Fandom Power Rangers Sentinels

Benji just took the words from Novus, sort of numbed as Erin defended him. Dylan and the others' sympathy was greatly appreciated, but it didn't really affect Benji at all. "Thanks Dylan, guys..." Benji muttered.
Clay just laughed at the girls as they made their remarks, shaking his head. Clay then shot Novus a glare. "Aye now, ain't no ay Benji here could've known that spook witch was gonna do that to his statue. Lay off, ya shape changing' varmint." Clay said in equal defense of Benji with Erin.

But just as everybody agreed it was time to go face this thing and destroy it before it harmed anyone, Benji stayed still. Clay walked over to the pentagram to hop on and teleport, just staring at him. "Benji? Ain't you comin?" He asked. Benji shook his head and clenched his fists. Something was roaring around the Coven...whatever it was, it didn't distract him. "I won't do it." He said. Clay just raised a brow.
"I'm not going. You guys fight the damn thing without me. This is too much...first I get taken out of a normal life, put in danger, now it's coming after my personal stuff directly. I was gonna win that contest for the kids, and now it's ruined because of all this damn magic stuff. You guys go, hurry. Kill it....just I'm freakin' done." Benji said. He almost sounded like he was...quitting? Maybe this was just a final straw for him...after all, he was the more skeptical of the bunch. Maybe Fate or Novus would talk to him, sort it out...for now, the others really needed to go stop Golem before he destroyed the city.

Clay let out a breath, looking at the others. "C'mon, y'all...times running out." He said to everyone on the pentagram and ready to poof down the the attack site.

Dylan just stood on his tile on the pentagram in shock. He was frozen. Dylan was really not good at reacting when people got "yelly." Down? He'd offer a hand on their shoulder. Doubting? Dylan would be encouraging. Distraught? Dylan would listen to them and maybe even offer a hug. Angry and shutting others out though? Dylan just couldn't really approach them or try to consult them. Dylan hated it partly. Part of him felt like it was cowardice or weakness. Too hard for me to handle so I won't try. He rationalized that if someone didn't want to be helped, he couldn't do anything for them anyway. Which sounded reasonable but Dylan wasn't sure if that was really the right thing to do or, again, he was just making excuses for his own nervousness or incompetence.

Dylan just looked at Benji, so frustrated and broken and he felt like a terrible friend. Ever since this started Dylan had been tripping on Cloud 9 but he hadn't really analyzed how Benji, or really anyone besides himself was reacting to it. Benji's occasional whines of protest had been interpreted as just a humorous contrarian personality, not a legitimate psychological defense mechanism. Dressing down and poking fun at circumstances to make them seem less scary and overwhelming. The "giggle at the ghosties" strategy. Dylan just dipped his head, crossed himself, and said a quick prayer for Benji.

What's this? Things were set to go, everybody was about to leave and then...what? Benji's not going? April joined the others on the five pointed star in her usual standing place, looking over at a distraught Benji. First Novus hadn't helped but jumping onto him. Then he pointed out how this had all just come in too fast for him. None of them had an easy time adjusting. Well...all except for Dylan. That guys enthusiasm and excitement toward this stuff goes beyond the limits April understood. But everybody did adjust in their own ways to life being different.
Just now it would seem that Benji's personal life is being affected...perhaps he can't handle that. After all, hadn't he said before he didn't want this? Didn't Fate tel him there were other potential Sentinels around the Earth? Hmm...

"Benji..." April muttered softly. She could understand his hesitation, but just totally quitting? Bogus! She let out a breath as Clay reminded them it was urgent they leave. The monster did need to be stopped. Sitting here talking about stuff wasn't helping anyone...but it still put a damper on things to know that one of their own wasn't going. Four out of five Sentinels felt weird, even if they hadn't all been in this for too long. Just it didn't feel right. Like ripping into a package of Oreo cookies only to find they're all missing a bite. Okay maybe that isn't the best comparison...
April shook her head and sighed, ready to poof on over to the bad guy in Ebongrove and end it with those who didn't feel like quitting.

Erin hesitated. Benji was just... distraught. Of all people on this team, it had been pretty obvious he'd liked this all the least. And Erin could imagine, really. Just being taken out of normal life, thrown into a whole weird thing full of magic and demons? It hadn't exactly been the first thing she had expected as well when she moved to Ebongrove. And though it may not show, she too wasn't as eager about this all. Although controlling fire was pretty rad. And Igneos was a decent spirit too. Granted, they hadn't interacted much, but... hey first impressions matter! Plus, knowing all the things that were at stake... well, it sorta made her feel this was just something that had to be done. And the five of them just so happened to be the ones supposed to do it. It did take quite some adjusting, and it just gave her a bunch of stuff she couldn't talk about with anyone other than the other rangers. Thank goodness one of them was her roommate! That sure saved some excuses. But... if news of demons in Ebongrove ever got out, and come on, that was bound to happen at some point, her parents and all her friends in far places would be worried. And she could never tell them why she would be fine, no matter what. Anyway... to drag her head out of the train of thoughts... Benji was feeling like shit, but there was a monster that had to be dealt with. So unfortunately, she couldn't attempt at offering more words of wisdom and/or comfort. "Clay's right. Time's running out. We've got to stop that monster before he rebuilds the entire city in his horrid image." She looked at Benji once more, sighing lightly. And then the four of them teleported out into the city.

"Whatever you're doing, stop right there!" Erin called to Golem and the Spawners, pointing at them while glaring them down. "This city ... this world is under our protection. You'll have to get past us if you wanna do anything!" She glanced at the others. "We just got here, but I'm already tired of this all. Let's just go and not waste too much more precious time." She grabbed the Charm around her neck and gave the others a nod. "Essencia Awaken!" she called and felt the flow of Essencia surging through her body as the energy swirled around her. "Scorching Fire! Red Sentinel Ranger!" She struck her "charging fireball" pose. "Power Rangers Sentinels!" she called. Odd to do this with just the four of them...
---
Still in the Coven, with all the other rangers gone to fight Golem, Benji was left alone with Novus and Fate.
"I just wanted to say, I didn't mean to make you feel any worse," Novus said. It was true. He didn't mean it. Just seeing Nenet was able to give life to something created by a Sentinel... that was dangerous stuff. Especially when they were still so young and not in control of their powers, they could just never be sure if any of the Sentinel magic had slipped through. And Sentinel Magic in the hands of the Legion... that could be disastrous.
"Maybe for now you should just remain quiet and watch the battle," Fate said. Novus had said enough for now, she thought. For a three thousand year old fairy, he was still incredibly impulsive. No wonder he'd constantly get himself in trouble. "Benjamin, walk with me, please," she said, gesturing Benji to follow her as she walked him through the Coven, towards the Archives where records of past Sentinels were kept, and past statues of great warriors, possibly older Sentinels or maybe even the King.
"You're not the first to feel uncertainty, discomfort, or even repulsion towards this new life," she calmly said, a friendly smile on her face. "Over the many thousands of years we've been protecting the world, there have been several who felt like they weren't worthy or fit enough to carry the responsibilities they receive, to control the powers they get," she opened a tome and flipped through the pages after blowing quite some dust off them. "Do you recall that priest Novus and I mentioned a little while back? During the time of the Salem Witch Trials, a Catholic priest was one of the chosen to be Sentinels. He was horrified and wanted nothing to do with it. He was terrified he himself would be outcast and killed as a witch. Until... he found a cause worth fighting for. By no means Novus or I will keep you here if you wish to leave. As mentioned, there are more potential Sentinels in this world and in others. But... none of them would be the first choice. There is a reason why the Charm specifically chose you."

Leaving Benji was a bit rough given the situation, wanting to try and talk sense into him, but there was a job to be done and a monster to be destroyed. Clay went with everyone to Ebongrove to confront this creature and stop him before anybody got hurt.

