Back in her office, Amy sat at her desk in her leather chair.
Her desk was round and smooth to the touch, having a computer with physical and holographic modes on it, as well as drawers, along with framed pictures, like the ones on her walls.
Her blue and red carpet covered walls were elegant, yet more…simple. It had similar techno/circuitry patterns as the halls of the base, but more based on several Henshin Heroes, with silhouettes of various kinds over the years adorning the red of the room. There was, however, a space on a wall big enough for a framed picture…
Of her and the founders of HENSHIN.
There was her and Ziga of course, along with Radar and Tengu, among others, and practically wrapping everyone in a hug was a cloaked figure in purple. Holding his hand but still somewhat distant from the rest was a Chinese woman in a resplendent red Qipao with a gold dragon coiling around it.
Along the walls were also dressers and shelves, holding photos, displays, and many, many secret functions and buttons for emergencies.
The most prominent photos on her desk were, respectively, one with herself with a pregnant belly along with a man with dragonic features, and another with herself, Ziga, and a young girl looking like a younger version of Amy herself but with some features of the man from the other photo. On the right corner of the desk, nearest to the door, there were two wire baskets with paperwork, one marked "Fine, leave it", the other marked "Get this away from me."
There was a knock on her door. Amy pressed a button, and after seeing who it was, opened the door.
Shizuka came in her usual grey suit coat, skirt, white undershirt, heels, and black glasses, two engagement rings on her left ring finger.
"Well, to what do I owe this visit?" Amy asked, leaning forward.
"Well we have a few items on the list today, let's start with the simplest, I need you to approve my time off for the wedding and honeymoon."
"Oh, you figured out a date for both?" Amy grinned ecstatically. "Sweet, just lemme know when those'll happen and it's done." She told her friend excitedly. "Also so I can know how much time I have left to prepare a wedding present."
"We're shooting for July, so you have a few months. Next order of business, I'm happy to report the… Mechanical side of things is ready for our most recent project."
"Everything fine-tuned?" Amy asked, relieved as she secretly typed a date in a file named "Shizuka, BeQueya, and Misthia's wedding present plans."
"Only thing we can't do is stress test it till someone actually connects to the Hornet."
"Let's hope that's not during some big battle so we can actually make sure it's safe first."
"You think that'll happen?"
…
Both stared at each other, then burst out laughing.
"Fat chance." Amy laughed. "It's totally gonna happen during a big battle."
"Gahhhh just once I'd like to have a major power-up not occur mid battle. I swear they give me a heart attack every time." Shizuka groaned.
"Oh yeah. Like 'oh don't you worry, it's not like it'd be WAY MORE CONVENIENT to learn of and iron out any issues BEFORE a big battle!'" Amy complained.
"Well, nothing we can do about it now." Shizuka sighed.
"Yeah…so, uh…you and the fiances doing well?"
"Yea! We're all three very excited to have an actual vacation… Speaking of girlfriendsssss~"
"...y'know I should've expected this to come up. That's my bad…" Amy groaned, face in hands.
"C'mon, Amy, you been friends for how long? When are you gonna tell her?"
"When we're both ready-" Shizuka placed a finger to Amy's lip to stop her.
"Amy, look at me, you've been saying that for years, when are you gonna tell her?"
"You try figuring out a time when your friend's feelings for you get accidentally revealed cause they forgot to turn comms off!" Amy argued, puffing her cheeks.
"How about, y'know, then. You gotta say something, Ames." Shizuka pointed out, deadpanning.
"..." Amy sighed. "I…I just don't know WHAT to say…"
"I mean the truth is always a good start, right?"
"Doesn't she already know it?"
…
Shizuka stared blankly at Amy.
Amy stared back, an uncertain look on her face. "...she…uh…does know it already, right?"
"..." Shizuka facepalmed before giving a deadpan look. "If she knew, we wouldn't be having this convo."
"...Touche." Amy blushed.
"Like even if you just give her a hint, do something." Shizuka groaned, exasperated.
"When…?"
"If you're that unsure, bite the bullet and do it the next time you see her."
"..." Amy rubbed her face. "Alright. Next time I see her, I'll talk."
"Great! Well I gotta tell the ladies I dropped off the time off forms."
"Alright. Any luck on the plug-ins for the morphers since last time?"
"I… We've made progress but it's nowhere near as fast as we hoped."
"How long until we can have em ready?"
"I'd say our preliminary results will be on your desk in… A month, maybe."
Amy sighed. "Well if that's as good as we can get it right now…"
"I'll get something to you as soon as we have something."
"Alright. Congrats again on the wedding!" Amy said with a smile.
"Thankyouuu!~" Shizuka sing-songed, walking away cheerfully.
Amy sighed, then looked towards the picture of her, Ziga, and Atlia.
Nazu and Slavi
As the two made their way through the snowy areas of Nepal, the rangers saw silhouettes nearby.
Walking forward and narrowing eyes, they recognized the silhouettes as their own teammates.
"Hello?" Nazu called out. The silhouettes got closer, confirming who they were as they waved at Nazu and Slavi.
"Hey guys! Your leads brought you to Nepal too?" Azu asked as the group rejoined each other.
Andah took notice of Azu and Slavi's…proximity, then got a shit eating grin.
Azu glared at her, Andah raising her hands up defensively, the red ranger rolling her eyes.
"So according to our source, the anomaly's nearby. You?" Azu asked.
"Same here. Not entirely sure I trust it, might be a trap." Nazu explained, hand on his morpher.
"Well, it's our best lead." Azu sighed. "Everyone, careful."
Slavi giggled into her hand "I'll watch your back captain~" She winked at Azu with a smile.
Azu blushed profusely. "A-anyways let's go!" She said hurriedly, grabbing Slavi's hand and walking forward in a rush. Nazu and Andah share a look before chuckling and following behind the two of them.
The rangers saw the temple where the energy was detected, heading inside the worn out gates that looked like it might've been magnificent at some point, but was abandoned.
"Alright, scanning for any potential booby traps." Azu noted.
"Scanning!" Andah cheerfully grinned, her and Azu doing so as their eyes flashed.
"Hmmmm… Nothing? That's… bizarre…" Azu notes, confused.
Nazu "hmphed" and was about to take a step forward, only for Azu and Andah to hold their arms out.
Azu picked up a rock, then threw it onto a floor tile. With a "Shing" and a "Snap", swords made of ice burst out of the floor, dicing the stone apart.
"Jeez, those are sharp." Andah winced.
"Bound to be more." Nazu commented.
"Keep your guard up." Azu told everyone, morphing and sending fire at the ice swords, melting them. The others gathered stones to set off traps further in.
…
In one particular room, a riddle appeared in flame letters. "What's inside me is incomplete, What comes out is not what went in, what am I?"
The tiles on the floor also had letters, symbols, etc.
"Deja vu…" Azu deadpanned, memories of the riddle maze from a few weeks ago in her mind. "Well this is certainly not a love riddle this time…"
"Disappointingly, yeah." Slavi smiled teasingly.
Azu blushed. "A-anyways, anyone have an idea?"
"..." Andah thought for a moment. "What's inside is incomplete…what comes out is not what went in…" She grinned. "Got it!"
"... Gonna share with the class?" Slavi asked.
Andah grinned. "Leave it to the hopper!" She backflipped onto a "C," then hand hopped over to an "H," and so on and so forth, almost like a dance. Finally she made it to the door at the end, the word "Chrysalis" lit up behind her as she turned and bowed.
"..." Slavi wolf whistled.
Azu rolled her eyes. "Show off."
Nazu laughs "Alright, step where she stepped, there's bound to be more."
…
Azu flipped over a blast from a golem. "Oh great, PEACHY, JUST PEACHY!"
"I said I was sorry!" Slavi calls curling around the golem and taking its head off with her claws.
"You're the genre savvy type when it comes to Sentai! HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW THIS TROPE!?"
