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Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 72

It didn’t take long to find the Quad, at least, if we’re going by time alone. Thanks to the help of the Ironside Dalek, the one that Battle decided to call Tetley, and the Special Weapons Dalek, who Rusty started calling Ab, for Abomination, we found it. By my view, on the other hand, it took an eternity. We found it in Ichigō’s universe. “Sento,” I said, “we’re going to need you.”

“Got it!” declared Sento as he equipped the Build Driver. He shook the Fullbottles and set them into the Driver.

“RABBIT! TANK! BEST MATCH!” He then turned the crank. “ARE YOU READY?!”

“Henshin!” said Sento. The suit then formed.

“HAGANE NO MOONSAULT! RABBITTANK! YAY!” Kamen Rider Build was ready.

“Let’s go!” I declared as I opened a rift beneath us. We traveled to the Kamen Rider universe to see the others already fighting the Quad.

“HEY! THERE YOU ARE!” shouted Den-O in his Climax Form. Kiva had the blue left arm, a green right arm, and a purple chest. Wizard was in his Flame Dragon Style. Ex-aid was piloting a giant mech that looked like his face. OOO was using the Tajador combo. Kabuto was in his slimmer state. Fourze’s suit was red and had a fire motif. Brave had armor over his usual suit that looked demonic. W was in FangJoker mode. Ghost’s suit was red and black. Para-DX was in his Puzzle Gamer state. Poppy was still Poppy. Drive was wearing armor that made him look like a Formula-1 race car. Bravo was still Bravo. Gaim looked a lot like a Shogun in complete armor, with twin sashimono with his symbol on them. Amazon was swiping at the Vortexons pooling at the Quad’s feet. Stronger was there too, sporting silver trim. Decade had a shoulder band of all the Kamen Ride cards in a row going across his shoulders, pink eyes, and his own Kamen Ride card on his head. The pink part of the Decadriver was at his right hip and in its original place was some sort of phone.

“You cannot defeat us!” declared the Quad. “We are too powerful!”

“Ichimonji, come to your senses!” Stronger yelled.

“He can’t hear you right now!” shouted Ichigō as we joined in the fray.

“Build,” I suggested, “now might be a good time to power up.”

“Excellent idea,” agreed Build as he pulled out a red device with some sort of clear lid covering a blue button. He opened the lid and pressed the button.

“MAX HAZARD ON!” it warned. He put it into the Build Driver and took out a long tube, gold and black on one end, silver and black on the other. He shook it and it mad jumping noises a few times. He then twisted the gold cap end as a red light flashed on the silver end. The twist revealed a rabbit’s head.

“RABBIT!” announced the tube in the Build Driver’s voice. He pulled the tube apart and joined it at the sides, putting it into the Build Driver. “RABBIT AND RABBIT!” said the tube before the Build Driver took over.

“BUILD UP!” it said. It then looped on “Don Ten Kan! Don Ten Kan!” onomatopoeia for heavy machinery starting up. Build then turned the crank and the belt looped on “Gata Gata Gotton! Zutan Zuttan!” onomatopoeia for heavy machinery really going to town. He then stopped as a red rabbit machine hopped into view and an injection molding template surrounded Build. “ARE YOU READY?!” said the belt.

“Build Up!” ordered Build. The template slammed onto him, then retracted back into the belt to reveal him in a black suit with only the RabbitTank eyes in color.

“OVERFLOW!” announced the Build Driver. The mechanical rabbit then split apart. Its front legs went onto Build’s forearms, its rear legs onto his lower legs, and the head and body formed chest armor while a faceplate came down his head, making the eyes both rabbit and having gold trim around them. “KURENAI NO SPEEDY JUMPER!” (The Crimson Speedy Jumper) the Build Driver said. “RABBITRABBIT! YABEI! HAEI!” (Look out! Too fast!) He then stretched his arm as he punched!

“What are you, Mr. Fantastic?!” yelped Guard.

“Can we focus already?!” I shouted. We continued fighting, soon thinning out the Vortexons, but the Quad had opened a rift beneath him. “AFTER HIM!” I ordered everyone. Even the Riders we met along the way had joined us. Our new destination was on the side of a building.

