Shaded Relics: Chapter 26

Forever Adventure Spirits

PART ONE: Fallen

Simon twirled through midair and slashed Fallen Angels. His blade flashed with dark power and hacked through wings and bodies, splatting black ichor across the City of Dis.

His red-and-black eyes glimmered as he smiled with madness. 

"Come on...come on!" he shouted as he dashed back and forth through their ranks. "You want to stop me! You want to keep me in this place?! Give it your best try!"

A trio of Fallen circled the ranger and snapped spiked chains. The chains punctured through Simon and held him in midair.

Another trio of Fallen snapped chains that stabbed through the ranger's spiritual body. Then another.Then another.

The ranger flared with black light that snapped several chains, but more punctured through his limbs, chest, and gut.

The Fallen grasped their chains and dove downward, dragging Simon. They landed and smashed him to the ground.

Simon rolled into a crouched stance and fired a TK pulse, blasting several Fallen through the air. But trios of Fallen charged and plunged spears through the ranger, holding him in place.

The blue-skinned Fallen, Brajira, walked towards him.

"I tried to talk...I really did..." Brajira said.

The Fallen Angels twisted their spears and forced Simon to his knees.

Brajira bent towards Simon and whispered into his ear. "You've seen the horrors of this place. And you've lived on the planet that allowed these horrors. So tell me...have you seen enough to help me break the world?"

PART TWO: We are Titans

Will, Eiji, Rose, Jake and Kelsey ran through the ruins of the Precious Bank. Smoke clouded the air, and fire burned from the debris. But they didn't care. They searched and called for the chief.

Max ran towards them. "Guys, get out of here! It's not safe!"

Kelsey shook her head. "But Chief..."

"We'll bring in Recue Force," Max said. "They're equipped for this kind of thing."

Will narrowed his eyes. "How did this happen?"

"It was..." Max hesitated. "A self-destruct sequence."

"Self-destruct?" Eiji asked.

"It couldn't be helped," Max said. "We evacuated everyone...but Shane went in after Ryuuon."

"Couldn't be helped?" Jake asked as he shook his head. "That's typical SGS..."

Eiji cursed beneath his breath as he thought of Shane. "Dumbass...Why would he run after Ryuuon?"

Nearby, Rose noticed a glimmer in the rubble. She reached down and lifted Shane's Overdrive Tracker from the debris. She clutched tightly onto the morpher.

"Eiji," she said as she stood. "Put out these fires. We're searching for chief."

Eiji flipped open his wrist morpher and mobilized his zords. "Rescue Fire. Rescue Aider. Rescue Patrol. Launch."

His zords sped to the scene. Eiji morphed, entered his cockpit, and assembled the FlashPoint Megazord. The Megazord armed its shoulder cannons and fired flame-retardant chemicals that splashed across the scene.

Max and the other rangers waited on a pile of rubble. They watched as the Megazord extinguished the flames in the debris.

But before they could act, they saw Desprada stalk towards them from the smoke.

"Desprada..." Kelsey said.

"He came for the Bank..." Jake said. 

Rose stepped forward. "We have to protect this place until Chief's safe," she said as she pulled out her Tracker. "Ready?"

They armed their morphers. "Overdrive! Start up!"

They slid their Trackers across their arms and sparked their morph into Titans. The four Rangers rushed into battle.

Above, Titan Silver looked towards the battle from his viewport. "Well that didn't-"

Gajah hovered in front of the Megazord's viewport.

"Gajah..." Titan Silver cursed.

The villain extended his hands and fired tendrils of energy that thrashed the robo.

Max watched from below. "Gajah...He's trying to absorb the Siren Builder's energy!"

The other Rangers overheard as they fought Desprada. The monster slashed Titan Blue off his feet, and he tumbled across the ground.

The Blue Ranger rolled into a crouched stance and looked towards Gajah and the Megazord.

"Gajah...if he pulls this off..." He bolted towards the Megazord.