"In fairness, I don't think people normally expect that tempting the universe would do anything." Nazu pointed out.
"NOT TALKING TO YOU!" Azu called out, sending a fire slash at the golem, Andah hitting it from behind with her yoyo.
The golem staggered forward, turning to Andah with glowing eyes.
"...I'm sorry." She meekly said before being punted into the wall. "Owwwwwww."
"GREEN!" Azu jumped forward, hitting the finisher button on her morpher. "BUTTERFLY BIG BANG!" Her foot ignited with blazing fire, her wings spreading before she sent a kick at the golem, smashing through its chest hard.
The golem fritzed, going into multiple poses before saluting, then falling over and exploding.
"S-see? It we-" Slavi started before Azu put her hand over her mouth.
"DO NOT FINISH THAT."
Slavi smirked, kissing Azu's palm teasingly, Azu blushing and falling over.
Nazu sighed. "C'mon you two we gotta keep moving."
…
"Fuck's…saaaaake…" Azu groaned as the four riders climbed up on some rocks through a waterfall that seemed to encompass the entire room. Their ranger forms helped, but still.
"Gah this is so slowwww!" Andah whined as well as she reached for the next hand hold, fighting the rushing water.
"Well if nothing else-" Slavi began.
"IF YOU SAY A PUN ABOUT GETTING WET I WILL DROP YOU TO THE BOTTOM!" Azu yelled at her.
"I was gonna say it's good they have creative tasks for keeping people out of this place."
"Oh."
"...Was that actually what you were gonna say?" Nazu asked, having climbed silently most of the way up.
"Y'know I forget you're here a lot of the time." Andah pointed out.
"Gee, thanks."
"Relax, tough guy." Andah joked, playfully bumping him. "Just teasing."
Nazu chuckled, the two climbing ahead.
"..." Azu looked to Slavi. "So WAS that actually what you were gonna say or…"
"Not telling~" Slavi sing-songed, leaping up. Azu sighed.
"How much longerrrr!" Andah groaned.
"We're actually near the top." Nazu told her, hanging on the ledge casually.
"Oh. Thank fudge." Andah sighed, reaching for the ledge.
Azu sighed, reaching for the next hand hold, slipping and yelping as she fell, before getting caught by Slavi. "Told you I had your back!~"
Azu blushed, Slavi rubbing their cheeks together through the helmets.
"L-let's keep going…"
Andah and Nazu "d'awww"ed at this.
…
"Because of course there's a laser grid." Azu groaned, the four standing in front of said room. "I would question why an ancient civilization would even have KNOWLEDGE or the tech for a laser grid…but humans have existed for thousands of more years than scientists once thought they did so who the fuck knows…"
"Now you're learning." Slavi patted her on the back cheerfully.
"I mean there's no guarantee this is human made. Slavi's proof aliens have piggybacked on Earth for centuries." Nazu commented, studying the grid pattern.
"Touche." Azu nodded. "So, who do we wanna send in first…"
"OOH! OOH! ME! MEMEMEMEME!" Andah jumped up and down excitedly.
"Alright alright, go ahead, just be careful."
Andah squeed, winking at Azu, flipping into the room as the gynoid blushed, blushing harder as the ginger flipped and danced elegantly around the lasers, mesmerizing the others.
"Tadahhhhh~" She cheered, landing gracefully on the other side.
Azu blinked with the other two. "...so when did you learn to dance?"
"Spoilers~" Andah winked with a smile.
"So, uh, didn't get much from my location," Ziga sat in a seat in front of Amy's desk in the latter's office.
"Oh really? That's disappointing but atleast the others seemed to have a lead" Amy sighed.
"Yeah. Tessa's doing alright, by the way." Ziga said, trying to cheer her up. "Things seem good…"
"I'm glad to hear there's some good news at least." Amy smiled.
"Yeah…so uh…" Ziga fidgeted. "Is there uh…any reason you asked me here?" Amy immediately notices the hint of yellow to the mantis-woman's face.
"Oh-! R-right I… I ummm…I…" Amy immediately felt a sense of heat rushing to her own face and desperately hoped Ziga didn't notice.
"Y-you uh…" Ziga gripped her arms. The situation was…awkward, to say the least. She got the sense Amy wanted to tell her something but for the life of her she couldn't figure it out. "You uh…got something to say?"
"I…I…like you…I LIKE YOU!" Amy finally blurted out, feeling like she was as red as a tomato.
Ziga blinked. "...like…as a friend or…?"
"OR. Very much or."
"..." Ziga blinked. "...th-this isn't just lying to spare my feelings is it-"
"Ziga." Amy said sternly. "I have NEVER done that. Please don't even try to insinuate that."
"Of course, I'm sorry, I…" Ziga blushed. "...you…mean it…?"
Amy nodded to her.
"...wow…" Ziga said after a moment.
…
Ziga blinked, smacking her head to make sure it was real. "I-i'm not dreaming, right?"
"...boop." Amy booped her nose. "I don't think so."
"Okay I… I… T-thankyou for telling me." Ziga said, blushing.
"It's uh…come to my attention you may not have known how I felt about you, hence part of the reason for the awkwardness." Amy told her. "That may have caused you to…not feel ready. If you're still not ready, I apologize, I just…thought you should know."
"I appreciate it, I'm just… Processing not being unrequited…"
"Understandable. I'm uh…sorry for not making it clear sooner." Amy said sheepishly.
"You ready to talk about things now?"
"As long as you are."
"Yea, I-I think so." Ziga gulped but smiled.
"...so, who talk first, you talk first, I talk first?" Amy quipped.
"A Star Wars reference? Really?" Ziga snickered.
"I like those movies!" Amy puffed her cheeks, making Ziga snicker even more.
"I know you do."
"So uh…you wanna start or should I?"
"You can go ahead… please…" Ziga blushed again.
"Ok…" Amy took a deep breath. "...I like you. Actually, scratch that, I think we both know it's more than like for both of us." Amy started. "Felt this way…since sometime when me and Atlia took you in."
"I… Wow… That's… I started having a crush on you around then too…"
"Oh? What uh…what did you like about me?"
"You were commanding, cool under pressure, y-you had a nice smile…"
Amy blushed. "Thanks. You too. You're…fearless on the battlefield. Even when you had lost your eye, when you weren't as capable as before, you still stood up and protected people. Seeing your smile…just you in general…filled a hole in me I didn't know I had…"
"And you're better at words than I am." Ziga giggled. "No wonder you're commander."
"I didn't become that just by being a valedictorian, y'know." Amy chuckled.
"I know, you kick ass, I think the others should see it~"
Amy laughed. "Heh, you sure you're not talking about yourself?"
"I'm on the team, missy, they've seen me kick ass."
Amy giggled. "So have I~"
"I'm talking about the rest of the team seeing you fight." Ziga laughed.
Amy laughed with her. "Maybe one day, if I ever get ranger powers…"
"I mean why didn't you? I know you need to run things but…"
"Mass produced Henshin Heroes haven't really worked out most of the time." Amy explained, sighing. "Riotroopers, Ranger Sentries…It's quite dangerous to do and it doesn't always pay off well. Even then, the ones we have are reserved for Toku Academy students until they get their own unique powers."
"I more meant, why didn't you take one when we hadn't given these powers yet? I like this team but you could've made yourself part of it."
"It's up to the Draginsects to choose their own champions." Amy told her. "We can only help in selecting and suggesting choices. You…you're a fighter, Ziga, one of the best people I know, so I knew you were perfect for the position of yellow ranger, so suggested you to Chrysogladia. Same thing with the others. I simply wasn't chosen." Amy chuckled. "Even if I were worthy to be a Ryumushinger, I guess I just haven't found my Draginsect yet…"
"... I know you're worthy. We'll find you one."
"..." Amy smiled. "Thank you. That…means a lot."