“This isn’t Gotham,” declared Batman.

“Nor is this Middle-Earth,” Gandalf pointed out, “unless they’ve redecorated.” Wyldstyle shook her head.

“It’s the Octan Tower,” she revealed. “Except gravity’s all wrong.” Benny the Spaceman came up.

“Gravity’s all wrong?” he asked. “I think I would have noticed something like that!” He was under an outcropping as a rift from above him sucked him in.

“That’s just…terrifying,” gulped Fourze.

“As I was saying,” Wyldstyle resumed, “we should be falling towards that!” She pointed to an energy vortex of darkness at the bottom of the tower. “I mean, I’m glad we’re not.”

“As am I!” assured Gaim.

“The Quad’s already altering this dimension,” said Batman. “Let’s move.” The Quad then appeared. It leveled its cannon arm at us and fired! We got out of the way and landed on the platforms that were just floating there. The Quad’s heads rotated towards each other, each shifting their attention to another, appearing to be in a debate, before it retreated.

“We control the elements!” it spoke. “We control ALL the gateways! Element of fire, the Quad!” Gandalf doubled over in pain as he gripped his Keystone gauntlet. The Quad was then surrounded in the aura that the fire element is associated with.

“It’s triggered a Keystone?” asked Wyldstyle.

“What other powers has Vortech given it?” wondered Decade.

“I don’t know,” I said, “but I don’t intend to find out!” The Quad set some areas on a platform, the one we were travelling towards, on fire.

“Two can play at that game!” declared Gandalf. “Elemental Keystone, activate! Element of earth, Batman!”

“Earth? Why?” asked OOO.

“Because we can use that seedling there!” Gandalf pointed out the seedling.

“One minute,” said Outback as he swapped i.d. tags.

“Batman Steel!” announced his belt. His armor changed and he fired a grapple gun at a bookcase, pulling it down. Batman then used his current earth powers to make the seedling grow into a vine bridge to the next platform. The Quad’s heads then turned to each other to debate, then agree on something.

“Anybody else see that?” asked Kämpfer.

“The Quad debating with itself?” I asked.

“That’s the one,” Kämpfer confirmed.

“It seems this abomination,” ruminated Batman, “has different personalities which can influence the world, just like the Keystones can.”

“That’s something to use to our advantage,” mused Clash. “Endless debate.”

“We’ve got more immediate concerns,” Wizard pointed out. “That fiery path there is also electrified!” He pointed out the path to the next platform.

“I got this,” assured Batman. He threw a batarang at a switch, making another one pop up.

“And I got THIS,” declared Den-O as he pulled the switch. The electricity switched off, so it was just fire. “Okay! Hit me!” demanded Den-O.

“But not an actual hit,” he then said in Urataros’ voice.

“THEY KNOW WHAT I MEANT!” shouted Momotaros’ voice.

“Element of water, Den-O!” declared Gandalf. Den-O led the way as he doused the flames. Wyldstyle then started twitching.

“Master Builder senses, tingling!” she said excitedly.

“Mind if I assist?” asked Zhànshì. He swapped i.d. tags.

“Wyldstyle Steel!” announced his belt. He and Wyldstyle then built a tightrope end out of a desk and some speakers. The rope was thrown near the Quad and we all rappelled down to it. Sadly, the Quad opened a rift before we could do anything and we went tumbling through the vortex. We managed to hit a few bits of rubble that tumbled with us. We soon landed in a pit, looking almost like a forge. A giant tree landed in the pit as Orcs came to chop it up.

“Up there!” yelped Battle. We looked up to see the Quad climbing Orthanc! We were in Middle-Earth again!

“As you can see,” said the Quad in its collective, monotonous voice, “nothing can stop us. Lord Vortech’s one, true dimension will be a reality!”

“I don’t believe it!” shouted Gandalf. “These Orc forges are below Isengard! I will not allow Middle-Earth to be destroyed!”

“Neither will we!” I declared. “Start climbing!” Ichigō then felt pain in his left arm.

“I think the Quad’s activated the Scale Keystone!” he gasped.

