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Fandom Power Rangers Divine Knights

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Raijah watched Chloe struggle with the daggers, trying to mimic what he had done in her own... unusual way. He smiled softly, unstringing the bow and putting it aside before walking over to her. After all,... Never leave your bow strung at all times. It would only lose in strength! "You need help?" he asked, standing beside her and showing his stance so she could copy from seeing it up close. Feet as wide as his shoulders, one foot slightly in front of the other. He didn't have an actual pair of daggers right now, but in his mind he was holding his daggers. Raijah took a deep breath for concentration and started sweeping his imaginary daggers through the air with slow and calm movements. Simple for him to say it was easy! He grew up doing this, and realized this was all very new to Chloe. Since he was more considerate than Mellany and Braxton combined, which really wasn't that hard, he didn't tell Chloe how easy it was, or how she just ought to work harder. He just watched as Chloe trained, helping her out where she needed it. "See?" he grinned happily. "You stand like tree. Sweeps are the wind. Swoosh."

Cue another eye roll on Mellany's end. She shook her head and focused on her magic again. She was well aware she wasn't very adept at lightning magic, but her snow was coming along just fine. Need she remind him she only started magic training quite recently? Had she even bothered to tell him? Meh. She concentrated on casting a cone of snow and ice before starting to shape it, move it around until it swam through the air like a small serpent of sorts. She knew it would fall apart the moment she'd stop concentrating, so she kept taking slow breaths. Each time she exhaled, she added another bit of cold to the serpent... or well, actually it was more of a sash, until it swirled around her completely. As she was satisfied with her result, Mellany snapped her fingers and let the sash around her float down in a rain of snowflakes and ice crystals. A small smile crept over her face. Now this was cool. Really cool.

"There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance," Deer commented. "This warrior is a perfect example for when those two characteristics come together." She shook her head. How did Stallion think the rest of them had something in common with their Knights? The only one so far who seemed to be in tune with each other were Bear and Raijah. "Please. I have to work with an immature child," Deer commented. "These two mages have to learn how to work together sooner or later. I dread the many days that have yet to come before we reach that moment." Deer would much rather have been paired with the Blue Mage, who at least took magic seriously and didn't seem to be playing around so much.
"Well, I like Raijah," Bear puffed his chest, jumping to his Knight's defense as it seemed all the other mounts were trash-talking their Knights, or the Knights of others. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna sit over there and watch the rogues getting along." Bear nodded towards... the fence, and started walking off.
 
High School boys like pointing out flaws in people they don't like. Braxton was literally the high school stereotype in Chloe's eyes. And she is actually dating a football player, the biggest stereotype a cheer leader can get! He and her brother are both such big....doofus'. Hard to think of bad things to say. This isn't something she's trained her whole life for--but only because she didn't really think this was real plus her dad never made her! Maybe that's why Mellany is so weird with her...because she's not as trained?
"Oh, okay..." Chloe said to Raijah when he was helping her. She imitated what he did, swooshing the daggers out in his style. So animistic and hunter-like. Maybe she's getting the hang of--nope she just dropped a dagger.
---
Morning hours turned into afternoon and the Knights' training for the day had taken a turn. Mages were doing their thing, rogues were actually getting along with each other and the lone warrior only made more of a tool of himself. If this were a television show there would be a montage of him judging everyone's actions and criticizing their every move. Vince is an easy going guy, but put him in a position of power and he might just go a little bit whacky on you. Now to him his words to everyone was productive. Vince's personality usually makes him easy to be friends with but he does tend to be default leader in most cases; not to mention he works through problems like a knife through butter. "Do you guys really think the King would be happy right now? C'mon, sharpen up sharpen up!" He encouraged. Really he's being such a tough leader to help them! But not everyone sees it as being helpful. Chloe was tired and getting a little done with this. She whined at him.
"Vince we've been at this for hours! We don't get a break?" She asked. Honestly she sounded so whiny compared to the others who were used to long hours of training. So much for her fitting in like at school. Vince huffed. "Sis if we took a break every time one of us got a little tired we would be so far behind that we would just not be picking up a real weapon. Now go on, keep practicing!" Vince replied. Chloe snorted but resumed...she's so damn tired! How did the others fair?

Peter was inside of the house gathering food for the Mounts. He walked out to the back and filled their bowls and water containers with something to eat. Stallion and Wildcat were with the others doing...Mount things. They did approach him and gratefully start eating. "How are things going?" He asked the horse. Stallion just neighed.
"As well as I expected. This group of youths is so mismatched it is uncanny."
Peter let out a sigh and pet the horses mane. He wandered out front where Vince continued being super hard on everyone while the trained. Not as hard on the mages since they needed more mental focus, however. Peter just stood by the still-untouched shield on the rack. Vince is very set in his was...just has to be the best at what he does, it seems. Suddenly Peter's head began to ache like before and he like out an agonizing cry of pain and clutched his forehead, veins bulging out as he sunk to his knees in the gravel.
Vince immediately looked at him and so did Chloe. Uh oh they this wasn't very good at all! They ran to him and dropped their weapons. "Peter what is it?!" Vince asked. As if he didn't already know based off of what this meant before. The boy had just shook his head violently and pulled out his cell phone which was...synced to the main computer in the Lair? Neat-o!
Punching in the coordinates he gathered from his brain invasion. "Guys, Shadoji, there, go now!" Peter yelled and showed them his phone. Everyone got a good look at it. "On our way," Chloe told him and stood up, Vince leading the others inside the house and down to the mirror network. They hurried through the reflective thing and found the mirror that would lead them to the villains. The Shadoji are back for another attack? Just bring it on, they say!
 
Braxton had been expanding his mid for hours now. Harnessing cold and storm above his mind and in a plain all his own. Magic is truly a delicate material. One that must be nurtured and carefully controlled, respected. But Vince is barking orders like a mad dog at them all. He can not focus with him like this! Braxton found it rather difficult to understand just how a brutish warrior is worthy of judging a mage. He was not as commanding of the mages for their need of mentality but the matter stood. He chuckled. "I fear the amount of what you know the King would be pleased with would fit inside a thimble," Braxton retorted to Vince. He appreciated the harshness of his leadership and admired his stern approach but disliked being ordered by someone he saw as...how should one put this? An idiot. That fits. He dared to agree with the whiny brat sister of his.
"Surely you know we must get used to this? If we slip up we bare the risk of being possessed or damaging all around us," he spoke to Mellany. She surely understood this? Sure discipline is at time grueling but the results are worth it. Was she not raised to believe such, or is he misreading her upbringing?

Wolf was just happy to eat! As food became available he ran to it and chowed down, not a word. His tail wagged happily! Food!
Piercing the ear drums of the five of the Knights was Peter in pain. Once again his head must have felt like all gravity was both imploding and exploding at the same time around his cranium. Not as panicky as the others, Braxton walked over to him and listened, already assuming he could guess the problem. Shadoji. He knew it. But this pain Peter feels wouldn't be acceptable or bearable to a longer time. Note to self: research a spell to ease Peter's mental spasms if at all possible, Braxton thought to himself. He crossed his arms and adjusted his glasses when he was told where to go through the technological incorporation. Interesting. A nod followed when told where to go and a gesture towards the house. He went with the rest back to the mirror like before and through the network. Truly outstanding magic at play, he must simply study it. Need he remind himself. Demons are predictable at least. Attacking when they feel humanity is weak and attacking only those less capable of self defense. Predictable. Like the Wells siblings.

(not throwing shade at all on his end xD)
 
Maybe Raijah's tribal style wasn't quite fit to be Chloe's style as well. After all... everyone was different. Raijah was good in what he knew and practiced the ways he had been taught. Chloe wasn't anywhere close to being raised the way he did, so maybe something different suited her better? Raijah just pondered on that for a moment. Still, he wouldn't hesitate to help Chloe should she want him to help her out. On the other hand, nobody masters a skill in one day... well, not usually anyway. Likely she just needed more time. And lots of training. And finding her own way. Even in the Oathkeeper Tribe everyone had a different skill and way of fighting and dancing. It depended on your star sign and spirit animal, really. Some were quick, others were graceful, others were relentless in strength. If he knew what Chloe's star sign was, he'd probably be able to tell her what style would suit the best. But... that was a weird question to ask a person you just met, wasn't it? That, and the people of the city had those different, weirder star signs. So he'd be clueless still, unless of course he'd ask Mellany what the start signs would... translate as. Would that be a weird thing to ask, or not?

Vince being so demanding was really rather annoying. Even Raijah thought so, and he respected Vince being their leader. Taking a break really was important sometimes! You could strain yourself and lose focus. And then people got hurt. What if someone would shoot an arrow at their allies because they lost focus? Or if the bowstring would snap back against your skin and bruises you. Or cuts you. That really, really hurt! Raijah kept his comments to himself, but nodded in agreement to Chloe. Taking a break would be a good thing.

Concentration was starting to fade after a couple of hours of practicing. Mellany noticed how she was getting a little bit exhausted, but she couldn't allow herself to slip up. The consequences would be disastrous!
"Can't you please just SHUT UP for five minutes?" Mellany called to Vince. Really, even if he wasn't being as harsh on them, it was certainly a pain for her concentration is she was constantly yelled at. Or heard the yelling. Can't she please just accidentally zap him with thunder? Or freeze his butt? Just a little bit. No?