Zapping into Ebongrove brought them all to Golem and his following Spawners. Golem stood tall and mighty, leading Spawners in a purely threatening rampage in Ebongrove. The street had been littered with the demonic spawn from Hell and this new artificial creation, clawing around like animals and harshly judging the look of the city. What a critic...
As the team arrived within the city, Golem looked upon them while Erin spoke. "Hmm. What drabby outfits you're all wearing. No vibrant expression or depth. Just boring strips of fabric all slapped together. I can already tell this is going to be easy, especially if you defend a culture less 'marvel' of a city such as this." He judged.
Clay growled slightly. "With ya Erin. Feels like we've been talking to this thing for years already." He agreed.
Nodding in unison, he grabbed the chamr around his neck. "Essencia Awaken!" He'd call out with his own southern accent on the words, bursting into a fit of Earth-y feeling and magic.
"Solid Earth! Brown Sentinel Ranger!" He called out in his lunging flex pose. "Power Rangers Sentinels!" He called with the other...three.
Golem snickered. "Hmm. Aren't there supposed to be more of you than four? I don't see a scrawny lad with you. Maybe my creator has decided I'm too much of a work of art to vanquish. Or attempt to vanquish." Golem said, full of himself.
Clay spat in his helmet....well no literally. Gross. "Aye now, I won't sit here and listen to that crap coming out of someone's mouth. Especially not when that someone is made out of my element and even my name specifically!" He said. Becacue clay is of the Earth...and his name is Clay...Earth Sentinel....teehee. Maybe too much was put into that?
Golem scoffed at the humans. "Spawners, rework these pests into something more useful. Like slabs of nothing." He commanded. And so the Spawners viciously growled and snarled, charging at the Rangers with death bring their drive. Clay looked at the others an gave a good nod before charging back at the beasts. Clay had summoned the Sentinel Mace, giving it a good swing before unleashing his weapon on a Sapwners head.


Back at the Coven, watching it all in the scry, Benji just sighed. Novus' apology was nice, but really that fair had said enough for one evening. Jeez. He put his hands up just as Fate requested he be silent for the remainder of the time being.
Benji let out a breath as Fate asked him to walk with her. Great. Probably going to try and talk him into staying or something. Did he not have freedom of choice? But for now he just nodded ad followed Fate back where apparently archives of the past were kept. Old Sentinels, history, possibly allies and whatever was left to display the past, that jazz.
A fair assumption he wasn't the only one in the past to be skeptical about this all, or just flat-out reject it. The Catholic priest came up. "So now I'm being compared to a priest afraid of being burned as a witch?" He replied as Fate spoke. "As comforting as it is to know I'm not the only one who's felt like this I don't see how comparing me to this guy helps anything." Benji replied.
Fate spoke of this man finding a reason to fight, and that the Charm had a reason for choosing him and everyone else, blah blah. Nothing hat hadn't been said in comic book stories of heroes chosen by all but the literally embodiment of Fate.
This raised a question in him...which he'd asked in his head of: "What even do I have in me that sparks this whole magic thing? Erin's exploration history with her parents, Clay's muscle and skill, Dylan's knowledge and ability, and April's heart and soul all make up for them all being more than qualified. Why did Fate or this Charm have to pick the orphaned art student?"
"Oh this question in nature like me, has a sense of wonder about simply 'why me?'"
Oh God..."Hey, Sylvan. Still with the rhyming?" Benji thought.
"Tis only nature of this tree. Tell me Benji, why are you in need?" Sylvan replied...not even a technical rhyme that time. OH CRAP THAT RHYMED. "I didn't think I was in need. Sure didn't call you, did I?" Benji said...aloud. Whoops. "Sylvan's in my head again."
"Remind thou that if you seek a fighting boon, the answer is quick to find you some time soon." Sylvan mentally butted in. A fighting boon? Isn't a boon basically something used to barter with? A fighting boon...maybe barter in this context means to find purpose? Benji shook his head and flat'out asked Fate something.
"Okay Fate...tell me something. Why do you think the Charm picked me? Out of everyone else in the world and other worlds. I come from a broken family with my parents in prison and my brother off doing his own thing while I'm still in an orphanage trying to get an art degree. Why was I among the five that became Sentinels? Why'd this crap have to come and ruin my life..." He wondered.

Not even five minutes into arriving in Ebongrove and this monster had already insulted them! April gasped as he called their outfits drabby. "My outfit isn't drabby. It's cute. Ya know what's drabby? Your...face." She said, unsure. Maybe she'd leave trash talking to the others...
April had followed Erin's lead in morphing. "Essencia Awaken!" She called with the other three, gripping the Charm and bursting with a rush of cool wind. Odd only having four of them here, but that didn't matter. It couldn't matter if they were gonna win.
"Soaring Wind! White Sentinel Ranger!" She called, her feminine delicate pose pulling itself off. "Power Rangers Sentinels!" She called with everyone present and accounted for. Her cape flowed in the wind ever so slightly, as if it was directly targeting her. Oh wait...it just might be.
She took a breath as the monster called them out on being short a member. "Like Benji would think twice about getting rid of you!" She replied. April then paused as Clay said what he said. Clay is of the Earth and Clay is his name...oh goodness...
Literally this monster is made of clay and he's trash talking with Clay, the Earth Sentinel. Holy mother of..."Anyone else think that's weird? Clay monster made of Earth, Earth Sentinel named Clay? Huh? Anyone?" April whispered quietly to Dylan and Erin. ( Steel Accord )

Then came the Spawners. This critic insulted their clothes, their town, and now he's attacking. Dandy! April had also taken out her weapon of her own, Sentinel Crossbow. She gripped it and positioned it for better aiming. Staying back at a range where she'd be better off. Of course that didn't stop a few Spawners from coming at her directly past the others as they charged.
April fired into the Spawners, energy bolts/arrows hitting their chests. Hey, she's getting pretty good at this! She's actually getting most shots to take! She aimed and shot again and again, lowering her head to avoid contact with a weapon of the frog demons.

Dylan raised an eyebrow at April's apparent insult. Really? Not that being gifted at insulting people should be considered a gift but "your face?" That was more of a joke than a biting slight. Eh, Dylan was not one to throw stones, he probably sounded like a total tool half the time anyway. Especially to Benji. Again, Dylan was re-examining every interaction they had. Was Benji resentful or did he feel like Dylan was showing off?

In any case, Dylan had to focus, that was a problem for later, the monster was a problem for now.
"Essencia awaken!" He cried. He clutched the charm and it burst in his fist, water splashing and running over him and transforming into his ranger form. With a few quick stomps into a kneeling stance, which created more splashes themselves, he shouted his callsign. "Surging water! Power Rangers Sentinels!" He shouted with the others.

Dylan quickly pooled Diluvian for help while kicking the first spawner in the head with a crescent kick. On the second twirl of another crescent kick, water streamed from his leg, making a trail that followed the path of his strike. Dylan spun into a kneeling stance and caught the water, coalescing into his trident. Cartwheeling, he landed near April and thrust into a spawner. He stuck close to her, keeping the spawners off her while she picked them off from a distance. It was a tactical decision to be sure . . . the fact that he got to show off his Wu Shu spear skills to April was a bonus.

