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Fandom Power Rangers Divine Knights

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Laughter erupted from a hidden alleyway and out stepped the culprits behind this insanity. A slender creature and a wide disciple.
Vince, Chloe and Peter's attention was caught by the two. "Shadoji!" Peter exclaimed and pointed his arm at them both. "They must be behind this!" Vince and Chloe acknowledged this and nodded, shaking the people off of them and eventually forming up with their friends.
"Who are you?" Vince called out to them both and put his hands up defensively, Chloe bracing for anything beside of him in their line, Peter to the side of them all. The Disciple giggled innocently and her big mouth moved like a rubber suit puppet!
"You all stand before Urla! Most beautiful of all and the Disciple of Beauty!" Urla announced herself and kicked her leg back slightly to be cute. "Vex is my name, do not wear it out," announced Vex to her side, flipped his 'hair' flamboyantly but confidently. "These humans are under our spell. We've absorbed their humility and replaced it all with vanity, making them savagely lash out at each other over petty things. The darkness in them fuels my beauty!" Urla explained.

Chloe scoffed and flipped her golden hair. "Beauty? That is the most ironic thing I have heard all day," she said, as Urla was far from the most beautiful thing in the world. It isn't mean if she's insulting a mean villain. Besides, who just goes around calling anyone and everyone ugly? She may be a stereotype of the popular girl but she is not a bully!
"You imperfect humans are so annoying. You wish you were this pretty! Make them vein, Vex! Soon the Knights will submit to us!" Urla said and pointed out the rampaging people were now entranced by her presence, bowing down and staring at her. Not even aware as to what was going on. Vex laughed and prepared another vortex to make the Knights bow to the beauty. Vince gave everyone a look that said 'it was ranger time.' Out came the morphers and medallions.

The vortex shot out from Vex just as Vince and the others pulled out their Divine Cellulars and medallions. Peter gasped and jumped out, serving as guardian and leaping in front of them, not about to let the Knights be victim to this. "Watch it!" he said just as the dark energy hit him in the chest, overtaking him with vanity and draining his humility. Peter did not rampage, instead entering a trance like the citizens. Chloe and Vince widened their eyes and called out Peter's name. The Disciple and her creation laughed, spotting how pretty the medallions were. So shiny and colorful. Why if one consumed them, they may grow more beautiful! Hmm. "Hey, boy! Take those medals from them!" she commanded. Peter blindly nodded and turned around as the Knights watched in shock. Peter growled and lunged for Vince, wanting his medallion. "I must have the shiny! Must have it! NOW!" he demanded and fiddled aroudn with Vince, trying to get his medal. Vince held him back trying to calm him to no avail.
"Sorry about this, buddy," he said and hit a pressure point on Peter's shoulder/neck area to...subdue him for the time being. Peter fell 'unconscious' and Vince laid him down gently on the ground. "Alright, now you are gonna pay for that," he said. Chloe snarled at the Disciple and her dumb monster. It was morphin' time! Taking the medallions and inserting them in, they hit the 1 buttons and closed up the phones. "Divine Change!" They shouted and held them to the sky, hitting the last key and transforming. Their weapons auto summoned and five Rangers stood in front of a downed Peter.

Skipping role call, Vince ran in with his greatsword and Chloe with her bow. Urla sent Vex forward with his nimble blade, racing back at the Rangers. Vince met him head on with a heavy swing of his own blade, sweeping the area around him to get a blow landed. Vex dodged the huge weapon and swirled around his back. "What gnarly fashion senses you have their. I do admire your aesthetic, however," Vex spoke to Vince and parlayed blades. "Sorry pal, flattering as it is, I don't swing that way. But I do this way!" Vince came back and swing his blade down on Vex, the nimble blade somehow blocking it and slashing at Vince's stomach.
Chloe came up behind and fired an arrow to get Vex to leave her brother alone. Sparks flew from it and he turned to face her. She fired again, fumbling slightly, Vex swatting the arrow down with his blade. "Stupid girl," he said and threw his sword like a boomerang at her, slashing her from all angles and knocking her down, a yelp coming from her mouth as he caught his blade. He looked onto the other challengers as the entranced crowd paid no attention but stared endlessly. He just deflected all attacks! He was fast!
 
Well well, the true masterminds reveal themselves and the Knights finally see who to blame. A dramatic entrance as if put on a theater in front of a massive crowd on Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Weber would be so proud of this moment. Unsurprisingly it was another Disciple of the Shadoji behind all of it. Aided by a foul demonic creature by the looks of it. Texts speak of only six Disciples under Dumanax, not seven. Meaning this had to be the final one. Urla of Beauty. Beauty must clearly be true to the eye of the beholder...disgusting. "Vex? Funny, there's a word in the English language of that manner. It means to irritate," Braxton spoke of the creature with Urla. And that is true. Look it up online or something. "Release these people, foul beast," he demanded of Vex and Urla, head held high and chest out. To impose someone you must be confident. Of course that is true of both imposing and standing up to a bear in vague terms.

This Disciple was more irritating than evil. Do the creatures they spawn just share a common aspect? If so the this one may hit the nail on the head being either intentionally or unintentionally named after Urla's attitude. Someone seemed full of themselves; almost exactly like those kids from before. The plastic oxygen users. To make time short, Braxton withdrew the cellular and medallion from his person. The unconventional way of dealing with the demons actually proved useful. Adapting to his surroundings was one of his many talents. How else was he supposed to survive on a farm compared to his clean and humble life at home. Just when he was ready, Vex fired and attempted making them all crazy. Crazy-er in some cases of this group. But then Peter took the hit. Braxton felt his chest stiffen and his limbs lock up. Seeing someone he knew be turned into a zombie-like life form really hit him. Normally he would conjure up a remedy through magic to help this but something told him there was no time. Not enough to study this in the first place. "Peter?" he asked when Peter rose up and turned feral under the whim of the demon. He jumped back slightly. "Goodness. Allow me to subdue this with a...never mind," he started, tightly gripping his medallion to keep it safe but had been cut short by the action of Vince. Leave it to the warrior to make it a physical ordeal. Oy vey.
"Uncivil animals," he said. But then it was clear he spoke of his own kind before looking on the Shadoji. "We will defeat you."

In unison with everyone, he put in the medal, hit #1, closed the morpher and held it close. "Divine Change," Braxton spoke and felt the light shine on him, changing him through magic into the blue uniform, staff in hand. Magic flowed through him and his mind felt clearer than ever. The only thing good about people everywhere being oblivious was that they made terrible witnesses.
With everyone he ran forward, twirling the staff and charging his inner mana. He kept distance as the front liners ran in, waiting for the opening to hit him. Him being Vex. Hard to tell the creatures identity, but the voice and pronouns gave it away. Vex proved to be more than he looked, taking apart the warrior with ease with skill. Impressive. Not as impressive to have taken down the yellow rogue, however. But nevertheless Braxton did not like this. Any creature that takes two Knights out regardless of skill levels is something he must be wary of. Braxton stood in front of Chloe on the ground and pointed his staff towards him. He threw up a magical barrier over himself and focused power into the staff, flinging the end of his staff into the air, forcing lightning to strike down on him. Bolts heavily rained on Vex from the sky as Braxton ran in. He swept the blade of his staff at Vex' feet, only to be inevitably parried and hit by his own lightning, seeing it redirected to him and chained around him like a lasso. Sparks flew out from him and he felt himself being tossed, crying out and slamming on the hard ground.
 
Ah, of course. There were Shadoji behind the chaos. What or who else? A seventh Disciple they had not encountered before, together with some new, odd demon. As the Disciple introduced herself as Urla, Disciple of Beauty, Mellany burst into laughter. "Beauty? You? Yeah right, and I'm ten feet tall," she said. Really, that Disciple may be many things, but beautiful certainly isn't one of them. She crossed her arms and eyed Chloe. Seemed like they were on the same page here. Urla and beauty just did not go together. Although one could assume demons had different and messed up standards of what was beautiful and what not. Raijah looked just about to tell the girls they weren't being nice, but... he changed his mind. These were villains and they were hurting people. Those demons made all the people act not nice! It wasn't the girls' fault. He defensively raised his fists, ready to fight these creatures before they would hurt even more people! Or before those people would hurt themselves because of the demons!

Raijah and Mellany nodded at Vince. He said nothing, but the look on his face spoke for him. They reached for their cellulars and medallions, ready to ranger up and send the demons back to hell. Just then, the vortex Vex created came their way. But it never even hit them. Peter jumped right in their way to block the attack, taking the full blow himself. Mellany yelped in shock, Raijah reached out a hand to help Peter out, both called his name. The look on his face as he turned around wasn't his own anymore. Peter had turned into one of the zombiefied people that were standing around, mindlessly watching the scene unfold. Probably not actually seeing anything at all. "PETER!" they called again, shocked to see their friend turn on them and try to grab the medallions. Surely there had to be other ways to calm Peter down or subdue him in a way that did not involve knocking the poor kid out cold? Or so Mellany thought. Raijah knew a thing or two about pressure points. In the tribe those were used quite often to quickly knock someone out. It was painless, really! There were much more painful pressure points to knock someone out or send them tumbling backwards! But still... it was because fo the demon they had to do this to Peter. Which was... you guessed it, not very nice.