Mellany nodded as Braxton told her about the risks of possession. "I may not have been training as long as you, but I have SOME knowledge on how these things work," she told him. Maybe she hadn't told him about that little mess up then? Or he had forgotten... Was it really even a mess up, or rather misinformation? Or her parents thinking that archery and gymnastics were somehow crucial to mages to know about and master? Whatever the case, it left her at a disadvantage, it seemed.

Bear heard the mention of food and immediately stopped his journey to sit on the porch. "Food?" He turned his massive body around and made a run for the bowl, dashing right through the training field and completely disregarding the Knights and whatever they were doing. The sudden dash of fur and happy grumbles coming from Bear, caused Mellany to lose focus on the spell she had been working on. It fizzled... and backfired, sending her into the ground. "BEAR!" she angrily called at the Mount. Raijah looked back and shot Mellany an apologetic glance. Bear just really, really loved food.... But he did have to be a little more careful for the other Knights. Someone might have been injured!

Deer was about to walk after the other Mounts to get to her food when she watched... and heard... Bear dashing past and her Knight falling due to the backfire of her spell. Bear really had to be more cautious. Now it seemed it was a relatively innocent spell that backfired, but it could have ended so much worse! Deer walked over to Mellany. "Are you alright, my dear?" she asked. Though she wasn't as fond of her Knight as would have been the case with some previous generations, she still showed concern for her. Mellany coughed and pushed herself back up.
"A bit sore. Likely bruised next morning... but I can handle," she said, getting back to her feet and dusting herself off.

Just as Deer wanted to walk over to get her food, Peter sank to his knees crying out in pain. That was never good news! Mellany was quick to rush to Peter's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. If only there was a way to ease the pain... Wait, wan't there a spell for that? Something definitely worth researching! Another time though, since Peter in pain meant Shadoji causing trouble and Knights having to save the day.
Raijah and Mellany took a look at the coordinates Peter showed them on his phone and nodded. No time for talking. Time to get to the scene and get rid of the Shadoji as fast as they could. Which could be quite the task, considering how mismatched they were as of yet. And how much at least Mellany disliked Vince. And how Chloe didn't even seem to know how to hold a pair of daggers.... Yep, quite the task ahead, here.
 
Vince wasn't happy that everyone seemed to be against him in his expression of training. Where he's used to leading his entire life he can go a little overboard with power. But also he was raised in training to be a certain way. When he picks up a sword his mind goes somewhere else. Answers later. As the five left and the Mounts ate and Peter recovered, Stallion excused himself. The old souled horse distanced himself and simply fades away into the air unseen. Through his connection with the Knights he was able to go wherever they were in times of need. A way of Mounts coming to their Knights' aid when needed. All Mounts contained this power but only he deemed it necessary to use this very moment. He wanted to follow the Knights when they left and see this for himself. Vince needed to be tested and observed carefully as a leader.
---
The Revenant carried his big shield and sword around as if they were on a silver platter. He, Lusa and Andero with the Thralls traveled to an open area just outside of Westfield. The area was largely a construction site located in a rock quarry and small patch of nearby forest. Upon arrival the Thralls had attacked construction workers on the site with their weapons and damaged the equipment. The workers were here digging something up. Maybe mining resources? Revenant had an idea.
"Andero. Might I suggest enslaving the weak-minded workers? And Lusa can first command them to mine and build us a nice tunnel to sit in while they work," said the Revenant. Sitting out of the sun sounded good for her did it not? And the male got to make slaves! Once it was done he laughed. Too easy! Thralls fired dark blasts from their axes at those who remained free until enslavement.

But their plan would not be so easy as they thought! Through one of the many many mirrors throughout the city appeared Vince and the others trailing behind him. He ran fast through the gravel with dust flying all over the air from the attack. Stuff like this he just didn't know how to prepare for really. How does someone just casually run through a beaten up construction quarry? Chloe was behind him running fast. Again the dust in the air made her cough. This is so not good for her hair...
The siblings came to a stop with the others. Stallion appeared in the edge of the forest, unseen by all. Vince and Chloe looked at what was going on. Workers mindlessly working away at the order of...three more Shadoji big leagues and Thralls. This doesn't look promising. "Stop right there, that's far enough!" Vince shouted out to the demons.
Revenant looked at the five youthful humans and laughed. "The Divine Knights. Only a matter of time before you were expected," he said and held his blade forward. "Before you stands the Revenant and two Shadoji disciples." He gestured to Andero and Lusa for their introductions. It was important they meet their enemies after all.

As the evil doers spoke all Chloe could think was how ridiculous this was. They met three disciples the other day, now two more? Why are there so many? "What did you do to these people?" She asked Revenant and looked off to the side where the workers worked like zombies. The Revenant chuckled. "They belong to us now," he replied. Vince huffed and Chloe gulped. "Just as you will," added on Revenant. That was not going to happen.
"Guys let's do it before they kill someone," Vince said in his bossy tone again. Chloe huffed nut nodded in agreement. His douche ways would be talked about later. Now they needed to hurry and help!
From behind they pulled out the Knight Cellulars and medallions from last time. As a team they inserted them into the slots, pressed one, closed the phones and held them close. "Divine Change," they called and raised them to the sky. The heavenly light shined down once more on them and changed them! The light faded and stood the Rangers.
"A Warrior's Unmatched Strength! Divine Red!" Vince cupped his fist in one hand.
"A Rogue's Undying Cunning! Divine Yellow!" Chloe put her arms up and to the side as she leaned.
"Knights with Unbelievable Courage! Power Rangers Divine Knights!" Called the team as a whole. The Revenant observed, as did Stallion out of sight. The Thralls were immediately sent forward to fight them.

Summoning the greatsword and the bow, Vince and Chloe ran in against the Thralls with their weapons, slashing and attacking on contact. The battle commences, the champions enter the stage! So theatrical for some reason...
 
Inhaling a big breath of air, Andero gladly exhaled upon entering the quarry. Fresh air on a glorious day. Made him...sick! Disgusting! The sight of these humans and what they do to the world never ceases to amaze him in how ridiculous they are. This free will thing is simply too much. Disgraceful! Better off as slaves if he had any say in the matter, which he does.
Crushing gravels beneath his heel he barked at the Thralls to wreak havoc on this construction and mining zone. Silly humans screamed so loud when they feared for their lives. Lives they shouldn't even possess. "How interestingly malicious. I shall do it," he said to the Revenant as per his suggestion to enslave the humans around them. He cracked his cane like a whip with furious power, slowly but steadily draining the humans' minds of thought and turning them into collective lackeys. Thralls went from attack to standby as they watched the humans change and start working for them. For too excellent! He laughed and tipped his hat upon his head, resting with his cane to the side.

Through the portal mirror and out to the rock quarry. Why would the demons attack here of all places? The threat felt less dire now that they were actually here. Braxton appeared with the others among his incompetent team. Dust clouded his glasses which made him say a quick spell under his breath that cleaned the lenses on his whim. Can't have him running around blind, can we? As funny as some people may find it, him being practically blind without them was not as humorous with evil near. In line with the rest he stopped to behold the sight of three more disgusting demons invading where they do not belong. Braxton cared not for banter. Why talk to them when they should be casting them away to another dimension and out of their hair for good?

Andero wiped his metaphorical mustache and bowed before the Rangers as Revenant introduced himself. "I am Andero. Disciple of Slaves and rightful owner of your pathetic lives," he said and snarled to the Knights. Such pitiful creatures they were.

"I hate agreeing with you but I do," Braxton said when Vince called for them to change. The workers near them were mindlessly serving the Shadoji and hacking away at the ground. Probably looking for gold, so to speak. He withdrew his cellular and medallion as before. Inserting it and hitting the button he held it close. "Divine Change," spoke with the rest and held it up high. Magical glow occurred and they'd been transformed! A breath of fresher air than the stench of demons.
"A Mage's Unparalleled Magic! Divine Blue!" He called out with his arm in front of him as if he held a tome, the other up and out.
"Knights With Unbelievable Courage! Power Rangers Divine Knights!" Called he, facing the demons with the same courage as last time. Not a sliver of fear entered his mind. After all he had been trained since childhood. He bore his staff again and twirled it behind him, running in behind the others against the Thralls.
Andero watched from behind, whipping Thralls into shape at the Rangers. Time to make short work of this bunch.
 
Lusa squinted at the sun and scowled at the workers on the construction site. What a dreadfully nice day it was. Awful! Really, it made her sick. Oh, how she wished she had borrowed an umbrella of Rogana. At least it would help to keep the sun out of her eyes and keep her sensitive skin from being burned. And these humans were just as dreadful as the weather. Smelly, dirty, pathetic. The lowest of low. Even their Thralls were better than these puny mortals. And Thralls were practically useless! Okay, they worked and attacked people, but they were really just rather sad and mindless. Nowhere near as perfect as the Disciples themselves were. Tsk, all the three of them had to do was appear together with the Thralls to send the humans scattering, screaming in terror and praying for their worthless lives. And then the Revenant came up with a brilliant plan. "Oh, such a lovely idea!" The Revenant was already such a treasure. She laughed as Andero created the slaves without even having to try. Stupid humans were so weak.
"Slaves!" she called to them. "Make yourselves useful and mine a nice tunnel for us." Again she laughed as she watched the humans do as they were commanded. So easy. This was going to be a breeze!