“We can use that to our advantage,” I mused as I saw a vent. “Ichigō-san, if you please?”

“Lessen scale of Royal!” Ichigō ordered his Keystone. I shrank and saw a push switch. I pushed it hard and a bucket was raised by a rope. I came out and Ichigō restored me to my normal height.

“My turn,” said Wizard. He flipped the WizarDriver’s levers and rotated the hand.

“Lupachi magic, touch to go!” it chanted before Wizard scanned a ring. “Levitate, please!” it said before Wizard made the bucket fly into the air and dump the contents. Gandalf used his own magic to assemble a ladder. When it was finished, a rift dumped a pair of clouds and a rainbow to make a path upwards.

“That’s a piece of Cloud Cuckoo Land!” gasped Wyldstyle.

“Okay,” I declared, “we have to stop this madness!” We climbed upwards to find another vent, a long one that wrapped around the top of another ledge. The Orcs had already broken the ladder, so Wyldstyle used a table to make another one.

“One of you, get on top!” ordered Ichigō. Claw went up top and dispatched the Orcs. “Is there a breach in the vent?!” asked Ichigō.

“Yes,” confirmed Claw. “A large one, big enough for two patches. I can see both of them here!”

“Enlarge scale of Claw!” Ichigō told his Keystone. She grew and applied the patches to the vents. “Lessen scale of Herald G and Herald Y!” Both Herald Riders shrunk and Herald Y went under the dangling piece. “Enlarge scale of Herald Y!” Herald Y grew and Herald G crawled into the vent, messing with the electronics. She then went to the upper ledge when she saw another dangling bit.

“Ichigō, I need to shrink!” requested Claw.

“Lessen scale of Claw!” Ichigō told the Keystone. Claw then went under the dangling bit.

“Okay, make me grow again!” she said.

“Enlarge scale of Claw!” Ichigō told his Keystone again. Claw grew and Herald G proceeded to mess with the electronics again. All of a sudden, a giant water wheel started moving. It led to a higher ledge.

“I think that did it!” said Wyldstyle. “Let’s get going!”

“Normalize scales of Claw, Herald G, and Herald Y!” Ichigō ordered his Keystone. We then traveled up the water wheel and fought our way through Orcs to get to an elevator. Once we got through, the elevator took us up to the base of Orthanc.

“Sorry, no admission!” declared the Quad.

“Something lies within the Tower of Orthanc,” guessed Gandalf, “it wishes to remain hidden.”

“Then let’s discover it!” I declared.

“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” boomed the Quad.

“Plagiarist!” I responded.

“It’s one thing to deny us entry,” agreed Gandalf, “but quite another to steal a man’s words!”

“Guys! Look!” exclaimed Wyldstyle. She had pointed out a Chroma Lock design scattered across the Orc flags. An orange left L-shape, a purple right L-shape, and a blue circle.

“It looks like the Chroma Discs are up high,” said OOO. He was right. Two of them were in cages and one of them was on a platform.

“Get them down!” I ordered. Batman pulled one down while Gandalf magicked the other down.

“Chroma Keystone, activate!” Wyldstyle told her Keystone. “Chroma Lock, reveal! Chroma! Red! Brave! Chroma! Yellow! Den-O! Chroma! Blue! Fourze!” The three Riders jumped into the paint blobs and then arranged themselves into the Chroma Lock. Fourze landed in the blue circle, then joined Brave in the right L-shape, then Brave joined Den-O in the left L-shape. Orthanc’s doors then opened while the Quad fired on us. The tower was hiding another rift as it sucked us in. This time, the Quad followed us. We landed on a rooftop. Over in the sky, we saw the Bat signal!

“Gotham,” said Batman. “We’re in Gotham. I recognize this city anywhere.”

“The Quad was right behind us, right?” I inquired.

“Now that you mention it, yes,” confirmed Guard. “So, where is it?”

“Guys, over there!” yelped Touché. She pointed to three rifts in the sky with images in them. They were of Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and Ichigō’s worlds. They seemed to be bleeding into each other.

“That looks bad,” said Bravo.

“A by-product of Vortech’s tampering?” I wondered.