"You're SO going down for that!" Mellany called, inserting the medallion into the cellular and pressing the #1 button. So did Raijah, minus the calling out the demon bit. "Divine Change!" they called in unison with everyone else. Their energy surrounded them. Mellany felt the magic in her veins, warm and comfortable... which is funny considering how her element is ice. Raijah felt quick and agile, like he could leap over a building! Should he maybe just...? No Raijah, don't. Try that another time. Now was no time to see if he actually could jump over a building, but time to fight a demon and rescue people! The two charged in with the rest, seeing how no attacks were even remotely affecting Vex. But that didn't mean they weren't going to try themselves!
Mellany followed after Braxton, swinging her staff at Vex and unleashing a flurry of ice shards and snowflakes, which were effortlessly parried by the monsterous creature. He caught her staff and jabbed her stomach with the blunt end, causing Mellany to tumble backwards on the ground, trapped in a bit of a vortex of her own ice and snow. She yelped. It was cold and it hurt!
Last came Raijah, slashing his daggers at Vex in a flurry of blows. Raijah might be fast, but Vex was faster and blocked all incoming attacks. It wasn't the time to be impressed, but quite honestly.... Raijah still was! But it did mean bad news. If they couldn't even land a hit on the demon, how were they going to defeat it?! Vex swung his own blade, slashing at Raijah's chest. Sparks flew, and the jungleboy was pushed back as well. Now what?
 
Most pathetic nature of the homo sapiens. So easy to make them succumb to the whims of demon kind and creatures of their ilk. "Vex, make the stupid people pay for insulting my sultry looks! How dare they defy my my praise," Urla fanned herself in distress. Such mean things being said in an unfair way. If any women here were ugly it was the female Knights! Shiny hair and all, how gross! And the men--such nice eyes on all of them. They would be wonderful to make into earrings, but on those filthy heads? Yuck! Cute how the boy fell so easy to their influence and then to his own friends, though. Vex had put all five of the Knights in their place and knocked them around effortlessly. Lingering on the boy and how shiny the medals were...hmm. A new scheme had hatched.
Vince looked around at his sister and friends all down from various ways. He picked himself and his blade of of the ground, leveraging himself on the huge object like an over sized cane.
Vex did his mistress' wish and made the Rangers pay. He flung his blade at Vince and struck him with a stabbing motion in the chest, then getting right in his face and swatting his head like a bug. Chloe cried out from the ground but her chest stung from the arrow biteback too much to get up. Vince let out a bunch of sparks and rolled over onto the ground, dropping his weapon, the metal clanking on the ground. Urla stepped up when all of the Knights were down and she picked up peter off of the ground. "Let him go!" Vince yelled, Vex stomping on his chest to silence him. "Quiet, boy, your voice is so dreadful when you plead like this," he said. Vince coughed and Chloe snarled, getting back up off of the ground. Her brother had been stomped and Peter grabbed! Worst of all, Peter is unconscious and can't even wiggle free of Urla's grasp! Chloe weakly aimed her bow at her, but she couldn't fire on a chance of hitting Peter! Nobody could touch her!

"Rangers. I have a proposition. If you want the boy back, come to me in the town square. We'll trade you the boy...for those beautiful medallions of yours of course," Urla proposed. Trade Peter for the medallions??? "And if you don't come, I'll just have to make Vex kill him and make the rest of your dumb city crazy with vanity, a vortex over the whole place! Ta ta!" Urla giggled and shrouded herself and Vex in a cloud of darkness, vanishing into thin air. She took Peter!
Vince and Chloe shouted in unison a mutual 'no!' The people around them remained in a trance. But it wouldn't be long before they snapped out of it and went crazy again. Vince had to pick himself up and let himself demorph, hunched over on the ground. Chloe approached him, back to her non Ranger self. She was shaking...did Peter really just get kidnapped for ransom? "Vince?" she asked. Vince just slammed his hand onto the ground. What were they going to do now?
"We...we have to go to the Lair or something. Something there has to help us," Vince tried reasoning to himself.
"Vince, our only option is to go to town square now before Urla unleashes insanity on everyone and kills Peter..." Chloe said. But would the disciple even keep her word? Can they afford to bargain like this? Chloe held her medallion up and watched it glisten. She sighed.
 
Far superior minds were not the demons advantage in this case. Sophistication had really no place with the demons here, just brute force, a desire to be evil for the sake of being evil and an annoying grinning disciple. Braxton had vowed long ago to vanquish the beats under his king. But seeing as how things hadn't gone that way... well his goal remained the same. He is the one to carry everyone when their incompetence takes over is he not? Braxton stood up and twirled his staff in preparation. Just as he readied to attack, Urla took Peter as he lay out of consciousness. Figures. A hostage, and one to barter with it would seem as the ugly monster spoke with Vex as her lapdog. Why any demon would be so entranced by her was beyond him. "Unhand him, harlot." Grabbing their guardian was just not going to fly. They would pay dearly for this!
He couldn't even chance an attack, running the risk of hitting Peter, or even a civilian if the were to move out of the way. Damned demons. Braxton let out a loud curse as they ran off with Peter as their chip to bargain for. He let his powers settle down and wisp away. For a moment he stood in surprise. For a good amount of time he had gotten to know this boy. Perhaps he'd been closer to Alexander, however he did admire Peter. More professional than anything. He was a nice young man and he knew what he was doing. A bit naive at times but he was level for his age. More level than most people his age. Present company included. And even people among Braxton's own age didn't stand to Peter's level of tolerable for him. Seriously, the young man was quite the asset, granted him being relatively new to unexpected circumstances. Seeing him be taken really bothered him.

"Get a handle on yourselves. I don't immediately recall anything back home that may help us. Wallowing won't help Peter," Braxton blurted and walked around. "People will soon break out of the trance and return to the chaos, we have to focus. I say we go confront our foes. We will not submit to the demons wishes and hand over our medallions. We take Peter back by outsmarting them," he said. Maybe he would be able to find something in his brain to use. Hell, Braxton would be able to figure something out. He is the brain after all.
 
Was the very purpose of these demons to just be as annoying as they could be? If it was, well, mission accomplished! Sure, Mellany wasn't the best mage around right now... nor in history. No pressure at all there! But she'd be damned if she would let the demons win. Literally and as a manner of speaking. Raijah snarled at the demons again as he was flung around the battlefield. Back in the tribe he had heard how dangerous the world outside was, and as Guardian of the Tomb he had been prepared to face demons and dangerous creatures threatening the world... but this was not exactly what he was expecting. Not that he knew what to expect to begin with. None of his hunting skills were of any use against this one demon. And the other one! The two readied to attack once more as Urla picked Peter off the ground. "PETER!" Raijah called, almost as if hoping that would wake the boy up and cause him to kick the Disciple and run away.
"Let go of him!" Mellany called. Peter was a bit like a little brother to her. And safe from Raijah the only person around here she actually liked. no way she'd let the demons take him. They couldn't do anything without risking to hurt Peter... All they could do was watch... as the demons left. With Peter.
Now what would they do?

"Why we not find other shiny?" Raijah suggested. If the demons just wanted a pretty and shiny thing in exchange for Peter, then they could just find something else, couldn't they? There were so many shiny things around. And at the farm too! Mellany turned her attention to Raijah and blinked slowly, baffled by the unexpected brilliance. That... actually sounded like something that might work! Who could've thought the man from the jungle could actually come up with a smart idea like that?
"A counteroffer, huh?" she said, nodding slowly. Of course, she had no way of knowing whether the demons would actually fall for it, or accept the counteroffer. Hmm... if this demon who thought she was the prettiest thing in the universe, why not find something that matched her wicked and messed-up sense of beauty? They might as well offer the ugliest thing they could find and hope Urla would think it was wonderful and the greatest beauty the knights possessed. Mellany stroked her chin and thought deeply. What would the rest think? What could their counteroffer be? And if not... what else would they do? Because as Braxton had said... outsmarting them was the best thing they could do here.
 
"That's actually a good idea, Raijah. Really good...Urla wants our medallions, she'll get our medallions..." Vince thought, looking up and stroking his chin. A counteroffer was exactly what they needed. Passing off something beautiful in exchange for Peter was a sound plan. "Give her something beautiful..." Vince said. He looked at everyone, mostly Chloe. A very intent look in his eyes. Chloe just looked back and forth between him and everyone.
"Oh hey come on Peter's my friend now but you're not switching me for him," she said. Wow, somebody seems to think highly of themselves. Chloe looked so sure she would be traded! And she isn't even shiny! Well the highlighter she bought from Sephora is rather beautiful...oh god now she's getting on board with it. Vince dismissed her immediately. "Not you, sis. Just I was looking in your direction. Raijah has a good idea...we're going to get Peter back. And give Urla exactly what she wants. Trust me." Vince was equally sure of himself. All he needed was a little magic, Raijah's plan...and maybe some solid acting from the girls. His sister sure hoped he knew what he was doing.
But just as he said that, people starting snapping out of their trances, still under the influence of vanity. Soon enough they were back at it again! Vince gestured for everyone to hurry up and get out of there. Onward to city square!
---
Westfield Square was a booming part of town. Busy, a huge plaza-like area. Walking room, all parking was on the street just outside of it, or in the parking garage nearby. The only traffic it ever saw was foot traffic! Vex and Urla--with Peter slung over Vex's shoulder now--and their new group of Thralls gazed up at the buildings. "What glorious sights all around, would you not agree, Vex? The human world is so full of tall things. Shiny things, pretty things, dead things...I want it all!" Urla giggled and clapped her big hands. Vex slumped the boy down onto the ground, not caring if his head hit the ground hard or not. Peter was still out like a light. Thralls surrounded the boy and made sure he wouldn't go anywhere, even if he was still out and under a spell.
"Soon it shall our be yours, your beautifulness," Vex said and kissed the hand of Urla. How her massive face blushed!
Gentle gestures would have to wait now. For the arrival of five figures in the distance disturbed their wards of glee.