Why....? Why a rock quarry of all places? Difficult to move and far away from the city. Still, it didn't mean there were no people in danger. There was still the workers. She rushed in with the others, lining up in front of the villains. Raijah followed, wishing the rocks weren't so pointy. It didn't feel nice funning over gravel and pointy rocks. His feet were used to quite something, though. The underground on the island wasn't always soft and even too, after all. And pointy rocks weren't as bad as thorn branches.
"And here I was, thinking they couldn't get uglier," Mellany commented upon seeing the Disciples. "The last ones were bad, but these are a failed ringmaster and... whatever that might be."
Lusa scoffed. The impudence! She was going to make that child suffer for being so insolent.
"No way in any kind of hell," Mellany commented when the Revenant informed them they would soon belong to the Shadoji. Really, what were they thinking?

Seeing as how everyone was introducing themselves to these Divine Knights here, Lusa could hardly stay behind, now could she? She too bowed before the Rangers, twirling her staff. "The name's Lusa, Countess of Shadows, High-Priestess of the Moon, and Disciple of Night. Remember it well." How had the other Disciples had so much trouble with them? These were mortals, mismatched children. They couldn't really pose a threat.

"I hate agreeing with all of you, minus Raijah," Mellany said. This seemed to confuse Raijah. Was that a nice thing or a not nice thing she was saying there? "But yes, let's get to it."
Raijah nodded feverishly. "We need to help people," he said. Nobody belonged to anyone. Well, you belonged in your family... but nobody could just take someone and claim them like these monsters did! That was bad. Really bad.
The two grabbed their Knight Cellulars, insterting the Medallions and pointing the devices up at the sky.
"Divine Change!" Light shone down upon the two, transforming them..
"A Rogue's Unending Dexterity! Divine Black!" Raijhah called, still having some trouble with the words he could barely remember. He squatted into the prowling position again, just like last time.
"A Mage's Unwavering Willpower! Divine White!" Mellany called, standing upright, one foot slightly in front of the other, hands raised beside her as if she were channeling a spell in both her hands.
"Knights with Unbelievable Courage! Power Rangers, Divine Knights!" And there they stood again, just like last time. The power was slightly more familiar, but still a little bit odd, if anything. Raijah withdrew his daggers, ready to slice and dice away at the Thralls. Mellany twirled her staff. This time there was no hothead to cool down, but the Thralls and these new Disciples could use some freezing over as well.

Lusa stood with Andero, a small distance away from the fight. Let the Thralls tire the knights out a bit before they'd act as well.
 
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Blank slaves the workers in the site made a peaceful transition into domination. The Revenant dipped the edge of his blade into the ground and clutched the shield close to his torso as the battle began and the foolish sniveling brats debuted their Knightly power to him and the current disciples. Running headfirst into their enemies with such confidence as any oblivious fool would. Born for combat he watched them carefully, looking for flaws and quirks he could exploit in battle himself. These Knights would not survive.
"That is a lot of titles for a lotta woman," Chloe commented to herself as Lusa had introduced herself. Could she be any more posh?

Stallion watched from the secrecy of the woods nearby as everybody strolled into battle. Thralls whipped around them all so smoothly. Likely under heavier influence with their master nearby. But it did not change the fact that they were basic grunts to face. They hit hard and weren't to be taken lightly yet they had been beaten once and they could be again! Charrrrge!
Vince trotted into a cluster of the creatures with his massive blade in hand, heavily swinging it around and around to knock them down in a blaze. He bumped the front of the guarded handle into ones chest and kicked it back, slumping the weight of it behind him and kicking it back up in front as he slammed it on the ground. Thralls fell and left a crack in the Earth beneath them. Once again he swung it around as he had trained for so long, persisted and not quitting despite his breath already getting short on account of the weight of the thing. If he did not push through how would he get anything done? Warriors are the front line fighters after all.
Unlike her brother, Chloe had used her cheer skills to do a huge flip in the air, leaping up and over the Thralls near her, firing a leaping barrage of arrows into them. Energy arrows were so much better than the real ones. No need for an arrow quiver! She leaped up and split-kick two of the grunts down to the ground, slapping into one with her bow, rather sharp it was, too. A quick shot of her bow fired an arrow through a Thrall and brought it down. Another shot, another. She missed not a one, somehow.

Challenges progressed around the field, the open area allowing them all to get crazy. Vince was pushing hard and Chloe was evenly placing her skills. He was better than her but with the training it made sense. She wasn't bad, though. Stallion watched from the woods. He liked what he saw in Chloe. As well as the other Rangers, he would come to see. Minus...Vince. A fine fighter but he just did not approve of him for some reason...but why?
"Arrow in your face, dweep," said Chloe as she fired a shot. From behind a Thrall struck her in the back, sparks flying from her and making her yelp. She fell down and rested on her knees, wincing slightly. Thralls pushed in closer to her. With each moment they drew near and she had to act. An idea crossed her mind and she just ripped the bow in half! But when apart, the bow formed a set of daggers. She gripped the daggers--just like Raijah's--tight and swooshed them around like he showed her, slashing into Thralls left and right. Just like he taught her! "Raijah, look! I'm doing the dagger thing!" she called, encouraging everyone to take a hint and do the other thing! Use the other persons thing! Man that is so mighty fine English, ain't it?
 
Crack! Crack! Crack! Andero's cane had acted as his whip in leading the Thralls. Personal puppets to carry his will under the Shadoji banner. Newly appointed humans as well. With luck they could be transformed into Thralls as well should the Supreme Disciple allow it. Humans always bored him so. Free will making him sick. Using that same will to combat their betters? Waste! No matter how many generations the battle rages the Shadoji remain immortal. Humans eventually die. The cane settled into the ground as he leaned on it overseeing the fight breaking out. The Knights cut through their forces quickly but no matter; t'would be over soon enough.

A mage's most valuable tool is the mind. A clear and strong-willed mind ensures victory on the battlefield and in the very essence of the soul. Magic is to serve man and never rule over him. Like any tool it is best kept in practice. However Braxton disagreed on it being a tool. The reference was only for those who are not as adept in such things. Like Mellany, for example. He should really take that back, at least she is learning. Someone like the Tarzan wannabe or the new Wells siblings would be better explained with this method. "Dreadful these things are, even more so when lead by who appears to be a plantation owner," he muttered to himself, mostly commenting on Andero's appearance. Slaves, the plantation attire...that can not be coincidental? Sick! The idea of slavery was disgusting and only a villain would partake in it. Braxton would enjoy cutting that one down!
Speaking of cutting things down, that is what he was doing. Using the tip of the staff and balded end of it, the blue mage swooshed his staff around and cut down those nearest. Thralls made a gurgling sound as they fell. He put his melee skills to the test when he barred the staff against incoming weapons and shoved them back, sweeping the bladed end across their chests and jabbing it into the leader of the cluster of grunts coming to him.

He casually dodged swinging weapons at him, almost too easy. Someone as trained and dedicated as him was truly finesse. Braxton twirled his staff again and cast a storm spell, raining lighting on the Thralls and trapping them in a glyph of light. Perfect. Less perfect as he had been grabbed from behind and lost his focus. If his mind is distracted he can not perform! "Behind? How impudent of you, demon," he said to the Thrall and elbowed it in the face just after taking an ax to the chest. He grunted and felt more Thralls putting a beat down on him one by one as they passed him. He swept the staff around to distance them all and slowed them down a peg. Novice as it may be he did like the idea of using another element. Static cages may be handier but casting more than one was a pain. Instead he took a note from the young girl as he hated to admit and used his counterparts technique. How it should be done, anyway. Braxton thrust his staff into the ground. "Ice, be my hand. Wind, be my aura," he chanted and summoned a cold rush of air around him, circling around and freezing the Thralls solid where they stood. He chuckled to himself with pride and lift his staff from the ground, the Thrall-sicles shattering instantly.
 
Lusa watched the battle with some amusement. The Knights fared well enough in the battle against the Thralls, but they would not survive the battle against the Revenant, Andero, and herself. This whole first battle merely served to exhaust their bodies and minds, she thought. In her own mind, she was already forming strings of hexes and curses that would bring these five miserable lives to a slow and incredibly painful end. She'd make them wish they were never born, wish to just be turned into mindless slaves like the Thralls... or maybe even just wish the Revenant would end their lives right there and then. Yet all in all, it wouldn't take too long.

Raijah watched as Chloe copied what he had taught her during the training. And this time she didn't drop her daggers! It made him proud. See, Raijah is a good teacher! Maybe next time he could teach her some tricks that required two people working with a pair of daggers? The man grinned his usual bright grin under the visor of his helmet and gave her a thumbs up before continuing to swoosh through the Thralls. He moved quickly, caught up in the rhythm of his... dance. Not for very long though. A Thrall "swooshed" his back with its own weapon. Raijah stumbled forward. Now he dropped his daggers to the gravel, fell, and rolled aside. He had to get his hands on them again before the evil Thrall would get any ideas. He kicked up from the ground, both pushing himself up and knocking the Thrall closest to his weapons way back. Right into some of the working people. "Raijah is sorry!" he called to the man, not knowing the man-turned-mindless-slave probably didn't even hear him, nor notice what was going on. Raijah rushed to his daggers, picking them, up again. What he watched Chloe do, he could do as well. So Raijah thought, anyway. Chloe pulled her bow in half, resulting in two daggers... so if he tried to stick his daggers together... No, not like that... not like that either... Maybe like this? Yes... this seemed to fit! Now Raijah was holding a bow. One with a string made of energy, shooting energy arrows too! So no worries about snapping a string in half because he pulled it too hard. Or having the string his his arm like a whip. That really, really hurt! With the bow in his hands, Raijah started to rapidly shoot at the Thralls around him. Left, right, in front, behind! No Thralls were save from this hunter!

