Passage 2: “The Chosen People”
Makara has chosen you as the Judge of Simeon. Keep this jewel safe, for great evil approaches this world.
Ban tried to contain himself. He was surging with more power than he had ever felt before. He examined the brace upon his wrist, gingerly touching it with his other hand. Faint pulses of red energy flickered from time to time beneath his skin. Ban wondered what these new powers were, and how he could possibly use them. Najmuddin came around to face Ban and genuflected before him.
“No need for that”, Ban said embarrassingly.
“Oh but there is”, said Najmuddin. “It would be wrong not to show respect toward a Judge”
“Judge? I told you… I can’t - ”
“But you must”, said Najmuddin. “Destiny summons you”
Destiny, though Ban. It was not something he believed in. But it seemed it was going to be thrust upon him…
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Sako knelt down to the ground to catch her breath. Everything was happening so fast. Again she looked down upon herself. This was the armor of one of the nine Judges of Canaan. How could it be that she, a girl of low birth, could inherit such power? An unworldly voice then spoke out to Sako.
Head forth to the great Mountain and meet your comrades in arms.
A gush of wind suddenly blew through. The tree line swayed violently as the moving air went past. Sako looked up at the sky. From a blue star, a creature that could only be described as a giant deer descended and landed right next to the girl.
"What the!?"
Sako was startled beyond wits’ end. The beast tucked her head, decorated with massive horns, under Sako’s body and lifted her up onto its neck. Then she leapt back up into the sky and galloped in the air in the direction of Sri Pada, far to the south of Naphtali. Sako looked back at the ground as it shrank more and more out of sight. This night just kept getting weirder by the minute…
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Bahirawakanda. The head of the mountain chain that divided Reuben and Gad from Issachar. Just the utterance of the name or that of the Yakka which inhabitaed that mountain could send a chill down the bravest man’s body. In the olden days the people of southwestern Simeon would leave a young maiden on the cloud-covered slopes as a sacrifice to the lord of the mountain, Bahirawa. These days though no sacrifices were made. A brazen few who denied the validity of the legends even dared to scale part of the mountainside and scamper back to boast of their exploits. “See? No monster!” But they never went unnoticed, for if Bahirawa did not spy them, the creatures of the mountains certainly did.
Tonight a great gathering of Yakko was being held within Bahirawakanda. Deep in the bowels of the mountain lay built a giant amphitheater, where countless Yakko in spirit for were assembling. At the very center of this theater lay the main stage. A throne sat on the wall of this stage, where it was surrounded by hundreds of rows climbing up toward the top of the meeting chamber. Slumped upon the throne was Bahirawa the Devourer, commander of the YakkaJuu (‘Devil Beasts’) and feared by all.
On his left and right-hand sides stood his compatriots: Mohini the Seducer, leader of the YakkaJin (‘Devil Men’) and the terror of all mortal men; and Kuber, keeper and treasurer of the Yakkos’ plunder.
Kuber fidgeted impatiently with his chatra.
“This was a foolish idea” he muttered. “Mahasona’s eyes are bigger than his head if he thinks he can scale Ahasa”
“I told you we should have sent more forces” said Mohini, examining her pale hand.
“And what good would that have done?? Without the nine Rathnaya all we’re doing is wasting time. You two should have listened to me from the start!”
The two begin a shouting match, but were interrupted by a loud threatening growl from Bahirawa.
“I have not eaten in years”, he snarled. “You imps keep this up and I’ll break fast with the both of you”
A commotion came from above. Mahasona rode down the rows of the theater on his black hound and landed in the center of the room, his armor steaming. Bahirawa leapt from his throne and approached him.
“What happened?!” he demanded.
“Sariputta is tougher than I thought he would be...” said Mahasona as he leapt down. Kuber clicked his tongue in derision.
“I told you not to go. You’ve now wasted valuable resources” But the squat demon secretly enjoyed seeing the dark knight return in defeat.
“Typical of you to talk so economically” sneered Mahasona. “But I haven’t finished. When we clashed the blast threw us both out of the Plane.I saw him fall into the sea. He can't reenter Ahasa now, for the Contamination has already begun. So no, miser” he added, throwing the last remark to Kuber’s face. “I have succeeded. Now is our chance!”
Before anyone else could respond, a rumbling was heard from beneath the stage. In the well at the center appeared the ten faces of Ravana, the current Yakko King.