Vince and the other four Knights approached as a group, in line as always, Vince holding all five medallions in his hand. "Ohhh great! You all came and you brought such shiny things for me! So pretty, I bet they'll go great with the jewelry just laying around the castle!" Urla giddily spoke. Likely speaking of jewelry left from the past generations of Knights, the Rangers' ancestors...or the king. The thought of Shadoji getting their filthy hands on it was maddening.
"We give you the medals. You give us Peter," Chloe called out to Urla and her legion of Thralls and Vex, her voice practically trembling.

The disciple shrugged. "If you are stupid enough to hand over your power sources for a boy, I will gladly take them!" Responded Urla. Vex then kicked him awake. He opened a vortex of Peter's head when he woke up and reversed the spell. He may be the guardian, but without the medals he and his band of Knights are useless so it didn't matter. Peter shook his head and felt his eyes all groggy...had he napped for a week straight? And there was a lingering urge to take pretty things... He was rudely interrupted when a Thrall picked him up roughly and held him hostage.
"Send me the medallions and I hand over the boy." Urla was confidently evil.
"How about you send Peter over first. Then we give you the medals!" Vince retorted. He held them out for her to see. So shiny... Oh well. Urla snapped her fingers. Peter was confused but he quickly gathered a sense of what was going on. "Guys, wait...no please, don't give them to her! Without them you won't stand a chance! I'm not the guardian my dad was, just leave me!" Peter begged, the Thrall's grip getting tighter. He winced pitifully. Vince just shook his head and calmly walked over. He gestured for Mellany to follow him so she could gently take Peter from the Thrall as he handed the medals over to Urla. An even trade, it appeared. But not all things are as they appear, are they? Urla's hand extended as Vince got close. Peter grew extra wary as Mellany came closer to the Thralls holding him. The Thrall extended Peter out to her as Vince put the five medallions in Urla's hand.
 
Braxton scoffed and shook his head, crossing his arms. "The jungle man having a good idea? Not to be prejudice but that is impossible." Braxton was dumbfounded by how anyone could think to turn to Raijah for this moment. He postulated as much when Chloe thought herself to be the bargaining chip of beauty. He isn't calling her ugly by thinking that but he isn't saying she's the most radiant person to walk this Earth either. "Once again. I say I am surrounded by incompetence," he said mostly to himself. Sadly this wasn't uncommon. He always felt like he was in lesser company when it came to brainpower. He took pride in his mind and all of the things he knew. Contrary to what some may say there is nothing wrong with it.
Skepticism reigned over his thoughts and ideals as Vince asked all to trust him in this. Giving the medallions as Urla wants seems like hardly a good plan unless he's planning to also just commit suicide right there and make the demons job a little easier. People came to and resumed bad behavior. A sign to get the hell out. This plan had better not fail. Especially if magic is somehow involved. Must Braxton remind him and everyone that magic is not something to play with? It is a delicate force to be respected!!!
---
Why had they always had to travel in a line like this? Something about forming up a group was just mandatory with these people it appeared. Honestly any form of unity was appreciated in the absence of Ascelin. He stared at Vince's handful of medallions. His silly plan had better work, lest Braxton use the magic in him to electrify his bathwater. He then eyed Urla as she bragged and bragged, briefly saying something about jewelry. "I swear if any of the jewelry she's mentioning is rightful property of mine and magic in origin..." he muttered under his breath. Defiling such treasures with demonic hands! Disgusting!

His arms folded yet again and he spotted Peter, now among a group of Thralls. "Be warned, demon. Keep your end of the bargain or die in the void," Braxton alerted Urla and her forces across from them all. This ridiculous scheme already bothered him, if it didn't work? He'd be beyond annoyed. If he wasted any magic on this...
Classic hand off with a counteroffer replacement huh? One hands over one part, the other the next part. Peter for the medallions, a simple trade. It was oddly refreshing for lack of a better word to see Peter be so defensive about himself being left behind. As if Braxton and company could just leave him. "We would not leave you, Peter. Besides you're the only young man I can stand among this group to begin with," he said and stared down the trade off. Braxton stayed behind with the two rogues hoping the plan worked. Mentally he prepared a spell to get them out of a predicament at any cost. Just in case. However with this group it was for more than a back up plan. Christ.
 
Raijah grinned happily. He was helping! The idea he said was actually smart. Who could have thought Raijah would be the one to come up with a plan that might just save the day. Perhaps there was some untapped kind of potential intelligence hiding in there. But really, the plan made sense, did it not? If Urla wanted the shiny things, just give her something pretty and she might not be able to tell the difference at all. Mellany glanced at Chloe and rolled her eyes. Did the kid really think they'd switch her for Peter? Hey, wait. That might actually be a plan! Get their guardian back and be rid of the annoying teenager. Okay, that was a mean thing to think. But if the girl thought that highly of herself, she might as well deserve it. Well, if they at all planned on pulling this plan off, they'd best make haste. People were getting back to their senses... or at least snap out of their trance and continue to act like a bunch of barbarians. Even Raijah when they'd first met him had been more civil than those people!
---
If Mellany rolled her eyes more often than she already did, she'd be seeing the inside of her skull by now. Urla was ugly and couldn't stop bragging. She clenched her fists as the jewellery was mentioned. The idea that her ancestors' prized jewellery would be dangling from the neck of any demon was disgusting. Mellany wasn't one for tradition, but in this case she'd gladly make an exception. Those jewels belonged to the Knights, not to some ugly-ass demon. But they had to keep their act up now, lest the entire plan fall apart.
She gave Peter a small smile as she approached him and the Thralls holding him hostage. "You're like a little brother to me, Peter. We couldn't leave you behind," she said, getting closer and extending an arm towards the boy, ready to pull him out of the Thrall's grasp and get him to safety. She eyed the Thrall cautiously and coldly to make sure the demon wasn't going to try anything funny. The moment he reached the boy out to her, Mellany wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulled him close. "Don't worry," she whispered to him. "It's alright, trust us."

She brought the boy back to the rest, looking over her shoulder to ensure the demons weren't going to shoot them in the back. And if they did plan on doing that... she'd step between the demons and Peter to shield him. The boy had been through enough recently. No way she'd let him get hurt again.
"Raijah had plan," Raijah said, grinning the moment the boy was within earshot. "Good plan."
 
Peter looked back as Mellany guided him to safety. How could everyone be so dumb and give up the medallions? Nice sentiment but he felt sick to his stomach. Once returned to the group, Peter looked up at everyone. "Thanks, Braxton...and Raijah...I hope your plan works, whatever it is..." Peter expressed and shook his head letting himself out of Mellany's grasp and staring up ahead at Vince doing the trade with Urla and Vex. Just throw away years worth of work. Not a bad thing at all, the medallions can be so easily replaced, let's just have a medallion party where Peter makes all new ones in seconds!!!
Chloe looked at Peter. "It'll work. I hope. I mean it may not, but...it might?" She tried to be reassuring.
Vince had given all five to Urla. Hearts all beating fast and wild, he knew he wasn't the only one to want this to go well. In his mind this was all like a movie where the hero and villain trade a damsel in distress for some prized jewel or whatever. Only a teenage boy as a damsel and medallions as the jewel. He looked back when Peter was finally safe with the other four Knights, the Thralls not having tired anything funny. Strange how...honorable the grunts of the Shadoji are? He handed Urla the medals as he requested and stepped back. "There. You have the medallions," Vince told her and put himself in a protective stance. He slowly walked back after the exchange.

Urla giggly laughed and examined the medallions. "So shiny! Red, yellow, blue, black and white! I have all five of the Knights' powers and they're all mine! The most beautiful of all!" Urla let out a cackled of pure joy and selfishness. Her plan was a mixed one, that was for sure. Vex humbly laughed and flamboyantly whipped his head at her as she basked in the glory of victory. Stupid humans let their emotions get them and they gave up power for a silly boy!
Vince had rejoined the others. Chloe put her hands on his arm and gulped slightly, scared it all might not work. Peter looked beyond upset. But Vince winked at him. The plan is still in action. "Urla?" Vince projected across the way. She stopped giggling and looked at him. "You have what you want. Now run along and leave the human world alone," he tried to tell her.
"Ha! If you think I am that silly, human, you must think me a fool. I have your powers so now we can rampage all we want and I will have an army of loyal servants to bask in my beauty!" Urla raised up the medallions and snapped her fingers with the other hand to unleash the Thralls. "I returned the boy. But I said nothing about letting you escape!" Vex laughed and readied with the Thralls to charge. It was at this time Peter cursed under his breath. Looks like they die today. Vince then laughed, and from his pocket...he pulled out the Stallion Medallion. And Chloe smirked, pulling out the Wildcat Medallion. Both Urla and Peter gasped in confusion. Urla looked in her hand. And her medallions reverted into coins...currency. Five quarters! "I...we have been tricked!" Urla shouted and slammed the coins into the ground.