"You're welcome, now then I should-" Ziga's comm starts ringing.
"Go on, take it." Amy told an annoyed yet concerned Ziga.
Ziga quickly turned the comm on. "Go for Ziga."
"We could use a little help here, ya good?" Azu's voice came through the comms.
"Uhhh…yeah, I can head over."
"What, we interrupting something?"
"No! No, I'm coming."
Amy smiled. "Continue this later?"
"Yes, definitely." Ziga rushed out. Amy smiled, sighing in relief.
"Was that so hard?" Shizuka spoke, startling Amy.
"When did you get here!?"
"Oh come now did you think I'd miss this?~"
Amy rolled her eyes. "You gonna tell me you and your fiances placed bets on this too?"
"Mmmm mayyybbbeeee~"
Amy sighed. "So…what'd you bet?"
"Ohhh Honey moon related things…"
Amy blushed, covering her face.
"Anyways, I didn't hear the whole thing, how'd it go?"
"...good. So far." Amy answered. "We let our feelings out a bit."
"That's great!"
"Yeah…she had to leave but…I think we're finally moving past this awkwardness."
"I'm very proud of you both."
"Thanks." Amy smiled.
Ziga, arriving at the temple, had tried looking for her teammates, only to find a path of destruction. Debris, cracks in the ground and walls, and evidence of her friends' involvement, from scorch marks, to soaked areas, plants…
"Jeez, did they get attacked?" She wondered aloud as she trekked deeper. As she moved further in, she saw more signs of a fight, now there were teeth and claw marks alongside the other signs. "... Crap." Ziga picked up her pace even more.
She walked further and further into the temple, getting more and more worried as she saw more signs…
Until she heard fighting noises. She rushed to the source of them and saw the team fighting a new monster, a…
A feminine monster that seemed to be based off of sea creatures?
Ziga shrugged inwardly, wouldn't be that weirdest monster they've fought, just…weird it took them this long to encounter that trope.
Shaking her head, she rushed in. "RYUMU CHANGE!"
With a yellow flash, she morphed, using her sidearm in blade mode to slash at the monster, who dodged with grace and sent a water blade at her, Ziga charging her lightning, spinning around it, and shooting a bolt of at the team's foe. The Mermaid/Siren-like monster turns enough to take it in the shoulder, still getting hurt but less than if she had taken it to the face.
Ziga jumped and attempted a kick to the face, the monster catching it and flipping her over, Ziga bouncing back with a flurry of lightning fast punches, Sealifea barely managing to dodge it before kneeing her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her before kicking her away.
"Gnh…tough, I see." Ziga muttered. "So what's her deal?" She asked Azu.
"Apparently we got a bodyguard here," Azu said, shooting fire blasts at the monster, who blocked with a shield of water. "Which means we must be close!"
"Well that's good at least. Maybe today'll be faster than I thought."
"I got a plan." Azu said, switching to a private channel for the group, whispering and taking command. "I'll launch a finisher of fire at her shield to create a smokescreen. We use the element of surprise here. If we launch an attack from everywhere all at once, she might do a water shield all around herself. Then Ziga, you attack with lightning."
"Got it!" Everyone said.
Azu pressed a button representing energy on her sidearm, spreading her arms, arcing them in a circle as she took aim at Sealifea, fire building up.
[ROARYAL BLAST!]
With a pull of the trigger, she shot a fireball that ZOOMED at Sealifea, the monster woman barely having enough time to pull up a water shield, which, as Azu predicted, threw up a large smokescreen.
As Sealifea coughed, looking around and seeing the smokescreen, she felt everything get…quieter…
Then she felt a kick in the back. She whirled around, then got a shot in the back, followed up by a punch with a knuckle grip covered fist that spun her around. She once again sent out a wall of mist and fog, this time not pausing before she ran like hell.
As Andah blew away the mist with her aerokinesis, they found their opponent was no longer there.
"Clever bitch…" Azu groaned. "Let's see if she went this way!" The red ranger ordered, the five running down the path behind where Sealifea was.
At the end of the path all they found was a mural, depicting a god-like figure holding up five more, smaller but still divine, people.
"...dead end…" Azu grunted. "Still…"
"That's…Lunatsuki…" Ziga noted, walking up to the mural, recognizing the god-like figure.
"Who is Lunatsuki, Ziga?" Andah asked scanning the Mural. "You said she was your predecessor."
"She was…special." Ziga answered. "While due to being champions of the Draginsects, all Ryumushingers are divine in some way, Lunatsuki's one of the few to achieve legitimate divinity, to become an actual goddess. Her feats of heroism and kindness earned her the love, devotion, and ultimately worship of countless people…especially my own. She was considered for official membership of the Draginsects' pantheon…then something happened…her loved ones began disappearing. She blamed the empire, and wanted to go in and deal with them herself, but Chrysogladia told her not to rush in. Some say that led to an argument between the two, leading to her going off by herself…but apparently, something happened and …she died. I…heard her tomb has been protected by some worshipers back in Dragrealma, as well as some members of her family that were left, but…there was information even I didn't have access to as lieutenant of the Hoshuke army." She explained. "I…tried getting in touch with some old colleagues of mine and HENSHIN's, people who went to Earth with us…the Order of Lunatsuki, led by my old friend Tessa."
"Did they have any insight?" Azu asked.
"Not that she said…" Ziga told her. "I mean, we could try and see, she did mention her group was deciphering texts…we could see if it has any relevance to anything we've found so far."
"I mean it's better than the nothing we got now. I can't detect any mechanism on this mural, so I think she might've teleported out." Andah said.
"Yeah. I can have us teleported to Tessa's-"
Everyone heard a beep on their communicators.
"We've got another founder under attack!" Shizuka let them know.
"Shit…" Azu cursed. "Alright, Ziga, you think Tessa'll be good with us?"
"She should be." Ziga answered.
"Alright, you, me, and Nazu will get over to the other founder. Slavi and Andah, you go talk to this Tessa. It'll be good to have more hands searching for answers, while we'll be a good match against Sealifea with Ziga's electrokinesis. Everyone good on that?"
"Got it boss!" Slavi salutes with a playful grin behind her helmet. Andah did the same, winking with the red eyes over her visor before the two teleporting in flashes of their colors.
Azu rolled her eyes at the two's antics. "C'mon, let's go!" She said to her fellow primary color rangers. The team split up and headed for their objectives once more.
The three arrived at a sight filled with destruction in a town. A lot of debris, smoke and damage that suggested explosions, shards of ice and piles of snow littering the area. A whole two story building had come down around the combatants, though luckily it was already scheduled for demolition.
Azu whistled as she observed the disastrous aftermath. "Damn…"
"This founder was the Yeti Fangire. Glacioaro. Our attacker's thing is ice, so it makes sense it'd be more about destructive power." Amy said over comms. "Still…"
"Radar, Tengu, Glacioaro…" Ziga put her face in her hands. "We keep turning up too late."
"All of the Founders seem to be… very powerful beings. Considering there's no evidence that they were murdered, maybe they were captured for that power?" Nazu suggested.
"If that's the case, then who…and…if it is Lunatsuki, then why, how would she even know about HENSHIN?" Ziga asked, rubbing her head. "It makes no sense…"
"Well… What if Lunatsuki is just… possessing someone with a vendetta? She's been dead for a long time." Azu suggested.
"Good point," Ziga noted. "But that still brings up the question, who is she possessing?"
"Do we have any, like, bitter drop-outs? I imagine HENSHIN can't take anyone and everyone that applies." Azu asked.
"..." Ziga put her hand to her chin. "Any that do come to mind, I don't see as possible."
"Well, Maybe Amy can search the records."
"You got that, Boss?" Ziga asked on comms.
"Already on it."
Azu had just finished scanning the area. "I think we've found all we can here."
"Looks like it…" Ziga sighed.
Azu put her hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure this out."
