sit through these lessons too," he almost pleaded with her.
"Worry not, you will have your own lessons," Carvallain visibly relaxed. "But you will accompany the other Rangers. You are a team, and I expect you to act as such," she said. He nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the group. They were laughing amongst themselves, and Titania said something that had Nick swat at her with his broom. She giggled, darting out of reach as Carvallain turned away.
"Udonna, the Mystic Racers are amazing," Vida said as she caught up to the sorceress to talk to her. "But now that we're Power Rangers, don't we get other cool stuff too?" she asked hopefully.
"Oh yeah! No-one's more excited than me to finally get to wear a cape, but-"
"Finally?" Xander repeated as he shot Chip a knowing look. "If I remember correctly, you used to come to school with a pillowcase pinned to your back!" he pointed out, winning a laugh from the others. Chip went red.
"Yeah, but that was a long time ago," he defended.
"That was last week, mate," Xander corrected, earning even more laughter.
"Why did you use a pillowcase…?" Titania wondered, a little confused even as she giggled.
"Vida's right!" Chip pressed on, ignoring the laughter of the others. "We're official superheroes now. Where's the rest of the vehicles, weapons and gadgets that we get?" he asked Udonna eagerly as he increased his pace to catch up with her.
"The Xenotome holds the Spell Codes that can unlock magical powers beyond your imagination," Udonna answered, smiling faintly at how eager the Pink and Yellow Rangers in particular were. It was bringing back fond memories for her.
"So what we waiting for?" Vida asked as she jumped ahead and turned to face her. "Let's bust it open, load the Codes and get our booty!" she cheered.
"It doesn't work that way, Vida," Udonna smiled. Vida's excitement faded and her shoulders slumped. "As you perform heroic deeds and grow as Rangers, the Xenotome will reveal the Spell Codes. When the time is right," she stressed, and continued walking. While most of the others followed, Vida and Chip stayed behind.
"When the time is right?" Carvallain heard Vida whisper to Chip. "I don't wanna wait that long," she complained. Carvallain barely resisted rolling his eyes at her impatience.
"Me neither…" Chip agreed. "There's gotta be a quicker way to get those Codes," he grumbled. Vida's laugh was quiet; barely audible to the eavesdropping Elf.
"Got it. Come on," she smirked to her best friend. "We'll catch up with you guys later!" Vida shouted, running off with Chip before the others could stop them.
"What's that about?" Nick wondered.
"Knowing those two, it can only mean trouble," Maddie smiled as she shook her head, well used to their antics by now.
"They're very close," Titania mused as they made their way back to the massive tree that towered over the rest. "You all are, but Chip and Vida…"
"They've been best friends since we were little. Vida was always getting into trouble for fighting kids who picked on Chip," Maddie explained, and Titania nodded, looking fascinated.
"Doesn't surprise me at all," Nick chuckled. It was easy to picture the two when they were younger, getting into as much trouble as they seemed to now. After all, they had been the first to volunteer to help after Nick, when Udonna had come to them for help disguised as an old man.
"You'll get used to them…eventually," Xander said, but even he sounded uncertain.
"Well if they're off causing chaos, then it means plenty more incantations for you to learn," Titania grinned as the entrance to Rootcore came into view. Even now, they were still adjusting to the sight of the massive dragon's head that acted as the entrance to the massive tree.
"It's just some words, it can't be that hard," Nick scoffed, but grew uncertain as he saw Titania's smile grow. "Right?" he asked.
"You know Fae can't lie, right?" her words made him frown. He'd learned that she was a Pixie, but unlike Chip, he had barely any knowledge of magical creatures, so he was still learning all about her strange quirks.
"So you're not going to answer?" he asked. Titania smiled brightly.
"My silence could be either a confirmation or a denial of your question," she told him, and Nick groaned.
"Something tells me that you're rarely silent," Xander told her, and Titania stuck her tongue out at him.
"You'd be right," Carvallain's mutter was caught by the others, and they couldn't help but laugh. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Carvallain's mouth, and he hid it by walking on ahead as Udonna smiled, not missing it.
Titania's so-called silence, it turned out, was a denial. Not only did the Mystics have to learn an entirely new language and its sometimes odd pronunciations, but they had to remember the words and combinations in order to do the spells they wanted.
They worked on basic incantations with Udonna's help, while Titania and Carvallain were working on their own, much more advanced spell. Having grown up in the Magical Realm, they had a distinct advantage over the new Mystics, and worked on their own as Udonna tried to help where she could.
Xander's groan of frustration was loud, cutting through the quiet after a while of attempting to study. Udonna had left them to work by themselves for a while, leaving them with plenty of books to help them while she went back to the potion she was brewing.
"Man…look at all these incantations!" he whined as he glared at the page in front of him. He'd barely understood the runes to begin with, and after staring at it for so long, they were all beginning to blend together. "How is my brain supposed to fit in all this information?" he complained.