"Well, duh! As if we'd really give you our medallions," Vince called. Chloe just smirked away. Peter nudged from behind. "You guys...paid a dollar and twenty five cents for me?" He asked. Huh...didn't think about it that way, that's for sure. Chloe made an awkward face. Urla snarled.
"I asked our mages to turned simple coins into replicas of our medallions. I thought someone stupid like a demon wouldn't be able to tell the different. It lasted just long enough to fool you. You didn't think we expected you to not back stab us did you? Of course we were prepared!" Vince mocked Urla. So Raijah's plan worked after all. More shiny! Vince motioned for Peter to go hide and he did. He then looked at the others and withdrew the cellular morphers. Urla and Vex stood across them with Thralls about to attack. Vince placed in his real medallion into the morpher, Chloe doing the same, and both of them followed the steps of morphing. "Divine Change!" They called with everyone and instantly transformed in a flash of multicolored lights. The demons didn't like this!
"A Warrior's Unmatched Strength! Divine Red!"
"A Rogue's Undying Cunning! Divine Yellow!"
"Knights With Unstoppable Courage! Power Rangers Divine Knights!" Shouted all, poses and all in this role call. The demons charged straight for them, Peter watching form his hiding place. Weapons were drawn, Vince taking the greatsword, Chloe the bow. Urla stayed behind and Vex ran in with the grunts. Battle mode switching on cognitively, Vince jabbed the blade into the Thralls and took a few out, wildly swinging it around in a whirlwind styled attack to clean house and go for Vex. He met the monster and sung at him, Vex dancing around his attacks but not getting hits on him. He slammed the big blade to the ground and Vex nearly beheaded him! If not for Vince pulling the blade apart into sword and shield mode and blocking with the shield. Vince grinned and took a swing with the longsword, hitting Vex in the side.
Chloe flipped and kicked through the Thralls with enthusiasm, giggling because she just could not even get over tricking a demon! Eep! "This is so fetch," Chloe said, referencing Mean Girls for no apparent reason and firing an arrow of energy into a row of Thralls, the line of them sparking up as she made her next move.
 
Extracting the boy is the main priority here. To barter with a demon went against good nature and common sense. Braxton expected to be betrayed at any given moment. To think is to cerebrate. And cerebrate is what he did about every possible outcome of what was going to happen. Raijah and Vince's plan put into action hardly sounded like a good idea however he was willing to go with it lest he be forced to argue for hours on end. It seemed like people in this group would rather go on and on than actually do something about a problem. Not entirely fair, perhaps, maybe that relates more to the little things in between. And sometimes the big stuff. Braxton rested a hand on Peter's shoulder when the other mage brought him back in one piece. He stepped in front of everyone and eyed the situation carefully like some kind of scout. The hand-off happened and the demon was stupidly satisfied. Go figure. Braxton put on a face of concern and regret for following through with such a foolish plan. After all, look who thought of it. But since he'd gone along with it, what does that say about it? Oh dear. He stood silently as the Knights were whole once more and faced off the demonic forces that threatened the city and pitted civilians against one another.

Falsification of the medallions proved...successful. Well, Braxton would be damned...he owed the others some form of apology later. Not that he'd give it, more like he knew one may be at hand. If anything he would scold over how silly and dangerous it was. But for now, he was just relieved it worked. Figures Urla wouldn't give her honest word and let them go. The attack felt inevitable anyway. He threw out a magic trap, stunning every Thrall in range for a few seconds while exposition reared its head. Braxton displayed the Wolf Medallion in his hand. "Seems as if you've been hoodwinked," he told Urla and her monster servant. "I will admit, turning quarters into fake medals was a bold move. I expected the spell to not last long, but we needed not much time to hoodwink a Shadoji. Pity the Disciples are so easily deceived by a parlor trick." Judging a heartless being like this was such a nice way to let out ones feelings and vent any negative vibes. The demons were due for a defeat now. He took out his morpher and inserted the medal, locking it in and hitting #1. "Divine Change," he said with the others when Peter had been put into safety, light casting down from the heavens and glowing faintly. "A Mage's Unparalleled Magic! Divine Blue!"
"Knights With Unbelievable Courage! Power Rangers Divine Knights!" Braxton posed and needlessly shouted with the rest of his merry band.

And in came the horde. Funny that the mindless creatures needed to be told when to strike. Proper warriors need no direction. Oh wait...Shadoji? Proper? The two things had never once met. Braxton drew his staff and whirled it behind him, dragging the tip along the ground and slamming his palm into a Thrall. Mages aren't as weak as many believe, physically. he tapped with one finger and sent the Thrall soaring into another through sonic waves. Magic! Braxton began striking and tripping them left and right, swaying out of the way of incoming blows. Thralls savagely came him from behind. He glanced back. "Tsk tsk," he muttered and turned to them, extending his staff and casting a static cage around the cluster. Slowly and with one solid pull, the cage had bound the soldiers together, allowing Braxton to ignite them in an explosion with just...one...snap!
 
"Of course it will work," Mellany nodded with a smile. "Raijah's plan was actually quite brilliant, and everything we needed for it was right there in front of us." She eyed Vince up ahead, still standing with Urla and Vex. She felt tense, her senses sharp. They were dealing with demons here. Things wouldn't go that smoothly, but so far everything worked for long enough to at least get Peter to safety. And with the boy out of harm's way, it didn't really matter what else would happen. Everything would be fine. They could defend themselves a lot better than the demons (and Peter) were thinking they could right now. Raijah grinned too and... patted... Peter on his shoulders. He was so proud of his plan! They got Peter back in one piece! "Raijah's plan worked already. We got Peter," he said with a wide grin. That was the important bit here. Mellany crossed her arms and suppressed a chuckle as she saw how satisfied the ugly demon was with this. She would have thought these Disciples to be a little bit smarter than this. Proves how much her vanity got in her way of thinking clearly, no? Raijah leaned one arm on each of the girls as he watched the demons too. This was going really well! The demon actually believed them! Raijah might not understand this world too well, but he knew how to trick demons and he made smart plans to deal with them. Yes, he was really proud right now. Braxton might call him mean names most of the time, but now he would no longer say Raijah was dumb.

But when Vince told the demons to go away, things took the well-expected turn for the worse. Mellany fished the Deer medallion out of her pocket, Raijah the Bear medallion out of his. The illusion on the quarters wore off, and the demon knew she had been tricked.
"Seems like you're the foolish one here, demon," Mellany scowled. Raijah nodded eagerly in agreement. Yeah! The demons were the stupid ones here. And evil, for what they had done and not behind honest. Then again, the knights weren't being honest either... and the other party was demons. They were never fair.
Mellany and Raijah inserted the medallions into their morphers and hit the #1 key. "Divine Change!" the two called in unison with the rest of their team.
"A Rogue's Unending Dexterity! Divine Black!" Raijah called, getting used to the words but still not quite understanding just what he was shouting.
"A Mage's Unwavering Willpower! Divine White!" Mellany called.
"Knights With Unbelievable Courage! Power Rangers Divine Knights!" And that marks the end of the rolecall, now it's time to kick some demonic ass back to hell. Or... the Castle they had taken over, technically.

Raijah dashed into the horde of Thralls with his daggers drawn, slicing and dicing into every demon that got in his path. "Fetch what?" he asked Chloe as he darted out of the way of her arrows, circling around a small group of Thralls like a hunter circling his prey. He waited for an opening, a chance to strike. All he needed was just a split second. And he saw an opening like that soon enough. Being trained as a hunter does that to someone. He slashed his daggers in an X across a Thrall's chest, ducking beneath it and cutting into the legs of another one.
Mellany eyes Braxton, impressed by the bit of physical strength he was displaying. She herself wasn't that strong... not in that way... She was more flexible and agile. Which still required strong muscles.. just she's not quick to punch a Thrall in the face and leave a mark. Much rather she'd wrap her legs around ones neck, tumble off and BREAK their neck. Dark? No, not at all, what makes you say that? She leaped up and backflipped out of the reach of some Thralls, blowing them a little kiss... or rather a frigid wind freezing them solid. And with the Thralls frozen, all she had to do was give them a good hit with their staff. Shatter.
 
Unfair! They cheated! Urla stomped and wiggled her big hands around daintily in frustration. So close to shiny treasure! It was right within her grasp until these stupid Knights got in the way! This is supposed to be her big moment to shine, Urla so desperately wanted to shine! However the strange coins in place of the medallions were shiny, too...this currency was really shiny in certain lighting...hmm...something in her wanted to scrape up the coins fro the ground and take them instead! So pretty, they just had to be hers! But Dumanax wouldn't be too happy if she brought back simple coins instead of the possessed powers of the Knights...

