Diabolico, Vypra, Loki, and Dara, holding Impus, gathered within the throne room of their queen. Surprisingly, Bansheera had summoned them when they least expected it. The last they had heard from their liege, she had informed them she would be attending the presence of the Emperor on his home world. Only plans had apparently changed, as their lady had returned far sooner then expected. "Father, do you know what this is about?" Dara questioned to Diabolico. The golden lord shook his head, scratching his chin as he thought. "As far as I knew, my queen had candidly informed me she would be spending the entire week awaiting an audience with the Empire, hoping to gain approval for one of her plots, and possibly have him resurrect her physical form for her." "Do you think she succeeded?" Dara asked while playing with Impus. "I'm sure we will all find out soon enough..." Vypra growled. "So shut up! Your meaningless prattle can be so annoying at times..." Dara glared at Vypra angrily and opened her mouth to issue a retort, but a quick glare from Diabolico brought utter silence. "Loki," he stated while tilting his head toward his brother. "What is your opinion regarding this issue?" Loki shrugged. "The presence of Lady Bansheera means naught to me. My only concern is the complete destruction of the Rangers and Project Lightspeed. They are the only thing standing in our way of fulfilling out task." Before anyone else could speak, lightning flooded throughout the throne room, flowing upwards and merging into the face of Bansheera. The specter overlooked her throne room, her face contorted with rage as she glared down upon her minions. "Everything I do is in his name, and he treats me with utter disdain!" "My lady," Diabolico said, swooping into a bow before the ghostly face and looking up into her eyes. "Why the anger? Explain to us what bothers you?" "The Emperor insulted me!" Bansheera angrily spat. "I requested a simple audience with him to inform him of my progress on Earth regarding its domination and resurrecting my castle. And he says in spite of my previous work eons ago, I have been nothing but a complete mockery to the Empire, and until my work improves, he will never allow me to come face to face with him again until I prove myself worthy of standing in his presence." Bansheera glanced at Impus, almost accusingly in a way, as if the infant was somehow responsible for her troubles. "Then we must get you your audience with the Emperor," Vypra stated as she came stalking forward. "What if we launch a huge vampire assault against the city? We could unleash every vampire within our army on the city. A solar eclipse is going to occur today. It would be perfect, hundreds of victims could be freshly added to our armies!" "Perfect," Bansheera replied. For a moment, her expression indicated that she truly believed in such a plan. She glanced to Diabolico, who surprisingly for once seemed impressed with Vypra's plot. "You agree then?" Diabolico chuckled and shrugged. "It is our only option right now. We shall coalition our vampire task force and assault Mariner Bay, we will make this an assault the Emperor will be proud of." "Lies!" a powerful voice yelled, that caused the entire throne room to tremble. Its occupants were caught completely off guard, and they whirled around looking wildly for the source of the voice. Lighting cascaded together, pulsing into a powerful ribbon that smashed into the center of the throne room, causing a crater to appear in which the energy soon flowed together. Slowly the flow surged to transform into a beautiful woman. She was humanoid in appearance, obsidian armor encasing her lithe frame. Two huge black wings stretched outwards from her back, and when she grinned, a set of vampiric canines flashed within the darkness. The mysterious woman held a huge sword within her hand, seven feet long and two feet wide. Turning to face Bansheera, the new arrival exploded into laughter. "So this is the state you have been reduced to?" the woman quipped, very much obvious in her taunting tone. "The Grand Dame Bansheera...how pathetic!" A laugh issued from her lips then. "It is no wonder the Emperor himself mocked you and refused to give you an audience until you regained your physical form, raised your castle, and conquered Earth!" "You will not insult my Dame!" Loki shouted. Angrily leaping forward, he moved to punch the woman, but she easily avoided his jab. As though mocking him, her hands lightly brushed against her breasts, and she smiled, her intoxicating lips moving in a manner that caused Loki's blood to boil. Transforming his anger into energy, he pushed his arms outward and fired off a powerful blast of dark energy, but with a flap of one of her wings, the woman deflected it without any pause. "My turn?" the woman inquired. Darting forward, she moved at speeds that were almost impossible to comprehend. She punched Loki in the stomach but lightly, yet her jab carried such force Loki was flung backwards and crashed through the nearest throne room wall and into the next subdivision. "Stop it!" Bansheera screamed. Diabolico nodded in agreement. He had no love for this ruin of a fortress, but enough was enough. "What is your name?" "I am Lillith," the demoness curtly answered. "One of the warriors that serves the Emperor with undying loyalty, and due to my contributions to the Empire, I am one of the most powerful entities within his