Scorpia tapped a hand against her chin as she walked with the others through a graveyard. "Which grave is it…"
Weava's lower left hand held open a book, top two hands clasped while her middle and lower right hands performed a few spells, marked by glowing red ethereal mystical runes and circles. "I'll try and see if I can detect traces of her soul. See if that leads us to her grave."
"Sounds like it'd be useful for searching for people." Spydey said teasingly.
Weava rolled her eyes. "For the record, I was gonna try it for Sealifea before this whole mess. But then we discovered some ancient powerful warrior might be involved, so excuse me if I consider a possible threat a more immediate priority, especially if they're more than likely the one who kidnapped her."
Spydey and Scorpia blinked in surprise.
Weava took a moment, a look of shock at herself before sighing, taking a breath. "Sorry. I just…I'm scared for her."
"We'll get her back, Weava. Let's keep going." Spydey smiled comfortingly.
Weava nodded, giving an appreciative smile before focusing again. "This also isn't that easy a spell to be pulled off casually. I'm gonna need a bit…"
"Oh, any way I can help?"
"Part of this is build up of magical energy." Weava told her. "You can put your hands on my shoulders to add your own."
"Alright then." Both women put their hands on the spider-woman.
"Just make sure your hands don't drift too much." Weava teased with a smirk. Both her friends blushed profusely.
"J-just do the spelllll!" Spydey whined.
"As you wish, my empress.~" Weava winked at her, Spydey almost swooning while Scorpia rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the blush on her own face as Weava worked her magic.
"Okay, I've got a lock-"
"Hey you guys looking for something?" A male voice asked. The three looked to a pair of brothers in guard uniforms. Though the uniforms were far too dirty, even for a graveyard.
One was a crimson humanoid kabuto man wearing black and red dirty clothes consisting of a shirt, coat, pants, boots, gloves, a scarf that split at the end like his horn, and a cap, holding a shovel.
The other was a navy humanoid stag beetle man about the same height wearing similar clothes in black and blue with a scarf that ended in two curves like his horns.
"Uh, yeah. We're uh…looking for a particular tomb." Spydey told them.
"Maybe we can help ya then, love." The kabuto man suggested, tipping his cap. "Name's Rhinocro."
"Stagg're." The stag man tipped his cap also.
"Nice to meet you!" Spydey beamed. "We're looking for Lunatsuki's?"
"Oh wey're just comin' from ther!" The stag man said.
"Great, so can you lead us there?" Weava asked.
"Sure thing luv! Follow me!" The stag waved for them to follow, turning back around.
…
"So you're quite familiar with this path, huh?" Weava asked.
"Yea we used to tackle this thing all the time with Suba!" Stagg're answered.
After some minutes of walking, the three came onto a grave.
It was a rectangular-cube stone, showing Lunatsuki's name as well as her birth and death years and "Goddess, sister, mother, daughter, grandmother, and most importantly, hero" in glowing letters. On top of the stone was a statue of Lunatsuki in full color. A humanoid mantis woman with a uniform in various shades of blue, mainly icey and dark, crossed with a kimono with snowflake patterns like stars with crackling lightning edging matching the trimming of her outfit, dark blue boots and elbow length gloves with icey blue piping and ice symbols with lightning edging, with an undermask of the same shade. Covering her face was a dark blue mask with icey blue blizzard-like patterns with lightning crackles along it, with multi-lensed eyes almost crystal-like, the mantis woman placing her upper right hand onto the handle of a katana sheathed at her left hip.
"Holy spider…" Spydey whispered, staring in awe.
"They really went all out with paying tribute…" Weava commented.
"Yeah…" Stagg're smiled. "That's our ancestor, y'know."
"Your what!?" Spydey exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah," Rhinocro smiled. "Us and Suba, our cousin…admired her a fair bit."
"Well… If they went this hard on the statue, this thing's gotta be trapped, right?" Scorpia asked apprehensively.
"Oh definitely!" Spydey grinned, looking at the small temple-like structure behind the statue in excitement.
"Yea there's a buncha those, but we won't spoil'em. Unsportsmanlike." The Stag grinned.
"Joy." Scorpia deadpanned, sweat dropping.
"Well it seems like you lot have this covered. If you get to the chamber tell the ol'girl hi for us." Rhinocro commented, grabbing his shovel to leave.
"Thanks again!" Spydey said genuinely, smiling, waving as the brothers left.
"Perhaps I can send a small creature in to spot the traps?" Weava suggested.
"Good idea. OH! Anyone got some fine powder?" Spydey joked.
Scorpia brought out some, causing both Weava and Spydey to stare at her. "W-what? I bring it for stuff like this."
"Right." Weava smirked.
"Total nerd." Spydey 'whispered.'
"Shuddup! … Wait, what did you call me?"
"Nerd." Spydey told her with a beam.
That adorable friggin smile Scorpia just loved-
"Hey, quit the flirting and use the powder." Weava giggled.
Scorpia blushed, walking up to the door, poking her head in and throwing the powder, revealing a laser maze inside that looked intimidatingly long.
"..." Spydey squeed in excitement.
"That's…A lot of lasers…" Scorpia noted.
"Leave this to me!" Spydey said excitedly, walking in, preparing to traverse her way through. Weava and Scorpia shared a concerned look but didn't say anything.
Spydey looked across the floor carefully, smirked, then jumped and spun between some lasers, landing on a tile before bouncing off of it, somersaulting and twirling in the air to the amazement of the other two.
"...woah…" Scorpia's jaw dropped slightly.
"Ya do tend to forget she used to go on explorations through temples with Owlio." Weava observed, eyes fixed on her friend and her graceful acrobatics.
"Oh shut up, how are we getting across?"
"Oh my drone's a bit ahead of her by now." Weava smiled.
"What!?" Scorpia looked and saw said drone way ahead of the object of both women's affections.
"Guess you were a bit…distracted~" Weava whispered teasingly in her ear.
"Sh-Shuddup!" Scorpia puffed her cheeks, blushing.
Weava giggled. "It's ok," She traced her hand across Scorpia's cheek and chin, tilting her head down to her. "We all get a bit distracted now and then~" She winked, just as Spydey got to the end of the room, the drone shutting the lasers off.
"You guys done or what?" Spydey called out excitedly. Scorpia's face flushed a deep red as she rushed over to join Spydey.
Weava giggled, following her arachnids. "Oh, by the way, I just got a ping from the drone. There's…a lot more traps up ahead."
"So…montage?" Spydey grinned.
"Montage." Weava confirmed.
"Montage?" Scorpia asked in confusion. "This isn't a TV show-"
…
The trio arrived in a tunnel, making their way through the icey crystalline structure, various spikes of ice glowing and sparkling with lightning, illuminating the whole place.
"Y'know if this weren't probably leading to a death trap, it'd be kinda cool…" Scorpia muttered.
"I mean it can be both." Weava smil ed.
Spydey was zooming all around the place, examining each and every crystal, whilst rambling about the materials or age of the ice or something, Scorpia didn't pick up on it.
She liked listening, though.
"She is very cute." Weava teased.
"Sh-shaddup…" Scorpia muttered.
"Oh guys! I think I found the next room!"
"You have?" Scorpia called out, the two walking over to her, careful not to trigger anything. Across the door they saw a long tunnel. It looked similar to the one they were in, but with different patterns along it, like…lightning with snow flake-like embers.
"This…. Looks like another trap." Scorpia said apprehensively.
"Alright…Weava, drones?" Spydey asked.
Weava nodded, sending out little butterflies of silk…only to immediately grab her head. "Something… caught them."
"What?" Spydey looked ahead, her eyes narrowing.
Subtly, almost imperceptibly they heard scuttling, bug-like feet moving, sending chills up their spines.
(Well, ok, the main population of these corners of Dragreala were bug people but y'all get what we mean.)