Mellany managed just fine, swiping he staff left and right, knocking some Thralls over the head and casting spells. She even tried to experiment a little bit and combine the melee bit with the magical bit. Not too much success there, unfortunately. The cold bursts coming with the melee attacks were laughable. Sure, it made a Thrall or two sneeze (how, that was a mystery to her), but she didn't instantly freeze and shatter them, as she hoped would happen. Seemed like she needed to train a bit more if she wanted to manage that, if it were even possible at all. She spun her staff around, keeping the Thralls at bay, and focused on yet another Ice spell. And it would have worked! It would have done exactly what she wanted it to do were it not for a Thrall running up behind her and knocking her into the head with his weapon. The spell failed, and now Mellany had a headache so bad it made her ears ring. Another saw its chance to strike her across the chest. Mellany fell backwards, curling up on the ground. It hurt!
"God-fucking-dammit you ugly piece of...!" she called from the ground. She sat on her knees, one hand holding on to her staff, the other pressing on the ground. "I call upon the Spirit for Storm, stand me by," she prayed, channeling lightning through the water left on the ground after her preciously failed ice spell. Any Thralls near it got zapped, twitching before falling over motionless. She grinned under her visor. As uncomfortable as Lightning Magic was to her, it sure worked!
 
The excellence of the mages and rogues ability to implement the others' technique was a sign of two things. On the rogue side it showed their already-blossoming cooperation. For the mages, it more or less showed the mutual power they shared within. From that they were all able to eliminate the Thralls that threatened them! No less had been expected of the previous Knights before them. Splendid performance from the magical and willful mages, as well as the dexteric and cunning rogues! However the heart of a strong warrior is also a stubborn one. Vince had not used the shield technique like he should. Instead the two handed blade served him well. This may be his undoing. Simple thing but devastating should he not master it.

While the four other Rangers ended the Thralls around the site, Vince eyed the Revenant as he ordered the workers around. Vince gave a hearty whirlwind sweep around him to clear away the Thralls in a blaze and charged straight for him. Thick-headed Vince may be but he is not one to just back away. Even if he was a bit of an ass a while ago. The Red Ranger charged for the monster and the two disciples holding his weapon back. When in range he lunged it forward to the three of them. The Revenant chuckled and stepped forward, his blade meeting Vince's as they slid together, resulting in him shrugging the greatsword off like butter and bashing Vince back. He staggered and dropped to his knees. "Pitiful Ranger. Knights are supposed to be courageous, not foolish," said the Revenant with his menacing voice. He lifted his blade up high. "Now I shall execute thy foolish warrior." He had protected the disciples and now would kill off a knight. So soon, too! Hooray! Normally if Knight fell to the Shadoji it wasn't until much later!Some had fallen before but never this quick!
Chloe looked around the clear area, wanting to go snap the workers out of their trans but noticing Vince being a moron and having rushed in alone against Revenant and two disciples. Even she knew that was bad! And he would be killed! Asshole or not, it's her big brother! "Vince!" Chloe cried so loud it would call the others attention. She ran for him to help with the aid of the other Knights' haste.

The Revenant could smell desperation for life. So sweet a smell it was. "Die," he said bitterly to Vince as Chloe and the other three were making their approach. Vince quickly put the flat side of his blade up in defense as the Revenant furiously slashed horizontally in a strike of dark energy. Point blank should have killed Vince, but his weapon protected him a little. The slash went past him as well and struck as an energy blade to the other four. Chloe let out an ear-shrieking yelp of pain on contact with Revenant's power. It hurt so bad! The attack had sent all five Rangers flying back against a rock structure in the quarry, a natural wall of sorts. Chloe demorphed on contact with the wall and fell down, yelping again, looking like she'd been beaten severely. Struggling, she picked herself up and coughed pitifully. She didn't care if she looked weak...she was in a lot of pain.
Vince appeared to be the only one of them all still morphed. Why that was, he did not know. He dropped his blade a few feet in front of him as smoke surrounded him and the four unmorphed Rangers. "You guys....you guys alive? If you're alive then get the Hell up," he said through pain and continued harsh leadership. Weakly he picked himself up and stood again, the blade being his crutch. "Do not stop now, get up and fight," he ordered. Him being a leader sucked!
While the Revenant gloated from afar with the disciples, Chloe huffed and lifted herself up, only to fall back down. "Vince...they're too strong. We need to get out of here if we want to live, come up with a plan," she suggested. Vince immediately blew off that idea. And all others.
"If you guys really think we can just go make a plan, you're worthless," he said coldly. Vince's words cut deep. Chloe just clenched her fist in the dirt and gravel and grunted for the others to say something.
 
Lightning cage here, bolt to the face there, and if the Thralls got past the magic or weren't zapped badly enough yet, Mellany would gladly finish them off with a swoosh from the bladed tip of her staff. Steadily she cut and zapped her way through the Thralls.
As the last Thralls went down, Mellany let out a sigh of relief. She was doing relatively fine, both physically and mentally, but finally having a moment to breathe was nice. Best not to strain the will and brain too much, lest she might get possessed by a demon and murder everyone in sight. That would be most unpleasant. Mellany wouldn't like to admit it openly, but using Braxstons element when in a bit of a pinch wasn't half bad. She'd only say it out loud if he'd do it first. Yes, she was petty like that. But at least the both of them had taken care of the Thralls quite well. Looking around, it seemed like everyone had dealt with the Thralls just fine. Mellany stretched and suppressed a yawn, looking at the fallen footsoldiers littering the gravel. "Nicely done, all," she said to everyone, and meant it. She might not be the leader, but that didn't mean she couldn't tell them this was a job well done, right? After all, mismatched as they may be, they're still a team. See, the (little) bitch did have a heart. Sort of.

Raijah really liked the energy arrows and bowstring. So effective! He didn't run out of arrows, no snapping bowstrings. This was perfect! If he could, he'd take this bow home and show it to his fellow hunters. But... they'd probably get scared by this bow. Especially since it was made out of daggers. And these bows likely couldn't be crafted by hand, like the bows he had always owned. Maybe the people at home wouldn't even be able to use this bow. Strange magical bows were probably safer in this strange world. Something about this world that wasn't very strange was that he could still be the hunter here. All he had to do was see the Thralls as dangerous wild animals that needed to be put down. Not very hard, considering how odd and dangerous they looked, and how they posed a threat to the people. So equipped with his bow and primal mindset, dealing with the Thralls was a breeze. Shooting one after another, the Thralls went down. And the other rogue was doing well too! She had a lot to learn, but Raijah would be happy to teach her. It was easy to tell she was skilled, seeing how quickly she had picked up the things he taught her earlier that day. He let out a victorious albeit primal battlecry as the last Thralls went down. That's one danger out of the way! He grinned brightly under his visor yet again, holding up his hand to give Chloe a high-five. ... That's what people here did, right?

Both watched in horror as Vince charged the Revenant and Disciples on his own. It didn't exactly surprise them he was put down so quickly, but it DID shock them. "Well, that just went perfect, didn't it?" Mellany stated dryly. Really, what was Vince thinking to charge them on his own like that? Tough warrior didn't need the help of his team? Didn't look like it! She ran after Chloe to help Vince out before the REvenant would actually kill him. Raijah, oblivious to Mellany's sarcasm, shook his head.
"Not good!" he commented. "Unless you Shadoji." Mellany wasn't Shadoji... right? Maybe a demon did possess her and now she worked for the Shadoji! THAT was not good. He ran after Chloe and Mellany, ready to help Vince... and ready to check on Mellany later and ensure she was okay and not Shadoji.

The good news: Vince deflected the blow that would likely have killed him. Bad news: it hit the rest of them. Mellany yelped and Raijah grunted as the dark energy hit them. It was painful. Really painful. And to make matters worse it sent them flying right into a very hard, pointy, rocky wall. The two demorphed upon impact and fell to the gravel. They both looked terrible, and didn't feel a lot better either. They were hurt, bruised, bleeding. Neither could properly pick themselves off the ground, and already Vince was ordering them to get back up and fight. Easy for him to say! he wasn't knocked into a wall by a powerful blast of dark energy. Mellany shot Vince a dark glare, while Raijah just stared at him, not understanding why Vince was being so harsh. A good leader was worried about his people. His fist concern should be
if his people were alright and capable of getting back up before ordering them to right. Hah, Raijah guessed that had to mean Vince wasn't a good leader then. "Raijah think Vince isn't a good leader," he voiced his exact thoughts. "Good leader worries about people."

And Mellany... She certainly shared that sentiment.

"If you don't have a team left to listen to you, YOU'RE the one who's worthless. Oh, wait... There already isn't anyone who wants to listen to you," Mellany snapped at him. Really, did this guy not see they were overpowered here? They wouldn't be able to fight the Shadoij if they were dead. They needed a plan to fight this Revenant-thing. Let their so-called leader call them worthless. The only one worthless here was he himself. If that guy wouldn't have been so STUPID to charge at a big-league head first, on his own, the rest of them wouldn't be down on the ground now, injured and being insulted.

Lusa laughed gleefully as she watched the Rangers going down in pain and fighting among themselves. "Oh, such a delightful turn on a dreadful day," she said, clapping her hands and watching the Rangers in peril. It seemed the three of them would quickly be able to make up for the mistake Zaken, Torth, and Rogana had made the last time around. Really, it wasn't that hard to destroy these Knights, it seemed.
 