"Why don't you let me help you out with that?" Maddie smiled. It was an oddly devious look, and it reaffirmed for Titania that she and Vida were definitely related. After setting down the pile of books on the table, Maddie pulled her Mystic Morpher from her pocket and cleared her throat. Xander and Nick looked up, curious. "Cranior…magnis!" she chanted the spell she had seen in one of the books, and blue light flew from her wand. Nick and Titania instantly burst out laughing as Xander's head started to grow much larger. "Now you have lots more room!" Maddie giggled.
"And I thought he had a big head before!" Nick laughed with her as Xander struggled to keep his head upright.
"It's certainly a new look," Titania giggled. Carvallain sighed, shaking his head as he refused to look up from his book.
"Very funny," Xander sounded oddly calm as he put most of his focus into stopping himself from toppling over. "Madison, if you wouldn't mind?" Maddie was still giggling, but raised her Morpher and cast the counter-spell.
"You're catching on quick with those incantations," Maddie was surprised at Titania's comment, and blushed.
"What? No, I-"
"You are," Titania nodded, not letting her deny it. "Pronunciation is just as important with spells, and you were flawless," she said, which only made Maddie blush harder. "You've got talent, for sure," Titania beamed.
"She's right," they were surprised when Carvallain spoke up. He finally tore his gaze off the book in front of him to look up at her. "They're beginner spells, but considering you only started learning magic a few days ago…" he stood up suddenly, and walked over to a nearby shelf. They were all quiet for a moment, watching as he walked back and held out a book to her. "They're a little more complicated, but you should get the hang of them quick enough," Carvallain told her as he pressed the book into her hands.
"Thank you…" Maddie said quietly, surprised by his help. Carvallain cleared his throat and turned away quickly, but the pointed tips of his ears were turning red as he went back to his seat.
"Even if you're just using them to disrupt everything, at least you'll be learning," he muttered, going back to his work. Titania shook her head, exasperated by his insistence on being aloof and rude.
"Claire?" nearby, Udonna was dropping petals into the cauldron as she stirred. "I thought I asked you to gather some stickleberries for this protection potion?" she asked her apprentice, who walked over with a sheepish look.
"Oh…I did have a big basket of them…" Claire remembered as she moved out of the way of the bottle that Udonna summoned from the table. "But I accidentally dropped it when I was attacked by the giant worm…I'm really sorry," she apologised. Udonna frowned as she stopped stirring.
"Giant worm?" she repeated, loud enough for the others to hear.
"I think it was a giant worm…I didn't really see it because it never surfaced," Claire admitted. "Then this freakish looking gnome or troll…or goblin knocked me out of the way and saved me," she told her. Udonna tossed a frog into the potion as she looked up.
"Did you see who it was?" she asked, wondering just who had put themselves in harms way to save Claire.
"No! He took off before I could thank him!" Claire exclaimed. Titania leaned back in her seat, looking thoughtful as she forgot about the book in front of her.
"I wonder…" she murmured.
"This is troubling…" Udonna murmured, worried as she wondered just what had attacked Claire. "Titania?" she called over her shoulder, and the young woman looked up at her. "Taliesin is in the area, is he not?" she asked. Titania nodded.
"Yeah, he shouldn't be too far away. He was checking to see if the dark forces who attacked the village the other day had disrupted the wildlife," she answered.
"All of you, be careful. The return of evil may have more consequences than we realised," Udonna warned, and they nodded, not about to argue with her warning as Claire's story about a giant worm stuck with them all.
Finally Udonna took pity on the team who had stuck around for their lessons, and allowed them to leave to get something to eat and rest up. Carvallain had stayed behind, wanting to spend a little time in the quiet that he was more accustomed to, but Nick, Maddie, Xander and Titania were more than eager to take a break.
"I think I'm gonna be seeing those incantations in my sleep," Nick complained, rubbing his eyes as they walked through town in the human world. Maddie and Xander had to agree, just as worn out from studying so much. After all that work, and eating, they were all in need of a rest.
"You'll get used to it," Titania reassured them. Despite their earlier complaints, she'd seen them working hard to learn what they could. They took it seriously, even if they messed around with some spells on each other.
"Who knows how long that'll take," Nick complained.
"Was there some kind of school that you learned this in?" Maddie asked Titania, who shook her head and laughed a little.
"No, Penny taught me magic. I at least had the advantage of growing up there, so I've been learning for years," she answered, smiling at the memories of learning magic from the former Mystic.
"Do you know all the former Mystics?" Xander asked her curiously, and instantly saw Titania's brightness fade. She avoided his gaze, staring at the ground as they walked.
"I know some of them. Three died during the Great Magical War," she said quietly. They fell quiet, and both Nick and Maddie glared at Xander, blaming him for bringing down the mood. He cleared his throat, and awkwardly put a hand on her head.