But Desprada fired bursts of energy that sparked against Titan Blue and knocked him down.

Above, Titan Silver struggled with his controls. "I can't move this damn thing..."

Gajah siphoned a massive stream of energy from the Megazord's Neo-Parallel Engines. The discharge ignited secondary explosions within Titan Silver's cockpit, and the kickback knocked Eiji from his armor.

Max knitted his brow as he watched. "That bastard sucked the engine dry..."

Gajah smiled with fiendish delight as he felt the energy flow through his veins. "So...this is what your Precious feels like!"

He thrust his hands and fired tendrils of lightning that slammed against Siren Builder with massive bursts of spark, knocking the Megazord down.

The impact knocked Eiji from his cockpit, and he tumbled across the ground.

"Eiji!" Titan Pink shouted as she and the others ran to his side.

Titan Blue and Titan Black looked towards Gajah, armed their blasters, and opened fire. Gajah swatted the blasts aside and hurled bolts of lightning at the Rangers.

The bolts thrashed their armor with massive bursts of spark that whipped them off their feet.

Gajah floated downward and hovered above the debris. He extended his hands, which glowed with shadow power. "I've found it...The Ryujinn's treasure cannot be destroyed."

The rubble stirred, and a relic rose from the debris.

Nearby, the rangers climbed to their feet.

"That's the Ryujinn Heart!" Titan Yellow shouted.

Gajah grasped the Ryujinn Heart. His eyes glimmered with insanity. "After I consume this...I will take my time, devouring the Precious of your other vehicles."

Mr. Voice spoke with Max through his communicator. "We can't let Gajah compromise the other Driver-zords. We're sealing the holding bay."

When the bay sealed, the rangers flashed with energy that knocked them from their armor.

Kelsey landed on all fours. "Our suits? Why...?"

Eiji shook his head as he climbed to his feet. "The same thing happened to me."

Max ran towards the rangers. "SGS sealed all the zords," he said. "Without their engines online, you can't channel their power."

Gajah laughed as he landed next to Desprada. He lifted the Ryujinn Heart and waved his palm over it. The villain chanted a spell, causing the Heart to pulse with shadow energy.

The Ryujinn Heart shifted into pure energy, and Gajah inhaled the energy.

The villain staggered and clutched his chest as he felt the power pour through his body. He pulsed with purple-tinted shadow energy as his skin rippled.

"The Heart's power...is incredible. It is changing my body...into a god's!" he shouted.

The villain looked to his monster. "Desprada...The Ryujinn Brain is not nearby, it seems...Find it. And bring it to me."

Desprada nodded and walked off.

Gajah spread his arms and floated as he whispered a demonic incantation. Dozens of Karths flashed to existence and dropped to the ground, followed by hundreds more. 

Gajah hovered away, leaving the Karths to attack Max and the rangers. The grunts closed in, slowly.

Kelsey shook her head. "Mr. Voice basically abandoned us."

"We have to run," Jake said.

"No," Rose said. "Chief might still be here somewhere."

"Give it up," Eiji said as the Karths surrounded them. "He's gone."

The Karths lunged to attack, and the rangers struggled to fight back as the assault separated them from one another.  

Gajah floated towards the Ryujinn Island, which surfaced during the Titan Rangers' first joint mission.

"How nostalgic..." he whispered. "My island…"

The villain landed on the island and surrounded himself with strings of shadow energy. The strings solidified and formed a cocoon that encased the demon.

Gajah closed his eyes. "Hurry..." he whispered. "With the Ryujinn Brain..."

Rain poured across the city. Gajah's Karths multiplied and spread throughout the streets. They covered block after block and attacked everyone who moved.

A pair of Karths stalked towards a group of civilians who cowered with fear. But bullets sparked through their backs and knocked them to the ground.

Kelsey lowered her blaster.

"Run," she told the civilians.

They scrambled to their feet and fled.

Another group of Karths marched from around a corner.