Fate considered Benji's question for a moment before a small smile crossed her face. "Even if I were to know the answer, I couldn't tell you. It's important all of you figure out that reason for yourself." It wasn't really helping, but it was all she could tell him. She may be the embodiment of Fate, but she wasn't all-knowing. She may have had a hand in choosing the new Sentinels, but all the exact reasons... There were things she could never know. Like with Erin and Clay. One of them was the Son of the Archon, and it just wasn't right. Either the Son was a girl, or the Son was the wrong element. "But perhaps it's exactly where you came from that makes you so well-suited for the position. Still, as I said, I will not keep you here. If you do not want this life, you're free to leave and forget this all happened."
---
Erin chuckled. Clay was right. They were fighting a Golem, named Golem, made out of clay. And clay was made of Earth. And coincidentally, the Sentinel of the Earth element... was named Clay! Whether it was too much thinking or not, it was true, and really funny! "Funny? Yes. Too coincidental? Maybe." Erin replied to April. Golem went further with annoying and insulting them by mocking their clothes, their city, and their missing friend. Hadn't she already said this... thing had said more than enough already? And then the Spawners came running their way, smelly and ugly as always. Erin wasted no time and summoned her sword. It quickly burst into flames, combining Igneos' power with her eagerness to defeat Golem for Benji's sake. She slashed away at the Spawners, leaving trails of fire in her wake. In her mind, she could see the visual of Igneos, laughing, swirling around, blazing. Eager to burn the Spawners to a crisp. April was taking the Spawners down from a distance, Dylan was staying close to her to prevent the Spawners from squishing her roommate, and Clay was taking care of Spawners ahead. Might as well help him out there, no?

"Hey Shirley. Move aside!" Erin called to him, referring to the earlier pun as she leaped into the air, using the Mace as leverage to get even higher up in the air, crescent slashing Spawners below and gracefully landing next to Clay again. She flipped her cloak aside upon landing. "Don't you think this thing only gets in the way?" she asked.

"Where I come from? A broken home, then an orphanage?" Benji asked himself. Fate knew what she was talking about, but Benji didn't follow with how his origins mattered here. Especially his current state as an art student living as an unofficial employee in an orphanage whose statue had been turned to life and was now reigning an evil terror storm. He just didn't see it.
"I guess that's it then. Sorry, Fate. Maybe whoever's next in line will be better for this sort of thing. Let's try and get me un-bonded from this Charm somehow..." Benji said. He was sure of it this time. He wanted out...he wanted his life to be normal again and remain the level of stressful it should be. Not this. He walked with Fate out back to the main area of the Coven.
---
Erin using the mace as leverage to go higher was unexpected, but Clay could handle it. Sure it meant a Spawner he meant to hit ended up hitting him instead, but after she'd leaped he managed to get a good swing in at its head. All was good.
"Aye now, I ain't gonna be Shirley all the time." Clay commented as Erin still worked off of the earlier pun. Spawners approached from one side, Clay swung the mace around him, bashing them all aside and using his fist for a swipe in the other direction. He ground pounded the mace and caused a stir, Spawners losing balance and falling. He did it again, this time a brown wave struck as well, eliminating the fiends.
"Not as annoying as they could be," he responded to Erin, gripping the cape on him and twirling, using it to stun a Spawner and let him punch it.

Golem watched as things progressed, the Sentinels fighting the Spawners and having a fair time with them. Just wait until they saw his power. "I, the great Golem haven't the time for this nonsense. Why not just kill them already?" he thought aloud. Golem rested his hands on his waist and shook his head. His artistic nature simply didn't belong with these brutes!
Clay glanced over at him and chuckled. "You think you're too good for this? Suck it up, buttercup, you're messing with the big dogs now!" He said. Clay then ditched Erin with the Spawners as they thinned out, jumping up in the air and charging Golem. "Yeeeeeehaw!" He let out a wicked cry, slamming the mace down on Golem, severing his arm! Clay cheered and kicked him aside, laughing at it. "Ha! Looky here! I got his arm off!" Clay announced, clearly proud. Huh, this would be easier than he thought! Golem returned with a laugh. "You fool."
The severed arm started to move on its own. It then leaped up at Clay and punched him in the head, off guard. Clay yelped and fell over, rolling away and holding his head. The arm then reattached as it did before underground.
Clay stared at Golem as his arm simply returned to him. "What in tarnation...y'all seeing this?" He asked everyone.
Golem started laughing again. "Fools. I am art. You can't harm me. I'll just keep coming back. And, I can do this." he announced, forming both of his arms into wide-bladed axes. He chuckled and swing his ax arms around, stretching them out to strike at Clay, Erin, Dylan and April where they all stood, sparks flying from their suits and a loud yelp coming from Clay's lips.

He laughed as the Spawners thinned out and the Rangers lay on the ground in pain. And as if time was just being an ass...a bus appeared in the road. It had just turned off from another street, unknowningly turning into a battle. The bus was a small one, a bus owned by...the orphanage! You could tell judging by how the orphanage's name was on it...duh. And kids were on board! What in the Hell were they doing out here? Worst luck! The driver saw what was going on and immediately started to back away. Golem looked at the bus and laughed. Artistic designs decorated the bus to give it a 'kiddy' feel. "Oh how poor taste. I'll have to rid the city of that! Sniveling children and all!" He said, laughing again and swinging his ax arms out at the bus's tires, popping them and trapping the bus. He laughed harder, taunting the bus full of kids and the orphanage directors.
Clay saw this and immediately gasped. "No! That there's the orphanage bus. We can't let him hurt them kids!" He yelled to the others. As he tried getting up, Golem simply put him back down with an extended ax to the chest.
---
Back at the Coven, just as Benji walked in the main area with Fate, he'd seen it all go down on the scry glass. Golem displaying his power, attacking the others, taunting them and...oh no. Benji's heart skipped a beat as he saw Golem, his creation, attacking a bus. Not just any bus. A bus owned by the orphanage. The same one in Ebongrove he'd lived in for so many years. He lived in it now! And Golem's attacking it...maybe the kids and the directors wanted to see Benji on campus and his art to surprise him? The bus was heading in that general direction, he assumed...he clenched his fists. "That...that bus...the kids..." he muttered, fists shaking. Benji's eyes were practically on fire. Golem was taunting and threatening to harm those kids. His kids.
He shut his eyes and thought for a moment. Reason for yourself. Cause worth fighting for. These were the things on his mind. Seeing the kids in danger, seeing his new friends in a pickle...Benji's fists shook harder. His Charm was practically glowing. Oh wait, it was! Maybe he'd discovered a new power in himself?
He looked at Fate and at Novus. "I...I think I get it. Maybe it had to get bad before I realized it, but...I want to protect those kids. My kids. Innocent little ones who haven't done a thing to hurt anyone. That's what I want to fight for. For them, to keep them alive with hopes of finding families. For all of the kids in the world, even. Vorkalth can do what he wants to the world. But he doesn't come after my kids. That's where I draw the line." He stated, determined.

Benji then stepped over to the pentagram and nodded at the two mentor figures. "I didn't ask for this. But I'll be damned before anyone hurts those kids." He said, gripping the Charm. "Essencia Awaken!" He called in the Coven, feeling the burst of nature through him, skipping the role call, morphing in the Coven before leaving. Green energy and the scent of grass filled the room, and Benji teleported himself to the area.
As he zapped on over, he summoned the Glaive, appearing almost out of thin air. He tossed it out at Golem from behind, the thing leaving a green trail behind it as it slashed right through him. "Surprise, bitch." Benji said. And boooy he sounded mad. He looked at the others on the ground. "Miss me?"

Dylan's technique and his form was...impressive. He'd come close to April as he combated the Spawners, almost...trying to impress her? Show off. April grinned slightly under her visor, squeezing the crossbow trigger and continuously firing out at the monsters. She aimed forward at a Spawner's head, firing a bolt into its forehead, watching it bounce off into another. Her skills with the crossbow weren't as good as Dylan's Wu Shu spear moves, but...hey, the girl tried.
A Spawner attempted rushing the two of them. "Dylan, duck!" She said, shoving him downward and swinging the crossbow melee style to slash at it. Success! "Woohoo!" She said, taking a more side-by-side stance with Dylan to prevent further intrusions such as that one.

She looked over as a prideful Clay severed the arm of Golem. "Nice one, cowboy!" She called over, firing another quick shot into the nearly-finished Spawners. Then the arm...uh...what?
April had kicked into the side of a Spawner and fired yet another quick shot when she saw Golem's arm reattaching itself to his body. Then his arms became axes after punching Clay! April extended an arm out. "Clay!" She gasped slightly, only to be silenced by Golem's stretchy ax arm. Sparks flew and a wince escaped her lips, knocking her down to her back. She tried getting up, but as it did with Clay, it resulted in another hit on her. Ouch! She dropped the crossbow.