The four generals gathered around and bowed down as Ravana began speaking to them in the demons’ tounge.
“Thy will be done” said Bahirawa at last. Ravana disappeared, and he stood up again. In his hands appeared his sword, made from the severed claw of the giant demon crab Maha Swarna Karkatahaya, which he had defeated in battle before conquering this mountain.
“Yakko! The time of our vengeance has come. Go forth, and take what is rightfully ours!”
He brandished his sword as the hordes of demons cheered and chanted the name of their masters…
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*Opening Theme plays*
(
Seiju Sentai Gingaman OP Instrumental)
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The night before, an object from deep space had flown down toward the planet Canaan. Upon entering its atmosphere, it had plummeted over the realm of Gad and crashed in the dark forest Chandrakalle, the ‘Forest of the Moon’, in a plume of fire, dust and smoke. Now that the flames had died down, the wreckage of a small runabout could be seen in the newly-made crater. Inside the ship: the human called Havok.
Havok’s eyes slowly began to focus as he tried raising himself up from his seat. At once he felt a sharp pain in his blood-matted head and all over his body. It was a wonder he had survived so hard an impact at all. He saw that he was surrounded by dark trees and a haunting mist.
“Where am I?”
He gathered his thoughts, trying to remember how he got here, why he was here. But all he drew was a blank.
“Hell... Who am I?”
The mist was getting thicker as the night fell. The tree cover precluded all light, making it difficult to see past a few feet. No, that wasn’t completely true. There was one light that was making it through: a giant flash of white rays that were emitting from a sudden explosion of some sort in the black sky. Feeling around the crater, Havok picked up a small undamaged piece of metal. Stamped on it was the logo of SEC.
“SEC? What - ”
A surge of images flooded his mind. A bright light, dark shapes, a figure in a dark cloak. Then, nothing again.
Havok shook his head. Whoever he was, he must be going crazy. He stepped out from the crater and began wandering the forest, unaware of the many dangers all around him.
He arrived at a patch of forest free of trees. Suddenly his mind flashed with images again. Darkness, light, a cloaked figure, wicked laughter, savage battle…
“RRRAAAAAWWWWRRR!!”
His yell echoed throughout the forest, alerting nearly everyone and everything in earshot that something was here that didn’t belong. Then, nothing again. Unconsciousness.
When he woke up again after some hours, he saw a green-skinned alien with white eyes looking down at him. He immediately bolted upright and leaned away from the stranger
“Peace!” said the stranger. “I am a friend”
“Who are you?” demanded Havok.
“That I could not answer” said the alien. “But my companions call me Alpha”
“Alpha?”
“Yes, for I was the first of my kind that they had seen when they found me. I’ve been traveling space with them ever since, until we crashed here some months ago. It seems you have had a similar misfortune”, he noted, examining Havok’s battered body. “You need medical attention” he added mechanically.
“I think you’re right”, grimaced Havok, feeling another surge of pain flow through him.
“What’s your name, then?” asked Alpha.
Havok tried to think, but shook his head.
“I….. I don’t know. I think the crash knocked my head a bit….”
“More than a bit” said Alpha.
Ominous sounds suddenly drifted in from the forest depths.
“Come” said Alpha. “We can’t stay here. Gadites are not very welcoming of intruders”
“Gadites?” asked Havok. Alpha however ignored the question and brought out a small cube from his person. He sequeezed it with one hand, making it emit a strange glow. Before Havok knew it, the two of them had teleported out of the forest to the southern sea off the coast of Zebulun…
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The appearance of the mysterious light in the sky had flung the Simeonite city on turmoil. Najmuddin and his disciples formed a wall around Ban as they hurriedly escorted him out of the city. Once Ban stopped to look back at the panicked populace below the spectacular light, but Najmuddin admonished him.
“Do not look back. Keep moving” he said briskly.
Ban didn’t appreciate being rushed this way, but he didn’t have much choice. He was lead to the top of a large hill a mile or so away from the city. Najmuddin and the rest then stood back, leaving Ban at the center.
“Where are we?” he asked?
“This is known as the Highest Hill” said Najmuddin. “Here it is said Makara will descend to meet his master”
“Makara?” repeated Ban. “You mean the dragon I saw?”
The man nodded. He saw the doubt creeping in the Earthling’s face.
“You still do not believe you are what you are?”