Amusing to watch the second mage fiddle with her magic and all. Using her anger as power worked to her liking, as well. But rage is that of something a mage needs none of. He needs to teach her. Funny that both of the male halves of the mage and rogue duos are the better experienced. He did not view women as lesser people, but he thought it was a funny coincidence. He isn't sexist. Braxton is many things but that is not one of them at all. A fine mage, however, is the most notable thing that he is. Goes without saying, of course. He carefully examined the battlefield and flicked off another batch of Thralls in his way to discover that everyone was for the most part done. Excellent. He dipped the bladed part of his staff into the ground and leaned slightly as he watched the progress unfold. Perhaps not everybody here is as useless as he first thought.

Stupid, maybe. Stupid like the lone warrior running after the Revenant and two disciples by himself. "Ignorant imbecile..." Braxton alliterated. How stupid did one have to be regardless of skill to rush off alone like that? He dragged the staff in the gravel behind him as he too ran off with the others. What a lecture the mage had for the muscly warrior when this was over!
Over soon enough, this may be. For when he ran with his comrades to face the Revenant and save the idiotic leader a slash of dark energy took them by surprise. The moron was safe from his shielding attempt but not more could be said for the rest. Some defender he made. Surging darkness flew him backward against a tall wall of stone, knocking him from his Ranger form and reverting back to his normal self. He did not know he could be hit so hard! His clothes tattered and his glasses now cracked, he barely mustered the strength to pick himself up off of the ground. Unforgiving of pain, he felt his hands tighten with ache as his knuckles bled. Never break a fall with your hands, it will not end well for you.

Surprisingly Braxton both agreed and disagreed with the others about Vince's apparent resolve. He did not appreciate the negative manner in which he spoke but did appreciate the drive to continue the fight. "It is a Knight's duty to protect the people and fight the Shadoji. This can not be ignored," he muttered and sat up as best he could. Leaders aren't supposed to be their teams friend. Leaders should only care about victory. He coughed and held his chest.
"However. As we may be sworn to fight I agree with the rest. We need a plan. Not a hasty decision. Prepared we should have been, but there is no need to say we are worthless. You're even calling your own sister worthless. Have you no shame?" He asked. Defending the others? Maybe. More like he did not like being talked to like a dog.
"Enough chit chat. Either we stand up or we die," he said, calling for a motion to stop arguing and just reach a compromise. He didn't care if his leader cared but he did care if his leader had a sense of reason.

Andero also clapped his hands together. "Marvelous work, Revenant. The Knights are so torn they need not focus on us. Killing them and taking their bodies as prizes will be as easy as making slaves," he stated and cracked the cane again. The enslaved workers persisted in mining away like zombies. Ha!
 
Through the stumbling around from the disorientation, Vince headed the others' words with little to no care. A warrior's heart is strong and courageous, fixed to a single tune. Nobody understood his actions and word choice. "Listen guys, I don't care if you do not think I'm fit to lead. If you guys are so quick to be offended and beat by a word? Then you aren't Knights at all," he said to the others on the ground, eyeing the enemies in his visor. He would lead through example. Alone. Once again he ran off, leaving the others behind as he grabbed his weapon tight and made a break for the side.
From afar watched Stallion. The horse shook his head in disapproval. This young man...

But wait. Vince did not run for the Revenant as the creature took praise from the disciples. Instead he turned from the three villains to a broken down construction vehicle. Hiding behind a bulldozer was a woman and child. Both of them holding a 'happy birthday' balloon and a set of lunchboxes. It is possible they were surprising a worker here who is the woman's spouse and child's other parent? Chloe was watching Vince with hurt in her eyes. She was his sister...how could he be so mean to her and the others?
But when she saw Vince help the woman and child out, she stopped thinking and gasped through a cough and groan. "What?" she asked herself. Vince swerved around the woman and child and helped them up. They must have hidden and avoided enslavement when the Shadoji arrived. So they were hiding behind the dozer's front piece this whole time, scared out of their wits end. Vince did not say when he saw then, but he had noticed them before. He didn't say anything about them to the others. He assumed they saw them, too. But he was wrong. The Revenant wouldn't allow them to escape, though.
The creature charged for Vince this time and swing his blade at him, Vince clashing weapons with him and kicking him off. Revenant slammed his sword down again and Vince--to everyones surprised--split his two handed sword in half. The upper hand became a longsword for one hand, and the base part/guarded grip expanded into a shield. Vince expertly blocked the attack with the shield and slammed Revenant away, swiping at him with the sword. Vince beckoned for the two civilians to get away while they were clear and raged on against the Revenant, having a tradition sword and shield duel.

Chloe watched in aw, as did Stallion. Both were shocked by Vince's sudden burst of determination and his...finesse with the shield. He refused to train with it earlier, though? Could it be he already knew how to use the shield and just preferred a greatsword? But why was he so rude? Maybe he's just weird. Chloe finally picked herself up, feeling weak and dumb as she watched her big brother fight on against the Revenant alone. "How...how did we not see those people?" she asked everyone.
They were okay thanks to Vince. The big...jerk? "I think I see it now... A plan is useless unless we can protect everyone. If we left now those people would have been killed. All because we..." she left off. This realization hit hard. Planning and caring all buddy-buddy about the team would have resulted in something bad in this instance. Everyone had seen Vince's true colors. Courage and a plan is nothing if you can't protect everyone against the Shadoji. Chloe gripped her arm tightly and eyed the battle as she conversed with the others.
 
"How dare you--" Braxton angrily muttered at Vince when he said they were not Knights at all. He certainly did not find the warrior fit to lead and her didn't like him. Straight off of the bat. Braxton didn't like anyone here, really, but Vince was climbing into the rabbit hole, here. He of all people saying he isn't a Knight? If anything Braxton is the most qualified and prepared person here! His life was dedicated to fighting and training to keep the world free of the Shadoji's clutches. As the warrior trailed off Braxton secretly hoped that the blonde bastard would get a good sweep of the Revenant's blade. A taste of the steel he so willfully avoided. It was because of him they were all in pain now anyhow. A taste of his own medicine might just be the start. He was more offended by what he interpreted as a question of his competence as a Knight and mage. Words hurt him in no way. But if someone doubts his ability when he knows better? Braxton is not going to let it go easy.

Dare his eyes deceive him now? Braxton quickly cast a repair spell on his glasses when he saw the red warriors actions. Instead of fighting again he swooped in to save two civilians. Hidden by a bulldozer. How is it possible that nobody had seen them before? He didn't know to be grateful they were being saved now or feel oblivious since somehow he completely missed them earlier. Some watchful eye he had, there. "Civilians?" He asked.
Braxton lifted himself up off of the ground and cleared his throat to watch it unfold. Great. To add to the dupe, he was greatly taken back by the pure skill Vince demonstrated when he reformed his weapon into a sword and shield and perfectly used them to protect himself and the people, allowing them to get away. But when they trained before he denied even using a shield! What is the meaning of these puzzling actions going on in front of him? He didn't like not understanding!

The girl spoke. And she spoke the minds of them all, perhaps. "...because we chose to run and return. Knights should know when to plan. But if they can not see those in need, what good are they? I see, as well." He stood strong and stared on. Vince dueled the Revenant solo, pushing his limits to cut down the Shadoji that threatened the world. "From Vince's position it seems taking a breath is useless for a Knight. We can not afford to rest when the weak need us. What we should be focusing on is..." Braxton said and continued the line of speech left off by one and continued by another. He knew what they had to do. Suddenly this warrior wasn't so rash, he was doing what they should all being doing.
 
Not knights at all, huh? Then maybe the four of them just had to pick themselves off the ground and leave. Let the warrior handle things on his own, if he thought he was so much better than the rest of them! Mellany glared at Vince's back, Raijah just stared in disbelief. What's with that guy, honestly? So far he had proved to be just absolutely excellent in pissing everyone off. First calling them worthless, and now they weren't worth of being called knights? Raijah thought Vince really had to learn a thing or two about respect. Yes, he was their leader and it was usual for everyone to respect their leaders... but where he came from the Chief and Shaman at least were worthy of respect! The same couldn't quite be said of Vince. And Mellany...? She was just about done with this guy. Yes, she knew she wasn't exactly a "proper" mage... but that wasn't even really her fault. At least she tried her best and trained hard. Hearing the newcomer tell her she wasn't fit to be a knight? ... Okay, he said that to everyone... This guy was the one to talk, honestly! He hadn't exactly shown any kind of behavior that would be considered knightly. Both were just at a loss for words, either pissed or confused. And then... then Vince charged off again, on his own. Although Mellany had no way of knowing what Braxton was thinking, she hoped just the same thing. Let Vince get his ass handed to him on a silver platter. If he was so eager to run into a sword... let hm do his thing while the rest of them did the sensible thing and come up with a proper way of dealing with the Revenant and the two Disciples.