Just as things took a turn down south--and that didn't mean they were going to Clay's homeland--a bus appeared and had been stopped. An orphanage bus? Gee wiz, doesn't crap like this only happen in comic books? WHAT WERE THE ODDS A BUS FULL OF ORPHANS WOULD BE IN JEOPARDY?
"Hold on, kid's! We won't let him--" April started to yell out, but she was again silence with a strike at her chest. What are they gonna do? They can't just let all of those kids on the bus get hurt!!! Poor things are probably scared to death!

And then...he returned. Out of nowhere, Benji appeared, morphed and fired up. Or...nature-d up? He attacked Golem with his weapon. "Benji?" April asked on the ground, looking up at him. He...he came back! Yes!

Fate smiled vaguely. Benji seemed certain of it all here. She couldn't get herself to tell him the importance of it being specifically the five of them to fight the fight, nor how getting unbound to the Charm would work. Unpleasantness best left unmentioned. She walked with him to the main area of the Coven again, looking from the Window to Novus, to Benji and back. Novus' face paled seeing the look on his companion's face. He opened his mouth to say something, but a gesture on Fate's side shut him up before he had even uttered a sound. It was best to get this over with quickly... but if they'd wait just a moment longer, then maybe...
---
"You asked for it," Erin teased as she slashed away in the group of Spawners approaching them. She cloaked her blade in flames, swirling around leaving fiery trails of death on the Spawners' chests. She kicked one back and rapidly turned around to face another creature from Hell. Her cloak swirled behind her, making contact with one of the fiery trails. And you'd really expect the cloak of the one controlling fire to at least be fire resistant, right? Well, nope it wasn't. So now she was twirling around, her cloak on fire. Erin yelped, trying to grip the cloak and stomp the fire out, but her increasing fear only seemed to make the fire burn more and more. Erin stopped to take a deep breath. Stay in control now. Aren't you supposed to be the leader of this bunch? she spoke to herself. Supposed is the keyword. I'm no leader... Well, at least use that brain of yours then. Think, girl, think!

She nearly missed the fact Clay had ditched her with the Spawners to go after Golem. If anyone should be the leader, it'd be him. After all... the whole Son of the Archon mess still wasn't cleared up yet either, was it? Something was off here. Anyway... Clay was faring a lot better than she was. He just chopped off the arm of Golem like nobody's business! He was justly proud of it. But oddly... Golem just laughed at him! And then the chopped off arm punched him in the face! What the...?! To make things weirder, the arm just went back to his body and reattached itself. And then they turned into axes! Yikes, this was baaaaaad.... Yup, really bad. The arms stretched and knocked her down pretty hard. On the bright side: the fire was off. On the downside: she was on the ground and in pain. Erin tried to get back to her feet and make her way back to the rest, but she only got hit again. Sparks flew, and again she yelped.

Of course things just had to get worse from there on. A bus full of innocent little orphans just rounded the corner. What were the odds?! Was this some bad superhero movie or something?
"We have to d-.. Gah!" Erin was knocked back right into the ground with the rest as she tried to get up again. As much as she might hate kids, seeing a bus full of them being attacked by Golem wasn't something she'd let happen. After all, she wasn't heartless.
---
Fate smiled again, watching the events in Ebongrove unfold. Things always had to get worse before they got better, that was a fact. And here they were, a turning point for Benji and his path as a Sentinel.
"Good luck, Benjamin," Fate said, nodding. As did Novus. He morphed back in the Coven before getting on the Pentagram and teleporting into the city to aid his friends. And in the Coven... Fate and Novus gave each other a high-five.
"You knew this was going to happen?" Novus asked.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Or not exactly and entirely," Fate replied.
"You knew it," Novus said again, though this time it sounded more as a conclusion rather than a question.
And to back that up, the Coven filled with noises: growls and screeches mostly.
---
Out of nowhere, Benji returned, morphed and all. He cursed, which seemed odd, but he was obviously pissed. The guy was on fire, and fire wasn't even his element! Erin was surprised first, relieved second, and afterwards just excited. Yes! He returned! He came back, he really did! Now it was five Sentinels again, the way it should be. "Great timing!" she called to him from the ground.

Dylan ducked as he felt April place her hand upon his back and batted some bladed missile away with her crossbow. She took a stance right next to him, back to back.
"Thanks for the save, April!" He said with a nod of his helmet. It then, of course, occured to him that he was back to back with a girl. His back muscles flexed because he was nervous. A spawner thankfully tried to chop his head off, providing Dylan an excuse to jump kick himself a few inches from April. The two of them worked well in tandem. Dylan swept his trident low, sending spawners tumbling through the air, easy targets for April. In turn, April would stagger spawner advances, leaving them wide open for a stab or slash.

April broke from him to save the children and Dylan's heart skipped a beat as she was struck hard, sparks flying from her suit.
"April!" Dylan rushed over, dropping to a knee to try and see if she was all right. Deluvian bellowed in his head to look out. Sounding not unlike a literal drunken sailor. Dylan looked in time to see a massive clay fist (not to be confused with Clay's fist) rocketing toward him. He rose and raked his trident upward, sending the fist flying upward. "Ha!" Dylan exclaimed. Then the fist came right back down, hammering Dylan like a nail. Dylan was thrown back, sparks likewise flying from him.

That's when . . . no . . . it couldn't be. Benji! He was back! He morphed and had come to save the day!
"Welcome ba-aaaack!" Dylan groaned and clutched his side.

Golem cursed at the sudden blow to his back. The Glaive sliced through him, severing his torso temporarily. As he reattached himself, he turned from the bus full of terrified children to face the Sentinels. "What is the meaning of this? Another drabby spandex-wearing fool?" Golem asked. "Ohh wait. My creator, are you? I feel your aura. The artist behind this mastery!"

"I'd never take pride in something like you." Benji snarled at Golem, catching the glaive upon its return. Clay looked up at him from the ground. "Yeeee doggy! What brings you round?" he asked him, lifting himself up off of the ground.
Benji started helping everybody up one by one. "Sorry about my absence. I had to come back. Maybe I didn't sign up for this. Maybe I'm not the best suited for it. Maybe we're all strangers. But knowing the Legions threatens us all, especially those kids...my kids, I won't sit back and take it. I want to fight with you guys. I wanna keep those kids and all other kids safe." Benji said, promising a better future for himself and painting a pretty picture in his head.
Clay smiled under his visor and patted his arm. "Darn tootin'." He said, popping his neck. Benji smiled and eyed Golem past everyone's shoulders. The orphans on the bus looked at the multi colored heroes with awe and admiration. Maybe they would save them? These are the Power Rangers, right? Surely they'll save them!!!

"Ugh. Green, brown, white, blue and red? Those colors don't match! Who designed your outfits?" Golem asked everyone, looking at them as if they'd fallen out of a middle school art museum....what?
"Can it, Golem. You mess with my kids and my friends? You're going down. Even if I have to completely dismantle you." Benji said. A true artist is never truly satisfied with their work...but in this case he wanted to completely tear his work apart limb from limb. Clay butted in with some news. "Uh Benji, this guy just regenerates. How we supposed to kill it?"
The artist nodded. "I have an idea. I need you guys to work with me, okay? Just follow my lead." Benji stated. Clay nodded. "Right behind ya, partner."