“Do not believe?” snorted Ban. “Just yesterday I crashed onto this rock and now you’re telling me to go save you all like it’s my job? Did you ask me if I wanted to? No. Just do it. What if I refuse? What would you do then if - ?”
“Look!” said one of the disciples, pointing at the sky.
A red star had appeared over the Hill. Descending from it was a large red shape. As it got closer, Ban could see that it was a giant winged dragon. He leapt out of the way as the dragon landed on the hilltop, folded his immense wings against his back, and grunted a greeting to him, the new Judge of Simeon.
Najmuddin saluted the beast.
“Hail Makara, child of Gindhara”
Makara jerked his head, indicating for him to climb on. Ban looked back at Najmuddin.
“He will now bear you to Sri Pada in Issachar to meet your new comrades”
Ride this dragon? Was he crazy?
“You’re serious?” he asked. Makara snorted flames toward Ban’s back in response to the insult. Ban quickly capitulated.
“Sorry…”
Hesitantly he climbed on the dragon’s scales and seated himself upon the back. He turned back to Najmuddin.
“One more thing. If I’m who you say I am, which I doubt, why now show me to those people? If I’m supposed to be their hero shouldn’t you have told them not to fear?”
The old man’s face turned bitter.
“I have lived amongst these people for years. I implored them to repent, to turn back to Ahasa and forego their sinful ways. But they do not listen. In fact they rebel even further. They have attacked the prophets and mocked the ones who created them. Were I to have revealed you to them, you would most surely have been attacked, probably killed, in retaliation.
Ban frowned. None of this seemed to bode together. But before he could inquire further, Najmuddin and his followers gave them a final wave.
“Farewell now, Dragonranger. May Ahasa watch over you”
“Dragon-what?” asked Ban. But Makara had already taken off. Ban barely held on as the beast soared quickly up into the sky. He wondered how he could steer this thing, being used to piloting lifeless machines from within.
The Highest Hill was soon a speck in his line of sight. Makara roared and began setting a course southwest to Issachar….
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Of all the realms of Canaan, Zebulun was perhaps the wealthiest. The people were generally sea-faring by profession, and the ruling class headed the most powerful commercial empires of the world. Most of the heroes of Zebulunite legend were sailors who had traversed the oceans and had many spectacular adventures in distant lands.
Into this aristocracy had been born Kira. A daughter of the House of Hur and heir to her father’s vast trading company. Tonight she walked along the pier of the city and stared out into the limitless waters, viewing the ships as they came and went. Many young women would come out here, waiting for their loved ones to return from overseas trips. The seas had always had its perils, but in the last few months a band of pirates called the Horu had become an additional danger. Many a ship belonging even to the great Hur would get waylaid by these buccaneers. How Kira hated them. Tonight she could empathize with those women. But her fiancé wasn’t across the sea, but rather over the land out west.
She had been engaged to Chebar for only a month when he had told her the news: with the shadow of war with Gad looming ever more, a diplomatic party was being sent there to maintain good relations. Chebar had been requested to be part of the military escort, and being the ambitious young soldier that he was, he had gladly accepted. Kira had been less enthusiastic. For some time she had implored him to retire from the service and take a job in her family’s company. Chebar had only laughed. “Am I to be your husband or your servant?” he had asked. Her friends and relations kept telling her not to worry. The Zebulunite army was skilled and Chebar in particular was a man of many talents. If anything were to happen, they would surely overcome.
But Kira of course couldn’t stop worrying. So here she stood, staring at the water as it splashed over the walls of the pier. Nightfall had come. It was about time for her to head home, but there was a sudden commotion about. Kira saw crowds of people gathering all around and staring up at the dark sky. A great flash of white light, like a giant white sun, was hanging above the city. Kira stood mesmerized. Never had she seen something so spectacular. And neither it seemed had anyone else. Amazement had turned to fear. Kira saw the crowds merge into a wave of panicked people. Before she could get away, Kira was swept up by the tide. She ran with them, further and further away from that terrible light. Meanwhile, a pink star had also appeared in the heavens and was twinkling unbeknownst to everyone over the city…
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Long before joining (conscripted was more like it) the Horu, Cheiron had been a wandering marauder. It was during those days of pure freedom when he had met and befriended the ichthyoid alien Sarindhu. Even now Cheiron was the only one whom he truly trusted. Deep down Cheiron felt the same toward him, though he would never have admitted it.