Kelsey knew she couldn't take them all. So she ran and ducked into the nearest alley. She crouched and waited for the grunts to pass.  

Rose entered the darkened SGS base beneath the museum. The situation room looked empty, lit by emergency lights only.

"Is anyone there...?" Rose called out. 

She leaned against the briefing table and lowered her gaze. "Am I the only one who made it back?"

She activated the panel and tried to open a comm-line with Mr. Voice. "This is Rose...has Chief called in?" No one answered. "Why did you seal the zords so quickly...you left us defenseless."

Still nothing.

She faced the screen where Mr. Voice typically appeared. "Would you answer!"

Still nothing.

Rose gripped her morpher. "Coned bastard..."

She swung her morpher and smashed the screen, which cracked on impact.

Eiji staggered into an abandoned building and collapsed. He had used his demon power to fight a group of Karths, and the strain exhausted him.

The ranger cursed beneath his breath. This is what I get for hopping into spandex...

Slowly, a pale light shined through the window.

"Eiji..." a voice whispered.

Eiji looked up to see a ghostly image of his mother.

"You..." he whispered as he sat up.

"Eiji..." his mother said as she couched next to him. "Are you tired?"

"You could say that..." Eiji said.

The ghost reached out and placed her hand along her son's face. "You've done so well...carrying out your family's mission. And making your own path as well. So...take your time and rest..."

Her voice sounded hypnotic and lulled Eiji into a state of relaxation.

"Thanks...Mom..." Eiji said as he leaned back, rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. His mother's presence made him feel peaceful, and he let that feeling wrap him in comfort.

"But..." he whispered as his breathing slowed. "I feel like I'm forgetting something. It's not a mission. Something else..."

His mother smiled. "Could it be...an adventure?"

Eiji knitted his brow. "That's...right."

He opened his eyes and found the room dark, and his mother gone.

The ranger climbed to his feet and straightened his jacket. "Was that really you?" He waited but heard no answer. Still, he smirked. "OK...Another adventure it is."

Rose heard a scream come from the museum above SGS headquarters. She ran upstairs and found a group of Karths stalking a girl, who carried a Precious container.

Rose pulled out her blaster and shot the Karths with bursts of spark.

The ranger moved towards the girl.

"Are you OK?" Rose asked.

"I'm fine," the girl said.

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked.

The girl ignored the question and handed the container to Rose. "Here. Please...protect this."

Rose knitted her brow. "Is that a Precious?"

Suddenly, another group of Karths swarmed into the building.

Rose grabbed the girl by the arm and moved towards the exit. "This way. Hurry..."

They rushed outside and took cover on a pedestrian bridge that led away from the museum. The Karths rushed outside to run after the girls, but they went the wrong way.

Rose waited until the Karths left before standing. She looked to the girl with the relic container.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And why do you have a Precious?"

The girl stood. "SGS stored this Precious in a different location that the rest, to prepare for the worst."

"How did you know that?" Rose asked. She knew everyone in SGS and didn't recognize the girl.

"Please," she said. "Just believe me."

Rose nodded and took the box. "OK...I'll keep it safe."

Suddenly, waves of Karths appeared on both ends of the bridge and rushed towards the girls.

Rose narrowed her eyes. "It's OK," she said to the girl as she handed over the box. "Stay back."

The ranger circled around the girl and bashed the Karths. She moved with skill and experience, with elbow strikes, knife-hand chops and kicks that bashed the enemies backward.

But the bridge gave her little room to maneuver. A Karth kicked her back, and a second Karth grabbed her neck. The ranger struggled to break free as the Karth pressed her back against the railing.

"Ketsu!" A small barrier bashed the Karth's head and knocked it away.

Rose looked to see Eiji rush onto the bridge. The ranger plowed through the Karths with flurries of punches and kicks.

"Eiji..." Rose whispered.

She heard fighting come from the plaza below, and she looked to see Jake fight through another group of Karths.

"Jake!" Rose shouted.