Hold on a moment... the villains were over there, so why did Vince suddenly continue his charge in a different direction? Raijah rubbed his eyes. Was he just seeing things or...? No, he wasn't. Vince went over to the bulldozer because there were people hiding behind it. The man was impressed the warrior had spotted them. He himself, as well as the others, seemed to have completely missed the woman and child hiding over there. Now Raijah felt ashamed of himself. He was a hunter, dammit! He was supposed to have keen eyes and spot things like that. Miss a detail like that out in the wild and before you know it a leopard ate a man! It's happened with a hunter that turned blind, once. The reason it was only once... that's a messy one and Raijah rather not think back to that day.
Oh, okay, now Mellany felt obliged to feel terrible. As much of an asshole as the warrior might have been just now, he also was the only one around to have spotted the woman and child hiding behind the bulldozer. It took her but a moment to realize that this was why Vince didn't want to retreat. Those poor two civilians would either be enslaved as well, or killed! And no knight would ever allow someone innocent to die. So that's what he meant before... Yes, it made sense now... didn't change the fact Vince was a dick... but it made sense.
The two were amazed by the skill Vince displayed. While he had refused to train with sword and shield earlier, the skill he displayed was... well, good, to say the least. Maybe he had already mastered the sword and shield before, and now focused on the greatsword instead? The rogue and mage looked at each other and faintly shrugged. Whatever was behind this, it was helping.

Mellany didn't like agreeing with Chloe, but... she did. "A true knight would never endanger an innocent..." Mellany mumbled.
"Or leave them to die," Raijah added in. They saw it now. They both saw it. Vince may be a jerk to them all, but if he had complied and they would have run away.... All five of them would be stains on the reputation of the Divine Knights. Not worthy of the title, a disappointment to Ascelin.
"... dealing with those Shadoji and kicking them back to Hell?" Mellany eagerly suggested "With Vince dealing with the Revenant, there's still two ugly demons left to handle."
Raijah nodded. No time to rest when there were demons that needed defeating.
 
Sweat trickled down his face under his visor as he fought the Revenant. Vince had indeed long ago picked up shield skill and felt the need to not use it as much as his two handed method. Preferences varied among different people though the way one displays preferences is universally seen as him being a 'muncher of shit' to some people. Still, the warrior expertly wielded his weapons against the demon before him. Their blades made contact and slid on one another, both using shields to block. The Revenant heavily slashed down at him and Vince deflected it with the shield, lunging his longsword forward to the creatures gut. Sparks flew and the demon staggered back, letting out a gnarly slash of darkness again, this time hitting Vince in the chest and making sparks fly from him as well as a tumble backward. Revenant slashed again and hit him once more. This time he got a taste of what the others felt without something to cushion the blow.The Revenant looked back at Andero and Lusa. "Please, my lord and lady, assist me," he said. What a privilege it would be to slay this young man with two disciples. The Supreme Disciple would be pleased with them!

Chloe nodded carefully as the rest of the team came to mutual conclusion: They are defenders of humanity, sworn to fight, and they can never take a break. Not at a time when lives are at stake. Pained as she had been she understood now what being a Knight really was all about. She would have been at Brooke's house if she had never accepted her calling. But she sees what is expected, and will swear to better herself. She looked at the others and aligned herself with them, looking at her brother as he neared his end. With the others she took out the Knight Cellular again with their medallions still planted inside. Near her face with the team she called "Divine Change!" The lights encompassed the four once again and quickly transformed them back into Ranger form. Seeing Vince would be struck down by the Revenant and the disciples, Chloe leaped up with the others and quickly summoned the weapons with everyone, suggesting Raijah keep his as the bow.
"Back off!" She shouted and fired a duo arrow blast with Raijah, the mages handling the other, all four of them firing from the air. The collective blast hit the disciples and Revenant, causing them to pause in their tracks.

Four Rangers landed in front of Vince, Chloe immediately helping her brother up. "You okay?" She asked him. Vince coughed.
"Thought I was a dick?" he replied. She sighed. "You are. But you're right. I think we all see that now...." Brother and sister. How nice, right? Vince grinned under his visor. From fuckboy to serious, his bundle of power made him...interesting. Knights should always stand united. Personally they may disagree but their goal should always be the same. At least this generation is able to see it now. Vince regained line with the others and reassembled his weapons into a greatsword, Chloe keeping her bow.
The Revenant and two disciples stood dazed from afar, Revenant snarling. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We're just about to send you all to Hell, that's what. Guys, let's take them down. Attack with me," he stated and charged off again. Vince ran straight for the Revenant. The demon bashed his own weapons together and raced back. Chloe huffed, her brother being dumb again. Why not be dumb with him, she thought and ran in after him. Brother and sister versus the Revenant! Vince swooshed his blade past the Revenant on contact, Chloe covering him from behind with arrows. The others handled the disciples whether they agreed or not. So...unorganized?
Stallion watched from this cove in the greenery. Most pleased, he was!
 
Way to whip those fools into shape! Woman and child got away but no matter, Shadoji will win the day and take them later. Andero stroked his pretend beard and the edge of his hat, leaning on that cane once again. Watching this fine creature face a Knight was so invigorating! The cling of metal on metal, the sweet sound of tiring in the Knight's breath. Tiring like an overworked slave complaining to his master. Speaking of working slaves, Andero gave another good crack to keep the miners in line. Can never be too careful.
"Oh, good. I was beginning to wonder if we would be doing anything at all," he announced when invited to finish off the warrior as a trip. In the worst twist of fate possible, it felt truly divine. He approached the weak man on the ground with his brethren and lifted the cane up high for a mighty whipping of doom!

All his life Braxton had prepared for this. War against evil, magic to his whim. Never did he think he would be refreshed in morals by someone so rash and foolish as Vince and these other messy people. Fate is funny that way. Braxton rubbed his wrist and cuffed his collar, examining the next move. Tempting as it may be to let Vince get more tastes of his own meds, that would not be fair. He resumed focus and eyed the others as well, taking the phone-like things out again and morphing back to action. "Divine Change," said he and his team of less-than-ready yet highly enthused Knights. Braxton took his staff again and leaped up, a magic bolt erupting from the tip and striking Andero's chest as well as the other two fiends. Pity he could not render a spell to banish them to the void from which all pointless things linger. Hell seemed so...derogatory.
Aiming the end of his staff at the trio if evil he stood guard as the siblings conversed and took a moment. Isn't rest a bad thing here?

"Alas, they haven't got the point yet," Andero said and snarled at the Knights, angrily waving his cane around like some old man demanding pesky children get off of his lawn before he sicks them with a hose.
Braxton took form with the others yet again and kept a proper stance, channeling magic in his staff to ready for the attack. "If one clears ones mind, a fire can not disrupt their mental power," he reminded himself vocally and nodded at the other four. A rush of adrenaline filled his veins and raced his heart. The feeling of a fight both excited him and cautioned him. He reached out as the idiot in red went off alone again. At least his sister went with him...as little of a help as she would prove.
He chuckled and motioned for Mellany and Raijah to follow. He dragged his staff on the gravel and ran in after the first two. Andero chuckled at the moron Rangers and ran back. "You will all submit!" Andero demanded.
"And you will free those people," Braxton demanded in turn. The mage ran to the disciple of slaves and swept his staff diagonally, the demon barely avoiding it. He hurled his can at his chest and Braxton dodged.
Cane and staff collided and the two parried off to the side, a round kick from Braxton hitting the demon in the side, a jolt of magic escaping to greet him in the chest. Andero yelped and fell back, cracking his cane at Braxton and rushing back in. Mage took a deep breath and countered with another attack. He has trained his life for this, and he would not prove less than able.
 
Lusa crossed her arms and watched with glee as the battle continued. She wasn't quite amused the mother and her tiny human child managed to escape. But it mattered not. Soon their lives would belong to the Shadoji. Or they would fall. As said, it mattered not. A few human lives are worthless in the long run, anyway. She watched with the greatest of pleasure as swords clang, the Knight grew tired and was downed again, helpless and soon to be dead. She clasped her hands together as the Revenant asked Andero and her to assist him."Now, my dear, the Revenant wouldn't keep all the fun to himself, would he?" she sweetly asked the Disciple of Slaves, dark magic crackling through her hands. Oh, the hexes she could place on this weak man and make him suffer! The joy!

Mellany wasn't as prepared as she could have been, and boooooooy was she pissed at that. At this very moment, she could only think of two things that pissed her off even more. One was Braxton, always there to rub it in how he was far better than she in any and all possible ways. Second was the way these Disciples acted. As if they had already won. As if the Earth belonged to them. Well, newsflash: the planet belongs to her people, and this battle isn't over until the last Knight is down or the last demon has fallen. The latter preferred above the former. Mellany pushed herself back to her feet and dusted herself off. There was a battle to fight here. No more time to sit around and mope. She looked at the others, nodding as she took out the morpher once more. "Divine Change!" she called, leaping up and gripping her staff. "Have a taste of this!" she called, sending bolts of magic at the two Disciples and the Revenant, hitting Lusa full in the face. Take that, ugly bitch! She took on a defensive stance as she stood in front of Vince and Chloe. Things were about to get interesting!

Raijah had quite the same advantage as Braxton here. He had trained for this moment from the day he could walk, practiced from the day he was old enough to properly hold a bow and daggers. He was the Guardian of the Tomb, the Primal Hunter, Loyal knight of Ascelin... and, which was a bit of a disadvantage, horribly unadjusted to the world outside of the Island. He was just about used to cars, computers, and pants... and now he was getting used to the whole thing with the morpher too. And actually fighting demons instead of just hearing stories about demons while fighting a boar. Demons weren't boars. Boars, at least, were useful! Accidental Tribal sass aside, Raijah glared at the three evil creatures about to kill their not-so-great leader. But it was better than no leader at all! Raijah grumbled under his breath as he too pushed himself back to his feet. Landing on the gravel and being slammed into stone was painful to anyone. But even more so to someone who's wearing nothing but pant! At least, that's what he thought. Still... it wasn't going to stop him, He had faced worse when he fell out of trees... or when Kohana accidentally slashed him while they were practicing with their daggers. "Divine Change!" he too called, leaping up into the air, bow at the ready, raining down energy arrows on the villains. He lined up with the rest, ready to send the demons back where they came from.