He was not a man who could sit still for long. Like a shark, he had to constantly be on the move, never stopping anywhere for long. So when the Horu had crashed onto this puny middle-of-nowhere planet some months back, he had nearly gone mad from the immobility. It was all Sarindhu could do to keep his friend’s head on straight. Cheiron tried to settle for pirating ships traveling over the oceans, but how could an ocean compare to the infinity of space? When their captain, who rather the rather ironic name of Gaisei (‘Victorious Saint’), announced that he had a plan of escape, Cheiron had leapt at the chance. Finally a way to get off this damned rock.
Hence here the two partners were in the heart of the Zebulun capital. Their objective: abscond with the Pink Rathnaya of Light. An easy enough tasks, for the guards patrolling what had once been the grounds of the monarchy were not particularly devoted to their task. Some in fact had unabashedly thought about taking the sacred jewel themselves and selling it at an exorbitant price. “A God in the sky for a God of gold” Sarindhu had darkly observed. Cheiron had admonished him for being philosophical.
Tonight the guards were lackadaisical as usual, more interested in the exotic wares being sold in the plaza than it protecting some jewel from a bygone era. Cheiron stole into the grounds and waited for the cloak-draped Sarindhu to follow. But the alien’s attention was directed elsewhere.
“Hey! Fishboy! Stop dawdling and hurry up!” he called.
“Look there” said Sarindhu, pointing to the sky.
Cheiron looked and saw a stupendous light covering the sky. In the distance could be heard the faint screams of frightened people.
“What, that? Big deal, a light in the sky. Get over here before someone sees you!”
Sarindhu lingered for a moment, then followed Cheiron into the grounds. A few minutes later they had appeared at the shrine where the Tabernacle was held. Cheiron rubbed off some grime that had collected on the walls, revealing the faded emblem of Zebulun.
“Hope this isn’t too heavy” Cheiron muttered. But of course it was. He could barely hold the tabernacle in his arms as he tried to waddle away as inconspicuously as possible.
“How about a hand here?” he said to Sarindhu. Sarindhu though was looking at the light again”
“What are you, a moth or a fish?” Cheiron goaded. “Come on, move it”
“For someone who likes to travel everywhere, you’re not very curious” said Sarindhu.
“There’s nothing curious about this damned place” scowled Cheiron. Sarindhu gave his friend a look of disapproval but said nothing more.
Quickly as they could they fled with their prize to the edges of town. But soon their paths crossed with that of the fleeing mob. The two pirates barely scrambled out of the way as the torrent of frightened civilians flooded through.
“Hey, you two!” said a voice. Cheiron and Sarindhu whirled around to see a group of soldiers who had come out to maintain order. The one who addressed them pointed to the tabernacle.
“What do you have there?”
They were discovered. Luckily the swarm of people provided for good cover. The duo plowed their way through, hoping to lose their pursuers in the crowd. Cheiron collided with a girl, dropping the large tabernacle with a loud clatter.
Kira got up and glared at the man who had knocked her down. But her irritation turned to surprise when she saw what he had been carrying. The Rathnaya’s Tabernacle! Why…. Kira jumped to her feet and ran to the man.
“What are you doing with that?!” she demanded.
Sarindhu grabbed the box as Cheiron rolled away from the girl. The soldiers were upon them.
“Drop the box, now!”
But Cheiron drew a knife and grabbed Kira, putting the blade to her throat.
“You dare ask a Horu to submit?” he spat.
Kira’s heart skipped a beat. A Horu? Here, now? Putting his bloodied hands on her? She tried to wrestle away from the pirate, but he only tightened his grip on her.
“Any closer and she gets it”
The soldiers faltered. They recognized Kira as being high-class and feared putting her in any risk. Thus Cheiron and Sarindhu were able to escape from the city into the wilderness. Before they could follow, they were swallowed by the mob…
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En route to Issachar, Ban felt his Brace begin to pulse like a slow heartbeat. He felt some power emanating from the southeast. Hesitantly he tapped Makara’s neck.
“Hey! Stop a minute!”
Makara slowed to a gentle glide and turned to face his master. Ban showed his Brace.
“I think something’s going on down there”
Makara frowned in doubt and grunted to indicate the urgency of getting to the Mountain.