Chloe scrounged up a fistful of caltrops--useful tools for any rogue. She'd first found these things in the lair when she accidentally knocked over a box and stepped on one...ouch! But in a fight, they were just perfect! Weapons were awesome but sometime simple tools were just the thing! "Hope you dweebs like pokey things!" She didn't know what they were called... Nevertheless she tossed them out at the Thralls and watched as the things just stepped on them and jumped around with their monster feet in pain. Like stepping on Lego pieces! Chloe just liked getting things done fast before she broke a nail. Pulling a bowstring is shockingly hard after putting on fake nails...and morphing, somehow? She just didn't like fighting too much. Chloe fired a single arrow charged with lots of energy at the Thralls she made jump around, the shot hitting one and blowing it up, a chain reaction following. All done!
Her brother fared just about the same. He and Vex continued their duel with blades, Vince using the shield to block whenever the overly gaudy monster struck at him. "I must say, human, your style is simply divine. Pun not intended, dear boy, you have to show me how you do it" Vex interjected as their weapons clang and pushed against one another. Vince pushed him off and kicked his gut. "Thanks for the compliment. But again, not interested," he replied and followed up with a slash of the sword. This disarmed Vex finally. He bashed the shield into Vex and sent him flying back towards Urla, rolling into her like a bowling ball. Bowling for bad guys!
"You're gonna pay for messing with those peoples head, and for taking Peter." Vince pointed his sword at them. Urla shook and gave off that 'who me?' hand gesture. Vex snarled. At this moment while the others finished up the Thralls, Vince ran his fingers on the blade of his sword and charged it up, a faint red glow taking it over. He combined it back with the shield into greatsword mode, the entire thing glowing red. "Victory Finish!" Vince yelled out and swung the huge sword around, a big slash racing toward the disciple and monster. Urla quickly pushed Vex out in front of her and got out of the way. Why should she take the fall??? The slash them hit Vex and sent sparks flying from him. He reached out to Urla and collapsed, exploding into a big roar of ka-pow!

Urla fell back, the kick of the blast putting her on her butt. The Knights regrouped. Now it's her turn! "I'm going to leave, now. But I promise I'll get your medallions one day!" Urla waved bye-bye and disappeared into a glittery twinkle. She may have gotten away but they still win!
Vince rested his blade on the ground. "Next time. At least that's done..."
"Funny...last time after it blew up the monster just got back up. I wonder if--" Chloe thought and jumped back as Vex' second life kicked in and there spawned giant Vex. What was it Braxton said? Vex literally means annoy? So there's a big annoyance! "I hate to be right..." she whispered.
"No sweat, sis. C'mon guys, just like before," Vince led the others and took the cellulars out again. This time, he pressed the #2 button before closing it and hitting the top again. 1 morphed, 3 made the combo, and 2 summoned Zords! As he and the others all hit 2, the Mounts came fading in from nowhere and growing into giant robots again! The siblings leaped up and merge with the Mounts with everyone. Vex rampaged and kicked a building. "I will make everyone see vanity!" He yelled. Vince smirked. Not today. In his 'cockpit' (?) he hit 3 on the morpher and initiated combination.
The Mounts combined. He found himself and Chloe back in the same space form before, crest and banners in the back, warrior, rogues and mages in shared marker pieces by class. "Grand Knight Megazord!" Called everyone.
 
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A Thrall kicked the staff from Braxton's grip after it had sneaked up next to him. It got a hit on his chest with its weapon as payback for it's fallen sparks of comrades. Damned demons were nothing but trouble. Already today Braxton had been lowkey outsmarted by Raijah of all damned people, there was no way he would let a demon get the better of him. Especially not a demon influenced by the slave-driver Andero they'd met recently. No way in the void would that happen. Quickly Braxton elbowed the Thrall aside and caught his staff, as well as catching on to a cluster of the things surrounding him again. He swung the rod around and caught a glimpse of the teenager using a tool outside of weapons. He assumed she didn't know what she was doing however it shamefully spawned an idea within his amazing mind. Careful not to break the laws of magic or overexert himself, he stopped spinning the staff and focused hard into his body. Magic overtook him and made him slightly transparent; the Thralls swinging and missing him in plain sight. They phased through him and ended up dog piling on one another to get to him. Braxton smoothly evaded and used a glyph to escape them and watch them squirm around. He re-hardened his body when free. "Pitiful creatures." He slammed the butt of the staff down again and sent a bolt of lighting on them, destroying them easily. Small fries never ceased to amaze him in any given context.

Having now outsmarted some life forms for the day he gathered with everyone. "Not bad, warrior," he commented to Vince as he slew the wretched Vex once and for all. "Cowardly Disciple," he muttered as Urla just twinkled away. Sacrificing her own? Not to feel sympathy for demon-kind but even that was cruel. He for one would never throw a comrade, no matter how inferior by comparison, in front of him to shield him from a blow.
"You know, it's rare you're right to begin with. Really that goes for the four of you..." Braxton replied to Chloe as she remembered and predicted the giant Vex appearing in his second form. Accursed demons and their incredible powers. He let out a breath and followed the lead, hitting the 2 on his dial pad of the morpher and summoned Wolf, watching the canine grow from nothing and dawn armor. Braxton merged and joined everyone in the 3 key's combination initiation. Again he was sharing a piece with Mellany in the fine space of a control center. Wolf barked eagerly from his arm configuration. "Grand Knight Megazord." Still, such an...interesting title. "We haven't the time for this. Shall we just get this over and be done with it?"
 
Raijah tumbled about, avoiding the incoming attacks of the Thralls. He leaped up to one of the lower roofs at the plaza, sitting there in a squat, glaring down at the demons. He didn't like to fight, not at all, but demons left him with no other choice than getting violent. That hasn't been the way of the tribe in a long while, but that didn't mean they had forgotten how to fight, Just... usually it was friendly fighting against one another, to prove who was the strongest. It might surprise some, but Raijah wasn't the strongest. Not by far. No, he was much better at climbing and hunting, building traps and patiently waiting for an animal to walk into it. Anyway.... fighting was necessary here. Raijah pulled some smaller daggers from gods-knew-where. He found them laying around in the Lair, and he knew just what to do with them. Aiming carefully, he threw the daggers at the Thralls, taking them down one at the time. He didn't have enough throwing knives for all Thralls, so he just leaped back down with a wild battlecry like anyone raised in the forest ought to do and delivered the Thralls some sharp, cutting-edge doom from above.

Mellany swung her staff at yet another group of Thralls coming at her. She hadn't exactly been careful with casting her wintery magic, so the pavement had become quite slippery. One wrong step and... thud. Mellany slipped and landed on her back. The Thralls eagerly took that opportunity and hit her with their weapons. She yelped in pain and rolled to get away from even more weapons coming her way. She scrambled back to her feet. "Stay calm now..." she reminded herself. If she'd get agitated she wouldn't even be able to cast the simplest of spells anymore! Speaking of spells... she definitely needed something other than frost right now. They were expecting that. Lightning wasn't her forte, so that remained out of the question. Hmm.. then what to... A smirk crept across her face. Ice wasn't the only slippery thing in this world. She cast a grease-spell right behind the horde of Thralls. Step two: time to send them backwards a little bit. A telekinetic burst should do the trick. BOOM! Now the Thralls were flat on their butts!

Raijah and Mellany shook their heads as Urla pushed Vex in her way, sacrificing the demon in order to stay safe. Not to get sentimental or compassionate towards a demon... but this was just mean and sad. Cruel, even for a demon.
"Unless it's your goal to be a complete and insufferable ass, just shut it for once," Mellany scowled to Braxton. She, too, hated it that Chloe was right in this instance. Monster coming back, many times larger... That didn't bode well. It screamed trouble in bright neon letters. Well, that only meant one thing: ZORD TIME! Mellany and Raijah pressed the 2 on their morphers, summoning Deer and Bear respectively. The two merged with their zords and initiated the combination. Back in the cockpit of the giant megazord. Mellany wasn't as startled as the first time, but it did still give her a funny feeling in her stomach. Not as much as for Raijah, however, who really, really REALLY still didn't like the height here.
"Grand Knight Megazord!" the two called, ready to deal with Vex once and for all.
 
From all the way down on the ground behind cover Peter stared up at the towering Megazord. Wow. It's so big in person! He hadn't actually seen it in full before with his own eyes in front of him. Kind of incredible to see something else this when you know you've had a role in creating it in some way. Even if his role in the Zord power was super minor. His dad was the real genius behind a lot of the stuff. Peter was more of the assistant...and now he's trying to be more. However as of the exact moment he's just a bystander watching something cool go down!
Stepping forward and drawing its blade the Megazord faced Vex as lumbering giants in Westfield. The demon raised its blade to them and spat out a small vortex. Only this time instead of a vanity beam it was that of destruction. Sparks flew and Vince and Chloe held on tight inside the head of it all. "After I bring you down I will make all of this city my army of vain followers that seek pride and power. Demons will rule and all shall bow down!" Vex taunted and fired again, the giant Knight stumbling back but not going down. The Mounts were durable, give them that. Sparks one again flew in the air and smoke rose up. Vince clutched his piece inside tightly and huffed, forcing the Megazord to swipe its blade and clear the smoke with a heavier wind gust. Vex jumped back.
"If you think we're going to let you get your demon hands on anyone else, you're wrong. You struck too close to home today and for that we won't forgive you!" Vince beckoned to Vex and motioned to grip the sword. Chloe nodded with enthusiasm and followed suit, sharing an energy with him and everyone to lead an attack. Say what you will about Vince as a guy but when it comes to battle he is exactly the person you'd want to have around. A switch in his brain no doubt. Chloe just...followed along. The Megazord raised it arms with the sword in hand, glowing a heavenly glow and casting a light and glyph on Vex, the demon trying to shrug it off.

"Divinity Slash!" Shouted Vince and brought his arms down, Chloe too, the blade crashing on Vex and immediately flaring the monster into an explosive array of fire. Finally Vex was no more. Quick and easy, too. "Divine Knights, victory is ours!" Vince said and lifted his arm. Chloe giggled annoyingly and cheered. Peter from the ground threw his arms up and jumped. Now that was a show!
As the demon fell, people in Westfield who had been affected by his power returned to normal, stopping in their insane tracks and severely apologizing to one another! What a strange sensation it was.
 