"Aw, how adorable," Lusa chuckled and covered her mouth. "The little humans think they stand a chance. Someone ought to show them their place." She made a small disapproving noise and shook her head.
"Focus, Mell... focus," Mellany told herself, channeling the magic flowing within her. She felt it rushing along with the adrenaline, ready to burst out and fight. But she had to keep it under control. Keep her cool, if you will. She and Raijah both watched as Vince stormed off again, straight for the Disciple. DID THAT GUY NOT LEARN?! Ah well... at least his sister rushed in after him this time, so maybe they wouldn't get too hurt this time. Maybe. The rogue and the mage looked at each other and nodded, charging in with the mage in blue. "Hey, Raijah. Let's take the ugly one!" Mellany called to her friend. Raijah looked at the three demons ahead and back at Mellany. "Which one?" he asked. Mellany chuckled. Damn, jungleboy had some sass there. Even if he didn't realize it. She motioned for Lusa.
"What? How dare you?!" the latter called out. These Knights! So impudent... insolent! She send a dark hex their way. Mellany leaped over with the assistance of some wind, Raijah rolled underneath it. Now both stood face to face with the Disciple of Night. Raijah split the bow back into the two daggers and swept at her. Lusa blocked with her staff. Mellany used the distraction to fire a bolt of magic at the lady with the many titles. They couldn't back down. They wouldn't take a break. They had to fight, and they had to win!
 
Men working on the mining projects worked away aimlessly. Enthralled to servitude unless someone saves them. Not only would those workers be helped but the Knights would feed these demons their steel.

Siblings attacking the Revenant under Vince's power-crazy-but-well-intended leadership and Chloe's spunk to swoop in and not let her stupid brother get killed meant that this creature would know no peace. Stallion approved of the siblings' efforts as well as the others facing the two disciples. The horse neighed and trotted in the woods. His approval meant a gratification that make shake the heavens and make the Knights resting in afterlife sing with joy. It would also mean Peter gets to do more of his Guardian work. Just the sole approval Stallion had for Vince now was enough to make things happen. But before anything can, they must slay this creature. "You Shadoji are a real pain," Vince said to the Revenant mid-fight.
"And mortals never know when to shut their mouths," replied the monster. Fair point with all of the battle banter.

Chloe huffed and fired arrows from a distance to support Vince. "Ugh, as if! We know when to shut up you big stupid jerk! You are soooo lucky my boyfriend isn't here because if he was he would totally--!" Chloe ranted quickly and proved the creatures point. Vince shushed her. She stopped...and paused. "Oh okay bad example, just shut up!" She yelled and fired another shot. Revenant swiped his blade around and deflected her arrows of energy. The arrows hit the ground and blazed up. She persistently pelted Revenant with arrows and gave her brother a chance. Vince swung his blade around and clashed it with the Revenants as his other arm shielded him from arrows. The creature slung blades with Vince and landed a blow on his chest, a yelp coming from Vince's lips with a backed up fire in his heart. His demeanor as a cool and suave guy was masking this inner warrior he had. A warrior's heart is powerful, and never gives up! Vince then heavily swung his greatsword up and slashed it up on Revenant's chest, ignoring his shield and sword completely. The Revenant gasped and stagger back, growling and charging his blade with dark energy again, this time swinging it back down at Vince. Quickly the warrior split his weapon again and used his own shield to block and hold the Revenatn's weapon up away from him. "Chloe, go for it!" Vince yelled and gave her a perfect opening. She nodded and split the bow back into daggers.
A cry of battle escaped her mouth and Chloe ran past the Revenant, slashing into his open side with her daggers and twirling behind him, putting them back together and firing an arrow point blank into his back. Revenant cried out and sparked, gurgling on his own and kneeling down, Vince greeting the weakened monster with a sword!

The siblings regrouped with each other with their preferred weapons as Revenant got back up. Together Vince and Chloe attacked, Vince delivering a heavy swing of his blade and Chloe a barrage of arrows. The attacks melded and struck the Revenant, breaking his shield and weakening him again. The creature sparked up, yelling out and dropping his sword. But he wasn't dead yet...not yet, for him to die would take much more! Why are demons so resilient?
 
The inane prodding of the Wells siblings with the Revenant aside, Braxton had already ensured victory--or a victorious stand--against the Disciple of Slaves. Both he and Andero glanced at the trapped people under control while they fought, Andero working hard to keep them in his grasp as the mage challenged him with impudence in combat. Over the past...three centuries? Three hundred years of making humans his slaves and bettering the forces of his kind. His disciplehood was well deserved for the slaves he captured. And these humans were bout about to take his cattle away! Rightful property, these men were. The slave disciple furiously swatted his cane at the mage defying him. Lashing out and whipping him like a punishment for those he 'owned'.

Andero stomped and let his cane crack. Without words he expressed his bitter resentment towards the knights and swung the cane like a blade and struck the made down. Braxton grunted and stumbled back, making himself push hard and leap out again. His parents had trained him from such a young age so bouncing back was no trouble off of his back.
"Demon, begone, already!" Braxton said to the disciple and beamed down a ray of magic towards him, blasting the disciple with energy only to be dodged with such dexterity. Andero chuckled and removed his top-hat, tossing at Braxton like a frisbee and watching it strike him like a war glaive. The mage once again fell and grunted as sparks came form him. But he persisted still and ran back at him, sweeping his magic staff at the disciples legs and slashing down on him with the bladed end as well as the tip. Bursts of magic escaped with each slash to rebuke this demon to his place of origin.

"I will not be bullied like this," Andero shouted though his fight and cupped the back of Braxton's knee with his cane handle, swaying it forward and causing the mage to do a full flip trip onto his stomach and drop his staff. Andero angrily stomped on his back as a sign of power. Braxton yelped with each stomp and firmly placed his hand on the ground, channeling his lightning magic into it and creating a quick cage of lightning around them, bolts taking the disciple by surprise and zapping him back. Braxton picked himself and his staff up again, taking his breath back. "It's about time you see what we mages are capable of," Braxton told him and formed a glyph in the air of blue magic. Andero staggered and tightened up a bit. With a flick of his staff, the mage sent forth several bolt-like wisps of lightning at the disciple with max speed, taking him by storm and sparking up the slave master. Andero fell to his knee in a cloud of smoke and Braxton whipped his staff around, eyeing him from afar and seeing he had nearly won!
 
The Black and White Ranger duo was doing their best laying devastation to the Disciple of Night. Magic and swordplay went well together when the two were attuned to one another enough. And this particular mage and rogue did actually get along quite well. And it showed! Sure, the ugly as night (no pun intended) Disciple wasn't defeated yet,but they sure were letting her know these Knights weren't to be messed with. The two nodded at each other as they unleashed yet another barrage of slashes and magic bolts at her. She was as hard to defeat as she was ugly. Very.

The impudent humans had to know their place! She was the youngest of the Disciples, but that honor was more than well earned for what she had done to aid de Shadoji last time around. Her curses and hexes had proved to be a useful asset in... interrogating people. And it had been such a joy to make the Knights suffer at any chance she got. She chanted in an old forgotten language and sent small wisps of dark magic at the two knights pestering her. The wisps made the knights' suits spark and caused them to stumble backwards. Lusa let out a shot laugh.
"Just give up already, children," she said, twirling her scepter around and slashing it across their chests. The two tumbled backwards and yelped, both catching their breath as they were down on their knees.

"As if!" Mellany called to her.
"Knights never give up, never back down," Raijah informed the Disciple, glaring at her under his visor.
"Indeed we don't," Mellany grinned, glad she was in this together with Raijah, the only one of the other knights she actually liked to be around. Even if he was weird and caused trouble sometimes. Hey, when Braxton wouldn't want to help Raijah adjust, another knight would have to do it. And she just so happened to be the only one. She pushed herself back to her feet and ran towards Lusa. Her staff clashed with the Disciple's scepter. Magic sparks emitted from both weapons, raining down on the ground below them.
"Raijah, go for it!" While Mellany kept the Disciple busy through staff and magic, Raijah tuned his daggers back into a bow and fired a barrage of arrows at Lusa. The Disciple dodged most arrows and seemed hardly affected by the arrows that did hit her. "Silly, silly humans," she laughed, casting one of her hexes directly on Mellany. Dark magic surrounded her, leaving her unable to move. She let out an ear piercing scream as the pain started surging through her body. She couldn't move, not back away, not even fall to the ground. The hex kept her right in place. And no matter how desperately she tried to break free, Mellany wasn't strong enough to succeed on her own.

"Mellany!" Raijah growled and charged in, bashing the sharp side of the bow into the Disciple, splitting it in daggers again, slashing across her chest. Anything, everything, to break her concentration. Raijah considered all of the knights his friends, family even, and he would never leave a family member behind. In the Tribe, your family and the rest of the Tribe is all you've got, so you take good care of them. It only made sense to him to protect the others at all costs. He broke Lusa's concentration, freeing Mellany from the dark spell. Immediately he rushed to her side and helped her keep standing. "You okay?"
Mellany nodded faintly. She wasn't feeling as well as she claimed to feel, but she was pissed at Lusa now. The bitch was SO gonna get it.
"Let's see how YOU like not being able to move!" she said before casting a Glyph of her own, freezing Lusa's feet to the ground. This was followed by magic bolts on her end, and another barrage of arrows coming from Raijah.
 
