- John York -
John paused at the entrance of the dimly lit stairs, casting one last lingering glance back at Katherine. His concern for her had not waned; if anything, it had deepened since their reunion. He knew he had to verify some unsettling information, but leaving her again tugged at him.
His gaze shifted to Oliver, standing near Katherine. Recognition flashed in John's eyes—He was the boy involved in that past incident, the one Katherine had spoken of during their discussions.
‘So this is the talent she discovered at the Academy,’ John thought, appraising the young man. ‘A rough diamond. But with the right guidance…’
Steeling himself, John turned away, descending another flight of worn, stone stairs. The moment his feet touched the planet's surface, he could feel it. There was something more in this place;
John walked until the sound of everyone else faded, and the oppressive silence enveloped him. Only then did he allow himself to relax, shedding the restraints he typically kept on his powers.
‘There's something around here, but where?’ he wondered.
John continued descending through the dungeon, each step echoing off the walls that reflected the scant available light. As he advanced, the surfaces previously covered with moss and occasional insects began to disappear. Nothing seemed alive there, only the imposing corridor that stretched out before him.
Upon reaching the last corridor on the lowest floor, the darkness was absolute, swallowing any trace of light. The atmosphere became dense, laden with silent tension. John felt his heart race, not from fear but from the anticipation that he might be right.
Determined to face the darkness, he raised one hand and began emitting a soft light from his palm. The adjustable illumination allowed him to navigate through the silent corridors of the dungeon.
‘Is this the last cell?’ he thought. ‘There doesn't seem to be anything around here.’
John was confused; he could feel a strong presence of Energy.
‘There's something around here. Could it be hidden?’ He had this hypothesis but didn't know how to find what was being concealed.
John closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he allowed his Energy to expand like the waves of a vast ocean. He felt the vibrant pulse of his power flowing smoothly across his skin. With absolute concentration, he visualized his energy spreading out, penetrating the walls of the ancient cells and winding through the sinuous corridors of the dungeon.
‘It's not as good as that of the Blue Division, but it should be enough to find it,’ he thought as he released his energy.
As his energy expanded, he could feel every space the energy touched. His power was mapping every centimeter of that environment.
"Found it!" he said happily upon sensing an anomaly.
In one of the middle cells, he sensed something strange. Unlike the others, he could feel that the floor was hollow.
The Ranger looked between the walls to see if there was some way to activate something or even a space for a key; however, he found nothing that could open that floor.
‘Then it'll have to be by force,’ John thought seconds before striking the floor with one of his blows.
Gradually, cracks began to spread across the floor, and the stones that should have been the ground at that level started collapsing. Until there was simply an opening on the floor of the last level leading somewhere even deeper.
John didn't wait for his energy to continue mapping the new room; instead, he jumped into the hole. However, there wasn't much of a fall. The Ranger simply found himself launched into a new chamber.
John entered the new chamber with slow and cautious steps, each movement reflecting his concern for his mission. Although he was prepared to face any enemy that emerged from the shadows, the atmosphere remained silent and uninhabited, without the slightest sign of life. The absence of movement only increased his unease, causing his senses to be on high alert.
The chamber revealed itself to be a vast laboratory with an intriguing mix of technological and seemingly arcane elements. Robust stone benches were filled with complex instruments—some radiating a soft, pulsating light, others emitting colored vapors from flasks. Intricately worked metal structures intertwined with symbols described as "magical," creating a unique harmony between magic, alchemy, and engineering.
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‘What the hell are they trying to do with all this?’ he wondered.
John had dedicated countless hours studying the Orks but still struggled to decipher the complexity of their technology. The papers and notes scattered around the space testified to a continuous quest for knowledge, with detailed diagrams that mixed alchemical formulas and mechanical schematics.
Some documents displayed runic inscriptions suggesting the use of magical energy as a power source, while others outlined device designs that defied conventional understanding. ‘Do they see the Z-Crystal as a form of magic?’
John could understand only part of what was written in the notes.
“Sovereign Test 01. That’s it!” The Ranger celebrated. "I need to take this with me," he decided, choosing to scan some of the notes with his gauntlet. As for the constructions, he tried to take photos, even with the low light.