"My goal is only to show you and company how to be a true Knight. Do try to not strain yourself, dear, it would be so demeaning on your behalf," Braxton mentioned in a most proper way to Mellany as she once again turned to profane language as a means of expressing her thoughts. He wasn't opposed to that choice of words yet he didn't think it had always been given good use. Especially not from her or really anybody on social media. Warding off stupidity sadly isn't within his wide range of magical talent. If it were he'd be in such a different situation as opposed to now. Pettiness would have to wait. Resisting the fall, Braxton forced Wolf to grip the weapon in hand tighter as Vex persisted in his attack. Foul demons never fought fair or with any sense of honor. Just pure force. Fixation on wickedness and cruelty to all. No matter how ignorant many people are Braxton would rather burn his eyes hotter than the sun than see a single human suffer. He held on tightly as Vex fired again and attacked, he himself ready to cast a lightning howl to put an end to the madness of this demon for good. However...

"Well put, Vincent. Die in the void, demon." Braxton shared in on the control of said Megazord and raised the blade, Wolf's grasp tight as the arm and lifting it up, Divine energy filling their souls. "Divinity Slash!" A surprisingly combined effort from a less-than together group in many ways. Differences are many, but the cause is one. Slashing down on Vex erupted a bright streak of light across a glyph. Sealing the fate of Vex had been and easier feat than originally thought. Braxton let out a soft 'tsk' and relaxed in the mutual piece with his fellow mage. Just as before the giant demon had suffered defeat from the Divine Knights. "I no longer sense any kind of dark magic at play, here. Perhaps his destruction means that everyone is normal again."
 
"Then start by setting an example and pull that stick out of your ass. Unless you like that stick up there," Mellany snorted. By the Gods this guy was insufferable! She could hardly tolerate being around him, and Megazord battles like this forced her to be in a very close proximity to him. Why couldn't she have been a rogue instead? Or at least NOT have the classes share a tower. She much wanted to be on the opposite side of this cockpit. This guy really had to work on his ego. Yes, he was the most experienced of the people recruited here, but he didn't have to rub it in their faces at any given opportunity. It made him in NO WAY superior to any of them. These two mages had a very long way to go before even remotely getting along. If they'd ever get there at all. Raijah just looked at the two mages having their conversation. He didn't really understand much of what they were saying... but it almost sounded like the two of them had been affected by the Vex-demon! The two normally didn't sound nice to each other, but now they just sounded... extra not nice. The Megazord took aa good hit, and it took quite some of Raijah's and Mellany's effort to make sure the Megazord kept stable. Mellany scoffed and readied Deer to deliver a good freezing punch to the demon-face. Bear roared, not happy with the demon hurting him. Sure, he was doing okay; it would take more to get him down... but it still hurt!

Then Vince came with a good point. Vex struck too close when he harmed Peter, and now he was going to pay for that! The two nodded in their respective pieces, following Vince's lead in delivering the final and devastating blow to the demon. "Divinity Slash!" the two called, watching as the surge of holy magical energy cut through Vex like butter, the demon going down in a rain of sparks and fire. This was a short battle, shorter than might've been expected, but at least the demon was gone. And with him gone, his magical influence faded as well.
"Nothing left to see indeed," Mellany sighed. "Seems like everything's like it's supposed to be again. No more demon influence."
Raijah grinned happily under his visor. Chloe's cheer might have nearly pierced his eardrums, but at least she was happy to see the demon gone! And he was, too! Even Mellany and Braxton seemed nicer now. Just a tiny bit.
 
Grand Knight lowered its weapon and positioned to a more relaxed stance. The Knights within carried on and on, Chloe cheering, the mages sniveling, the jungle man happy the demon's gone, and Vince sort of basking in it all. He bopped Chloe on the head to make her stop going nuts and pointed out that the mages needed to be less fussy and focus! Raijah at least had his shit together! Constant bickering befell the Divine Knights of this generation. Whether it be superiority complexes, sibling stuff, group chaos, or common matters, they'd been affected by them time and time again thus far. But somehow they managed to pull it together on the battle ground and save the day. Peter and so many other people restored! All around the disgusting influence of Vex had been demolished. Humans under divine protection were so thankful! Word of the Rangers had been all over the news already, and tonight they would make headlines yet again. After finally finishing their work, the Mounts disbanded and the Rangers demorphed. Peter chose they could skip going to the grocery store today...he wanted to just go home. He'd been through a lot today, and his mind felt like mushy crap. Vince and Chloe put any quarrels aside for the moment and just agreed to go home with Peter and everyone else. But...what about the movies?
---
Urla giggled and snickered as she reentered the main hall of the castle. Torth disapprovingly looked at her and scolded as she twirled on over to the group of Disciples around Dumanax' throne. "Insolent girl! What use are you, your beautifulness, if you can not carry out a more dastardly plan than that?" Torth asked. Urla shushed him. "Please, Torth. My plan worked! We know those silly humans would do anything for their Guardian. Their shiny medallions hold power; and they are most desperate when others of their race are in harms way. We can use all of that against them!" Urla proclaimed what she thought was new information. So what was Vex? But a means to an end? New information this was not. But useful, still. It reminded Dumanax just how he could get to the Knights and draw them out when he wanted. His goal was to kill them first, conquer Earth second. Now the true games begin.
---
Later that night at the Hart farm, Vince was true to his word. One teenage boy just wanted to come home and his wish had been granted. Vince was a film buff, so instead of going out to the movies, why not pick a good movie online and watch it at home? At least one can assure they have proper amounts of butter on popcorn at home instead of paying for that dry crap in the concession stands. Vince personally picked a movie he thought everybody would enjoy. Chloe liked pretty much anything with hot guys in it so she was easy to please. Raijah seemed like he'd enjoy something family oriented, perhaps? Braxton had to be a sucker for intelligent writing and a plot. And Mellany, in Vince's opinion, seemed like a mix of all three. She may not be warmed up to him yet but he had a good feeling about her, for some reason. So what had Vince picked out? The classic choice for movie night: Empire Strikes Back. Not a perfect movie, but a watchable one for people of all tastes! He converted the living room into a home theater and sat against the couch on the floor as it played on the television. Chloe took a spot on one side of Peter on the couch, her knees up to her chest under a blanket. The others were placed around the living room but holding a close proximity. It had just gotten around to the part where Leia tells Han she loves him when Vince yawned quietly, Chloe already nodding off with her head slumped on Peter's shoulder. Well a popular girl's head on the shoulder of a kid like him is plot twist!

Peter glanced around the room as everyone watched the movie, ate snacks, or subtly fell asleep. Humbly he grinned. As much as everyone carried on and seemed to not get along on the surface, this moment right now is what mattered. Knights they were, and a long way they had ahead of them. For a moment like this is worth fighting for. Peter's head began to ache like it did when something was happening. A Guardian alert, if you will. Subtle, thought. He knew something big was coming. Something dark and powerful. Troubling times were ahead of them all. Peaceful times would soon be at an end. But now, they've all earned a rest.

Quest 03 - Complete
 
marorda marorda PenBlade1326 PenBlade1326

Quest 04: Go! Fight! Discord!

For all of their resources in the Lair and other means scattered about the farmhouse it was near impossible to find something specific when someone needed it. Everything had a place and all was well-organized, but for some reason even in a clean place it is hard to find something specific. Now it was perfectly possible whatever was needed had been hiding in plain sight--it would not be the first time something like that had happened around here. Straight after school, Peter came home to work on something important. Throughout the day, the non-teenage Knights were given household tasks to do, simple things like cleaning, tending to the Mounts, handling the crops outside, stuff like that. Peter and Chloe would do their part after coming home. Vince had been the one to work with crops all day, picking them, planting more, watering others and all of that super fun stuff. He'd been around outside all day for the most part, at least getting a good tan on his upper body whilst working in the sun!

Currently, Vince had joined everybody inside down in the Lair. He had slipped into a red tank top after running around without one all day. He freshened up after his chores and decided to search about the Lair in everyone's company looking for something particular. Everybody had been asked by Peter to find something important. A book on shaping runes. See, runes were something Guardians had been using for centuries, specially powered items that helped aid against the demonic forces threatening doom upon all the world. Peter knew little about them, but if he could find the book that explained them he'd be very happy. So before going to school, he asked everyone to keep an eye out for it. Vince had been outside most of the day, so he'd only been looking for said book for a few minutes by the time Peter came home through the mirror adjacent from the Lair downstairs. He heard Peter walk in, assuming his sister was with him.
"Hey guys," Vince said, not asking about school. He isn't a parent! That, and school typically isn't fun so he'd assumed to know how their day went. Vince turned around and only saw Peter as the boy sat his backpack down and immediately sat down at a table, pulling out a box and withdrawing the contents. Vince was confused? "Hey Peter, where's my sister?"
Peter glanced up. "Oh, Chloe stayed at school for cheer practice." Dang it, Chloe! She promised to be home after school! Only a week ago the city fell under attack, one would think she knew to be responsible as a Knight! Sure it isn't the end of the world, but still. But behind the scenes this wasn't the first time since becoming a Knight she'd flaked a bit. Chloe was an okay fighter, but she was really bad at actually being a Knight. She made a promise to come home...and there wasn't even a practice scheduled for today as far as he knew. Vince sighed and shook his head. "Chloe...ugh."