One disciple frozen, the other sparked up, both of them putting in their best against the Knights but taking the lesser half of the power struggle. The Revenant grabbed his chest over where his heart should be; and through his dark eyes behind his helmet, thought it was more likely just his actual head, he looked at the Knights in their victory. How is it they suddenly got so strong? Where did this power come from? "What a disgrace. Your ancestors would be ashamed," he tried to make sound threatening. Sore loser, more like. When the others wrapped up the disciples Vince gestured for them to come back over to him and his sister.
"If anyone would be ashamed, I think it's your master. Lusa, Andero, tell Dumanax the Divine Knights are here to stay. Throw all you want at us, we'll cut them all down," Vince told the disciples, hinting they should be leaving lest they get destroyed already. Disciples are hard to kill according to history, so by letting them leave they're actually saving a lot of trouble. Chloe grinned at her brother under her visor. Something about him being an actual leader and not as big of a jerk was...cool. The Revenant snarled and clung on to his weapons and he stood, sword in hand once more. He would not fall, yet.

"You guys, let's finish this," Vince told the others as they all stood against Revenant, five to one. He summoned the Divine Calibar, Chloe taking note and summoning hers too. From their morphers they took the medallions and inserted them into the hilts of the swords. Red and yellow energy channeled through their weapons, colors matching each Ranger. "Alright. Blessed Calibar Slash!" Vince led the team and channeled his strength into a collective blow. The Rangers slashed out in assorted directions, their attacks forming into one and striking the Revenant hard.

The monster cried out and yelled, tossing his sword dramatically and going up in a blaze of fire, exploding in front of them. Vince and Chloe cheered, throwing their arms up, having just slayed a monster! "Woohoo! Gooooo team!" Chloe said, cheer leading the team. Weird to be on said team and not shake pom-poms around. Vince just caught his breath, a bit exerted after a heart battle. "We did it," he said under his breath. To finally kill a demon and watch it explode like that... Such an experience. His leader position was in a bit of a jumble but it was clear he only got crazy with his authority for the right reasons. Such finite lines between leader Vince and average guy Vince. But he did it! They did it! And when the disciples retreated, the construction workers seemed to return to normal and get the hell out of there. Chloe saw the men all go back to normal and run. What a relief.
Celebrating will have to wait. While the Knights were busy entertaining celebration the flames from Revenant's explosion died down and reformed his body. The Revenant stood again...only this time, he went through a growth spurt. The sudden growth caught their attention and made Chloe jump back and shriek, Vince's eyes just going wide in surprise.

"Hahaha! Had you all forgotten? When a Shadoji is cut down, their body returns with an ogres girth!" Revenant yelled at them from..way up there. He was massive! Maybe a kilometer tall? Who cares about measurements now, he's back and big! The siblings stumbled back in shock. Maybe Vince missed this part of the demons having second lives because he did not expect it! And his sister was just plum scared out of her mind for good reason! The Revenant swung his weapon and struck the mountain side, rocks tumbling down the side of it. He rather liked this.
"How are we gonna fight him?" Vince asked. From the forest appeared Stallion, trotting over to the Rangers. "I believe I can help with this," said the horse. Vince looked at him, not knowing he was even here. "Stallion? What are you doing here?"
He neighed. Chloe looked at the old wise horse. "We Mounts are made eternal for one purpose. To always assist the Knights when they need us most. I was unsure of you all at first. But I watched you...and I believe you are ready for this gift. Now, stand back and let me show you your present, Knights," Stallion address them. The Rangers stood back...what is he talking about?
 
Cruel beatings and displays of power brought Andero back to the Revenant's side. Braxton was truly a powerful mage for his level as a Knight; something he wished Ascelin would be proud of. Mostly part to his upbringing. Without it he could not muster the magic for any of his skill today. The other mages method of using anger in battle was fine enough, but using it to power a spell wasn't his cup of tea. Actually, literally tea was his cup of tea. Something about the herbal flavor of it made his spells perform better before training. He had no tea before the battle, but some herbal essence must be in his system to drive Andero back. The Disciple of Slaves himself losing grip on the workers here being beaten so easily by this mage alone. Not to boast but he had to be strong to beat him back so easily. Not easily, but for doing this alone he had to admire the mage. And hate him. But also admire him slight for at least putting up a fight unlike Knights of the past when they were cornered.

"H-how dare you tell us to leave! We are Disciples, you churls should know your place!" Andero defended and dusted himself off.
"If you really are Disciples you should know when you're beaten and crawl back to your master," Braxton said under Vince's warning to them. Andero snarled and hesitantly retreated with Lusa. Not bidding to the Knights, at all...his master would be displeased.
Braxton liked the turn of direction. He appreciated everyone getting down to business and gladly formed up with the others, seeing the workers all snap out of their enslavement. Andero's hold had broken when he left and their minds were their own. These Knights were far from perfect, minus a certain mage if he may gloat so much, but this had proven there was at least potential. Happy to serve.
"Affirmative," Braxton said to Vince and also took his blade out. He inserted his medallion into the swords handle and filled it with his energy. Magic, it had to be magic. How else could this work, save for a scientific side of things. But magic felt more appropriate to explain here. Blades were so messy, Braxton far preferred his staff. But this would do to end this fiendish Revenant once and for all. Winding his blade high and mighty, he sent forward a slash at the Revenant. "Blessed Calibar Slash!" His blue blade met the others and finally out an end to the Revenant's mess. A fitting end to see this creature go up in flames as all demons should. Braxton did not cheer vocally. Why be so...lame? Instead he crossed his arms and caught a brief thought. He swore there was something about a demons death he read somewhere. What was it? Hmm...

Revenant suddenly regained form in the fire and came back as a giant. Braxton did not jump from fright, instead he snapped his fingers and looked up at the colossal beast. "Oh, right. I know there was a sort of catch to Shadoji dying..." he thought out loud. He didn't know this was going to happen either, he forgot. He's smart but even he may forget something every now and then. Only human, after all. The second life. Both impressive and horrific. He gripped the hilt of the Divine Calibar tightly as if he would do battle with the monster now despite size. Then that horse came out of nowhere. Once again they did not notice something. How many things go past these people, exactly? Braxton did not like being left in the dark.
"Stallion..." he muttered after the horse spoke to them with promise of aid. "Whatever you are going to do, do it. We must kill him before he destroys Westfield," Braxton said and stepped back, watching as the giant went on a rampage on the mountain. At least the workers are gone, now. Would be really messy otherwise.
 
Cold feet, sparking because of the daggers' slashes, nope... Lusa wasn't faring too well in this battle anymore. And here she thought she was winning just a moment ago! What had happened that these two humans were suddenly getting the better of her? She glared at the knights. insolent mortals... They were going to pay for this soon! But first, it seemed, it would be the Disciples themselves who were going to pay for this shameful defeat. Supreme Disciple Dumanax wasn't going to be pleased with them... oh boy. After seeing what he had done to her fellow Disciples earlier, Lusa didn't want to know what he had in store for them. Her glare as only met by two glares behind visors. Mellany and Raijah, a rather interesting and mismatched mage-rogue duo, were quite pleased with themselves. It may have taken them some effrot, but here they were... they had defeated yet another Discple... for now.

"Insolent mortals! You will regret this day. The wrath of the moon will soon be upon you!" Lusa threatened. Being the High Priestess of the Moon she got to say those things without fearing her God would be upset.
"Oh, look at me tremble," Mellany called mockingly. The moon didn't frighten her in the slightest. Raijah on the other hand seemed slightly more concerned. Never make fun of the gods. You never knew who might be listening in and acting on it. Like Andero, Lusa snarled as the two before retreating. Just you wait, mortals... just you wait...
It was a relief to see the men snap out of their enslavement. Seemed like no innocents got seriously harmed today. And that was always a good thing. Now the two lined up with the rest of the team.
"Got it!" Mellany said. Raijah nodded. The two summoned their Calibars as well, intserting the medallions in the hilt. The same, or so Mellany presumed, energy that had caused them to transform, filled the Calibars with energy in their respective colors. It was different than her magic or staff, for sure, but honestly Mellany didn't mind what they were using, as long as it did its job in destroying the Revenant. Nof for Raijah the sword was just fine. Granted he was more used to bows and daggers, but in his mind the Calibar was not much more than just a large dagger. "Blessed Calibar Slash!" the two called, slashing forward, their attacks meeting the others in one even larger attack. And down the demon went, in a fiery blaze. The two cheered, glad it was over. Another demon down, another day successfully saved! But wait... weren't they forgetting something? Something rather crucial about destroying Shadoji...

Ah yes, that was it.. the second life. The Revenant returned, larger than ever. "At least I'm not the only one who forgot what happened..." Mellany commented as she noticed Braxton, muchlike her, knew there was something but had forgotten the details. Raijah stumbled back, frightened at the huge demon.
"It's big!" he commented, much like how he responded to first seeing the basement. Only now he was terrified and not amazed.
"Stallion!" Mellany said as the hrose walked out of the woods. Another thing they had completely missed, it seemed. Shame on them, really.
"I have to agree with Braxton. Whatever it is you can do, we need all the help we can get with this... giant."
 

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