“Come on, it can’t hurt to take a look”
Makara paused a moment, then decided to comply. With a flap of his wings, he changed course and headed southeast to Zebulun…
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*Man and dragon soon arrived over Zebulun. Ban looked down for whatever it was that had drawn him here. A pink star had appeared out of nowhere. His Rathnaya was on the fritz; they had to be close. They were close to a large coastal city than seemed to be in the same state of pandemonium as the Simeonite one from that brilliant light. Makara descended to the ground. On the rocky beach below a sheer cliff they saw a strange figure collapsed. Makara looked at the figure and gave a small cry of recognition. Ban however was distracted by the sounds coming straight ahead. Still not sure what was going on, he started going forward, unaware that they were being watched…
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Sarindhu and Cheiron dashed toward the cliff edge, Kira still in tow. She scratched and kicked, but Cheiron kept his grip on her and his knife pointed dangerously toward her soft flesh.
“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” he muttered to her.
“Get off me!” Kira yelled.
“And deprive myself of a good time? After staying on this rock I think I deserve a treat”
“Find someone else!”
And she kicked him again in the shin. Cheiron loosened his grip, allowing Kira to break free and leap away from the buccaneer…. only to find herself face to face with a living skeleton. Several living skeletons…
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Ban then heard a rustling sound behind him. From their hiding places, five Kattu who had been following him appeared and surrounded him. Cackling together, they took out their hatchets and threw them in synchronation. Ban ducked and rolled. Now would be a good time to use these new powers of his, but he was hesitant to do so, not knowing exactly how to do it. The Kattu were upon him again. What the hell were these freaks?
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Sariputta awoke on a beach overlooked by a great cliff ledge. How much time had passed since his battle in the Celestial Plane, he knew not. What he did know was that he felt a substantial decrease in power. He dragged himself up and ducked behind a rock. From atop the cliff, he could hear sounds. There were people up there... He also sensed that one of them had in possession the red Rathnaya. The pink Rathnaya wasn't very far off itself.
At the top of the cliff appeared the head of a great dragon. Sariputta looked into his face and smiled. Makara, child of Gindhara had arrived. He nodded toward the beast, offering his reassurance that was alright, then began to find away up the cliff…
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Kira, Cheiron and Sarindhu huddled together as the Kattu surrounded them.
“Just what we need” grumbled Cheiron.
“Serves you right” Kira shot back.
“I wouldn’t talk, miss. You’re gonna die too.”
He turned to Sarindhu.
“Time to take out the trusty belt”
Before Saridnhu could warn him against it, his friend had unfurled a power with a deck of Major Arcana tarot cards. This was once the gear of the warrior Ixion of a distant world, but had been plundered by Cheiron some time ago during a raid of a transport vessel. From the deck he took out Card V and ran it through a slot in the belt.
“
HIEROPHANT” said the belt in a mechanical voice.
Luminous armor appeared over Cheiron. He now had the appearance of a knight of lore with some owlish features added in; a role rather unfitting for a scoundrel as he.
Sarindhu came beside him and Kira stepped away in shock, positioning herself near the tabernacle which the alien had set aside. The Kattu did not falter, but instead started to advance.
“I hoped they’d do that” Cheiron muttered. As Sarindhu began to engage them, he took out Card VII from the deck and ran it through.
“
CHARIOT”
A loud rumble was heard in the distance. High over the heads of the Kattu, a shiny red and silver motorcycle made its appearance. Written it script on its sides was the name ‘Chariot’. Cheiron jumped on his Chariot and began riding dusty circles around the confused Kattu. The grunts watched this ridiculous figure riding around them. Unimpressed, they opened their mouths and spat out poisonous ink. The ink attached itself to the Chariot and Cheiron himself, and began burning through their armor. One Kattu jumped in front of the bike and swung his hatchet at Cheiron's neck.
The ink went through the armor and touched Cheiron’s skin. The poison began to seep through.
AGGGGHHH!
He fell off the bike just before the Kattu’s hatchet connected with his neck. The luminosity of his armor had faded. His voice suddenly became deeper. Sarindhu broke away from the Kattu he was fighting and looked the change in his friend.
“Not again” he muttered. The poison had activated the dormant spirit within the belt.
“That was...
unwise...” said Cheiron. He pulled out Card XV and ran it through the belt.
“
DEVIL”
A distinctly darker and more sinister armor began to cover his body; finally, an monstrous figure stood before the Kattu. The spirit of Ixion had taken hold again. Such was the curse of the belt, the revenge of its owner against the one who had stolen it.