And speaking of her! At Westfield Central High School, the cheer leaders and football teams were on the football field practicing. The football coach blew his whistle and the team commenced a group run of a tackle! Jacob especially showing off his skill. Boys grunted and pressed on, one team in white and one in yellow; the schools colors. This way, they could divide at practice and be on different teams! Yellow was usually for home games and white for away games, just in case anyone cared. As the boys on the team took over one half of the field, across the 50 yard line were the cheer leaders. Matching the boys with yellow/white outfits, Chloe, Brooke and the rest of the squad went over drills and new cheers. As a team, the girls chanted in unison while moving around with pom-poms in hand:
"Westfield Knights! Yeah we're doing it right! Come on come on, day or night! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Cheer leaders synced up and let out the standard 'woooo' afterwards, shaking the pom-poms vigorously and wiggling around. Simple cheer, but it got crowds riled up at football games. Chloe rested her hands on her hips, feet evenly spread out in the lineup of girls as Brooke, the cheer captain, told them what they'd be doing next. Chloe listened and listened, focusing hard and paying utmost attention. She dedicated herself to this. If only she'd put as much effort in to being a Knight...
"Okay, girls. That was okay, but you need to really shake your asses if you want to make anyone notice us. How else do you think the judges at competitions give us good scores? Speaking of which, Kelsey, lay off the extra food at lunch, your ass is getting to be too much lately," Brooke said in the typical queen bee mega bitch fashion. Superficially bossing the girls around and being...pleasant.

Chloe caught her breath, they'd been doing this for a while. She glanced across the field as the football team took a minute to rest. She saw Jacob waving over, and she decided to give her boyfriend a cute wave in return as he waved in her general direction. Brooke snapped her fingers. "Chloe! Hellooo? Back to cheer, get on your back later," Brooke said to her to get her attention. Chloe didn't pay it any mind and shook her head, readjusting her focus. So...not even going to address the 'on your back' part, then? Alright. Brooke counted off and the squad resumed.
 
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Raijah loved tending to the Mounts. Together with handling the crops, it was his favorite task. Anything that let him be outside surrounded by plants or animals made him feel comfortable. At home, even. Cleaning... he didn't like that as much, but when it was his turn to do so, he would. Everyone had to do their part to keep things going, no? That's how it was back home and how it was here. How it went everywhere. Each and every living thing had their own place and task. It's just natural! After cleaning the stables (that's the kind of cleaning he did not mind), feeding, brushing, and playing with the Mounts for a bit (as far as they wanted to, anyway), he went inside. There was something Vince needed help with.

Mellany had been out buying the groceries that weren't grown on the farm. Dairy, bread, snacks... yeah, really just all the stuff they couldn't grow at the farm. A big plus, seeing how expensive fruit and vegetables were, nowadays. After walking back and forth a few times between the kitchen and the car, all groceries were properly put away inside. Once all of that was done, she grabbed an apple of the bowl of fruit and wandered to the kitchen, tagging along with Raijah on the way there. She cleared her throat, giving a nod to Raijah's dirty feet. "Braxton will have your head if you walk in like that," she said. Raijah grinned sheepishly and cleaned his feet before daring to step on the floor. See? He was learning! The two walked down the stairs, Raijah still smelling like the stables, to help in the search for the book.

Which was quite the task, especially for Raijah. Although he was learning and knew enough of the English language to make himself understood, words weren't that easy for him. Reading... even more difficult. He could pick up any book, thinking it was runes. He'd get happy thinking he helped, only to have someone point out that no, it wasn't the book they were looking for. But he was trying. Mellany smiled softly and patted him on the shoulder. It was very kind of Raijah to try and help out, but.... well, it really wasn't a good idea to ask someone who can barely read to find a specific book on a difficult subject. Eventually she had handed him a note with the word "Runes" on it, telling Raijah to find the books with scribbled that looked like what she had written down for him. It helped. Raijah had just as much luck in finding the book as everyone else now. Meaning none at all.

"Had a good day at school?" Mellany asked. See, she might not be a parent, but she could be a decent human being if she chose to. And Peter was like a little brother to her. It didn't hurt to show some interest. Especially now that there was no parent left to do so. Yikes, that was painful. Truth, but painful even so. And for some reason Chloe wasn't with him. Trying to ditch her chores, huh? Cue an eye roll. Oh they'd save the nastiest chore for her, if Mellany had any say in it. Shame Raijah had already cleaned out the stables... Cheer practice or not, sometimes there were more important places to be and things to attend. Like right now, when the world needed saving from demons. And even without demons... Mellany knew from experience there were things more important than cheer practice.
 
Braxton woke up that morning feeling more energetic than usual. After a hearty breakfast and seeing the adolescents off to school, he'd gotten started on his daily routine before chores. Meditation being undisturbed for thirty minutes, concentrating on the connection he had with the dream dimension and harnessing his magical potential. Then he took a quick shower with as little water usage as possible. More focus on magic, a little reading, and searching for the book Peter needed before cleaning. By default of all chores taken he had been planted in the 'cleaning house' part of it. There wasn't any chore he didn't mind doing. The way he was brought up, chores make people better members of society. Something a few people in this house would highly benefit from.
Braxton left all bedrooms to their users. Those rooms were the responsibility of the persons living in them. Braxton's room as always kept tidy.

He did clean the floors upstairs, however. Mutual grounds. Then he mopped and swept the rest of the houses floors, dusted furniture, vacuumed carpets, organized anything that needed it and wiped the counters in the kitchen clean, as well as tending to dishes leftover from breakfast. All without a single drop of magic involved. Only in cases of quick convenience he would use magic for a common task. Ergophobic he was not. He'd stumbled in after Mellany and Raijah, seeing the forest man actually clean his feet before entering the house. Hmm. Seems as though the simpleton was learning a thing or two or three. "Smart move," Braxton spoke antagonistically in his tracks. If he'd tracked mud on the clean floors after he had spent a good portion of his day cleaning them there would be a lot of toads miraculously appearing in Raijah's bed. Unless he would like that. Then the toads would have six legs and big crab-like pinchers.

Not having to unleash his wrath on the simpletons he grabbed a bottle of water from the new package Mellany had brought from the market and joined everyone in the Lair just as Peter and Chloe should be getting in from school. Everyone was searching for that book.

Runes were an extensive topic for books of the variety in the Lair. Or so Braxton believed. Locating the exact one they needed may be nice to use a location spell for, however as ironic as it sounded it was lost. Braxton had no idea where that spell was...he had to locate the location spell or whatever tome it was inside. Alas. Braxton climbed onto a small ladder and picked books from the shelves looking for a book on runes needed by Peter. As everyone searched to their ability Peter returned. He acknowledged him with a wave and continued his search for the rune book. It wasn't until he turned around that he saw Vince's sister was not with him. "Cheer practice? Has that girl completely lost it? Bouncing around like an idiot instead of being here when she should be! "I see that our incompetent archer prioritizes tight skirts and drooling teenage boys."
 
Tweaking and tinkering with the supplies from the box Peter had pulled out brought the boy a veneer of calm. Working with his hands on something, anything, helped him focus and feel helpful. He'd always help his dad doing anything and everything he could. Going by total memory on the small circular piece inside of the box divulged his focus. When Peter was in his work mode he was not to be disturbed. Or at least not disturbed by anything that could afford to wait a while. While he hadn't been upstairs yet he knew everyone had to have completed the chores and started looking for the book. Thank God, that will spare him so much time! As of now what he's working on, what looks like a medallion husk, is just by memory of what his dad did to the others. He thinks this is the correct way...
"School was good, by the way," Peter answered the question. Like Vince thought, school isn't too exciting, but at least Peter enjoyed school enough--minus the teasing from other students.

"Hey, Braxton, give Chloe a break. She's always been a bit flakey on some things. When it comes to her boyfriend, cheer leading, or shopping, she prioritizes it all over stuff that's more important. I swear she could be so much better if she dedicated herself..." Vince shook his head again and clenched his fingers over the bridge of his nose. Clumsy natures rarely befell him, though at that time he leaned against the same shelf Braxton was up on and Mellany happened to be close to. A big book fell off, shaking as it did so, nearly tumbling onto Mellany's head! Vince displayed an almost rogue-like skill and caught it with one hand. "Sorry, Mellany," Vince apologized and lifted it up. He blew a layer of dust off of it. Hey!
"Peter, this the book you're looking for?" Vince asked. A break from talking/thinking about how unreliable Chloe was being. He displayed it in his hand out to the boy as he worked. Peter looked up with wide eyes. "Oh yeah that's it!" Peter took the book from Vince and flipped through it fast. "With this I can finish my work faster than ever...and now I realize I shouldn't mark this there, instead should mark that there..." Peter said and read from the book. Just in the knick of time he'd found a flaw in his work! Just may make the difference between a rune craft and a portal to a dimension full of walking toilet paper rolls. Okay, maybe not that, but it might as well be. He didn't know what he was doing! Peter then gestured for everybody to come join him at the table.