As John finished taking photos of the machines and symbols, he noticed a small pedestal in the center of the room—a different kind of machinery. It looked like a small aquarium with hundreds of cables connected to it. A slight glow was visible in each cable.
"This. It's not possible." John noticed a small stone floating inside the aquarium. However, it wasn't just any stone. It had no color but emitted a dense wave of Energy.
The Ranger quickly broke the front of the glass and removed the stone; he could easily feel what he had just obtained. ‘It's a Unique Z-Crystal. The amount of power emitted by this is massive.’
When the crystal was removed, the cables quickly stopped glowing.
‘They were using this to power something. But—’ Before John could complete the thought, he felt the ground shaking.
"Damn, how many floors am I from the surface? Impossible. What are they doing up there?" John muttered to himself, but then it dawned on him.
‘They wouldn't leave a crystal like this unguarded. Damn, something is protecting it.’ The Ranger ran out of the chamber as he felt another tremor that was even stronger than the first.
When John reached the surface, the battle lasted for a few minutes. He saw when the enormous monster used its arms to demolish the buildings housing the Rangers responsible for the artillery.
"Quinn, what's happening?" he spoke into his gauntlet.
"Finally! When we set up the protection perimeter, we received an alert that a Titan was approaching," the General explained.
"What are its characteristics?" John continued asking.
"It appears to be Undead with high regenerative capacity. We don't know where the Z-Crystal powering it is, but it must be powerful," Quinn explained.
‘Do they have more than one Unique on this planet? Or are they using several Z-Crystals to power this?’ the Ranger wondered; unfortunately, there was no clear answer.
"Alright. Start pulling the Red Rangers out of the combat area. I will deal with the Titan," John announced.
"Can you defeat it?" Quinn asked, startled.
"No. However, I can hold it off. At least until the ship is ready for escape," John explained.
--
--
- Oliver -
"Isn't that your brother over there?" Oliver asked while pointing to one of the buildings directly before the Titan.
"Where?" Katherine asked, trying to spot him. However, his golden armor gleaming against the sunlight made him easy to see. "It is!"
John was positioned at the edge of one of the buildings, one of the few still standing after the Titan's rampage. He was far from the monster but could easily draw a straight line to the creature.
The Titan was still engrossed with its opponents, trying to crush the Red Rangers evacuating the area. Fortunately, Quinn was nearby to ensure the defense of her subordinates.
Whenever it tried to attack or smash any of them, she brandished her claymore and sliced off pieces of the creature.
The group saw John extending one hand forward. He seemed to be conjuring his Ranger Weapon—a simple golden bow.
"He's taking it seriously. It's been a long time since I've seen him use his weapon," Katherine commented.
However, to the others, it seemed too small to inflict significant damage on the Titan.
John took a deep breath and drew the bowstring, carefully aiming at the creature's body before finally releasing it.
The golden arrow flew swiftly, hitting the Titan's abdomen and exploding upon contact. The explosion was so massive that it pushed all the Rangers away from the creature and once again raised a cloud of dust and debris.
From Oliver's point of view, the firepower was similar to the artillery.
‘However, it's just one person causing all this damage,’ the boy thought.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," the group heard the ship's captain announcing over the communicator. "I managed to get the three ships out of my range; I'll land in the center. I need you to board the ship immediately."
As soon as the pilot finished the announcement, the group saw the aircraft rapidly descending from the sky. The metallic hull gleamed under the light as it performed daring maneuvers to decelerate. The pilot tilted the ship at extreme angles, the lateral thrusters roaring at maximum to reduce speed.
It weaved between the ruins of the fortress, dodging collapsed towers and structures. The objective was clear: to land among the debris remaining in the center—the only space wide enough to accommodate the risky landing.
With a final thrust from the engines, the ship reduced its speed enough to touch down with relative safety. The metallic structure groaned under the pressure but held firm. Clouds of dust and stone fragments were thrown into the air as the shock absorbers absorbed the impact.
"Rangers, immediate extraction!" Quinn said over the communicator to everyone.
However, before descending from the house, the group noticed that John had lowered his head. He seemed to be concentrating. The moment he reopened his eyes, the arrow on the bow was trembling slightly.
Katherine screamed. "Close your eyes and cover your ears!"