kingdom." She cocked her head toward Bansheera, smiling. "To be precise, I am the superior of your Queen." "Why have you come here?" Bansheera demanded. "To aid the cause of claiming this pitiful planet in the name of the Empire." Vypra snorted. "Yes, claiming the world in the name of the Emperor has always been a top priority. Regardless however, we must rebuild our castle as a declaration of our return first." "The restoration of your castle is no longer of the Emperor's concern," Lillith interrupted. She turned to glare at Bansheera. "He could care less. He would rather I focus the resources already available here and command an invasion that is laughable at best. "You are released of your duties, effective immediately. Return to your Nether Realm and replenish you soul strength, we shall discuss these matters further in detail once we have privacy. Until then, I shall command your castle and its forces." "As my Emperor wishes," Bansheera mutely stated, before vanishing in a strike of lightning. Lillith resisted the urge to laugh at the pitiful excuse Bansheera existed within. Instead, she chose to revel in her own pleasure at the humiliation suffered by Bansheera in front of the entire empire, and focused her attention elsewhere. "Time to destroy Mariner Bay, and capture this planet," Lillith muttered, motioning for Vypra and Diabolico to follow her as they exited the chamber. "Let the games begin." "What games?" Vypra asked with interest. Lillith shrugged. "The Emperor has sent me to acquire an artifact that can only be found over the next three days. It appears every other century for a three-day period, before returning to its imprisonment. With this artifact, I could surely turn the tide of this war in the name of the Emperor. I arrived here on command of the Right Hand of the Emperor, who passed on orders the Emperor had given himself." Diabolico scratched his chin. This was previously unknown news of a powerful artifact within Mariner Bay, but he knew that Lillith would not lie about such important issues. He was more interested in the political plays within the Emperor. For thousands of years, the title of the Right Hand of the Emperor was a position within the Empire that had gone unclaimed, due mostly to the fact that the Emperor himself had said no one was worthy of such title. How was it that suddenly there was someone who had been declared the Right Hand of the Emperor, who under the Emperor himself was now one of the most powerful individuals within the Empire, even above the Emperor's generals, such as Bansheera and Lillith? "The Emperor has a second now?" Diabolico inquired. Lillith glanced sharply at Diabolico, and her lips curled up into a subtle sneer. "You haven't heard?" she hissed back. "The Emperor has his own protege, yes." Vypra snorted. "Are the rumors true that his new protege is a human?" she hissed. Her tone told much of the fact she wasn't impressed. "Probably more of a pet if the whispers I have heard persisting throughout the ranks turns out to be fact." Lillith darted forward and grabbed Vypra, clamping her hand over the demoness's mouth. "Shut it!" Lillith screamed. "You have no idea how powerful he is. He hears everything, and sees much. He is beyond anything you are capable of imagining, a monster in his own right. For hundreds upon hundreds of years, he has trained in Hell, and he even rose to power, becoming the Lord of the Third and Fifth circles of Hell!" Diabolico froze. "How is it that a human managed to live for almost a thousand years in Hell and gain command of two spheres within his reign?" He inquired. Lillith dryly glanced at Diabolico. "Trust me, it's a long story. He was once human yes, but the moment he was brought to Hell by his old enemy, he experienced a change, and purposefully conquered the Third and Fifth Spheres while completely destroying his humanity. He may look human on the outside, but within, he is a complete demon, akin to us. Hence the reason he has since forgotten his human name, and taken up the one granted to him by the Emperor - Sekaz. Know to watch yourself if you ever come into the presence of the Right Hand. He is very unforgiving and will destroy anything or anyone that crosses him." Diabolico nodded while Vypra remained silent. Lillith turned. Smiling at Diabolico and Vypra, she extended her right arm and opened up her palm. From her palm a small glowing mass of souls rose upwards. "My personal collection," she explained. "Tomorrow I shall use the souls of my victims to cause the next day's solar eclipse to last for the rest of eternity." Lillith could not help but give a low laugh. "Imagine, a solar eclipse that will last forever. It is then we shall strike and cast the Ranger's beloved city of Mariner Bay into total darkness. This will reveal the location of the Scepter of Shadows, and I will use the Scepter to destroy this world and link it to the Emperor's planet." Vypra smiled at the thought of the entire planet being cast into complete darkness for the rest of eternity. Such would be a good thing. Diabolico stalked forward, remaining silent, and motioned for Lillith to follow him so he could show her to her personal chambers. Vypra turned glanced at the ground, important thoughts of the new Right Hand of the Emperor fresh on her mind. Obviously he was a powerful entity, to gain such a powerful title so quickly. And such power players were meant to be her allies.