"Uh…" Spydey grew a nervous smile. "Weava, any chance these are just little critters crawling around a mostly abandoned sight…?"
"... Doubtful. I can't sense them, which implies they're not natural…"
Scorpia gripped her sword. "You two get behind me."
"Be careful." Spydey said as she moved behind Scorpia.
Scorpia nodded, walking forward, holding her sword up, the spiders staying behind her as they followed.
Their footsteps echoed slightly in the dark space, and they could've sworn they saw tiny footsteps that looked recent…
After getting about halfway they heard a loud screech.
Scorpia got into a stance, narrowing her eyes, Spydey forming energy balls in her hands, Weava conjuring some of her own in her lower hands.
"That's…not uh…normal, right?" Spydey asked. Scorpia shook her head no as the noises got closer.
Weava shot a light ball that went through the path, illuminating the creatures making the noises.
Dark blue crystalline mantis creatures, some like dog-sized versions, others more…centaur-like and around as tall or taller than Scorpia.
"...oh…fudge…" Spydey muttered.
"Welp. Time to fight…" Weava groaned.
"Wait," Spydey dissipated her balls of energy. "Lemme see if I can talk to them." She cleared her throat, standing in front of Scorpia. "Greetings, we come in peace! I am Empress Spydey of the Hoshukan Empire, and these are my friends Scorpia and Weava. We've come to do some investigating in Lunatsuki's tomb. What trial shall we be facing with you, to be clear?" Spydey asked.
The lead woman, the largest of the centaur mantises who had tribal-like clothes, made of what seemed to be hides of dead creatures, lined with crystalline rainbow material, her top showing the symbol for Lunatsuki, along with a mouth veil which emphasized her crystalline eyes, stepped forward.
"Your full name…?" She spoke, her voice giving off a calm, yet commanding aura that made it clear who was in charge of the situation.
"Queen Arania Spydestia the 24th." Spydey answered.
"I see…your mother was the last one to see us…" The lead woman responded.
"You…knew her?" Spydey blinked.
"She too had come looking to investigate Lunatsuki's death." The tribal leader responded. "That…was the last time I saw her, before sometime later her death was announced."
"...right before her…" Spydey muttered.
But why…why would…
But it had been millennia since Lunatsuki-
This whole situation was raising more questions with every answer.
"...if you let us pass, we can continue our investigation." Spydey continued after a bit. "One of our friends has been kidnapped, and we believe someone may have tampered with your goddess' tomb, possibly trying to frame her…or she might've come back from the dead and is planning who knows what. We just want to find out the truth and get our friend back. However, if you wish to still put us through these trials, we will accept. We don't want any trouble."
"... I am Crystalga, and… Our Empress and her entourage may pass this hall, but even for you we cannot disable the other traps."
"I understand." Spydey bowed to her, to her surprise. "Thank you very much, Crystalga. Is there anything we can do to pay you back for this?"
"It is fine, Empress. Return safely."
Spydey smiled, the three arachnids walking forward.
…
The three arrived in a room with various colored tiles with different letters, plus more of the glowing crystalline structures along the walls and ceiling to illuminate the area, the rest being a dark crystal.
"Ok, guessing this might be a guess-the-correct-tile thing." Spydey guessed.
Weava groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I hate these."
"Tell me about it…" Scorpia groaned. "Let's see here…" She picked up some rocks. "I could try testing with these."
"Yeah, better than nothing." Spydey nodded.
Scorpia threw a few rocks onto the floor, hitting a few tiles.
Spikes rose up, made of obsidian crystal. "Oh…. Okay, glad we tested."
Scorpia dusted her hands off. "Alright, so what do we do to pass…"
"Probably spell a word. Though which word…" Spydey wondered.
Weava looked around the area for any sort of clues. "Hmm…"
"She's not egotistical enough for it to be her name right?" Scorpia asked.
"Perhaps…someone she loved?" Spydey suggested.
"Oh! Like her partner right? The Mantis Zord?" Scorpia added, looking for the first letter in the Zord's name.
"Exactly!" Spydey scanned the area, looking for the other letters. "Found one!"
"I got another." Weava spoke up.
"Okay, throw a rock on the first letter." Scorpia told her.
Weava picked up a rock, throwing it onto the first letter, said character appearing in glowing energy above the door to the next trial. "Got it!"
Spydey threw the next rock. "Same here!"
"Okay! Let's use those safe ones to step forward." Scorpia said, everyone nodding and jumping towards the first three letters.
"Anyone see the next letter?" Spydey asked.
"Uhhh, shit, it's pretty far…" Scorpia groaned.
"Scorpi! Your tail!" Spydey announced after getting an idea.
Scorpia blinked, then realized, unwrapping her tail from her body and holding it towards Spydey, who grabbed it, Scorpia throwing her into the air. "WOO!"
She landed gracefully on the tile. Weava and Scorpia clapped. "Thank you, thank you!" She bowed repeatedly.
"Okay now… That solves you and Weava getting over, but what about me?" Scorpia asked.
"I…have an…idea…" Spydey blinked. "...one we could've used earlier, I'll admit."
"Oh? What is it?" Weava asked.
Spydey shot a webline at the ceiling between herself and Scorpia.
"..."
Everyone blinked.
"You are lucky you're cute…" Scorpia muttered quietly.
"What was that?" Spydey asked.
"NOTHING!" Scorpia shrilled, Weava smirking. Scorpia swung on the webline over to the tile.
"Alright, I think we're nearly halfway there." Spydey noted.
"We should probably hurry, these are usually on a tim-" Scorpia stopped herself from finishing the sentence… Too late as the first row got covered in obsidian spikes.
"...touche." Spydey gave a thumbs up. "You heard the knight in shining abs-I mean-armor, let's hurry!"
"Knight in shining what now-"
Spydey flipped on over to the next letter, Weava pulling her over to the next one.
"Run run run run!" Weava called as she moved immediately to the next letter, still holding Scorpia.
This continued on as the three flipped, ran, and swung to each new letter, reaching the entrance, which opened in approval of the word they put in, Chrysogladia.
"Good!" Weava sighed in relief. "We made it."
"Barely. I hope the timers in future rooms are more forgiving." Scorpia groaned.
"Yeah, let's hope…still, was fun!" Spydey cheerfully said.
"Yeah. Yeah it was." Weava smiled warmly.
"You didn't seem that cheery when on the mountain…" Scorpia noted.
"There weren't as many fun puzzles or traps!" Spydey told her. "Plus by the time we got there, we'd discovered some…very serious stuff."
"Fair enough…you ok?" Scorpia asked. "Our investigation's been going on but…how've you been?"
"I'm…. Pulling through." Spydey said, putting on a strong face.
"You sure?" Scorpio asked, her concern clearly not abated.
"Yea, I'll be okay. Let's keep going." Spydey gave her friend's shoulder a squeeze and kept moving.
"We're here." Weava told Scorpia gently. "She'll be fine with us here."
"..." Scorpia nodded, the two following Spydey.
…
The three entered a room that seemed to be another tile room.
"Ok, another puzzle!" Spydey noted, lightning flashing as the three covered their eyes. "What the hell…?"
She briefly saw…some of the tiles were glowing for a brief second, but she couldn't guess which ones exactly.
A hint appeared in the form of mystic letters.
"Lightning strikes, cold as ice. Blizzards fierce, your body they'll pierce. The answer you seek, is the name of cold's peak."
"What's that mean?" Scorpia asked.
"..." Spydey rubbed her chin. "...name…maybe someone related to Lunatsuki?"
"Hrmmm there's a few people she was close to…" Weava brought up.
"Do we know anyone…?"
"Someone with ice…?" Scorpia suggested. "Maybe some secret descendent or we just didn't bother to check or remember?"
"I feel like we discussed this subject before…" Weava groaned.
"..." Spydey's eyes widened. "...Weava…remember how we discussed those two members of our empire that went missing years ago?" She asked. "One of them being a Yuki Onna?"