She saw Kelsey at the center of the plaza. The ranger swung her sidearm and blasted Karths off their feet. Will stood at her side and kicked any Karth that moved in too close.

After bashing past the last of the grunts, Rose, Eiji, Jake, Kelsey, and Will regrouped at the fountain near the center of the plaza.

"Everyone..." Rose said with a smile. "You came."

Eiji nodded. "I didn't let you draft me to get my ass kicked."

 Kelsey noticed the stranger sitting on the steps with the Precious container.

"Are you OK?" Kelsey asked.

The stranger smiled and nodded.

"Good," Kelsey said. "So...What's in the box?"

The stranger opened the container, revealing a relic.

Jake widened his eyes with recognition. "That's the Ryujinn Mind!"

The stranger nodded. "The Ryujinn Heart and Mind are special to Gajah. If he takes both into his own body...he'll evolve."

Eiji shook his head. "How do you know that?"

Suddenly, explosions sparked across the plaza. The rangers looked to see Desprada walk onto the scene.

Jake stood protectively in front of the stranger. "He's after the Brain."

Will rolled his hands onto fists. "No way in hell he's getting it," he said. "I found a little something..."

Will hurried beneath the stairwell and pulled out the Drill Crusher.

"The Drill Crusher!" Kelsey shouted.

"I pulled it from the wreckage and stashed it here..." Will said as he armed the rifle and faced Desprada.

Kelsey shook her head. "But you can't use it without your Accel Suit. The kickback could kill you..."

"I still have to do this," Will said as he aimed the weapon's mixer head. "I have to protect my treasure...and that's you guys."

The ranger braced himself and faced Desprada. "Here it comes, you demon freak."

Will triggered a burst of energy that hurled him backward, and he crashed into a fountain with a splash.

The blast exploded against Desprada with a wave of energy that transformed him into stone.

Slowly, Will climbed to his feet and winced as he grabbed his injured shoulder.

He looked towards his teammates. "What are you staring for? You want an adventure? Get over here..."

 Kelsey smiled. "You sound like Chief..."

She ran towards him, and Rose followed. "We'll all protect our treasure."

Eiji sighed as he Jake walked towards them. "You guys are so sappy."

"Just a bit," Will said. "Let's get this done."

Desprada shattered from his stone casing.

Will aimed the blaster, and the rangers stood alongside him, placing their hands against his shoulder to help brace him.

"Drill head!" Will shouted as he shifted the weapon to drill mode. Together, they shouted: "Go!"

They fired a burst of energy that kicked them backward; they skid across the plaza but stood their ground.

The blast exploded against Desprada with massive bursts of spark. But the monster kept moving forward, barely fazed.

Will muttered beneath his breath. "One more time..." The drill spun with power. "Go!"

They triggered a blast that knocked them backward; they smashed against a wall.

"Fire again!" Rose shouted. 

"Go!" Will shouted as he triggered another blast.

The drill-shaped blast punctured through Desprada with massive bursts of spark. The monster staggered forward as secondary explosions tore through his body. He continued his advance, slowly, step-by-step - until he collapsed and exploded into pieces.

Gajah snapped open his eyes within his cocoon. The villain had felt the destruction of his monster. And he knew who to blame.

"Damn Titans..."

"We really did it!" Jake said as they walked across the plaza.

"Will..." Rose said. "That was great."

"Ah, Rose, use codenames during missions," Kelsey joked.

"Well..." Rose said. "We'll make an exception. Just today."

Suddenly, shadow energy flared, and Desprada grew giant.

Eiji narrowed his eyes and stepped back. "We really should have seen that coming."

Rose shook her head. "We can't fight that without our zords."

"Then what do we do?" Kelsey asked.

"It's OK," the stranger said. "You've bought him enough time."

"What?" Will asked.

"To protect the Ryujinn Mind, he's been following Desprada," the girl said.

"What does that even mean?" Eiji asked.

Desprada looked to the rangers below and swiped its claws. But suddenly, explosions sparked against the creature and knocked him backward.