The Fallen Nightengale
"We have a problem," Fairweather murmured. Across her sat Ryan, the newly returned Kendrix, Joel, Chad, and Kelsey. It felt good to have the five assembled before her once again. For several days, when Chad was out of commission and Kendrix away on another planet, and there had just been three active Rangers, Angela had feared the worst. It was a wonder that the five had reunited and were back in action. "Things have been to quite lately - the Titanium Ranger has not led an assault against the city recently. Even then, neither have any of the other demons. Yet vampire attacks against the human population of Mariner Bay, and throughout the rest of the world are on the rise. They aren't just recruiting vampires to their cause from throughout the city, they are feeding on humans from other cities and converting them to Homo Nocturnus as well." "What can we do?" Kelsey desperately stated. "We've just barely managed to get out from under MacKnight's thumb" "Ah, come on Kelsey." Joel said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Yes, it's bad. But never to the point were any of us giving up. We have these powers for a reason - we need to use them wisely and prevent the loss of innocent lives." "So what are we going to do in order to stop the threat of these vampires?" Kendrix asked. "That's what I'm afraid of." Angela sighed as she lowered her head, then looked back up at the Rangers. "Tomorrow is a solar eclipse. While Intell has yet to indicate the demons may be planning something, I fear the worst may occur tomorrow. Recently we gave you your most powerful weapon yet - the V-Lancer. Added to your arsenal of weapons, this should prove a very powerful weapon to your cause. But as our opponents constantly evolve and grow in power and prowess... so shall we." Kendrix leaned forward, her elbows on the table as she nodded with anticipation. She knew for weeks Angela and her team had been designing a special project, what it was, however, she didn't know. "Using the immense data we have collected from Project Titanium, and even data we have ‘borrowed' from Project CyberForce, me and my team have managed to design these." Angela placed on the table a metal suitcase, and switching it open, revealed five bracers inside. The five Rangers glanced at each other in confusion, for each bracer was matched in a similar style to their transformation device. "What are they?" Chad inquired. "Battle Boosters," Angela responded. "You wear them on your right wrist, opposite of your tranformation bracer. While in Ranger mode, activate these devices and you will temporarily gain a boost in strength and power. Think of it as a super mode if you will. Senses, strength, speed, everything is increased. You are on par with the Titanium Ranger. When having the Booster activated your armor will gain a metallic hue, and in addition to that power shields will appear on your chests. Was still working on the issues surrounding these devices, and they tend to experience power outages after prolonged use. Like the titanium powers, unfortunately, they are taxing on your body, so you can't have them active for long." Reaching out, she handed each Ranger their respective Battle Booster, which they slid onto their left wrist. "And if I'm right, tomorrow these will definitely come in handy."