"Sorry," he said quietly, and Titania looked surprised by his attempt to comfort her. Slowly, her smile started to return.
"It's okay," she said.
"Hey, Chip and Vida never showed," Xander realised, deciding to change the subject. "Where do you think they went?" he asked, looking at Nick and Maddie.
"I dunno," Maddie shrugged. "But when my sister gets that crazy look in her eye, it usually means trouble," she warned, well used to Vida's antics. Xander nodded, knowing that Maddie was right, and Nick and Titania exchanged curious glances as they wondered just what Vida and Chip had gotten up to in the past.
"I'll show you real trouble," the four stopped, surprised as a figure landed on the bench in front of them. Tall with a set of leathery wings on her back, the dark magic radiating off her was enough to set even the inexperienced Mystics on edge.
"Who are you?!" Nick shouted, narrowing his eyes at her.
"I am Necrolai, dark mistress of the Underworld," she introduced herself with a flourish.
"She's a Vampire," Titania's quiet words made the other three look at her. Xander, who had been ready to try and charm her, stopped instantly.
"I thought Vampires couldn't go out in sunlight," Nick hissed. While his knowledge of magical beings was nowhere near Chip's level, he still knew that much at least. Titania nodded.
"That's right, unless they're really powerful," Titania clarified. She didn't take her eyes off Necrolai.
"That's right, little Fae," Necrolai sneered back at her. "Interesting disguise. It's as strange to see one of your kind here as it is mine. I thought you all sealed yourself away?" her comment made Titania stiffen. Necrolai laughed, seeing the visible distress on her face. "Enough talk!" she threw out a hand, and the four jumped back to dodge the explosive magic that hit the ground.
"Let's Ranger up!" Nick shouted, and they grabbed their Morphers from their pockets.
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!"
Necrolai shrieked as she fought the Rangers, demonstrating skill much greater than their own. Any hits they managed to land glanced off her, and she laughed mockingly as she tossed each of them aside.
"Playtime's over!" Necrolai threw out her arms and her wings expanded as she did. Lifting off her feet, Necrolai gave a screech as she flew through the air and blasted them. The four cried out, barely staying standing as she soared past the group.
"Look out!" Nick shouted, but before they could avoid it, Necrolai flew past again and bombarded them with more blasts of the purple energy.
"Let's go for a ride!" Necrolai cackled as she grabbed Nick, Xander and Maddie and hauled them up into the air. "Catch us if you can, little Fae!" she taunted over her shoulder.
"No!" Titania gasped as she pushed herself up again. The light shimmered around her, taking on a rainbow sheen, before her wings became visible and stretched out behind her. Narrowing her eyes, Titania lifted off the ground and gave chase, not able to let Necrolai get away.
Unlike the Rangers learning to use their Mystic Racers, Necrolai was well used to flying. Even while carrying three Rangers who continuously fought her hold, she kept ahead of Titania. The Vampire gave a quiet laugh as she flew out of the city, and over the forest to where Mucor had been teleported to by Koragg.
"Hungry!" Mucor roared as he grew massive and towered over the trees he was surrounded by.
"Patience, Mucor!" Necrolai laughed. "Dinner is on the way!" she promised, and the struggling Rangers looked over at the massive monster. Their eyes widened in fear, and they struggled even harder. "Good riddance, Rangers!" Necrolai stopped abruptly in the air and swung hard, sending the three tumbling through the air.
"Stop!" Titania darted past her and managed to catch Xander's hand, but his weight dragged her down with him. Before she could try to correct, all of them were sucked into Mucor's mouth, where everything went dark.
Once the other four had left to get something to eat, Carvallain found it much easier to study. He memorised incantations, using his Mystic Morpher to get some practice in while he had the chance, all while ignoring his own rumbling stomach and the quiet thought in the back of his mind that told him that he should have joined the others.
He continued to ignore those thoughts as he sharpened the long, steel sword that rarely left his side. The action relaxed him, but he couldn't help but wonder about the strange worm that had attacked Claire in the forest.
"Let's check the Xenotome!" Vida's excited voice carried into Rootcore, and Carvallain was pulled from his thoughts. Chip and Vida ran in, straight past him as they made their way up to where the large book remained on its pedestal. There was a thud that reverberated through Rootcore, and Carvallain looked up. Both Chip and Vida were staring at the blank pages in shock. "What? Nothing?!" Vida gasped. "This thing must be broke!" she complained loudly.
"What are you doing?" Udonna asked, looking up from her cauldron at her frustrated voice.
"We've been out doing heroic deeds all day, and haven't gotten one new code," Chip huffed. "Being a superhero is kind of a ripoff," he decided, unhappy with the lack of results. Carvallain raised an eyebrow and got to his feet.
"It seems you know very little about being a superhero," Udonna accused as she kept her usual smile on her face.