"Oh! Yes!" Weava smiled and moved to an S.
"...COLD'S PEAK-ok I get it!" Scorpia jumped to a U.
"That's what I'm talking bout!" Spydey cheered, flipping gracefully onto a B.
"Hmmmmm A's pretty far…" Scorpia said.
Spydey shot a web at a rock, tossing it onto a D.
A bright powerful lightning bolt struck the tile, with nothing of the rock left.
"...ok, we absolutely cannot risk this. All of us are durable but that lightning does not sound like the type I wanna chance…" Spydey observed.
"We'll have to work together." Weava stated, forming another web to launch one of them.
"Alright, Scorpia, you or me go first?"
"I'll test it." Scorpia grabbed onto the web as Weava threw it.
"Ready?" Weava asked.
"Let's do this."
"Alright. PULL!" Weava pulled hard on the web, tossing Scorpia into the air.
"Wooooooahhh!" Scorpia did her best to aim while in the air.
Luckily she managed to land just right on the A, using her sword to steady herself.
"Whoo!" Spydey clapped. "Okay now we just gotta get to the next one!"
"How many letters are in here?" Scorpia asked.
"We've done four, I think that leaves five." Weava answered.
"Alright," Scorpia looked around for the Z. "Oh, there-...oh jeez that's far."
"Oh how do we reach it…" Weava muttered.
"Throw me another web?" Scorpia suggested. "I think I got an idea."
"Alright!" Spydey threw out another web. Scorpia grabbed onto it, throwing both ends onto the far off wall, wrapping it around herself, leaning backwards, stretching it until…
She launched herself at the wall, bouncing off of it with a large crater forming on it before she flipped through the air and onto the Z in a superhero landing, debris from her actions lading on the letters around her, causing lightning bolts to strike around the ninja knight, silhouetting her.
Spydey blushed at the sight, eyes sparkling. "W-whoa…"
Scorpia blinked, looking around. "I uh…I-I meant to do that!" She blushed nervously.
"Well. Now we gotta get to the E." Spydey mused.
"Of course!" Scorpia rubbed her head. "So who's closest?"
"I think Spydey is." Weava commented.
Spydey took a look, noticing the E, crouching before leaping over to it, landing elegantly, taking a brief glance around as she spun before bowing and pointing to Weava for her turn. Weava smirked, bowing back before leaping over to the first R, bending backwards to gesture to Scorpia. Scorpia scanned, and, finding the second R, she uses her tail to grab a stalactite to swing to it.
"Alright, so who gets the final A?" Spydey asked cheerfully.
"Mmmm It's another distant one…." Weava mused.
Spydey thought for a bit. "...Aha!" She spun webs to Scorpia and Weava. "Scorpia ya gave me an idea. Both of you hold onto these, I'm gonna jump backwards, then launch forward."
"Alright if you're sure…" Scorpia muttered, her and Weava holding their webs tightly as Spydey jumped back till the webs went taught, grinned, then WHOOPED as she shot forward.
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She cheered as she soared through the air, twisting and turning.
She did a series of rather impressive acrobats, several somersaults, flips, etc. all in the span of a few seconds as, with a landing in the form of a bow, she smacked the final A, the whole room lighting up.
Lines along the room glowed bright blue with hints of yellow, leading to the door, which spelled out "SUBAZERRA," then opened.
"YES!" Spydey fist pumped, everything gathering to the door.
"So, Subazerra is connected to Lunatsuki…" Weava muttered. "Perhaps…"
Spydey and Scorpia looked to her.
"You thinking what we're thinking?" Spydey asked.
"That she's related, yeah…" Weava spoke. "It…would explain it. Yuki Onna, descended from someone with ice powers."
Spydey nodded. "Alright. But…why her as the password?"
"Might find answers when we get there." Scorpia said. "Let's go!"
Everyone nodded, going through the door.
…
The three entered a room covered in Ice, with towering pillars of it lining the center of the room.
"Ok…so what's the gimmick here…" Spydey muttered, eyeing the pillars.
"Mmmm, don't like the look of those. Pillars that don't reach the ceiling are either broken, or magic." Scorpia noted apprehensively.
"I'll try sending out a drone." Weava spoke, forming a hand motion that sprouted a red energy spider, sending it onto the floor. After traveling a bit, the first pillar whirred to life and a crystal blue bolt of lightning struck the drone, destroying it. Weava winced. "Ok, more lightning. Should've guessed. Wonder what the trigger is…"
"Hrmmm was too fast to tell if the floor lit up…" Scorpia hummed in thought.
"Hmm…maybe we're supposed to be skating?" Spydey suggested. "Maybe the challenge isn't avoiding tripping the alarms, more so trying to avoid the lightning on your way over?"
"Jeez they expect a lot of the infiltrators then." Weava chuckled.
"It's almost as if they expect some bad guys to try and come in." Spydey joked, her and her friends laughing.
"Well I guess it's a good thing it's us that made it this far." Scorpia chuckled.
"Alright, so, gameplan. I think first we should see if it can shoot multiple lightning bolts at once." Spydey suggested.
"Good idea. The drones'll still be able to help with that." Weava started making more, Spydey stretching as she turned her gaze to the arena.
"Alright. Plans might be different depending on the answer here. So be prepared. Whilst I'm at it," Spydey shot some webs towards the ceiling. After a moment or two, they disintegrated. "Alright. Seems the makers of this room thought a bit more here."
The drones scuttled over towards the first pillar. The first pillar destroyed one, but the second pillar fired two, destroying the remaining two drones.
"I see…" Spydey noted. "If we assume the pattern holds, the final pillar will shoot 3 beams. That's gonna make it tricky but not impossible. Anyone notice any pattern we can use?"
Weava put her hand to her chin. "Maybe-"
"Rhythm." Scorpia said, cutting her off. "1 beat, 2 beats. It's based on music."
"Alright then, Scorpia will keep us on rhythm as we move." Spydey decided.
"Alright!" Scorpia saluted. "Both of you, on either side of me." Weava and Spydey stood opposite each other next to Scorpia. "The third pillar will likely be three beats, so watch out for that. As soon as we pass a pillar, the beats will increase, so move at that rhythm. I'll do the counting. Ready?"
"Ready!" Spydey cheered
"Of course darling~" Weava teased smirking. The two blushed at her voice.
"Enough talk! Let's dance!" Scorpia spoke, with a bit of giddiness as if she'd always wanted to say that, jumping onto the floor, the others following, skating and switching their balanced foot and hopping to a beat. The first pillar was dodged easily enough thanks to their teamwork.
"Alright, good job!" Scorpia praised her teammates.
"Second one incoming, let's pick up the pace!" Spydey grinned.
The three did as such, switching between holding hands between two of them, and all three of them, spinning each other around, Weava not resisting the chance to dip either of them and winking, which made both blush but didn't distract them enough to cause any issues.
They eventually managed to pass the second pillar.
"Alright, this is gonna be the hardest, be on your guard!" Scorpia warned.
"We got this! Let's move!" Spydey called, leaning in close.
Scorpia blushed hard. "R-right, right RIGHT right." She cleared her throat, trying not to lose her rhythm. "RIGHT!"
Weava most definitely noticed, chuckling to herself as they neared the door, the final pillar powering up.
"Get ready!" Scorpia shouted, tail uncurling a bit just in case., the three of them moving in unison as the lightning came down hard.
Scorpia helped Spydey leap into the air, the empress doing a twirl that honestly did not make her look gorgeous silhouetted against the bright lightning Scorpia swears, the knight ninja catching her with her tail and spinning her around her, Weava taking Spydey's hand, twirling her in front of her, briefly leaning into Scorpia, the larger girl picking them both up, spinning before setting them on the ground, the three skating continuously, not missing a single beat. With a final spin, they went through the final doorway, closing behind them with a dull "Thud."