Lillith reclined on her sofa within the personal chambers she had been given by Diabolico. Raising a goblet of blood to her lips, the succubus slowly drank the crimson liquid with delight, relishing in the taste as it temporarily quenched her thirst. Her mind was so occupied with the thoughts of her goal for the next day, which she did not notice the way the darkness in the corner of the room merged together, black flame swirling as a black cloaked and hooded figure emerged into the room. Suddenly Lillith noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye, and she leaped to her feet quickly, summoning her lance to her hands. "Stop! Show yourself-" Lillith screamed, before relaxing and chuckling about how she had been startled. Laughing, Lillith rushed forward and hugged the cloaked figure, before lightly kissing him on the cheek. Lillith whirled about happily, holding her hands outwards. "I didn't think you would come to visit me Sekaz! Do you like the chambers I have been given?" Lillith happily asked, spinning around. The cloaked figure shook his head. "It's grotesque." "But what can you expect?" Lillith returned with a giggle. "This crumbling castle of the Saiman is a pathetic testament of the power they once held. How far they have fallen. The Emperor should disown them." The succubus paused for a moment. "Well, except for Diabolico." The hooded figure nodded. "He does have great potential. More so than that pathedic fool Bansheera." There was a resentful grunt as the figure turned away. "She's even more stupid and full of herself than I thought. I was there at the court when she arrived... how she dared to attempt to approach the Emperor's throne without a physical manifestation." He muttered, chuckling slightly as he remembered how the court had roared with laughter at Bansheera. "What a foolish spirit queen." "I agree," Lillith nodded. Before grinning. "Hence the reason our lord sent me to assume operations. Bansheera is incapable of truly leading the Saiman forces to victory. It is up to me to give this world to the Emperor. You'll be proud of me, Sekaz, I promise." "Hopefully," Sekaz said as he lowered his hood. It still amazed Lillith that a mere human could hold such power, in addition to the authority and fear his mere presence commanded. It was little wonder Sekaz had been declared the Right Hand of the Emperor. He stood nearly six feet tall, long hair flowing down to his shoulders, and pulled back into a tight ponytail. His skin held a deathly pale white complexion, and his eyes held a red glitter to them that sent fear even through an ages-old succubus like Lillith. He held the appearance of a young man, but his eyes indicated that he was much older then his physical appearance indicated. Strapped to his right hand was an obsidian gauntlet. His entire essence radiated raw power. "How goes your training in Hell?" Lillith inquired. "I had planned on visiting you within the Fifth Sphere upon handing the Earth to the Emperor." "My training goes well." Sekaz shrugged. "For the lack of the matter, I continue to reach heights of power and prowess I never thought I would posses within my lifetime. I amaze myself at times Lillith. Should the Emperor ever finally allow me to truly join his war? Then perhaps I will finally be able to test my abilities. Until that day however, I train within my sphere of Hell..." Lillith nodded. "It's rare that the Emperor allows you to leave his training. Why have you come to Earth?" "I have come to make a delivery," Sekaz muttered. Opening his palm, hellfire exploded from his right hand, spreading outwards across the room. The flames rolled across the ground, transforming into one hundred humanoid figures. They stood eleven feet tall, human in appearance. Their skin held a sickening look of yellow pallor to it, and their bodies were wrapped in leather armor. Their faces were contorted and twisted demonically, and when they opened their mouths, a smaller snake-like mouth emerged, hissing and gnashing prolonged fangs. Lillith gasped with delight. Before her, stood infernal beasts she had only previously read about in ancient tomes. "I take it you like my pets?" Sekaz smirked. "I developed them in Hell as a gift to someday give you. They are my personal assault force, when leading the war against Third Sphere; I used them as a brute assault force. They proved quite effective. For whatever you have planned tomorrow regarding the Earth's solar eclipse - they should prove quite effective. And they are yours to use - these Succubae Childers." Lillith walked amongst the ranks of Succubae Childers standing before her, observing the warriors that were now hers to command with an impressed look on her face. "Nice," she muttered. "I also came for another reason." Sekaz said. "You are not amongst friends here in this realm. Despite the fact that you have authority of the Saiman and their Skull Cavern - that does not mean they are loyal. You might be stabbed in the back, you are amongst demons seeking to grow in power and further their own personal agenda regarding their status within the Empire. You know of how Lokar, Bansheera, and Dark Specter used to always argue and battle with their own disputes with one another during the old war while serving the Empire then. Things have not changed - with new generals come new disputes." "So you're thinking what I am thinking?" Lillith inquired. Sekaz nodded, a murderous smile on his lips. "Bansheera is still useful somewhat to the Emperor's agenda - and ours. But truth be told, she is from an age