"Are you kidding?" Chip scoffed at her words. "No-one knows more than me! I've spent a fortune on video games, DVDs, graphic novels, trading cards…" he listed, making Vida laugh.
"These…heroic deeds you did," they looked at Carvallain as he walked over, unable to stop himself from joining their conversation. "Did you do them because you wanted new Spell Codes? Or simply because someone needed your help?" he asked, his tone oddly innocent. Instantly the two began to splutter.
"A question like that could only be poised by someone who understands," another voice cut across their attempts to answer, and Vida and Chip looked around curiously. There was a strange sound that echoed through Rootcore; a clopping sound as if a horse was being led through the main room of Rootcore.
The pair fell silent, staring at the new arrival as he walked into view. Clean shaven with a mop of black hair, the newcomer had a kind smile and dark eyes. However, what had caused the two to lose their tongues were his legs. Covered in a thick layer of black fur, his hindquarters were more goat than human, ending with a pair of hooves that hit the hard ground loudly.
"Whoa…" Vida breathed as excitement shone on Chip's face.
"Taliesin," Udonna smiled warmly as he approached. "It is good to see you. Thank you for coming," she said as he approached. His bare chest had a tuft of fur, and a long scar curving from his stomach and around his side that was partially obscured by the leather straps that went around him, holding a short sword and some small pouches in place.
"It's good to see you too, Udonna. I just wish it were under better circumstances," he told her, and she nodded in agreement. "Carvallain, it's always a pleasure. You've grown since we last met," he said, bowing to the Elf.
"I'm glad you could come. It's been too long," Carvallain smiled at him. Vida and Chip were surprised by the warmth in his face, both starting to think that he wasn't capable of such an expression. Taliesin noticed their expressions, and chuckled.
"Excuse my intrusion. I'm Taliesin, and I'm guessing from your faces, you've never seen a Satyr before," he introduced himself with a polite bow. "You must be-" before he could finish, a loud, deep chime echoed through Rootcore that sounded almost like a bell. All of them turned to the crystal ball in the centre of the table.
"Something's wrong," the smile vanished from Udonna's face as she hurried over to see. "The others are in trouble," as she approached, the crystal ball reacted to her presence and showed her the large monster Mucor laughing. "You must stop it," she told Vida, Chip and Carvallain.
"At once," Carvallain nodded, but stopped as he saw the expressions on the faces of his teammates.
"Us?! Look at that thing, it's massive!" Vida exclaimed. She was unable to keep the fear from her voice. "We'll get pummelled!" she said. She couldn't see a way where they challenge the monster and win.
"You might," Udonna agreed, which took her by surprise. "There are only three of you and you've hardly mastered your Ranger powers," she considered, looking the three over. "Are you afraid?" she asked when neither Chip nor Vida replied.
"No, I'm not afraid, I-" as Vida started to stammer a denial, Chip cut her off.
"I'm totally scared," he admitted, unashamed to say so.
"I am too," Vida turned to Carvallain as he spoke honestly too, seeing no need to lie. "I've trained for this, yes, but fighting an enemy this large? It's daunting," he confessed, watching Vida.
"Okay…I guess I'm a little freaked," she finally admitted.
"You should be," Udonna told her, sounding oddly pleased that she'd admitted how she really felt. "That creature's size and strength are unlike anything you've encountered," she stated as she kept her gaze on the crystal ball.
"Recall what I asked? If those so-called heroic deeds you did earlier were done for spell codes, or to simply aid those who needed it?" Carvallain addressed the two, and they looked up at the Silver Ranger. "If a deed is done because you want something from it, it is hardly heroic, is it?" he asked, and Vida let out a deep breath.
"He's right," Chip agreed with a nod. "We did those things for selfish reasons. But this…we need to save our friends," he said, turning to Vida. Determination shone in her eyes.
"Maddie needs us. And Nick," she said, unwilling to leave her sister to a horrific fate.
"Titania too, even Xander," Chip laughed a little. "They need us," he said. Vida nodded, fighting her fear as she stood taller.
"We've got to try and help them," she agreed. "Come on," with that, she walked over to where their brooms were stored.
"Not too bad," Taliesin told Carvallain, and saw the blush on his face as the Silver Ranger followed Chip and Vida.
"Real heroes are born in the face of real danger," Udonna said as she watched the three stand together.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!" the three Morphed and turned to their broomsticks. They grabbed them, and ran to the section to the side that had moved, which transported them to the top of the tree.
"Galwit Mysto Aerotan!" they shouted together, transforming their broomsticks into their Mystic Racers. Landing on them, the three took off out of Rootcore and shot over the forest.
"You know, I kinda thought you didn't know how to ride a broomstick - er, Racer," Chip admitted as Carvallain flew with them. The Silver Ranger's eyebrows furrowed under his helmet.
"I told you already. I don't partake in your practice because I've long since grown used to flying on one," he replied.
"Yeah, but we figured that was just to make yourself sound better," Vida shrugged, and earned his glare next.