Ixion's eyes flashed a satanic red and the toothy maw that is his mouthpiece seemed momentarily to chomp outward from the rest of his black armor.
Death... to... the transgressors.
Ixion pulled out a nasty looking pair of scythes and proceeded to ruthlessly dismember the Kattu, who erupted in gushes of sparks and black blood-matter with each fall of the blades. The grunts were soon hacked up and disintegrated into nothingness. However, one of Ixion’s blows knocked off one Kattu’s head clean off its body . The head latched onto Ixion's body and begin draining him of energy…
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Ban was beginning to tire from his own battle. A Kattu struck him in the face, sending him flying to near where the others were battling. His wrist brace began to pulse repeatedly, as though urging its owner to call upon it. Ban had been hesitant to use his newfound powers, not knowing just what they would do. But now was as good a time as any to whip them out. Ban raised his brace arm in the air. The bright red glow of the brace radiated like a miniature star, and enveloped his entire body.
Two more Kattu threw their hatchets at Ban, but they disintegrated upon contact with his illuminated body. As the red glow began to subside, an armored figure was finally seen standing before his enemies.
“Who are you?!”, snarled one of the Kattu.
Ban looked straight at the grunt, his words not his own, but derived from the tongues of his predecessors.
“Judge of Simeon…. Dragonranger!”
Ban the Dragonranger looked around to see a dark, sinister figure and a fishlike alien engaged in his own fight with the Kattu. A little distance away was huddled a girl with a tabernacle like that he had seen in Simeon. From Ban’s belt there appeared a long sheathed sword. The handle was shaped like a dragon’s head, with the blade protruding from the mouth. This was the treasure sword RyuKaduwa, forged by Simeon himself millennia ago. Ban drew the sword and proceeded to fight the Kattu. Now they didn’t seem half as intimidating as before, he thought. To and fro he swung, cutting down grunts left and right, meeting blade with blade.
Meanwhile Sariputta had clambered up the cliff ledge and landed on the top. Hiding behind some foliage, he watches the battle progress…
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“I’m starting to get the hang of this”, thought Ban as he cut down grunt after grunt. The last two Kattu finally leapt up to tackle him. These he handled with a swift double beheading. The bodies disappeared, but the now disembodied heads began circling around him, firing blasts of energy. At first he was content with just twirling his blade, deflecting the shots as they came his way. Then he decided to get a bit adventurous, and discovered that the light feeling he had while un-morphed was significantly increased now that he was armor-clad. He started swiftly leaping from head to head, cutting gashes into the faces of the skulls here and there. Finally he stopped in front of the skulls and brought the blade to his Brace. It ignited in a bright red fire and shone like a great torch in the night. With the fiery blade he skewered both heads, making large sparks and drops of flame rain down on the ground. The skulls exploded off the end of his sword. Ban slowly sheathed his sword, a smug look of satisfaction on his helmeted face. Not bad for a guy with very little combat experience to his name. Now to check out what was going on with the others…
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The Kattu heads had unwittingly sucked out the poison from Ixion, causing his armor to disappear. Ixion’s spirit was forcibly shut back into the belt , giving back Cheiron's mind; Sarindhu appeared and fired several blasts from his firearm at the heads, causing them to explode. The sound snapped Cheiron back into reality.
“Huh?!”
He knelt, dazed; a disaster had surely been averted, as Ixion would surely have attacked Sarindhu and tried to kill him.
“What happened?!”
Cheiron looked around, dazed and confused; he locked eyes on a red armored figure coming toward the girl. On his arm he noticed a Brace. He recognized it from pictures in old books and scrolls that the Horu had obtained. This man had a Rathnaya! He quickly jumped to his feet and gathered his bearings.
“You all right?” Ban asked Kira. Kira could only stare back in amazement. Here was one of the nine Judges of Caanan, standing right before her. She had heard the legends, but had never expected to actually see it firsthand.
“Are you all right?”
“What? Oh, yes… I’m fine”
She picked herself up and continued to gape.
“Guess I should take this off” said Ban and gave the Brace a tap. At once the suit disappeared, revealing himself again.
“How… when did… how?!”
“Don’t ask me, I only came here yesterday. I know just about as much as you do.”
“Came? What are you talk - ”
She was interrupted by the two pirates, who now had their weapons drawn on the two of them.
“Lovely show, that was” said Cheiron. “But now let’s get back to business. Hand over that box”
“I’d like to see you try” shot back Kira. “See how you fare against the Judge of Simeon!”