The rangers looked to see the BattleFleet Megazord stomp onto the scene.

"The BattleFleet Megazord..." Rose said.

Jake shook his head. "Wasn't it sealed?"

"Who's piloting it...?" Will asked.

Shane leaned forward in the Megazord's cockpit. "Titans. Move out!"

Stunned, the rangers looked towards the Megazord.

Eiji smirked. "Shane...you son-of-a-bitch."

"He really is the Immortal Fang," Jake said.

"Chief!" Kelsey called out with a smile.

Will shook his head with a smirk. "Stealing the grand entrance. You never change..."

Shane spoke with them through his communications systems. "You guys going to let me fight alone?"

"Alright guys," Will said. "Board the Megazord, and defeat Desprada. Move out!"

Kelsey smiled.

"He's doing his Chief voice again," she said as they followed.

Jake looked over his shoulder as he ran towards the Megazord. That girl with the Ryujinn Mind...where'd she run off to?

Un-morphed, the rangers climbed into the BattleFleet Megazord cockpit.

"Shane..." Rose asked. "How did you escape?"

"Last-minute teleportation burst from one of the relics," Shane said. "A piece of the old Command Chamber."

"And the zords?" Rose asked.

"Max and his staff had to remodel the Neo-Parallel Engines," Shane said. "We knew you guys could give us the time we needed. Now...Let's take out Desprada."

They grabbed their controls and shouted as one: "First Gear, in!"

The rangers watched Desprada stalk towards them.

"BattleFleet Megazord!" Shane shouted. "All cannons, fire!"

The Megazord opened fire with a full cannon barrage that blasted Desprada with massive bursts of spark. But the monster didn't slow its advance.

Desprada thrust its claw and fired tendrils that punctured through the BattleFleet Megazord. The monster retracted the tendrils, pulling the Megazord closer, and chopped the robo with bursts of spark.

The BattleFleet Megazord staggered backward. Desprada thrust its claw and stabbed the Megazord with a massive burst of spark. The blow sent the Megazord skidding backward through the streets, smashing through building after building.

The BattleFleet Megazord skid to a halt.

Shane knitted his brow and leaned forward. "Focus on the attack!"

The Megazord whined with power as its engines intensified.

Jake glanced at his power monitor. "The power's rising!"

"How...?" Will asked.

Shane thrust his controls forward. "Hyper-Charge Attack!"

The Megazord's fists spun like drills, radiated with golden energy and shot at the monster. The fists punctured through Desprada with massive bursts of spark.

Desprada collapsed as secondary explosions tore through its body. Then, with a final explosion, the monster burst into ash.

Gajah felt his monster's destruction. The demon narrowed his eyes. "I will just have to take the Ryujinn Mind myself."

Gajah crackled with energy and burst from his cocoon.

Max appeared on the Megazord's communications console. "Looks like with Desprada defeated, Gajah's coming himself..."

Jake knitted his brow. "He must be after the Ryujinn Mind. But it's with that girl somewhere..."

The girl's voice spoke from the comm. "Don't worry," she said. "I have the Mind. It's safe..."

"You?" Kelsey asked with surprise.

"But how..." Rose said.

"It doesn't matter," Shane said. "We'll get to Gajah before he even comes close."

The BattleFleet Megazord reverted to its trailer mode, the Drive Voyager, and sailed towards the Ryujinn Island. The zord docked against the land mass, and the rangers ran onto the shore.

"The Ryujinn ruins..." Jake said. "So Gajah's returned here."

Eiji looked around the rocky terrain, void of life.

"Sorry I missed it the first time," he said sarcastically. 

Kelsey started ahead. "Will's screw up brought it to the surface."

"No need to remind everyone," Will said.

They walked towards the site of Gajah's torn cocoon. Gajah floated into the air, throbbed with a burst of shadow energy, and shifted into a monster form.

The demon laughed, a low guttural sound, as he glared at the rangers.