"I don't need words for that," Carvallain said, and leaned forwards as he sped up. Vida scoffed, and Chip laughed as they watched him shoot ahead.
"You know, he's kinda cool," Chip said. Vida rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, for an arrogant jerk," she muttered.
With the speed of the Mystic Racers at their disposal, it didn't take too long for the three Rangers to reach Mucor. Despite his massive size, he hadn't moved much, seeming to have expected them to come to him.
"Rangers!" he laughed as he spotted the three Racers coming straight towards him. "Good!" Mucor roared, and they slowed to a stop. Grabbing his Mystic Morpher, Chip opened a link to contact their friends.
"Guys, it's Chip! Where are you?" he asked when the link opened.
"Inside the belly of the beast!" Nick shouted back. His voice was muffled as he spoke, and when Mucor roared, they could see inside to where the four Rangers were trapped in a pool of slime. "Stay back, Chip! I think he's got room for seconds," Nick warned.
"I don't care! I'm going in!" Vida shouted, impatient and wanting to save her sister. She flew in at such speeds that Mucor couldn't keep up. He swatted at her, but she flew rings around him before leaping from her Racer.
"Mystic Wings!" Vida launched into the air and used her Magi Staff. A massive pair of bright pink butterfly wings materialised behind her, keeping her aloft. "Fairy dust!" with the wings behind her creating a gust of wind, Vida scattered dust down on Mucor. He inhaled it, and gave a loud sneeze that sent the four trapped Rangers flying out.
"It worked!" Vida cheered as she landed with them.
"Ew…" Maddie moaned as she got to her feet, covered from head to toe in slime.
"I'm covered in monster-muck," Nick complained.
"Hold on," Titania giggled, holding out her hands. In a flash, the slime vanished, leaving them clean.
"So much better. Thanks," Xander said, relieved to not had the slime clinging to him anymore. Even in his Ranger suit, the feeling was disgusting.
"I thought you don't do favours without something in exchange," Nick narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. Titania shrugged.
"You bought me lunch. I owed you," she reminded him. Nick groaned at the reminder. He'd bought her food, telling her that she didn't have to worry about repaying him. He hadn't considered that Fae deals worked both ways.
"I'll make that deal any time," Maddie said fervently, and Titania giggled. They looked up as an explosion rocked the ground, and saw Mucor spitting explosive balls of slime at Chip and Carvallain. They dodged each one with ease, as even Chip reacted fast enough to avoid them.
"Somebody's got to take this freak down, and we're just the Rangers for the job," Chip called to Carvallain. Before the Silver Ranger could question it, Chip jumped up to balance on the front of his Racer, which kept flying straight.
"Reckless," Carvallain rolled his eyes, but took his Magi Staff from his side as Chip did the same.
"Magi Staff, Crossbow Mode!" Chip took aim at Mucor. "Sneeze on this," he fired powerful bolts of lightning at Mucor, knocking the monster backwards.
"Magi Staff, Spear Mode!" Carvallain raised his Staff, allowing it to grow longer and more pointed. It began to glow silver, and he launched it at Mucor as he passed. It ripped through the monster's tough skin and came out the far side, and Carvallain caught it before he and Chip jumped from their Racers and landed by the rest of their team.
"Great job!"
"Nice work!"
"That was incredible!" the others cheered as they ran to meet the pair.
"Just doing our job. Right guys?" Chip glanced at Carvallain, who shrugged, and then at Vida. He patted her shoulder, and she grinned widely.
"All in a day's work," she laughed.
Their victory was short-lived, as the ground rumbled once more and they looked up to see Mucor getting back to his feet. Injured and in pain, the monster roared angrily, and the deep roar vibrated through their chests.
"Ready, Rangers?" Nick grinned as they looked up.
"Strong as a tree! Green Mystic Ranger!"
"Ever-changing as the wind! Pink Mystic Ranger!"
"Fluid as the sea! Blue Mystic Ranger!"
"Fast as lightning! Yellow Mystic Ranger!"
"Fleeting as time! Black Mystic Ranger!"
"Ethereal as the moon! Silver Mystic Ranger!"
"Forceful as fire! Red Mystic Ranger!"
"We call forth the magic! Power Rangers Mystic Force!" the team yelled together, ready to fight even against a massive enemy. As they shouted, strange lights flew down from the sky and went to their Mystic Morphers.
"What's going on?" Maddie asked as they grabbed their Morphers and looked. As they glowed, certain keys began to glow in sequence.
"It's a new Spell Code!" Vida realised, her eyes lighting up.
"I get it now. Udonna was right. Carvallain was right!" Chip looked at the Silver Ranger, who stayed silent as he looked at his own Morpher. "Amazing," Chip laughed quietly to himself.
"Alright Rangers, let's do it!" Nick shouted. They dialled the new code into their Morphers and cast the spell.