“Wait, what - ” said Ban.
“And you! Hand over your jewel too, or this will get ugly”
“Now wait a minute!” said Ban. He didn’t know what was going on with these three, but he decided to try to settle it. He went up to Cheiron.
"Lets try this again," he said with a smile "I'm Ban, of planet Earth. And you are...?"
“I am Cheiron, and this is my associate Sarindhu. We crashed here several months ago - ”
“Small word” said ban. I crashed here yesterday.
“- we’re just trying to find our way back home. But first we must retrieve nine jwels that we lost upon crashing here. Somehow you have one, and this girl refuses to give us that one over there”
“Don’t listen to them!” said Kira. “Those two are pirates. They have blood on their hands. Kill them!”
“Wait a minute, no one is killing anyone” said Ban. Honestly he felt he could buy Cheiron’s story a little more readily than he could Najmuddin’s. Still, something about this character was a little off.
“Well I would like to help you” he told Cheiron. “But as you can see…” he tried to pry the Brace off his arm to no avail. “This thing has other ideas”
“Oh” said Cheiron. “Yes, nasty habit of theirs. Well then, I’m afraid I have no choice.”
He raised his gun toward Ban’s head.
“Farewell Mr. Ban.”
“No, wait -” said Ban. Kira shrieked. But before the pirate could fire he and his partner were zapped with energy. Sariputta stepped out from his hiding place.
“What hast thou done? You of unclean derivation dare to take this sacred treasure?!”
He zapped them again. Sarindhu and Cheiron were forced to submit to the saint’s awesome power. Ban and Kira stared in horror.
“Begone now, and never again sully the property of Ahasa!”
He threw them over the cliff, where they rolled down the ledge and landed onto the rocks. Ban and Kira shuddered.
Sariputta turned back to Ban and Kira and addressed the latter.
“Now then. It is time you got what was coming to you”
He picked up the tabernacle and presented it to Kira, who looked at Sariputta in surprise.
“You don’t mean….”
“It is what was calling you tonight. Look up”
He gestured to a pink star in the sky. It shone directly upon the baffled girl.
“But… I can’t…. I’m no warrior - ”
“Join the club”, muttered Ban
“ - my fiancé, now he’s the soldier. Maybe he could…”
“It is you that has been chosen”, interrupted Sariputta.
The tabernacle opened its doors automatically. Kira looked at the saint once more.
“But… my parents... I…”
The Pink Rathnaya shone brightly before Kira. She slowly sighed, resigned to her fate. Reaching into the box, she touched the jewel, at once enveloped in a column of pink energy. An image of a Roc appeared before her and glowed in a blinding bright light. Then, it and the energy enclosure disappeared, and the real world returned to view. A watch-sized wrist brace, with the jewel encased within, had appeared on Kira's wrist. It pulsed once, and an unworldly voice was heard in his head alone*
Ukussa has chosen you as the Judge of Zebulun. Keep this jewel safe, for great evil approaches this world.
Ban turned his head, shielding his eyes from the glow. The light eventually subsided, and he noticed that the girl had an identical Brace to his on her arm. The tabernacle fell to the ground and shattered into dozens of pieces. Kira stared down upon the Brace as well, in awe of what was transpiring before her. Sariputta spoke again.
“Come. You must all assemble upon Sri Pada”
“How did you know - ” said Ban
“All will be explained once we get there. Right now we must leave with haste”
“But of course”, muttered Ban to Kira. “No one takes their sweet time here.” Makara walked up next to the trio.
“What took you so long?”, said Ban jokingly.
Makara snorted a blast of air from its nostrils. Kira looked at the great dragon nervously.
“Don’t worry”, consoled Ban. “He doesn’t bite… I think”
Kira looked uncertain but climbed atop the beast’s back anyway. Makara took off and headed back on course to Issachar. Down on the ground, they were followed by two figures on a bike…
TO BE CONTINUED
*Ending Theme 1 plays*
(‘Hibi no Shirabe’ from
Hyakuju Sentai Gaoranger)
Next Time
*Next Episode Promo Theme 1 plays*
(‘Yokoku Ongaku 2’ from
Seiju Sentai Gingaman)
The three new Judges assemble on the mountain Sri Pada and meet its residing prophet, who begins telling them their mission. And as the clouds of war gather over Gad, a young soldier finds the White Rathnaya.