“Possibly,” said Build. As soon as he made the guess, four people arrived. One was a black man with most of his body in metal. The second was a green-skinned kid with pointy ears. The third was an orange-skinned girl with red hair, green eyes, and a purple skirt and top. The last was a young woman with ashen grey skin, purple and black hair, a navy cloak and hood, and a leotard with long sleeves.

“Titans, what are you doing here?!” demanded Batman.

“We had the Bat signal on for a week now, after this nonsense started!” explained the cyborg.

“So you thought it was a good idea to go into a battle zone without Robin,” snapped Batman. “Very good leadership, Cyborg. Didn’t any of you object?!”

“It didn’t seem right to object,” said the girl in the cloak.

“You, of all people, Raven?!” groaned Batman.

“After I felt Robin vanish,” explained Raven, “I knew something was up. We’ve searched for weeks, Beast Boy staying in animal forms for longer than ever.”

“It wasn’t exactly pleasant,” said the green kid.

“When this mess started,” began Cyborg, “and you weren’t here, I felt someone had to protect Gotham.”

“What about Jump City?” asked Batman.

“The League of Justice is doing the protecting of our home,” explained the orange girl. I think her name was Starfire, or something. I don’t know, the only heroes in the DC universe I know of are Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. In any event, the conversation was cut short. The bleeding rifts closed, allowing a clean one to open, deposit various items from the forges below Isengard, and letting the Quad land near us. It towered over the building, giving us a sense of insignificance.

“…Batman, we’re gonna need the Titans’ help,” I muttered.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 32

Dear Lord, the courtyard on the cliff was in utter ruin. Fire peppered once green grass patches. Purple question marks were scrawled on statues. A troll snoozed in front of the Tower of Ecthelion. The White Tree was bare. Orcs and Worms were playing games. Some kneeled mockingly at us. “Sōji-san,” I gulped, “did your grandmother say anything about destruction?”

“She did say this,” replied Sōji. “Destruction is evil when used incorrectly. When used correctly, something beautiful emerges.”

“I rather think this is the former option,” mused Gandalf. Wyldstyle looked at some green graffiti.

“Riddle…me…this?” she read.

“Why, I’m only too happy to, little lady!” called the Riddler’s voice. “Well, I guess you DO deserve another go. So, riddle…me…this!” He then gave his riddles again.

The first is cast, but not a stone. It flees from light, the dark, its home.

The second breathes, dances, and bakes, yet has no lungs, legs, or cakes.

Third’s deep below, veiled from sight. It dwells where dwarves find their delight.

“It’s okay,” called Wyldstyle as she whipped out her phone. “I got this. The dark, my home…”

“Fräulein Wyldstyle, no!” wailed Lukas.

“Oh, come on, no signal?!” protested Wyldstyle as her phone beeped.

“Serves you right!” hissed Sheela.

“Cast…” muttered Gandalf. “…Flees from light…could it be a shadow?”

“Yeah,” agreed Batman. “And the third one sounds like a mine.”

“Dwarves work in mines?” asked Sōji.

“Middle-Earth Dwarves and Snow White’s Dwarves do,” I replied. Lukas got an idea.

“Wait, could the second one be fire?” he asked.

“He’s right,” muttered Sheela as she adjusted her gloves nervously. “Fire ‘breathes’ air and flames kind of dance.

“Shadow,” I mused.

“A mine,” pondered Wyldstyle.

“Fire,” muttered Gandalf. A horrible thought struck the wizard, then I remembered something and got the same idea.

“Wasn’t there a creature in a mine that was wreathed in shadow and flame?” I gulped.

“Ooh!” called a voice. Gollum then popped between Sheela and me. “We knows it! We knows it! Shut up!”

“Nobody said anything,” said a confused Batman.

“Wasn’t talking to you!” hissed Gollum. I pulled Sōji, Batman, Wyldstyle, and Hongo aside to explain Gollum’s condition.

“All that loneliness just for a piece of jewelry?” asked Sōji.

“You didn’t see the power the original owner had with said jewelry on,” I muttered, remembering Sauron in Metropolis.

“The Ring really IS a device of evil,” sighed Hongo, pitying Gollum.