"It's Titan time!" they shouted together, raising their Morphers into the air.
"Mystic Minotaur!"
"Mystic Sprite!"
"Mystic Mermaid!"
"Mystic Garuda!"
"Mystic Kitsune!"
"Mystic Luna Lepus!"
"Mystic Phoenix!"
"Mystic Titans!" the team transformed, growing massive to stand over the trees. Xander towered over the rest, while Vida stood on his shoulder as her Titan form was barely taller than a tree.
Mucor initiated the fight by spitting more balls of slime at them, but it did no damage to the team. Instead, they fought back, and Titania's Kitsune rammed head first into his gut, leaving him open to attack from Nick and Chip.
With another quick spell, Vida's Titan form transformed into a ball, which Xander tossed into the air. Maddie leapt up, using her fin to slap the ball towards Carvallain. The rabbit-like Titan hopped up, and with a powerful kick, put power into it that was only increased as the others hit it, and Nick sent it straight at Mucor.
With a fearful roar, Mucor was unable to do anything but watch, and when the ball slammed into him, Vida let loose the magic that had been poured into it, causing the monster to explode. Thrown back by the shockwave, Vida returned to her normal Titan form and landed on Xander's shoulder once as they cheered loudly.
"I'm proud of you all," Udonna smiled at the six who stood with her in Rootcore. The thrill of battle was still racing through them, and they all smiled with delight at their victory against Mucor. "And you've only begun to tap into the potential of the Mystic Titans!" she pointed out, delighted that they had achieved such levels of power.
"Yeah but…now green-freak is gone, right? So it's all good in the woods?" Maddie asked hopefully. Despite their victory and Udonna's praise, she couldn't help but worry that they weren't quite done.
"Let's hope so," Xander said as his own excitement started to fade. "We don't know if that was the same creature that attacked Claire," he pointed out. They all sobered at that comment. There was still a potential threat in the woods, and they knew they had to be ready.
"Nick accompanied Taliesin to investigate that," Udonna told them, and Titania couldn't help but laugh.
"Nick working with Taliesin? That's bound to be interesting," she murmured. Carvallain had to agree, and Udonna hid her smile as the others wondered just why that was.
When Nick had volunteered to help find out just what was responsible for attacking Claire in the forest, he hadn't expected to be joined by a man who looked like he was half goat.
Taliesin was quiet, to his relief - Nick hadn't quite recovered from meeting Hermes, who was a bigger chatterbox than Chip. Instead of trying to make conversation with the Red Mystic, the Satyr was moving around with more grace than Nick would have expected from someone with hooves.
"You were one of the Mystics, right? Before us," Nick asked, breaking the silence himself when the question wouldn't leave him alone. His companion glanced over his shoulder, seeming surprised that Nick had asked him.
"That's right," he answered. He kept his gaze on Nick for a moment longer, somehow avoiding tripping anything. "You're wondering why you were chosen, if we're still around," Taliesin accused, and Nick felt himself going red at the astute observation.
"I guess. I mean, people seem a bit iffy with humans around here. Why would you trust us with such an important thing?" Nick asked, not fully understanding it.
"When the Gate to the Underworld was sealed, all the Mystics who remained at the time, including myself, were exhausted. So much battle, so much loss, and there was so much still to be done. We couldn't stay Mystics forever - we'd been at war for so long, and we had studied to be Mystics for years before that. We even lost members of our team," Taliesin turned away and continued walking. "We had hoped that the Gate would stay sealed forever, and for 18 years, it did. It's been almost two decades since we've been in battle - we're older now. We don't have the ability to charge into battle anymore," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry," Nick apologised, hearing the weariness in his voice.
"Nothing you need to apologise for. Quite the opposite," Taliesin chuckled. "You've taken on a role that you could have walked away from, yet you've embraced it and shown potential that far surpasses anything that we were capable of," he said, and Nick blushed again.
"Right," he said quietly. Taliesin slowed to walk beside him, and patted his shoulder.
"You'll do great. Udonna wouldn't have made her decision lightly, and Titania and Carvallain wouldn't accept just anyone to join them," he added. Nick instantly scoffed.
"Feels like Carvallain hasn't really accepted anything," he muttered, and the Satyr gave a bleating laugh that startled Nick.
"Yeah, that boy is rather high-strung. Just like his father," Taliesin chuckled. "In my time teaching him the ways of Moon magic, he never quite accepted the idea of relying on a team. Give him time, and you'll see the truth of him," he assured. Before Nick could say anything in response, Taliesin's eyes lit up. "Ah, I believe we've found where this creature came up for the attack," Taliesin broke the silence and moved quickly. Nick followed and his eyes grew wide as he saw the massive hole in the ground.
"What the…" he murmured, reaching out to touch the disturbed ground. It had burst outwards, as if something had exploded from under the ground. Taliesin hopped around, studying it as he muttered to himself.