Benji stood in the middle of the five once they were up and assembled. They'd make this quick! Golem chuckled and folded his now-normal arms. "Do you really think you can stun such art as I?"
"I don't intend to stun you. I intend to end you." Benji replied to his creation. With weapons at the ready, Benji tightly gripped the glaive, focusing harshly on Golem. The monster laughed again. Silly fools think they can stop him? Wrong.
Golem lashed out again, this time extending his arms out to grab the Rangers. Benji then swiped up the glaive and slashed one arm, grabbing a hold of it tightly. "Clay!" he shouted, Clay grabbing the other. The two of them held Golem's arms in place and disabling him from attacking. "April, give him all you got. Dylan and Erin, use your elements! Dylan can get him all soggy and make his clay malleable, and Erin can dry and crisp him up!" Benji ordered. Maybe if April kept shooting at him while Dylan and Erin used their powers to alter the clay, he and Clay could break him! Worth a shot!

(basically just shoot him, hit him with water and fire and power ranger logic will apply in my new post lol)

Benji's drive and determination made April smile. She graciously accepted the help up back on her feet, dusting her suit off and picking her weapon back up, catching her breath for the moment. She smiled wide and nodded at Benji.
"I thin we all want to keep children safe. I'm happy you came around!" April said softly to him, genuinely thrilled at his choice to return! He'd found a reason to fight. Something to push him forward. Something they could all agree on as well. Their reasons individually may differ, but Benji had at least gained his courage and his drive. Booyah!

Golem insulting their suits and colors was just plain uncalled for! "Hey, we didn't pick these designs! Blame the fairy we work for!" April thought out loud at Golem. "Oh man, I hope Fate and Novus didn't hear that....no, of course they didn't." She said to herself, gulping sightly. Awkward. But uh...at least the capes are cute?
The monsters abilities to regenerate and everything would prove to be a problem. Maybe they'd all overcome it somehow, but how? Benji said he had a plan. April herself wasn't much of a thinker in this situations. Better to go with the flow and follow someone else. In this case, the pissed off orphan in green was the man she would listen to. She'd nodded as he asked them all to do as he said for the time being. Of course she'd follow him! She'd follow any of her friends! Day or night! "With you!"
Golem's arms reached out, both Benji and Clay grabbing on to them and disabling him from attacking for a short time. Perfect opportunity for the others to hit him!

"This is for threatening those kids! And for being a....big clay loser!" April said to Golem as he stood immobilized from the waist up, aiming and shooting the crossbow at his chest. Three shots fired, two hit him. One hi the ground. She's working on getting better..."Oh, got him! Go guys!" She said enthusiastically.

Dylan was pumped by Benji's new display of conviction in his cause. It made him wonder if he should still apologize later. Eh, better to be safe than sorry. If you step on a crab on the beach, even if you didn't mean to, you should go back and say you're sorry.

Dylan, like the others, briefly beheld the children on the bus. Those wide eye looks of awe and wonder. He remembered when he had the same expression looking upon similar heroes. Now he had come full circle, now children were looking at him with admiration and he was that same hero he once admired as a child. Dylan raised a casual wave and gave a nod. He was thankful his helmet gave him a solid and unreadable expression because he was grinning like a goof underneath it.

At Benji's command, Dylan once again summoned Diluvian.

"More time for us to play, cutie?" She asked.

"You bet, partner. Be as waves on the rocky shore. And pound this guy!"

"No homo, right brah?" He cracked like a frat bro.

"Just do it!" Dylan let slip out loud. With a cough of embarrassment, Dylan got to work, trident twirling Golem's attacks away as he got to the monster's side. He slammed the weapon on to the ground and it cracked like mighty Poseidon causing an earthquake, then water gushed out like a fountain. Dylan stabbed his trident into the stream and it redirected at a 90 degree angle right at Golem.

Boy, it was going to take some serious time and looking into Southern slang before Erin would understand what Clay was saying when he said those things. She accepted the help back to her feet, really really glad to see Benji was back in action, and really pissed off. Normally, of course, she wouldn't be happy to see a friend pissed off, but she'd make an exception for cases like this one. "S'alright," she said to Benji as he apologized for wanting to back out before. Really...though she hadn't considered the same she could understand. And Benji definitely made a point. None of them had signed up for this initially... except maybe Dylan, they still were relative strangers, and everyone of them still had a lot to learn and a long way to go before they'd live up to the Sentinels of old, but give them a reason to fight, and they'd all take a stand.

She turned around, looking at Golem and the bus full of kids behind him. Obviously, it was up to them all to save these children. Erin briefly grimaced under her visor.She really, really, really didn't like kids. But letting them die would be a little too excessive. So better they just do what they seemingly do best: kick monster butts. Especially one that just loved to insult their outfits. April defended them by putting the blame on Novus and Fate, then claiming they hadn't heard it.
"And what if we did?" Novus replied to them all.
"We're watching the battle, and we CAN hear you," Fate chimed in. Whoops.
"Could've known that," Erin shook her head lightly. They had SEEN just before how Fate and Novus could watch the city in case of an attack, and probably also when there were no attacks.

So Benji was pissed and seemed to have a plan to get rid of Golem. Might be wise to listen to him. Besides, his plan was really all they got right now. Might as well give it a shot. Or many shots in April's case. Anyway, hopefully it was going to work and they could just deal with this guy already. Erin wanted to go back to chilling at the restaurant with everyone, damnit!

"Nice going, guys!" Erin cheered, jumping up and down. She was getting pumped! Or should she say.... fired up? She felt the familiar warmth brewing inside her chest, that nice tingling sensation of a campfire or hearth, growing bigger and brighter as her excitement fuelled it.
"That pun may just be the worst one I've heard. And I've been around since the beginning of time!" Igneos commented inside her mind.
"Believe me, I've got far worse up my sleeve," Erin commented back.
"Oh gods." Erin could swear she'd heard Igneos sigh audibly, but there was a hint of amusement to it. Fire flared around her sword again as she rushed up to Golem. Once Dylan's water attack had subdued, she slashed at the wet clay monster. Right across the chest with a flaming sword. Would Benji's plan work out?

Hmmm. Knowing Novus and Fate heard the outfit bit? Yikes. But oh well. They'd live. But these kids wouldn't if they didn't hurry and beat this thing once and or all. As April continued to pelt Golem with shots, Benji and Clay held the arms down to give everyone fair shots. Dylan's water softened the clay making Golem, and Erin's fiery slash took advantage of that soggy clay, not only leaving a nasty slash wound on the body of Golem, but instantly drying the clay out. And when clay is too dry? It becomes brittle and starts to crack. Clay shot a look t Dylan as he randomly said something meant only for Deluvian to hear. "Dylan, y'alright bud?" he asked quietly.

Golem let out a shriek as April attack. He then made sounds of 'too cold!' in regards to the high pressure water, then a shriek of pain again as the fire slash hit him. "How dare you insult my beautiful form! You filthy swine are nothing compared to me!" He spat at them all, his arms still held down but Clay and Benji.
"Pound this sucker while he's all breakable!" Grondo shouted at Clay mentally...not so much suggesting, but commanding. Clay shuddered. "Gee. You need etiquette lessons." Clay thought back. But he nodded. When Golem's defenses were down, he slammed his arm on the ground and stomped on it for good stretchy measure. With the mace, Clay ran right up to Golem and pounded him right in the chest. Golem felt the heavy weight of the strike, chunks of clay escaping his body in place of sparks. They're breaking him apart and taking his regeneration power away! Woohoo!
Golem cried out, wincing at how he felt the fear of falling apart. Benji nodded at Clay and the others, letting Golem's arm go. He quickly sliced off Golem's hands with the glaive to ensure he wouldn't be using them again. Maybe because he was so weak, he could just get them back on his arms? Hmm. Logic may not apply to certain people in bright spandex.