"Okay guys. Chloe can be filled in later. This book will help me to craft runes properly from the symbols and rune carvings in your family texts. Runes are special magical makings that focus power into something. Dad actually used runes to focus power into your medallions in the first place. I figured since we have a lot of demons to deal with we might as well make more," Peter explained as casually as he could so even Raijah could understand without too much confusion. Vince nodded intently and leaned over him as he worked.
"So you're making a new medallion? What's it do?"
"Well, Vince, I don't know yet. Just I'm looking for something to carve into it and a form of energy for it to bond into so I can forge the rune. From what I can tell this rune carving I'm looking into can either disrupt or confuse people... and I hear a faint hum, I swear..." Peter said. Faint hums weren't a good sign...unless they were?

Time had passed and the cheer squad finished up a new routine. Forming a pyramid, the girls stacked on top of one another with Chloe just near the top, her and another girl supporting Brooke's weight as she climbed to the top. The pyramid was perfect and this the girls dismounted. The football team had also finished up. The coach whistled for the boys to shower up and get out of here. Jacob broke away from the boys and strolled on over, waving his sweaty but luscious hair in the breeze. He upped his chin at Chloe and she bounced on over to him, prancing like a puppy to its owner. "Hey baby," Chloe said with the girliest voice to muster, kissing his cheek. Jacob slowly backed off. "Whoa, babe, you know I don't like you kissing on me when I'm sweaty," he said. Chloe frowned and backed down, Jacob's arm going around her. Brooke then wandered over after giving another background remark to that girl Kelsey. She eyed Jacob with a sultry look behind Chloe's back and said hello to them.
---
Dumanax' Shadoji Disciples had been summoned. Torth from his study and Urla from her tower, making way to the main hall and kneeling with the other Disciples before the Supreme Disciple. Torth had only been studying and conjuring up powerful wards over the castle, Urla reveling in her vanity as always. Dumanax commanded them all to rise with a simple gesture. He then looked to the Disciple's Honor pedestal, the black water boiling and the runes along the rim burning. Silently he made his Disciples gather around and touch the runes as before. After the last failure, higher powers decided that a Disciple's essence would not be used, but instead the magicks within the pedestal. As the demons hands all touched it, the symbols floated around and swirled until out splashed one single rune. Chosen today had been a demon of Discord. Dumanax had it to rise from the black water, the dark liquid molding into a form before them. A wild looking creature had spawned. It looked as if it were made from plants and some form of reptile. Foliage accents with scaly limbs and a tail, a chaotic looking face to compliment the sharp claws. Out of control the demon leaped up and shouted with the ferocity of a tiger! "Helloooooo Supreme Disciple! I am Gakono and I'm here to make the humans succumb to the will of Discord!" Spoke the demon and screeched once more.
"Quite obnoxious, this one," Torth spoke to the other Disciples.
 
"Some more dedication couldn't hurt, though," Mellany said, low-key agreeing with Braxton. After a week of training and demons attacking, surely they could've expected her to be at least a little more serious on the whole being a knight thing? Popularity, drooling teens, everything in high school was only temporary. What would happen if they weren't able to defeat the Shaoji... that might as well actually be eternal. She crossed her arms and huffed. She too had had to learn to be more dedicated to being a mage. In part it had a different reason from just prioritizing other stuff above the duties of a knight. Still, Mellany knew to take being a knight more serious. You wouldn't see her bailing out of chores and duties just to do things that would have no lasting influence on her life. And then Vince nearly knocked over the bookshelf. A big and heavy looking book came tumbling down. Mellany ducked and raised her arms to shield herself. "Hey! Watch it!" she called to Vince as he caught the book out of the air so quickly it would nearly put the rogues to shame. "Thanks..." she muttered to Vince, then sneezed as some of the dust he blew off the cover found its way into her nostrils.

"Bless you," Raijah said, one of the civilized things he learned to say more recently. He didn't quite understand... wasn't it just the priests and shamans blessing people when they needed it? Like... for a good hunt. Or before a battle. Or when they were sick or pregnant. Not when they sneeze... The wildling lightly shook his head. This society was really strange sometimes. He had to say he was impressed with how quickly Vince grabbed that book before it fell and hurt Mellany. "Whoa... Vince is so fast," he commented, nodding in approval. And it was the book they were looking for, too! How convenient. That also meant he didn't have to look anymore. Not that he didn't want to help, but even with Mellany's scribbles on the note he found it difficult to find the books. For all he knew he was holding the note upside down. Or the books were upside down! Raijah wouldn't be able to tell, really.

The two walked over to the table Peter was working at, taking a look at the book. "I've done some reading on Rune Crafting quite some time ago," Mellany said, taking a closer look at the pages. "Interesting but tricky stuff. One wrong line and..." she made a vague gesture with her hands suggesting things would go wrong. Poof. Or boom. Or both. Get one aspect of the rune wrong, and the effect might be greatly altered. She nodded as Peter explained what he was trying to work on. "Makes sense. The more we have to work with, the better of a chance we stand, not?" They'd only faced a few demons, but they had been troublesome. And every one of the knights knew there were more and likely worse to come. "Also... humming? Like a voice, or more the buzzing kind?" Neither sounded too great, honestly. But one would definitely sound worse than the other. The question was, which one was the worse kind?
---
Zaken had been going over tactics over and over again in the war room, as well as practicing his swordsmanship on old disregarded dummies. That warrior... he still had a long way to go before Zaken would consider him a worthy opponent, but if he did not get himself killed anytime soon, the young man would get there. Aah, a worthy opponent, a proper duel. It had been too long. He'd heard and heeded his Master's call, heading over to the Throne Room with the other Disciples. And Lusa... she had been enjoying her time in the darkness of the dungeons, where no sunlight would fall upon her. Just the silvery light of the moon. She had prayed to Him, asking for the strength in upcoming battles. To be blessed with His power. The time of the Moon and the Night would come. She, as the Empress of Shadows had to see to that. It was her task, her duty besides serving Dumanax unconditionally. She, too, wandered to the Throne Room upon hearing the call. Both knelt before the Supreme Disciple along their kin, waiting for the sign they could rise.

It was time to summon another being from the void, this time using the ancient magicks and runes again instead of one of the Disciple's energy. That made sense, after the most recent failure that had been Urla's so-called plan. They placed their hands on the Pedestal, watching the runes dance and swirl until one rune stood out. The water rose a creature that soon made themselves known. A reptile-like being clad in foliage... or was it partially made of it? It loudly introduced himself as Gakono, screeching again.
"And loud, too," Zaken spoke while Lusa nodded in agreement. Very loud indeed. Now let's hope this one wasn't all bark and no bite.
 
Continuously searching for the exact book required Braxton brought out his inner search dog and covered the shelves from top to bottom. Now normally he would not look for something he wasn't using himself, but sense it's important to their duty and their Guardian he was more than happy to search for the dusty old thing. He had nearly fallen however when Vince bumped into the shelf and knocked one down. Painfully in unison he called out "Watch it!" with Mellany. As if he needed more reasons to go on and on about incompetence in this group. A ditching cheer leader, a bratty mage, an idiot, and an idiot from a jungle. But having nearly fell from the ladder made him scold the warrior extra so as much as it pained him to be in sync with Mellany on a personal level. But she did agree with him on the concentration, however. He picked up on that but knew she'd never admit to agreeing with him when he was obviously correct.

Clumsy as he was, Vince happened upon what they were all searching for. Braxton lowered himself and brushed off any dust that had fallen onto his clothing from the shelves. This Lair of theirs needed a good cleaning. Mental reminder to add this room to cleaning on the chore list. That can be Chloe's job when she returns home. Braxton scoffed. If one has seen that brief clip of Donald Trump making a variety of facial expressions that had been turned into a 'meme' of sorts, that was exactly what Braxton's face mimicked. "I'm sorry, but really? We are supposed to believe you actually studied on runes before? I would be impressed had that sounded completely in character for you," Braxton spoke up and allowed his dark eyes to gaze onto the book Peter was now looking into. "However I will say you're right. Runes and rune crafting is a risky task. It requires a steady hand, determination, and a lot of knowledge on the subject. Had your father taught you much about it?" Braxton asked. He was careful to not upset Peter when talking about Alexander, though a simple question as this didn't sound too bad when he said it. How one receives it is up to them, but he thought it was a fine thing to ask. Humming...hmm. While Braxton did not speak, he did think humming was a sign that something strange was around. Magic, maybe, or something else.
---
Off in the garden tending to herbs and the statues for decoration, Rogana swiftly decapitated a statue with a Thralls weapon. She thanked said Thrall for allowing her to use it and sent it on its way. Much better decoration. Rogana's time in the garden was always peaceful for her. Her mind had expanded to new horizons as she pondered mysteries of these new Knights. Where they must go away from battle, why they persist without a proper leader to guide them. So much about the was uncertain and yet so little was at the same time. Curious-er and curious-er. Andero was busy in the courtyard making sure the Thralls were whipped into shape on time for the next plan of attack. If they are to rule the humans and enslave them all they had best be ready. If a Thrall had slipped up in its form, he'd give it a good whack with his weapon and tell them to improve or face the wrath of a wild wyvern. Now if he could only find one. Both he and Rogana heard the masters call and wandered into the main hall and throne room.

Runes on the pedestal today. Urla was a dear, though her attempt from last time was less than satisfactory. The Disciples gathered around and summoned the new demon from the depths of the murky black water. Arose Gakono, a loud and erratic beast. Part reptile and part plant? Delightful! Andero stroked his chin and inspected the creature. But as Gakono screeched, Rogana was less than pleased. "Oh dear. Someone fetch me a fainting couch," she said and put her hand over her forehead for dramatic effect. So uncivilized.
 

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