Whatever he was saying was too quiet for Nick to hear, but before he could ask, he heard movement in the bushes behind them. Taliesin stopped as well, falling quiet as he turned and looked around. "Hello?" Nick called, slowly approaching the bushes. "Anybody there?" he asked as he reached out to part the leaves.
"Aha!" a short figure leapt up, arms up, and Nick screamed in alarm, both at the surprise, and the creature's appearance. He screamed too, and both stumbled several feet away from one another.
"Stand back!" Nick shouted, and the creature yelped but did so, his hands raised in defence.
"I should have known," Taliesin's tired sigh briefly earned Nick's gaze before he turned back to glare suspiciously at the creature.
"You're not from around here, are ya?" the creature started to move when Nick glanced away, and Nick kept his distance, circling him.
"No…not really," he admitted.
"Didn't think so. I've seen mump-toads with prettier faces!" the creature exclaimed, and Nick scowled at his mockery.
"Phineas," Taliesin called his name, earning the creature's attention.
"Oh, it's Taliesin! Didn't see you there," the creature smiled widely and revealed several rows of sharp teeth. Nick recoiled in horror.
"What are you doing here?" the Satyr asked sternly.
"You know this…guy?" Nick asked him, keeping his voice low as the creature started to mutter to himself.
"I've seen him around. Bit odd, but harmless," Taliesin answered in just as quiet a voice. "Phineas, stop talking to yourself and answer me-" he cut himself off abruptly as a low rumble vibrated along the dirt they stood on, and the ground under Phineas' feet vanished. He dropped into the darkness with a scream, and both Nick and Taliesin leapt back with gasps.
There was a moment were nothing happened, before Phineas was launched back out with another scream. He landed with a heavy thud in the dirt, covered in blue slime. Nick walked over and helped him to his feet, making him whimper in alarm before he realised that Nick was helping him.
"You okay?" he asked as Phineas stared at him.
"You saved me…" Phineas breathed, but as he outstretched his arms to hug the reluctant young man, the rumbling started up again.
"You can thank him later. For now, we need to move!" Taliesin warned, and they looked around to see the ground bursting up where the monster from before burrowed just underground and hurtled towards them.
"I'll take care of it!" Nick shouted, turning and starting to run. "You two get to safety!" he called over his shoulder as the monster started to follow.
"Be careful! Hydra Worms are particularly nasty creatures!" he heard Taliesin shout as he led the monster away and grabbed his Mystic Morpher.
"No kidding," he muttered, and opened a link with the rest of the Rangers. "Guys, I think I found what I was looking for!" Nick yelled as he kept running.
When Nick called them, sounding as if he was running as he spoke, Titania turned to the crystal ball and pointed her wand at it. Instantly it lit up, showing the ground breaking in a line chasing Nick.
"What is he running from?" Xander stared, eyes wide.
"Taliesin called it a Hydra Worm!" Nick shouted.
"That's problematic," Titania breathed as she recognised the name. "The Hydra Worm is a massive monster, legends say it's so huge and so ancient that it was the one who carved out the pit of the Underworld itself," she warned them.
"Nick needs our help," Vida said despite the weight of Titania's explanation.
"Then let's get out there," Carvallain said.
When Nick was sure that he was a safe distance away from Taliesin and the strange creature they'd found in the forest, he finally allowed himself to stop running. His lungs were burning, but he didn't stop as he Morphed and tried to fight the massive creature.
The Hydra Worm was powerful, and Nick's Magi Sword did nothing to cut through its thick body. As he was knocked to the ground, his Staff thrown aside, Nick stared up at the Worm as it screeched and lunged for him again.
"No!" he yelled, raising his hands, only for Xander to leap in the way. With a powerful swing of his Magi Axe, he managed to damage the Hydra Worm enough to make it rear back and burrow back underground. Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks man, I owe you one," he said, taking Xander's hand to get back to his feet.
"That was awesome!" Titania cheered as the others caught up to them. The ground shuddered again, reminding them that the Hydra Worm was still there, before it burst up again. They cried out as eight heads emerged, and it loomed over them.
"He looks mad," Nick gulped.
"How can you tell?" Chip wondered, glancing at him. Xander, meanwhile, had lifted his Mystic Morpher as he felt it grow warm by his side.
"I got a new Spell Code!" he realised as they peered curiously. The keys sparkled, showing him how to use it.
"Nice one!" the others cheered, taking out their own Morphers.
"Udonna said the Titans have more power," Vida grinned.
"Let's just see what they can do!" Nick called. Casting their spell, they called on their Titan forms to grow much taller to face the Hydra Worm.
"Mystic Titans, Dragon formation!" Nick turned as the rest began to glow, and their Titan forms combined to form a massive dragon.
"How cool is that?!" Nick laughed as he stared up at them. "Hang on everybody, I'm ready to ride!" he yelled as he leapt up to land on their back. They took to the skies, and Nick held on tight as they dodged the Hydra's multiple heads.