and time when things were done differently. Once she serves her purpose, we shall take her out. And replace her with someone more suitable for such a position as a general within the Empire. Someone who truly knows how to think from other perspectives..." "Someone like Diabolico." Lillith finished. "I agree. When the time is right, I will kill Bansheera and declare Diabolico her successor. Until that time, we shall continue to allow Bansheera to pretend to be as though she still holds the same stature she once did thousands of years ago." "In addition to make this delivery, I have also made several trips to the Earth Realm to observe someone who was once very close to me." Sekaz said, changing the subject back to their original conversation. "My last living relative to be exact." Lillith nodded. "I know him... he has proven rather worrisome to our Emperor lately hasn't he?" Sekaz nodded. "Indeed. Worrisome enough that Lord Zedd was resurrected and the eleven Dark Riders have been gathered. It shall prove interesting to see how all of this plays out... However, he is not my top priority, my training is. It is only when I have moments such as these, I take the time to - catch up, if you will." Lillith chuckled. "Do you plan on interfering at some point?" Sekaz shrugged. "I have a special task prepared for me by the Emperor. That is my main priority. I will not deviate from my master's agenda for my own personal goals. This task is top secret and I must succeed at all costs." "Interesting," Lillith said. "I look forward to my first encounter with the Rangers, nonetheless." "Good," Sekaz said. He suddenly frowned, as though worried. "I have only one request regarding the Rangers. Kendrix...she interests me." Lillith paused, feeling jealously flash through her. For so long she had been the object of Sekaz's affections. He couldn't truly be interested in the Pink Ranger, could he? Shaking her head, she paused. "Why?" "You know why," Sekaz muttered. He grinned. "We have a fated encounter coming eventually, I want to make sure she will be fully ready for that day." Lillith suddenly nodded as realization dawned upon her. "I see..." "But - that doesn't change the fact that the five Rangers will prove a threat to you. I used to be a Ranger on the side of good myself, and I know how at the most unexpected times they can prevail. Therefore I wish to give you a second gift." Sekaz said, and he extended his arm, revealing his wrist. "Have some of my blood. It will empower you and make you grow in strength." "Are you sure?" Lillith asked. Sekaz nodded, and gently taking his wrist into her hands, she lowered her head and lightly bit into his wrist, drinking his blood and feeling the liquid pulsing with raw power flood down her throat. After several seconds she stopped, standing and wiping the dribbling blood from her mouth. Suddenly her body was affected in a manner she did not expect, her muscles bulging outwards. She felt stronger then ever. "Don't fail the Emperor," Sekaz warned. "The ball is in your court - do not fail. I will go now, I have a relative I want to observe before I return to Hell." Lillith nodded, and watched as Sekaz walked into the shadows, disappearing completely. Returning to the sofa, she fell back upon it and closed her eyes. Dawn would come, and she needed to rest.
Kendrix turned in her sleep, bothered by nightmares. In her dream a handsome man continued to reoccurring appear in her dream, the mysterious identity of the man pulling herself towards him. "Our day will come," she always heard him whisper. "We will finally meet... are you ready? Ready to meet me again?" Who was this man? She had met him before - but when? Suddenly Kendrix sat up within her bed, awake. Alarms were blaring throughout the complex of the Aqua Base. It appeared as though Angela had been right - unfortunately. Apparently the demons were taking advantage of that day's solar eclipse. Standing, Kendrix quickly dressed into her uniform and headed up to the bridge. There, Captain Mitchell stood, and she fell into stance, Ryan, Chad, Kelsey, and Joel falling into attendance besides her. "Captain?" She inquired. "What is the threat?" "There is no threat yet," Mitchell explained. Observing the look of confusion on the five Ranger's faces, he raised a hand to silence them. "The solar eclipse has begun, I want this base on red alert until it's over, just in case the demons attempt to try anything." "Well we got these babies in case anything goes wrong!" Joel stated excitedly. Each Ranger glanced at their new Booster. "Don't know about the rest of you - but I can't wait to try out these new babies. Especially if it involves kicking the shit out of the Titanium Ranger." Kendrix turned her attention elsewhere. Walking over to a monitor nearby, she watched as the moon slowly crept in front of the sun, completely obscuring it from view. Suddenly the main view screen at the head of the room flashed. A small blip on the radar indicating a powerful energy signature within the city. However this one was unlike any they had ever registered within their computers before. "My god," Angela said, walking forward. Suddenly two more energy signatures joined the first. "Diabolico and Vypra are within the city. Someone is with them - someone powerful." "Let's roll!" Kendrix said. As the five ran from the command room, she raised her right arm in addition with the other four. "Speed of light!" They shouted in unison, transforming into their Ranger armors as they leapt into their hummer and tore out of the naval base.
