That was the word. That was the word that made the spark in her mind fly and hit something the other words did not. "What did you just call me?" She said, her eyes narrowed. She recalled what it meant, at least what she thought it meant, and it was rather derogatory to her. "Know that before you stands Methara, daughter of Xastra and sister to ZetsumeiRyu, Balance of Darkness of the Nightmare Realm and if fate wills it than also the conquistadora of the Beta Realm."

"There's no others right now," Alasea said. "And you shouldn't be afraid. Its not small down there. Come on, I'll show you."

Alasea climbed down the short ladder and stepped down onto the concrete floor. Immediately, the room below lit up, showing a wide, spacious room with some crates inside, a cot against the wall, and a trailing insignia glowing with white light on the ceiling.

"I installed a miniature version of the GS-Ride into Hugo's system," Leo explained. "This will allow him to draw power from the G-Stone. With R.D.'s armor, Hugo will be able to harness this energy, to a point. Without all of the safeguards, Hugo won't be able to draw as much energy as he can without risking his systems. But, for your purposes, it's good enough. Maybe later I can perfect the installation, but right now, we don't have any time."

"How do you feel, Hugo?" Helena asked.

"Pretty good," Hugo said. "I'm ready to go when you are."

"Let's go then," R.D. said. "We'll use Chaos Control in the hanger to get back to the airport. We'll take Mamoru with us to help Ileyna find the Zonder's core."

Leo nodded. "Good luck."

"No problem!" Matt said, with a curt salute. "Let's hit it, R.D.!"

They made their way to the armory hanger, and from there, R.D. used Chaos Control once more. Light and sound flashed and flared, and time and space warped under R.D.'s direction, causing them to appear back at the Tokyo International Airport, amidst the working GGG crew--ChoRyuJin and Volfogg had left, along with the GunMachines. Likely pursuing after the Zonder.

"Hey, Hyuuma, Mamoru," R.D. greeted, despite the slight, sizzling pain in his hand. He still hadn't fully recovered from the overuse of Chaos Control over long distances. "We're ready to go after the Zonder now."

"So they managed to outfit him with a G-Stone, huh?" Hyuuma replied, looking down at the Mettaur. "Well, alright then. You know where the Core is?"

"I'll be able to find it, with Mamoru's help," Ileyna spoke up. "It can't hide from us."

"You ready?" Matt asked Mamoru.

"Mmmm!" A cute and determined nod from Mamoru.

"All right," Matt said. "Pile on in and let's get moving."

As they drove in Matt's Firebird, the kids began looking out for the displaced Zonder Core. Up in front, R.D. kept a lookout for any traps that might come at them as Matt drove. "So, you're saying the Core's gotten even deeper?"

"Yes," Ileyna said, nodding. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated. "Very deep. Past the subways and sewers, I think."

"That's not reassuring," he muttered. "What is it about monsters and hiding underground?"

"I dunno," the girl remarked, probably no longer seriously listening to them.

Deep within the earth, familiar forces stirred.

Rise, my Machine Kings, Pasder's voice intoned, and they assembled.

"What is your command, Lord Pasder?" Polonaise said.

The humans are currently tracking the Core of our enhanced Zonder. We cannot lose the Omega Essence. You must stop them at all costs.

"Then it shall be done," Pizza declared as he stared up at the frightening visage of of Pasder in the striating light. "It is time to teach these impudent children a lesson."

One by one, the four Machine Kings warped and melted, bleeding into the floor, as they readied to begin their assault on the humans who so foolishly tracked the Zonder's Core. Now the hunters would become the hunted.

They drove until the skyscrapers dropped in number, until city gave way to the docks, warehouses lined up along the coast along with docked ships.

"The Core is closeby!" Mamoru said.

"How are we doing this, exactly?" Helena asked. "Are we going through a sewer?"

"I don't see how else we can do it," Hugo said. "I just hope it hasn't been moved deeper than that."

They parked and made their way to a manhole cover, and, while Matt kept guard to make sure no one caught them, Hugo tore the manhole cover off with a quick tug of his pickaxe.

"I should be able to keep the smell away," R.D. said, readying weaves of wind energy to purify the air in the sewer. Just as he was about to channel, he stopped, and began to look around. Something seemed to tingle in his head, and his back itched.

"Something's watching us," R.D. said quietly, lowering his hands, putting them close to his Phase Blades.

A feminine voice slithered toward them. "Your senses are adept...for a human."

Matt drew his energy sword, revealing it with a sudden draw that Mamoru jumped back in fear. "Who's there?"