"WHOO!" Scorpia grinned. "Great job, girls!" She panted as she stood up, dusting herself off from the leap and crash they had to do to get through the door.
"I didn't know you were quite the dancer~" Weava teased, leaning on her, smirking.
"S-shuddup, I had to learn as Spydey's bodyguard."
"And bodyguards require dancing?" Weava asked skeptically, leaning in closer, the blush on Scorpia's face growing.
"OF COURSE! I know where that line was from now!" Spydey snapped her fingers. "It was from that show we used to watch as kids! The one where they used music to fight the baddies!"
"I-i don't recall." Scorpia looked away from them both.
Spydey giggled. "If ya say so~" She sing-songed.
"For the record, I'm sure neither of us would mind dancing with you again." Weava winked flirtatiously at Scorpia. Scorpia blushed more and headed forward to the next room, finding a statue that looked as if it should be wearing a mask standing proudly in the center of… what looked more like a treasure room than the final area of a tomb.
"What in the…" Spidey looked over to the various artifacts on shelves, tables, and the casket with markings on it in old Dragrealmean with lightning-ice detailing…that was opened. She went on over…and saw it was empty. "...shit…"
"How the hell? Those traps don't reset, who got in here and somehow set off none of the traps?" Scorpia groaned at the sight of the empty coffin.
"...either someone very skilled, or…someone let them in." Weava pondered. "..." Realization dawned. "..." She looked to the pedestal that looked as if it should be wearing a mask. "...oh gods…"
"..." Spydey looked in concern. "Weava…?"
"I know what's happened." Weava told the two.
"Well spell it out then!" Scorpia shook the taller arachnid woman.
Weava stopped her, gently pushing her away. "Lunatsuki…her spirit was resting here for thousands of years, waiting for the right time…for the right person to help her in her revenge scheme."
"Revenge? What would she want revenge for?" Spydey asked, looking more confused.
"If you recall, Lunatsuki, before her death, was raving about how the disappearances and deaths of her family members were the Empire's fault, and she mysteriously died when she went out to prove it." Weava answered.
"... I… No I don't recall, this is the first I'm hearing of this." Spydey's face went from shocked to upset and confused.
"I don't blame you, then. I looked into Lunatsuki a bit more after that. I must've mixed up." Weava shook her head. "Her family was disappearing and dying left and right, and she swore the Empire was responsible. Her death was ruled an accident."
"My dad worked those missing person's cases. They never sat right with him but no bodies ever turned up." Scorpia added solemnly.
"Dammit…" Weava rubbed her head. "One of the greatest and most revered Ryumushingers is back from the dead, possessing Areina knows who, and we unlocked a whole new mystery…"
"Well maybe her living family will have ideas?" Spydey immediately changed the subject, shaking off whatever had her down.
"That's a good idea. I'm sure we can track down where they're living soon enough." Weava smiled, rubbing her shoulder. "Good job, Spydey."
"Yeah, those two guys out front said they were cousins of the direct family." Scorpia commented.
"That's a good idea!" Spydey smiled. "Now the Drabat Mobile!" She pointed forward dramatically.
"..." Scorpia blinked. "..." She sighed. "Why am I friends with you again?"
"I wouldn't talk if I were you. Unless you wanna say I'm mistaken when I say I saw you stacking those DVDs of the old cartoons~" Weava teased.
"S-shuddduppp…"
…
"Yo!" Spydey called out to the brothers as the trio made their way to the entrance.
"Hey! Any luck?!" The Stag brother waved.
"You're not gonna like what we found but…it's best you know the whole story." Weava began.
And so she recapped the events leading up to now, the friendly smiles on the brothers' faces turning to shocked frowns, the trio having sympathetic gazes.
"...I see…" Rhinocro spoke, gripping his shovel. "...if that be the case, 'en…" He sighed. "If what yer sayin' is the truth…either way, we'll 'elp 'owever we can."
"Aun' ain' gonna like this one bit…"
"So…can you tell us who could've gotten into Lunatsuki's tomb? If she IS possessing someone, it's likely that." Spydey asked.
"... Suba's the only one othe than us with the skills…" Rhinocro answered.
"..." Weava frowned. "...and you're sure no one else?"
"I mean…Maybe her sister? Nevah saw her try…"
"Her sister…what's her name? Where can we find her?" Spydey asked.
"Glacia, lives in the art district, was never really one fer all this death nonsense."
"Thank you. We owe you plenty!" Spydey hugged the two, to their surprise.
"We'll warn ya, she may not be in the mood for guests." Rhinocro says solemnly.
"Ye… Her mourning period's gone over the time limit of 6 months by a couple centuries." Stagg'er added.
"Thanks for that. We'll try to be as delicate as we can." Weava nodded.
"Tell her we said ello."
"We will, thanks!" Spydey smiled, the trio heading off.
…
Sometime later, the trio arrived at a cottage with icy blue walls, a blue rooftop, and crystalline framed windows and doors.
The empress knocked gently on the door of it. "Uh…hello?" Spydey called out.
The door opens just a crack, a bloodshot eye peering through it.
"Hi, Spydey here!" Spydey greeted gently. "We've come to talk to you about Lunatsuki, Miss…?"
"O-oh uhmm I-i'm…." The woman mumbled.
"It's ok…" Spydey said soothingly with a smile. "Take your time."
"I-i'm Glacia. P-please come in…"
The trio walked in once the door opened.
"M-my apologies, my Empress, I'll uh, go freshen up, feel free to take a seat on the couch." The woman spoke, vanishing in a flurry of snowflakes.
Spydey looked concerned, glancing at Weava and Scorpia.
The two shared a nod with her before going into the living room, with well pressed pillows, comfy looking couches, shelves with various photos on them, as well as a holo TV, all in shades of icy colors with some yellow.
Spydey sat on one of the couches, Weava on one side and Scorpia the other.
A rush of snowflakes formed into the woman, Glacia, now shown as a woman with icy blue skin, white hair in a ponytail with a yellow band, a blue kimono with yellow trimming, obi, and highlights, with white socks and crystalline slippers holding some tea.
"Apologies, I…wasn't expecting visitors." Glacia timidly told the three.
"It's alright, madam. Are you alright?" Weava asked.
"I've been…dealing with things…" Glacia responded, handing them all tea. "Did my cousins send you here?"
"Yeah, Rhinocro and Stagg'er." Spydey answered, sipping the very pleasant tea. "...oh Areina how do I put this delicately…" She sighed.
"...We believe someone has recently invaded Lunatsuki's tomb." Weava told the Yuki-Onna. "The casket is empty, and the mask is missing. One of my monsters, Sealifea, has vanished, and we believe she's been kidnapped, and the one who has kidnapped her is related. We were hoping you might have some answers on who could've gotten to the tomb."
"Oh I've never even stepped foot in that… Place." Glacia shuddered "I have some cousins who enjoy challenging it though, perhaps you met them there?"
"Oh yeah, your cousins were very nice." Spydey smiled. "They're very worried for you."
"Oh are they? I-i suppose I have cooped myself up in my home for a long time…" Glacia stood to get more tea for her guests. "They really don't need to worry though, I-i'm fine…" She continued as she returned with a tray holding a tea set.
"With respect…" Weava said, accepting her new cup. "...all three of us have experience with loss. We know what it's like."
"You don't need to try to temper our worries." Spydey told her. "You're among friends, those who understand."
"I… thank you I just… I miss my sister…" She looked down, tearing up a bit.
Spydey put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it. "We…have yet to find the body, but if we're right…this might help us find a lead. Is there anyone else you know who might know something?"
"I… My mother, maybe?" Glacia offered uncertainly.
"What's her name?" Spydey asked.
"Iceburra is her name, she lives in… what's effectively the rich neighborhood."
"Alright." Spydey smiled, sipping. "This is really good tea, by the way. Thank you very much."
"I'm very pleased to hear you like it, Empress."