The five Lightspeed Rangers leapt from their hummer as it came to a rolling stop. Drawing their individual weapons, they stood before Diabolico and Vypra, and their unintroduced partner. The three Saiman all smirked, as though they alone possessed some unknown knowledge that the Rangers failed to comprehend. "So glad you could join us," The woman with bat wings extending from her back called. Walking forward, she delivered a swooping bow. "I am the Hell Lord Lillith. What a pleasure to meet you. The Emperor sends his best regards." "I don't care who you are!" Kendrix shouted. The mention of the Emperor sent a wave of fear through her heart, and nevertheless, the mere fact this woman was a Hell Lord, which meant she was a General of the Emperor, sent a second wave of fear. "What have you come here for?" "Show and tell if you will." Lillith explained. "I have come to take advantage of this special day. You see - this solar eclipse marks the anniversary of the Empire's creation! Why not take full advantage of this special day of observation?" Without further ado, the succubus turned around, effortlessly slitting her wrists as she raised her arms into the air, showering herself in her own blood and spreading a circle of blood around her. The blood took on a life of its own, swirling at her feet to form a pentagram beneath her. Giggling madly, an energy orb of spirits arose from her hands, floating before her as she delicately handled it. "Have you ever seen a planet enshrouded in darkness for the rest of eternity?" Lillith inquired. "No." Chad flatly stated. "And we never will see one!" "Well think again!" Lillith screamed. Throwing here arms upwards, she channeled all her strength into the fusion of spirit energy she held in her hands and sent it shooting upwards at the solar eclipse, at the very moment the moon completely eclipsed the sun. The Rangers watched powerlessly as the sky suddenly glowed completely red, before transforming into black and a shadow was thrown over the entire city. Diabolico gasped. "My lady... you did it." "Indeed." Lillith flatly stated. Stalking forward, she gained the attention of the Rangers as they turned their attention from the fixated solar eclipse back to the Hell Lord standing before them. Summoning forth her lance, rather then assault the Rangers as both Vypra and Diabolico expected her to do - Lillith placed it into the ground and leaned against her weapon. "So what do you think of the vampires you have encountered thus far?" she asked. The five Rangers paused, wondering what was going on. They had expected Lillith to immediately attack them, as usually the Saiman always did. Instead, she seemed more interested in making conversation with them. Kendrix stepped forward, as the leader of the Rangers, it was her duty to confront Lillith, and negotiate if that was what she intended. "They are ruthless. They slowly kill citizens throughout our city, and world even, to increase the numbers of the grunt army that serves the Saiman. Why?" "Because they aren't real vampires." Lillith flatly stated. "They're babies. It takes at least a hundred years for a vampire to truly develop into what could be considered, an "adult" vampire. Fresh vamps are nothing compared to Succubae Childers." "Succubae Childers?" Vypra whispered excitedly to Diabolico. "She has some in her steed?" "Not some - one hundred to be exact." Lillith corrected. With a wave of her hands, the ground suddenly exploded as one hundred Succubae Childers exploded from the ground, clawing their way upwards towards the surface. The Rangers stared in horror at the grotesque vampires. Lillith chuckled, knowing that beneath the masks of the Rangers, no doubt they were breathlessly gasping. The Succubae Childers seemed intent on driving home fear into their foes, as they extended their inner mouths and screamed at the five Rangers. Pointing her lance forward, the Succubae Childers shot forward at amazing speeds, racing towards the Rangers as they clawed themselves across the ground. Behind the Succubae Childers, Lillith, Diabolico, and Vypra ran, their weapons extended and intent on killing the five Rangers. "Let's do it guys!" Kendrix shouted, raising her left arm. "Battle Booster, 5-5-5!" The other four shouted in unison with her, and they each punched in the activation code necessary to activate their Battelizers. Energy warped and wrapped around the five Rangers, updating their armor as silver power shields, gauntlets, and kneecaps appeared on their armor. Extending their