He then stepped forward. Golem shuddered and groaned, rolling around slightly to the misery he'd felt in return. "You're such a waste of clay and time. I'll win that art contest. But I won't with you." Benji said to him. The kids on the bus couldn't hear, so he wouldn't be outed as a Sentinel. To finish him off, Benji closed his eyes, swaying the glaive in the air, full 360 motion, channeling something into the weapon. "In times of great need, remember the power of magic seed!" Sylvan mentally chimed in.
For once...a rhyme made sense. Magic seed? As in...the seed that would sprout to a tree. A cause that would drive him to fight. Benji's seed/cause channeled itself into his weapon, leaf-like energy swirling the glaive. Resulting in Benji's soon-to-be-tree/reason to fight. He wanted to protect those kids. The kids he loved so much. And he'd stop at nothing to do it! Bring on the weird! Benji flung his eyes open, glaive charged at ready. "Sprouting Nature! Forest Attack!" He loudly yelled, tossing it over at Golem, the glaive rapidly spinning and slicing into him repeatedly, striking from all angles with green slashed in their wake. Golem was being sliced into pieces of clay, a final blow striking his chest. "What are the odds that in my finished form, I'm basically what I started as. A pile of clay!" Golem painfully said before exploding. Fire erupted, and Golem was no more!!!!

The kids on the bus cheered, safe and free of Golem's terror. Benji caught the glaive when it returned, catching his breath. Clay just patted his back...hard, almost knocking him over. "Yeeeeeeehaw!" He cried out, pumped from victory. He did it! They did it! Golem was gone!!! Benji and his friends worked together and made the city safe again! The day was safe....unless he suddenly returned as say...a giant or something to make it worse. Bu that's impossible. That's not gonna happen....is it?

It worked! It had actually worked! Golem was destroyed and the city was safe once more!
"Booyah!" Erin fist pumped the air as the Golem exploded and started to burn. Ooh, more fire! Wait wait wait... explosions? Fire? How was that a good thing? Who was going to repair the damage? And just how did a pile of clay explode after being sliced at? This didn't make sense... Then again, they were wearing colored outfits with capes attached, fighting demons with weapons and magical powers under the lead of a fairy and an owl. Supposedly things just stopped making sense a while ago. She high fived everyone near her and was just ready to head back to the Coven, demorph, shout about how awesome and strange this fight was, and get back to the restaurant to continue hanging out. Or maybe offer Benji some help with all that clay? He still had a statue to finish, after all!
---
Vorkalth cursed in the Underground. A poor nearby Spawner had to face his wrath and got slashed at with his staff. Curses! Such a promising creation... ruined! Damn those Sentinels, they would pay for this. This creature was strong and had proven himself. If that pesky little brat in green hadn't showed up, Golem would have cut those other Sentinels up to little pieces. This one deserved a second chance. "NENET!" he bellowed through the underground. Wherever she was at, she'd hear him. "Work our magic and show them what the Legion is truly capable of!" This second chance, the final chance Golem would get, would surely prove to be much more dangerous than his previous form. He could deal with all of the Sentinels, as well as that pathetic city of theirs in just one step. Literally.
So Nenet worked her magic, and Vorkalth watched the events unfold on the scrying glass. Dark clouds gathered in the sky above where Golem had fallen. The Legion's fark magic swirled down, dowsing the flames of the explosion and making Golem rise from his ashes once more. But... as a giant this time.
---
Just as Erin was about to suggest they'd all go back and celebrate Benji's return, the sky got dark. Like really dark and totally out of nowhere. "That... doesn't look good," she said. Thank you Captain Obvious, what would the team do without you? As the magic swirled down, Erin even added a "in fact, that looks very very bad". And it was bad. Very very bad. Golem rose again, growing taller and taller. As if six feet wasn't tall enough yet! Now he was like 60 ft tall. Ten times its previous size!
Erin stumbled backwards, tripping over her cape and landing on her butt. "What the...?!" she exclaimed. "Just how are we going to take that on?" Seriously, would they suddenly have to grow ten times their sizes as well and kick butt again? Just repeat the previous plan?
"We've got something to help you," Novus said. Again they could hear that roaring and screeching and whatever other strange sounds they had heard in the Coven a bit earlier that day. A portal opened, and through it came... wait what now?
"Say hello to the Sentinel Beasts," Novus said. Erin blinked and rubbed her eyes over the visor.
"I know this has been asked before... but are you all seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked. Just as she was starting to get used to having magic and the idea that fighting demons was now a duty and regular business, things got even stranger. Through the portal... no wait, PORTALS came a Phoenix, a Hippogriff, a Centaur, a Gargoyle, and a Capricorn. Each one mainly in one of the Sentinels'' respective colors. They waited near each of the rangers, as if awaiting further orders.
"Ehm... attack?" Erin asked the Phoenix hesitantly while pointing at Golem. The Phoenix obeyed and swooped down at Golem with flaming wings.
"Awesome," Erin mumbled.

April let out a cheer herself as Benji ultimately finished off Golem. Barraging him with shots, elements, and just cutting him up until he went 'boom' was certainly an interesting choice. But really, is there such a formula to execute their foes? She didn't know if what Benji did was the correct way, but it got the job done. Nothing was normal. But who cared? A shame that Benji's hard work went to waste on that sculpture though...who knows, maybe he can rebuild it? Make a new one? Something new? She'd offer to help him...after all, that contest was important to win, no? She gave him a few good pats on the arm, delicate and feminine. "Good work, Benji. Glad you're back." She said softly and sweetly.
---
The opposite of sweet occurred in the underworld. Vorkalth's loud cry for Nenet was heard all over. She quickly rushed to his side, knowing Golem had been slain. She bowed before her master. "Yes, Vorkalth. Those Sentinels shall pay for wasting our fine soldier. Too easy he has fallen, this time he won't be as fast to fall!" She said.
Nenet then knelt down before the altar. She began the chant, dark magic swirling around her. "Gods and goddess of the underworld, hear my call. Girth of an ogre I beg be bestowed. Rise up this fallen creature, make thy victim large and strong! I command thee evil forces, rise this corpse to Godly power!" She chanted before the altar, the dark magic result in clouds above Golem's body...what was left. And on the surface, Golem rose up, answering the evil prayers of Nenet, making him giant and powerful!
---
Everything was fine. The day had been saved, the children were gonna be okay, and the team was all together and...everything...was...normal. Only...not at all? Before their very eyes, Golem had returned from the seemingly dead. Only now, he had arisen as a giant. A GIANT. Watching him rise up cause April to gasp and quickly step back a few feet, not falling down as Erin did on her behind. She pointed up at the now giant Golem. "What the....how?" She pointed out. He's massive! Why is he back? And how do they kill him now?!
Novus chimed in their minds. Something to help them? What did he have in mind? A big giant sword to crush Golem with? Or...a portal? "Sentinel Beasts?" April though aloud. The same sounds from earlier escaped from the portal. Roaring, humming...screeching? "I see it too, Erin...but what are we seeing?" She asked.
The portal...portals, grew larger. Something emerged out from them. Then they popped out. Giant beasts...each one a different color to match the Rangers. A red Phoenix...a white Hippogriff, blue Capricorn, green Centaur, brown Gargoyle. Whatever these things were, they freaked April out at first. She screamed. "Ahhhh!"
But the beasts didn't appear mean...they were...awaiting orders? Here to help? "Okay...giant things helping us with another giant thing? Freaky..." She said aloud, shaking her head, nervously gripping at her cape. She gestured at Golem as Erin did. "Uh...gosh do you fly or run? Whatever you do...do it? Please?" She asked the Hippogriff. It let out an affirmative screech, dashing to Golem and sweeping at him with its...beak? Unbelievable...