“Moving on from that,” muttered Sōji. Rude! “you and Gandalf found the answers and connected them, what is it?”

“If I’m right,” I gulped, “Durin’s Bane is behind those doors.” Lukas and Sheela understood what I meant.

“A fallen Maiar spirit bound to the will of the first Dark Lord, Melkor, later called Morgoth,” gulped Lukas.

“Not that thing!” wailed Sheela.

“Hongo-san, you met this creature after pursuing Batman,” I reminded him. Hongo then remembered.

“You mean…” he gulped. The doors to the Tower burst open! The Troll and Gollum were sent flying! A bunny hopped out!

“…A bunny?” asked Wyldstyle.

“No, no, no!” I snapped. “Not the Killer Rabbit!”

“Ah, Monty Python,” sighed Sheela. That’s when the bunny hopped off to reveal the REAL danger. The creature burst through the doorway, destroying it. It was wreathed in shadow and flame, and the F.N.S met it before. The Riddler was sitting in a chair on its back.

“A Balrog of Morgoth!” called Gandalf.

“That thing again?” hissed Batman. “Didn’t it fall down a big hole?” That was when a metal thing tripped us up and flew into an Orc’s hand. It turned out to be a metal Praying Mantis.

“The Kiri Zecter,” explained the Orc. “Taken from the word Kamikiri, the Japanese word for Praying Mantis. A Zecter of Vortech’s design. Now, it belongs to me, Gorshagh” He then pointed the rear of his Zecter to his left. “Henshin!” He slid the Zecter into the belt, rear first.

“Henshin!” repeated the Kiri Zecter. The armor that appeared had arm cannons under the forearm, a triangular helmet, and triangular shoulder pads.

“Kamen Rider Kiri,” introduced Gorshagh. “Cast in the name of Darkness, ye guilty. The sentence,” he then slid his finger across his neck, “off with your heads!”

“Vortech won’t win this one!” declared Hongo as he got into his pose. We got out our i.d tags and Sōji’s Zecter flew into his hand. “Rider…” began Hongo.

“Henshin!” we all announced.

“Henshin!” repeated the Kabuto Zecter.

“Kamen Rider Kämpfer! Your defeat will be certain at my hands!”

“Kamen Rider Claw! My weapons shall turn you into ribbons!”

“Kamen Rider Royal! Evil will ultimately bow to me!”

“I am Gandalf the Grey! Prepare to see some fireworks!”

“I’m Wyldstyle! Time to think outside the box!”

“I’m Batman! The Dark Knight rises!”

“I am the start of a group of warriors! I am Kamen Rider!”

“Obaachan ga itteita, ten no michi o iki, subete o tsukasadoru otoko. Ore no na wa…Tendō…Sōji, Kamen Rider…Kabuto.”

“And I am the Riddler!” called Mr. Nigma. “Congratulations on solving my riddle! You’ve just won-first class tickets…to the afterlife!” The Balrog roared. “Oh, I hope you like my new pet! Watch out for his fiery temper!”

“This is no joke, Riddler!” warned Batman as he dodged the Balrog’s fist. “That thing is dangerous! Shift Keystone, activate! Cyan…”

“No, you don’t!” yelled Kiri. He moved his Zecter’s arms up, making the armor come off a little. “Cast Off!” He extended the arms and put them to the left of his belt strap.

“Cast Off!” repeated the Kiri Zecter. The armor flew off and hit us. Kabuto shielded his visor as the armor bounced off his. When we picked ourselves up, the slimmer form was bright green, the eyes were red, there were orbs for mantis eyes, and the gun barrels were handles for reverse grip swords on his forearms. “Change Mantis!” announced the Kiri Zecter.

“Clock Up!” called Kiri as he slapped the side of his belt.

“Clock Up!” repeated his Zecter.

“Not today! Cast Off!” shouted Kabuto as he swung the horn towards his right.

“Cast Off: Change Beetle!” announced the Zecter.

“Clock Up!” called Kabuto as he slapped the side of his belt.

“Clock Up!” repeated his Zecter. Both Riders vanished. I could guess what Kabuto’s doing now. Batman continued without interruption.