From the pavement before them, a mass formed, shaping itself into a woman of bizarre design, bearing tires about her form. A red ring surrounded her head, flanking her angled anttenae. "I am the Zonderian Primada," she said. "And if I have my way, your journey ends here."

Just like Matt drew his energy blade, R.D.'s hand yanked out and activated a Phase Blade in one single rapid movement. And like Mamoru, Ileyna too jumped back in fear at the sudden movements.

"Hmph."

R.D. regarded the woman carefully, a sharp frown on his face. So, this was one of the four Machine Kings that Matt had informed him of? He wondered when Pizza would show up; Matt had said that Pizza would be his responsibility. Whatever that meant. "Lady, I'm sorry, but the only way is our way. You're hardly the first one to try and end this journey."

Meta's eyebrows wrinkled in a frown as her eyes were confused and stared at the figure as if in fear, though the glint in her eyes came from a different emotion. "What?" She let out, almost gasping. "No no no, this must be some mistake. You're just making that up." She said, waving a finger as if she was a teacher adressing a bad student. "I know my father, and although he's much weaker, he's at least twice as handsome as you are. Hell, my brother is better-looking even." She added, looking at the twisted face of the devil-being that called itself Xastra and Kuro. "I suppose you could be Kuro though, my father spoke of you once." She continued, looking up at the beast.


~ The Old Home // ...or whatever it's called ~

Maya hesitantly came closer to the ladder, and seeing Alasea standing in the room below she carefully got down on the ladder and step-by-step came lower until she stood on the floor. She raised her feet a few times. "The floor's cooold." She whined. A look around the room revealed to her though that it was more spacious than it initially seemed to her, and it was light at least. She still didn't like it one bit to be left alone though. She knew that the others might have to fight of the monstahs, but the last time she at least still had Mercy around.


Edited by Morphman on March 9, 2009 at 12:46:31.

"Sorry about that," Alasea said with a smile. "Well, now that you've seen it, we can go back up."

She took Maya out of the basement shelter and followed her into the living room. "You don't have to go there yet," she said as she got out some video game to play with Maya. "But I just wanted you to know where it was in case something attacks us. So, what game would you like to play?"

"We will not let you reclaim the Omega Essence," Primada said.

Matt allowed a cocky smirk. "That's pretty direct of you, but here's the question-what're you gonna do about it?"

"Come on." Hugo strode to Matt's side, arming his gun. "If we're gonna fight, let's do it now."

The Machine King laughed. "Do YOU really think you have the strength to beat ME, little toy?" She took a step foward. "You're not much of a treat, but it'll have to do-"

A shot from Hugo's gun burst through Primada's shoulder, and she cried out, grasping the gaping wound.

"Get the kids back," Matt said, tipping his head toward Helena, and she took Ileyna and Mamoru's shoulders and backed away.

"I know we're not supposed to pick on ladies," R.D. said, stepping forward with his sword held before him in both hands. "But you don't look like a lady."

R.D.'s sword flashed down, flinging a blade arc of potent green energy at Primada, the Kougenjin attack. He charged forward after the attack, yelling, "So I don't need to go easy on ya!"

(OOC: R.D. normally goes easy on the ladies? :V)

"There is no need for me to descend into Hell." Meta scoffed right back at the being claiming to bear the title of her father. "I've been further down, all the way to Tartarus and unleashed an army from that realm under my command. Za-Fuzenian you say? I have met the Za-Fuzen; freed their king Shujou, too." Meta narrowed her eyes again. "How do you know of them?"


~ The Old Home ~

Maya quickly scuttled after Alasea back up the ladder to get out of the secret basement--for whatever its secrecy was worth. She let out a sigh when she set down her feet on the ground floor again, feeling it's warmth. "Okay," She nodded at Alasea when it was explained she didn't have to go there yet. "Let's play... ummm..." Maya thought for a little bit. "Do you have Street Fighter?" The little girl suddenly asked.

"Hmm... yep!" Alasea exclaimed as her finger skimmed across the sides of the cased games. She quickly pulled out the suggested game and put it into the console. The Daughter of Dawn handed a controller to the younger girl and turned the machine on. "I should warn you, though. I'm terrible at this game."

And so, they spent their time playing, though Alasea made sure to keep an eye out on the wards she had placed. She was tense, waiting for Ziatoch's trap to spring. She hoped she'd be ready for whatever foul creature He sent to her.

===The Graveyard, Antarctica===

Even still, dragons flew in the cold skies above Antarctica, miles away from the ruinous battlefield that was the site of battle between the Drake of Braves and the Dark Goddess of the Ice Dragons. The restorative spell still worked its magic on the ice and the frozen ground beneath, trying to repair the damage to the continent caused by the occupation of Sheena's ice dragons. However, the mythical creatures that now patrolled the skies were performing different tasks. Down below, in one particular plain where blood still lingered within the snow, several dragons had landed, and were moving about around rows of long black bags--body bags, for each of the warriors slain by Keiser.