arms outwards, the Rangers pulled the newly acquired V-Lancers from subspace storage, and struck offensive stances. "Stand strong guys, we've updated our arsenal and power based off research so far against the Saiman. You should be able to handle this threat - hopefully." Angela said over the comms. Each of the Rangers calmed themselves, and readied themselves personally for battle. "Ryan and Chad, try to make your way through the Succubae Childers towards Diabolico, as I understand you both have personal vendettas against him. Kelsey and Joel, you both have bones to pick regarding Vypra and what she did a couple weeks ago at that orphanage. So make your way through these grunts towards her. I feel a mysterious connection to the Hell Lord Lillith - I'll personally take care of her." Kendrix stated. "Let's do this!" "Lightspeed!" The five Rangers shouted, and rushed forward to face the Childers. Immediately they found themselves in combat. Four Childers assaulted Kendrix, and she spun, spinning her lancer around wildly as she fended off the frenzied attacks of the succubae. It was an insane storm around her as they all fought her at once, and it took the fullest extent of her abilities in order to defend herself against them. Ducking beneath the clawed punch of one Childer, Kendrix leapt upwards and drove her Lancer into the heart of the succubae, her V-Lancer emerging through the back of the Succubae and causing it to explode into ash. "One dead, ninety-nine more to kill." Kendrix spun in a round house, slicing away at the remaining three that attempted to gang up on her. But despite having killed at least one Succubae Childer, another one leapt forward to replace his fallen brethren, angrily growling a feral call as he darted forward. Kendrix fought with all her might, stabbing, jabbing, and kicking. Despite having her battelizer engaged, fending off this new breed of vampire was almost too much to bear. Landing against the ground, Kendrix slowly stood as the succubae she fought against slowly came stalking forward. Unleashing her own feral catlike growl, her armor momentarily transformed into her Delta Ranger armor, before transforming back into her Lightspeed armor. "You're messing with the wrong bitch today!" She screamed, and tore forward. Energy maxed itself within her, and she slashed the first Childer, cutting it completely in half. She spun, stabbing the second through the chest and removing her lancer, watching impassively as the undead creature fell backwards, smashing to the ground in ash. She spun, cutting down the two behind her, before driving the lance into the ground and staking them at the same time. Through the swirling cloud of ash, a figure came charging - but it wasn't another Succubae Childer. Instead it was the Hell Lord Lillith, and Kendrix raised her lancer and struck it against that of her opponent. "You're a strong one, dearest Kendrix." Lillith muttered. "How do you know my name?" The Pink Ranger angrily demanded. "I know a lot about you. Not only does my lover, a fellow Hell Lord, have a unique interest in you, but I do as well." Lillith said. "What do you mean?" Kendrix demanded, as the two fought with each other. "I have no idea what you are talking about!" "You have no memory?" Lillith chuckled. Wildly slashing at Kendrix, the young woman fell backwards as she was nearly overwhelmed by the demonic general. Kendrix stood, pink energy sizzling throughout her V-Lancer as she brought it down with a swift crunch, stabbing at Lillith as sending the succubus stumbling backwards. "Memory of what?" "It's no secret that for two months you were dead!" Lillith screamed. "During those two months, you spent time in Hell. How you got there in the first place remains a mystery. Nevertheless - you were responsible for the start of the war between the Third and Fifth Spheres of Hell. You're the reason Sekaz became the first Hell Lord to reign over two spheres, Third Sphere and Fifth Sphere!" Suddenly realization hit Kendrix, and memories of the time from when she was dead - memory that had been mysteriously erased, briefly came flooding back into her mind. Suddenly the man from her dreams was no longer a stranger, and she began to remember back to a place that felt like almost another lifetime. "Sekaz..." Kendrix whispered, as she felt the memories briefly return to her and she temporarily closed her eyes. Suddenly she was back in a place she had forced herself to forget, and suddenly the heated flames of Hell were an all to real memory.