"Please, it's Spydey." The spider woman smiled warmly at the ice woman.
"O-of course, S-Spydey…" The Yuki Onna blushed, Weava and Scorpia exchanging knowing looks.
"Now, is there anything we can do for you?" Spydey asked.
"I… I don't think so… Thank you…" Glacia smiled politely.
Spydey and the others finished their tea. "Alright, if you change your mind," She handed her a piece of paper. "Here's our contact info."
"Thank you, I'll call if I remember anything…" Glacia blushed again.
"You ok?" Spydey leaned forward a bit. "You looking a little pink." She commented, her sparkling red eyes staring into the crystalline ones of Glacia, which made the young woman feel as if she were being heated on the inside in the best of ways.
"I-I'm fine! H-have a good day!" Glacia retreated upstairs.
Spydey blinked, the other two arachnids smirking in amusement.
"That was…weird. Was it something I said?"
Both women shook their heads with dry smiles.
The trio made their way through the more richer neighborhood in the kingdom, finding themselves in front of a crystalline blue and cyan mansion with pillars and statues resembling various kinds of beasts and warriors of the snow.
"Wow…" Spydey grinned. "Pretty…"
"You… Live in a castle." Scorpia looked at Spydey, perplexed.
"Not an ice mansion!" Spydey argued. "Besides, can't I say other stuff is pretty besides my own? Good looks are good looks!"
"Okay okay, I just figured you'd be harder to impress~" Scorpia said semi-innocently.
"What're you implying?" Spydey blinked innocently.
"Oh you just seemed very impressed by Glacia, is all." Weava teased with a smirk.
"..." Spydey's eyes widened as her face turned red. "OH NO NO NONONO, that is not the case at all! I just think she's very pretty and adorable, that's all!"
"Oh sureeee it was~" Scorpia chuckled.
"Oh fudge you!"
"It's alright, Spydey, who hasn't been attracted to a Yuki Onna?" Weava giggled.
"I mean yea they're hot but she looked like a stiff breeze could kill her." Scorpia huffed.
"Why you say that?" Spydey asked.
"She just looked… Frail. I dunno…"
"Well she has been cooped up a bit." Weava pointed out. "Could be that. You tend to not take good care of yourself when grieving…"
"How is she alive? She's been grieving a long time." Spydey noted.
"Yuki Onna's are spirits, ghosts, even the ones that never technically had a "Living" form. She doesn't need to eat but it certainly leaves her vulnerable." Weava smiled.
"Huh. Makes sense." Scorpia noted.
Spydey knocked on the door. "Uh, hello? Lady Iceburra?"
A tall woman opened the door, standing perfectly straight. She seemed a bit taller than Glacia, her skin a deep blue, eyes and hair an icy crystalline color, with a black kimono with deep blue trimming and obi, black socks with icy deep blue heels.
"Ah, Empress Spydey!" The woman smiled, bowing to the three. "What does her highness want with me?"
"We were hoping you could answer some questions?"
"Of course, My Liege, please do come in." The older woman spoke, gesturing for the three to come inside, allowing them to see the pristine, finely cleaned walls, ceiling and floors of the mansion, attended to by servants of varying species, all of whom looked happy to be there, even chatting it up while doing their jobs, the mistress of the home leading the arachnids towards some couches.
"So what were you hoping for me to answer?" Iceburra asked.
"It's…about your ancestor, Lunatsuki." Spydey told her. "Someone broke into her tomb and we suspect it is related to a kidnapping of one of our monsters."
"Oh how terrible, of course I'll help however I can your grace."
"One of your daughters and two of your nephews have been interviewed." Weava said. "Your nephews told us the only ones who could've infiltrated her tomb were Glacia and Subazerra. Quite frankly, we have reason to doubt Glacia considering…the state she's in."
Iceburra sighed. "My precious snowcap has been a recluse for a long time…I've tried visiting her a few times, but…she rarely lets anyone in, barely eats…"
"We're sorry to hear that. She must have been quite close with her sister."
"Indeed she was. The two were thick as thieves, as the saying goes…" Iceburra told the three as they arrived in a living room. "They liked to do excavations, investigations, games…it was like they were one soul in two bodies. She once described it to me as losing her other half… I can't help but feel terrible…" The woman sighed heavily.
"We're sorry about that…" Spydey told her. "We all know what it's like…"
"That's not to say Suba was perfect by any stretch though…" Iceburra went on.
"Oh? Why's that?" Spydey asked.
"Well let's say my ancestor's tomb wasn't the only place she liked… 'testing the security' of."
"Ah…thrill seeker." Spydey understood. "Do you happen to know anyone who would and could infiltrate the tomb? Anyone even tangentially related to it?"
"Hrmm…she usually ran alone… Though she did bring her girlfriend a few times… Ziga?"
The trio looked to each other.
"Her…girlfriend?" Spydey blinked in shock.
"News to me." Scorpia added.
"Really? They were nearly as tied at the hip as Suba and Glacia." Iceburra said in confusion.
"Huh…and both her and Suba vanished in the same explosion…" Spydey noted.
"Really? How interesting, that's news to me."
"Why do I feel like that's a dig at me?" Scorpia whispered to Weava, deadpanning.
"Oh relax, my lil stinger~" Weava winked, causing Scorpia to swoon on the inside.
"Do you recall anything else at all?" Spydey asked the Yuki Onna.
"Hrmmmm, not really… I'm sorry, this was a long time ago." Iceburra frowned.
"Alright…well, if you have any more information or recall anything else," Spydey handed her a card.
"I will do so, my liege." Iceburra smiled.
"Alright so let's review all the facts." Spydey spoke as the three walked through the neighborhood. "Someone broke into the tomb, stole the mask, and the body disappeared, likely as a result of Lunatsuki possessing them in an effort to get revenge on the Empire. The only ones who have the skill and might have the desire to would be Subazerra and Ziga, both of whom vanished and were pronounced dead."
"Right and one of which we suspect to have lived and joined HENSHIN." Scorpia added.
"And is likely the current RyuMantis." Weava finished. "Although if that's true, then that makes the theory she's our thief rather implausible, since the portal has only allowed a monster and several foot soldiers through, and has only been powerful enough for weekly attacks."
"Indeed. Unless there's some… Shortcut. But that's unlikely." Spydey agreed.
"...Weava…" Scorpia turned to Weava. "...you've had your suspicions this entire time, haven't you?"
"..." Weava turned away. "...I needed to be absolutely sure. I didn't wanna give her family unnecessary pain…"
"...Weava…?" Spydey asked, concerned.
"...you know the rule about dead people in situations like these. Unless you find a body, you can't REALLY be certain they're dead." Weava answered. "...if we're right about Ziga…that leaves our culprit…to be Subazerra."
"... But why now?" Spydey asked.
"It's possible she only recovered enough energy to fully awaken recently." Weava speculated. "After all, if it was a case of her spirit possessing her, why would her original body leave? This must be a unique kind of possession. I don't know about Subazerra, but it's possible that due to Lunatsuki being dead for a bit, she needed time to regain her energy."
"Hrmmm... That makes a lot of sense…." Scorpia nodded.
"But then…what do we do now?" Spydey asked. "I mean…if there's even a one percent chance this theory's wrong, what do we do about that? And how do we find out for sure? And…how do we stop her?"
"We… May not need to…" Weava sighed. "She's put herself in direct contest with the Rangers."
"Can the rangers even beat her though? It's only been three months, and from our research, that world's Sentai teams aren't that powerful this early into their careers."
"Hrmmm, this is true. We may need to assist in some way, but our priority should be preventing permanent injury."
"Agreed." Spydey nodded. "So, what should we do?"
"Well, you're the empress, here." Scorpia teased.
"Your call, team leader." Weava added with a smirk.
"..." Spydey sighed, clasping her hands together. "Alright. Here's what we're going to do…"