The last bag was zipped closed by a dragon in human form. Derek's sightless eyes were swallowed up by the bag, and the human dragon, a young-looking woman with yellow eyes and dark blue hair and elven-like ears that ended in jagged blue fins, made a short prayer to the fallen warrior. Turning, she trudged through the snow towards Relayia's form, who watched over the process.

"Its finished," Seril said in a soft voice. "We've readied the last of the bodies."

"Thank you," the young Queen of Dragons said to the older woman with a nod. "Go about your other duties."

"Yes, my queen," she said, bowing. Relayia lifted up on her wings and fluttered away, heading to where four people, Sheena, Kujo, Electra, and Gatz, stood.

"The last of the bodies have been preserved," she said to Electra once she arrived. "We'll place them on the Reaverbots, to transport them to wherever you desire."

Turning and settling down on her haunches, she looked at the others. "We must now regroup. The three humans who raided your lair during the battle with KishouDoragon, Sheena, have suggested that we go to the Grey Mountains, to speak with Lord Dargor," the Queen of Dragons said to Sheena. "I believe there we can make an alliance and replenish the army."

Maya took the controller in her hands as the lights of the television and the console were turned on. Her little fingers flew surprisingly fast across the buttons during their time playing the game; and when the little girl looked up at the bigger one next to her after she had defeated her using Ryu, she remarked, "You're not bad, you're just not focusen!" The girl shook her head. "Aya says you need to focus when playing, or else you go down, no matter what type of game you're playing." She smiled and giggled a little. "Rematch, okay?"

Primada leapt away from R.D.'s energy wave, and as R.D. rushed in, she angled her wrist. A burst of accelerated water droplets shot at his chest.

A cry from Matt caught her attention, just as the Machine King received a heavy gauntleted fist to the midsection, sending her tumbling. He leapt toward her for another attack but her foot thrust upwards, catching him in the abdomen. Her fierce strength hurtled Matt toward the sky.

R.D. flung up a hand to guard against the droplets sent at him, each one leaving a stinging sensation as each one struck hard against his body, halting his advance. Looking up, he saw just in time to see Matt flung high into the air. He whistled low at the feat, then attacked.

Pushing off from the ground, R.D. corkscrewed his body through the air at Primada, lashing out with his foot at the last minute to make a vicious airborne roundhouse kick at the Zonderian's side.

===Pillar of Dawn, Japan===

"Yeah, you're right," Alasea said with a light laugh, grasping the controller a bit more firmly. "Sure, we can have a rematch."

Primada twirled, bringing her shin up to block R.D.'s heavy blow. The force was enough to cause her to stumble.

As Matt caught the wind to right himself, Hugo fired his grapple. "Come here!"

It wrapped about Primada's arm, and she just laughed. "Stupid little toy!" A heavy pull yanked the Mettaur toward her, and he hollered as she whipped him around and let go.

R.D. blanched at the amount of resistance he found when his leg struck Primada's; and as he used the momentum of the strike to push himself away from her, he winced slightly at the sudden pain in his shin. It was like he kicked someone made of metal, which undoubtedly the machine lifeform was.

He began to run back into the fray as Hugo was thrown by the Zonderian woman, and his Phase Blade, held low to the ground, scraped against the asphalt and created a shower of sparks as he yelled. His sword glowed reddish-gold as he skid to a stop in front of her, slashing the sword upwards with both of his hands. "Shoenzan!"

Flames erupted along the length of the slash, exploding upwards past the arc of the swing, like a volcano suddenly erupting.

Primada flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding the rising flames, and fired another round of liquid bullets at R.D.. With a roar, Matt launched down with a heavy fist, but Primada spun away before he could hit, and instead his fist cracked the earth.

"Quit MOVING!" Matt shouted, tearing off a chunk of pavement and hurtling it at Primada. The slab crashed into the Machine King, sending both through a werehouse wall with a clatter of rock.

Hugo lifted himself back up, eyed the new gap.

A heavy, black smog billowed from the gap, and soon, the surrounding area was choked with smoke.

"Aw, crap," R.D. muttered as the viscous smog began to issue out of the warehouse Matt had smashed Primada into. It flooded out over them, causing them all to choke and cough badly, obscuring their vision. "Dammit!"

R.D. thrust his hand into the air, lashing out with wind energy all around him. Though the gales were weak, they at least kept the smoke away from around him. He looked about wildly, trying to spot the others, or their enemy.