With the agility of the dragon, it didn't take long for them to gain the upper hand, destroying it with a burst of fire. "Alright! That was a snap!" Nick yelled.
"Oh, so these are stickleberries," Nick mused as he dug out the berries from under the jagged leaves of a bush and compared them to the sketches in the book he'd been given. They were a rich blue in colour, almost looking like blueberries, and he couldn't resist sticking on in his mouth.
The taste couldn't have been any different to blueberries. A sour, sickly feeling filled his mouth, and instantly he gagged and spat it out, coughing as his stomach churned. A laugh caught his attention, and he turned to see Taliesin walking towards him. It was still a strange sight to see the Satyr, but Nick's mind was more preoccupied with the disgusting taste in his mouth.
"You make it rather easy to tell that you're not from this world," Taliesin teased, and went to the pouch by his hip. "Children tend to learn early that the only time Stickleberries are used, are in potions," he fished out something wrapped in a leaf, and handed it to Nick. Curious, he opened it to find smaller berries that were a vibrant purple in colour. "They're not poisonous, trust me. They'll help with the taste," he said. Trusting him, Nick instantly shoved all of them into his mouth and bit down.
Taliesin hadn't been lying. These berries were far sweeter - almost on the verge of being too sweet - and instantly rid him of the taste of the stickleberries. Nick sighed in relief.
"Thanks," he said, and the Satyr nodded.
"What brings you back out here? Looking for more Worms?" Taliesin asked him.
"Not this time," Nick couldn't help but laugh. "Just collecting some supplies for Udonna since Claire was interrupted this morning. She's still a bit freaked out, so I said I'd handle it," he said.
"Very good of you," Taliesin said, watching as Nick walked back over to the stickleberry bush to pick more. "I had hoped to run into you, I have someone here who-" as Nick parted the bushes to collect more berries, the same creature from before burst out. Nick gave a shout of alarm, but to his credit he didn't launch himself backwards this time. Taliesin sighed as Phineas stood up and waved.
"You gotta stop doing that," Nick pleaded with him.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," he didn't respond to Nick's complaint, but emerged from the bushes. "I wanted to thank you, for saving me," he held out his arms to hug Nick, but Nick raised a hand to keep him back.
"To tell you the truth, I don't think I saved you, so much as that monster spit you out," Nick admitted, and saw his face fall.
"Rat feathers…even that hideous beast rejected me…" he sighed. "I don't belong anywhere…not even in a worm's stomach!" he sniffed as he started to get emotional.
"In this case, I would consider rejection a good thing," Taliesin told him as Nick pulled some stickleberries off the bush and dropped them into the basket.
"I guess…" he sniffed, and held out his hand to Nick. "I'm Phineas," he introduced himself, and Nick took his hand. Phineas clasped it in both of his as he sniffed again.
"Phineas is a Troblin," Taliesin said, and Nick's eyebrows furrowed.
"A what?" he asked. Again, he knew bits and pieces thanks to TV and movies, but he'd never heard of a Troblin before.
"It's the unfortunate result of the union between a Troll and a Goblin," Phineas explained brightly, but his grin then fell again. "Both sides hate me," he muttered. Nick frowned at his words.
"Unfortunately there is a lot of discrimination around these woods, and a lot of it is aimed at hybrids," Taliesin said, and his expression made it clear that he hated it. Nick's frown grew, suddenly feeling the same. He didn't know much about Phineas, but he could tell that, like he'd been told, Phineas was harmless. He didn't deserve to be shunned.
"So I wander the forest on my own," Phineas continued, not seeming to hear them.
"Well, part of the reason I'm out here is because you helped a friend of mine, and I wanted to thank you," Nick said. Phineas gave a bashful smile, not having expected gratitude. He'd never experienced it before.
"I must warn you, young warrior. This forest is full of danger," Phineas warned, suddenly ominous. Nick gave a laugh.
"Tell me something I don't know," he chuckled. "My friends are up against Necrolai and Koragg. It can't get worse than that," he said, but frowned when he saw Taliesin's expression.
"Yes…yes it can," Phineas spoke with a tremor in his voice. "You still haven't faced…him," he warned.
"Him? Who's 'him'?" he asked.
"Phineas," Taliesin's voice was warning, his arms folded. Phineas hesitated for a moment, before he answered.
"The supreme Master of the Underworld," Phineas answered. Nick frowned, and saw the dark expression on Taliesin's face as he looked away. In that moment, he understood that whoever this Master was, he was the one to really fear.
Taliesin is one of my favourites of the former Mystics, probably because he's a little...eccentric.
I've posted pictures of my face-claims for Titania and Carvallain on my Instagram account (the username is on my Profile), and I'll be sharing pictures of face-claims for the former Mystics (and other characters) once I've introduced them all!
Hope you liked it!