Avlazor cried out as Golem died. "Nooooo! Golem go boom! Golem gone! Avlazor thought Golem was unkillable." He said...sadly. Avlazor wasn't too bright, so one could forgive his manner of speaking and his...'word' choice. Avlazor slumped against a wall, faintly resting on a Spawner as well in the lair. He very sorrowfully wept at the loss of their monster. Avlazor suggested turning him into a monster, and now he's gone! Master Vorkalth and Nenet are gonna be mad...
But not. Nenet did a spell when the master got mad. And now, Avlazor went from basically crying to cheering. "Oh! Golem got big!" he cheered, watching the scry into the human world. As big as he is now...he could stomp those dumb humans! Payback time!
---
Just before Golem's return, Benji smiled under his visor as his friends cheered on and rested for a second. He glanced at the bus, tires still damaged. He'd then took out the Sentinel Staff in wand mode. He closed his eyes and focused hard. "Alright. Nature, patch up those tires. Magic...well, just fix them long enough to get them out of here." He said softy. Benji then extended his arm out with the wand, a spell temporarily fixing the bus tires. The orphans gave him and the Rangers a powerful wave of thanks and goodbye. In time, the bus had driven away, even if the tire repair didn't make a whole lot of sense.

And it was perfect timing. When the bus was gone and the kids were safe, Golem had arisen from the pile of clay left over. Benji then forget about his friends' words. Golem rose up from the dead, powered up and stronger than before. "Ahh. A true work of art never dies. Now to remodel this pathetically ugly city!" He said loudly, stomping around and swatting his hands at the buildings up high. Sparks flew, small pieces of rubble fell as he struck. He'd tear the city apart!!!
Benji jumped back, bumping Dylan back by accident. "How...how the Hell...." Benji asked.
Clay nearly spat in his helmet. "Whoa nelly! What in sam hill is goin' on here? Dag nabbit!" He cursed in the most southern accent he could ever muster. Clay awkwardly tugged on Dylan and Erin's arms, wondering just what the hell was going on!

A giant Golem? Sure the team has beaten monster before but this is insane! Is there a tale of heroes suddenly beating a monster thirty times their size? Anyone?
Then Novus did that thing again. "Man, Novus, what did I say about staying out of my head..." Benji muttered.
But he mentioned some help. Big help...a portal opened, multiple portals. Roaring, screeching and weird sounds came form the other side. And then came the Sentinel Beasts! Mythical animals that looked almost...impossible, slightly robotic even? Or was that just imagination at play?
"Gee doggy....them Beasts are huge! They on our side?" Clay asked everyone. Benji shrugged. "Well, they're standing near us, have our colors, and look like they're awaiting orders...I'd say so." He said.
Golem then caught a glimpse of the beasts. "Oh my! What is this wretch?! Mongrels that had ought to be tamed." Golem stated in such a prick way. The Erin and April had Phoenix and Hippogriff, if those are the beasts they match, attack him! Golem yelped as the whooshing of the phoenix and the beak of the hippogriff struck him. Sparks flew and he stumbled back a bit. The monster was falling back? Maybe this was gonna be easy...how do they control thee things, though? Mentally?
"Amazing...this is exactly what we need." Benji said, suddenly embracing the weird. The big green...centaur looking thing was his, right? "Alright. If you're on our side, give Golem hell! Charge!" Benji ordered. the Centaur then nodded, bowing its head and using its animal nature to charge in like a noble steed, bashing into Golem like a battering ram. (if archery applies at it, will use later) Golem yelped and staggered again.

Clay let out an impressed 'yahoo'. "Oh man! This here's what I call a show!" he yelled. "Hey Dylan, how 'bout we make our beats double team him? Go in at the same time?" Clay suggested. The Gargoyle...wingless gargoyle, stood ready along side Dylan's Capricorn...weird creatures, huh? "Hey there! How 'bout we be buddies and you give that sum bitch some pain!" Clay said, suggesting Gargoyle go in. If Dylan wanted, they could make their beasts go in together. No matter what, gargoyle ran up, pounding its rock-like muscle and pounding into Golem with multiple strikes.

Dylan joined Erin in the others in their high fives and celebration.
"Glad to have you back with us Benji. Listen, I'm sorry for," Dylan was interrupted by another teammate, not out of maliciousness just because there was a lot going on right now. He did witness Benji repair the tires on the bus. Dylan nodded in approval as the bus drove away. "The artist creates. The artist mends as well. Impressive Benji." He gave him a good hearted slap on the shoulder.

He noticed the world got a lot darker and he looked up. The clouds gathered far too quickly to be natural. They did not move naturally, they moved with purpose, not by the currents of the wind. Swirling, a funnel like a tornado stretched down to where Golem's remains lay. The sorceress cyclone, clearly there was an evil at work in the elements, partially hid the remains of the creature but only so much so. Dylan felt the hair on the back of his neck stand as he saw the silhouette of the creature reassembled. He fell back into a fighting stance as it grew even larger. Benji bumped into him, throwing him off balance for a moment. Dylan also felt Clay tugging at his arm. "Get offa me!" Dylan said as he felt like he was being dogpiled. This wasn't going to help them fight Golem. Especially as he continued to ascend in stories. Dylan was totally at a loss along with his friends. He got nervous fighting a guy a head taller than him, even with their powers there was no way to harm something this massive.

Luckily Novus provided help. Dylan saw the portals open. Similar to the teleportation they used only much, much larger. Emerging from each were the Sentinel Beasts. Dylan was in absolute awe. Up until this point, he has seen a wizard, a seer, a spirit, and experienced his own powers. This was different though, these were magnificent and beautiful animals. (With perhaps the exception of the Centaur.) Dylan approached the Capricorn slowly. The chimera bleated and shook its head. Dylan took a moment, he actually removed his helmet, it dissolving into pure Essencia once off his head. He held up a hand, palm up, like he was feeding a horse. The Capricorn leaned down, its size was intimidating but the Capricorn seemed docile enough. Dylan put his hand on the bridge of its giant nose, stroking up and down, again like a horse. The Capricorn let out a low bleat. Dylan looked up at the Sentinel Beast and into its sideway eyes.

Of course, while he was bonding, the others were already fighting.

"Oh shit!" Dylan spun on his heel and his helmet materialized again. "Capricornus! Get in there!" The Capricorn bleated angrily. Scraped the road with its hoof, and slapped the road with its tail. It charged the Golem with its head low and slammed into the monster's midsection.

PenBlade1326 said:

"Hey Dylan, how 'bout we make our beats double team him? Go in at the same time?" Clay suggested. The Gargoyle...wingless gargoyle, stood ready along side Dylan's Capricorn...weird creatures, huh? "Hey there! How 'bout we be buddies and you give that sum bitch some pain!" Clay said, suggesting Gargoyle go in. If Dylan wanted, they could make their beasts go in together.

Click to expand...

"Not a bad idea." Dylan said. "Capricornus! Attack with the Gargoyle!" Dylan shouted. The Capricorn aligned with his counterpart. The Capricorn rolled like a somersault. Its tail encircled, turning its body into a wheel. As the Gargoyle harried the monster the Capricorn rolled at Golem, bounced into the sky, and slammed into the giant construct.