"I came to this horrid place to save you from the path you were on. I wanted to redeem you!" Kendrix sobbed. She stood amongst the hellfire, trembling on the ground as she looked up into the face of the man she couldn't believe she no longer knew. The young man turned to face her, dark power radiating from his eyes as the set of Ranger armor he wore shattered off of his body, and a stylized set of sinister armor slowly built its way up his lean and muscular form. The gauntlet on his hand transformed into something twisted and sinister, and he turned to face her through the flames, the hellfire of Hades dancing within his eyes. "I'm going," Kendrix whispered. "I don't know you anymore..." Kendrix turned and opened her palm; exposing the blood red ruby Lucifer had personally given her. She crushed it within her hand, the ruby shattering and causing her to bleed. Turning she threw the ruby outwards, the magical properties of the ruby activating as it exploded, opening a powerful portal. "You are leaving me then?" He whispered, his voice saddened. "You're the reason I invaded Third Sphere - so I could find you, and have a friend." "I'm not supposed to be here! Psycho Pink dragged me with her to Hell. I stayed here only so I could save you, I saw the path that you were on, and I wanted to change you." Kendrix sobbed. "But that's impossible - isn't it? You have gone to far down this path... look at this destruction - this war between different spheres of Hell - all of it is orchestrated by your hands - because of me?!" "I wanted to be near another human! The tortured sinners of this realm aren't enough - I wanted to be near someone who was like me - who had been through similar experiences like I have been through." "I'm dead." Kendrix flatly stated. "But I-" "No!" Kendrix said. "I was asked by Lucifer to save you from the path you were headed - to change you and make you back into the person you once were. But that's impossible - isn't it. Your so cold, I can't change you - no one can... you can only change yourself." "You make no sense Kendrix." The young man shook his head, his visor sliding upwards to reveal a cold set of eyes. "Nothing has. I'm the same man you met when I first saved you from the flames of Third Sphere." "You don't understand." Kendrix flatly stated, wiping her tears away. "Your so obsessed with revenge and retribution, and with a hunger for power that I fail to see any humanity inside of you. Whatever humanity you once possessed - it's obsolete. You may be human on the outside, but you're a fucking demon just like every other being within the inferno Co-" "Don't you dare refer to me by my human name!" The young man interrupted, the ferociousness of his voice startling Kendrix and causing her to fall silent. "I am Sekaz now, Dark Lord of the Third and Fifth Spheres of Hell!" "Shut up!" Kendrix screamed. She turned, and stepped towards the portal, before turning to glare one last time at the man who had formally been her friend while in Hell. "I don't know you anymore." "You're going to die." Sekaz stated. "Return to that realm and your life source will depend on that silly little Delta blade you once wielded. You can build an existence with me here in the Inferno, and we can make our way back to Earth together and finally have our revenge. If you betray me, I vow to hunt you down and destroy you when I finally have my revenge on Earth Realm. I had only planned on allowing you and two others to survive my wrath, turn against me now, and when I get the chance you shall surely incur it!" "Your revenge?" Kendrix stated. "And I will never have a part of you or your games again. You tricked me into helping you destroy and conquer a sphere of Hell! I was involved within a scheme I would have never taken part in otherwise! Your damned to this inferno for a reason Sekaz - and you will never leave it until you truly regain your humanity!" With those words, Kendrix stepped through the portal and felt herself warped away from Hell. Behind her she heard anguished howl of her former friend. A living human trapped within Hell. Someone she had befriended and abandoned.
Kendrix opened her eyes. How could it be? He was trapped in Hell! Could he have somehow found his way - after all these years - back to Earth Realm? Kendrix shuddered in fear. They already had one evil Ranger on their hands - Carter. They certainly didn't need another, especially considering the fact that this Ranger's power rivaled that of Matt's. How was it that she had never remembered him until now? "I see you have many questions." Lillith smiled. "Let me answer them." Darting forward, dark energy sizzled around Lillith's lance as she caught Kendrix off guard and completely overwhelmed her with a strike. The attack was too much to bear, and her armor gave up, dewarping around her as she fell unmorphed to the ground. Coughing, she was picked up by Lillith, who looked her in the eyes. "Are you ready to finally be made into one of us? Join the side that would never let you down. Return to Sekaz - my lover misses you, dearest friend." Lillith didn't notice that in the distance a shadowed warrior was slowly making its way through the Succubae Childers, plasma energy sizzling around the warrior's fists as it slammed its way through the ocean of ferocious vampires, slowly and without mercy making it's way towards the succubus and her minion. "You won't kill a Ranger - not today demon!" the warrior muttered, activating an energy blade and leaping forward into the fray. The armored warrior rushed forward, easily slashing its way through several vampires as it's sensors locked in on the succubus holding Kendrix within an arm lock. "I'm going to turn you into one of us," Lillith whispered into Kendrix's ear. "I'm going to bite you, and then lock you away in the dungeon of Skull Cavern. When the thirst for human blood is finally too much for you to bear or fight, and you're consumed with its unquenchable rage, I'm going to bring you a human; an innocent for you to feed upon and kill. How do you think you'll like that, Kendrix?" Bending Kendrix's neck to the left, Lillith prepared to sink her fangs into Kendrix and transform her into a succubus.
To Be Continued...