Sitting on the ground and her arm being tucked at was weird. If Clay wanted to help her back to her feet.. well.., this wasn't helping. She scrambled back to her feet and dusted herself off as she watched the Beasts attack the Golem, each in their own way. This was getting more and more awesome! Magic powers, spirits, fairies, people turning into owls, and now GIANT MAGICAL BEASTS FIGHTING GIANT MONSTERS? What was next? That was a question to be answered shortly. As the five beasts had each done their attack, they returned to the side (well, more or less) of their representative Sentinel, screeching/roaring/bleating/making whatever sound they would, awaiting more orders. Golem wasn't defeated yet, and the Beasts were clearly awaiting something. What was it they wanted them to do? Did they even have to do anything or just order another attack? Erin glanced at the creatures behind them and scratched her helmet. Ehm.... the Charms were glowing. Again. They really did that every time something magical was about to happen, didn't they?
---
"Could it be that...?" Novus asked in the coven, unable to tear his eyes away from the Scrying Glass. "Are they asking for... the thing?"
Fate chuckled lightly. "It would seem so." They wanted to form the Titan, now didn't they? She lightly tilted her head, looking at the eagerly awaiting Beasts. "Rangers," she told them. "Combine your beasts into the Titan to deal with this monstrosity once and for all."
"Bah," Erin commented. "Titans... reminds me either of attack on Titan or Clash of the Titans. Both seem to apply here and both are equally terrible."
"Is that another pop-culture thing?" Novus asked, frowning. Well... this would be two titans clashing... and attacking... so it just may be something real here? He truly didn't understand a thing of all of this yet. This new world was so much more confusing than the last time they were around. Back in simpler times were all strange things were burned at the stake. In hindsight, those times weren't very good either. But it was simpler!
---
"Titan, huh... Still don't like the name," Erin said to the others. "This is more of a mecha sorta thing, isn't it? How'd they call it in those series? Zords? Doesn't make much sense either but at least it sounds better."
Anyway... how were they going to combine these five things? Just politely ask them?
"Right, so... ehm... Beasts... combine? Please?" Erin really had no idea what she was doing there. then again, it was unlikely anyone would. So she didn't totally embarrass herself. Hopefully. The Beasts made their noises again, then she and everyone else were more or less sucked into the Beasts as the transformation happened. "Oy oy oy oy oy!" Erin called out. This was weird. Was this supposed to happen? The Phoenix transformed itself into a chest, Centaur and Gargoyle became arms, and Capricorn and Hippogriff became legs. Capricorn's tail stuck out of the back of the giant robot. It wielded the bow as a weapon in its hand. The head, also part of the Phoenix. All five of them showed up in a shared cockpit, standing on a platform similar to what they knew from the Coven. Only now they all had a platform of their own! And beside them, there was a place they could stick their staff in. Kind of... like a key in a keyhole? This new situation was weird...
"This zord... it's huge. Like... a Megazord!" she commented to the rest.
"Titan Megazord!" she called. There, now Novus, Fate, and sher could all be happy with the name. Smart thinking, Erin!
Just... how would they control this thing? There were no buttons or levers or... Wait... it seemed they would have to control this thing with their own movements. Well... seemed like they'd really have to work in sync if they wanted this to work out.

Upon the beasts' return to the teams side, Benji and Clay gave the Gargoyle and Centaur a victory cheer of pride and a clap. Golem, giant and bananas, wasn't happy. Phoenix's wings, Hippogriff's beak, Centaur and Gargoyle's brute force, Capricorns momentous power! Too much! "I believe it's time I display a golem's true might." He said, angrily bashing his hands together and changing his arms into big and bulky masses capable of crushing any fool in his way. "I won't loose to puny non-artistic fools!'

The Charms glowed after Golem's threatening and menacing power up appeared. Usually glowing Charms meant something was going down for them. Something usually that they liked!
"Combine our Beasts into a...Titan? How do these things combine...I don't really see it." Benji commented, looking at it from a logical appeal. Really, in any other world these creatures combing didn't sound normal...or possible. But, he'd learned to just shut up and embrace it. He'd take Fate's advice with a grain of salt.
"Erin, quit with the pop culture! Don't confuse the fairy!" Clay said to Erin, jokingly scolding her in his deep southern accent. But really, all of the pop culture stuff confused Novus, no? Why confuse the person who can help them in a magical pinch?

Not even 10 seconds later, Clay and Benji found themselves being swooped up by an almost magical--or directly magical--force and put them inside of the beasts. That's a bit invasive...
The Beasts continued to merge into a giant humanoid robot. Benji and Clay's beasts, Centaur and Gargoyle, became arms! Again, Benji didn't see how this was possible, maybe a bit of his inner critic, but he rolled with it. Clay was just amazed that the combined in general! Had this ever been done before? Ever? They seemed robotic...was it a new thing or did this just always look this way?
They'd arrived inside a large cockpit inside of the head. All five of the Rangers were in there now, standing on platforms--pentagrams?--similar to that of the Coven. A staff-holding system was next to them in their places in the line. "Zords? Megazords? Are these even words?" Benji asked himself, Clay just staring around at the vastness of the cockpit and the sheer size of the robot! "Titan Megazard? Huh....nice." Clay commented. Where...was that a name of something? He'd sworn he had heard it before....(little poke at mystic force)
This thing was controlled by the movement of the Rangers, so they had better work together. Would it only operate if they were in sync? Did it respond to individual action? Benji and Clay had inserted their Sentinel Staffs int the slots they belonged in to control it. "Alright, Golem. Time to meet your match!" Benji called to the enemy across the way.

"What's that supposed to be? A mish mash of odd life forms?" Golem asked. "That overgrown abomination of a color-schemed toy won't threaten me!" He yelled, banging his club-arms together.
"That's what you think, you mistake of a creation. Let's show him what this thing can do, guys!" Benji suggest enthusiastically. Clay nodded. Let's pound this mother! Or shoot him! Whatever works!

Dylan held on to his charm as it started to glowed. The glow was in time with the cries of Capricornus, like it was prompting something. He heard Novus in his head. But did he hear him right? A titan?! Badass! Of course then he rolled his eyes a bit.
"Ignore that Novus!" He shouted in his head. "Only the second one concerns anything real. Even then it's about the Olympians and not the Titans and that's not even the beginning of the inaccuracies." Dylan was thankful that Clay chimed in on the issue. He didn't want to pile on so he didn't say anything directly to Erin but Clay echoed his thoughts. Really it just seemed kind of rude to reference stories they're completely unfamiliar with and have no reason to be. Of course, such thoughts were not actually going through Dylan's head at the moment because, you know, building sized construct about to crush Ebongrove.

So Dylan just tried to tune himself to the Essencia and listen to what Capricornus was trying to tell him. He felt a reciprocal connection to the other beasts and his teammates therefore. It was only for a split second but because of his willingness to just throw himself into the myth and magic, Dylan was the first to be swept up. Again though, only by a moment ahead. When he did materialize, he was inside the control room of the Titan. It felt inappropriate to call it a cockpit since they were standing and nothing about the interior really lent itself to the meachincal/vehicular descriptor. He felt his arms and legs were kind of heavy. He tried moving them around and just felt like they were tied to something or that he was wearing weights on his limbs. Through the Essencia, he knew that such was the controls. The Titan was controlled by their movement! So that means he can Kung Fu monsters the size of buildings? Awesome!

Dylan planted his staff into the control console. "Megazord! I like it! Let's do this!" He cheered.

Golem still insulting everything was so old by now. April paid him no mind as her Charm along with the others shined brightly, that odd tingle sensation of Essencia running through her again. She could hear screeches from the Beasts, Hippogriff specifically, as well as the others wondering what was going on.
And then a pop-culture bit slipped in. Like Clay, April scolded Erin. "Aye now, don't...confuse the fairy? Why does that make me want to giggle?" She asked...herself, mostly. Seriously, 'do not confuse the fairy' just sounds so odd to say out loud, especially in Clay's southern accent. If this were a story, she'd encourage anyone reading to try it and not laugh or chuckle.

"I'm not sure what a Titan is..." She mumbled to herself. And how exactly do they all...combine? Animals, combining? Mythical animals, sure, but still...should she call PETA? Before the thoughts continued, she found herself and the others swept up inside the beasts, merging as one and all meeting in a sort of cockpit room. Pentagrams for them all to stand on, the Beasts now a human-like structure, magic coursing through their veins!
"Titan...Megazord?" April asked. Somewhat adorably oblivious. "Sounds like something out of a kids cartoon on Saturday morning. I like it!" She said. Had a certain ring to it, didn't it? She slipped her staff into the slot...avoiding all innuendo, feeling as if the movements of this thing were somehow determined by the teams movements. Who's in charge, though? Be weird if they all did different things at once and this thing ended up doing the salsa.
She could see Golem across the way, tall as buildings. "How is the city not evacuating at this point? Two giants? I'd run..." She whispered, wondering what must be going through the common peoples minds. But Golem needed to be beaten. With their Essencia combined and all of them together, they can do it. Right? She cheerfully pumped her hands up, ready to strike with the others and provide another layer to the fight against the Legion.