“Shift Keystone, activate!” he announced again. “Cyan, on the leftmost roof of the tower! Magenta, on the balcony below the roof! Yellow, near the base of the tower! Shift! Gandalf! Cyan!” Gandalf landed on the roof and started using his magic to throw things at the Balrog. The Balrog caught one, then another, and Gandalf was about to throw one more when…

“Hello, sweeties!” called a high-pitched voice. It was Discornia! She was underneath Gandalf!

“Batman!” yelped Kämpfer.

“Shift! Kämpfer! Magenta!” announced Batman. Kämpfer was taken to the balcony.

“Clock Over!” announced the voices of the Zecters. Kabuto and Kiri were still locked in combat. They were on the same balcony as Kämpfer and Discornia. While the two Zecter Riders were fighting, Discornia spoke to Kämpfer.

“You wouldn’t hit little, helpless me, would you?” she spoke in a disarming tone. I beamed her name and status over to Kämpfer.

“I don’t want to,” he sighed, “but I have no choice. I WILL defend myself.”

“Your gentleman credentials are at stake,” warned Discornia.

“I pray that I am forgiven for this,” muttered Kämpfer. He then went on the offensive. He swung his sword, but Discornia blocked with her staff. She then swung the staff with the disco balls on either end flashing. She started laughing, but Kämpfer scored a punch to her shoulder. She started rubbing it.

“You WOULD hit a lady!” she snapped. “In all seriousness, how are you still fighting?! My staff should have blinded you!”

“You forget that we liberated your fiancée,” reminded Kämpfer.

“That traitor!” hissed Discornia. “He told you about my staff and you updated the helmets with automatic light adjustments!”

“I only mentioned your future husband and you put two and two together,” mused Kämpfer, “you’re more clever than you let on.” Discornia then started fighting with the fury of a wild lemur. Kämpfer stayed on the defensive until he saw the slave chip on her shoulder. He then used a palm strike on her chin, knocking her off balance and slashed at the chip with his sword. It exploded and knocked her out. When it was confirmed she was alive, Kämpfer knelt and clasped his hands in prayer. “Almighty God,” he prayed, “please understand, I had no choice but to strike. My life was on the line. These were not normal circumstances. She was not herself and I had to get her out of the spell Vortech had used. I pray for your forgiveness even if I do not receive Discornia’s.” He then turned to Discornia. “Madame, I apologize for striking you, but I had no choice. I pray you can forgive me.” He then heard the Riddler cry out in pain.

“Hey, that hurt! A lot!” he whined as he got rubble off of the Balrog and himself. The Balrog then knocked Gandalf off the roof. Kabuto and Kiri fell, but continued their fight once they were on the ground. Gandalf used his magic to land safely, dodging the Balrog’s fists on the way down. Wyldstyle then managed to see something, specifically, Chroma Discs.

“Well,” she said, grinning, “what can you offer to beat the Balrog? Chroma Keystone, activate! Chroma Lock, reveal! Chroma! Red! Royal!” I jumped into the red paint and Wyldstyle directed me to the circle. “Chroma! Yellow! Gandalf!” A paint covered Gandalf was told to stand in the right L-shape. “Chroma! Blue! Ichigō!” Ichigō stood in the left L-shape. The Chroma Lock opened a door on the right side of the tower that unleashed the troops of Minas Tirith. They swarmed the Balrog and climbed to get to the Riddler. He screamed like a little girl!

“Get them off, get them off of me!” he shrieked. The Balrog shook the troops off.

“Well, it slowed him down,” I observed.

“I see a way to slow him down a little more!” called Ichigō. “Scale Keystone, activate! Lessen scale of Batman!” Batman shrunk and saw a vent for him to climb. He got in and went to the top. He then fired his grapple gun and undid the locks on some speakers. They started playing music.

Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of a team!

Everything is awesome when you’re living out a dream!

“WHAT IS THAT NOISE!?” shouted Kiri. He was on the ground, writhing in pain and holding his ears. His Zecter automatically ejected and he transformed back into Gorshagh.

“THIS IS TOO MUCH!” wailed Wyldstyle as she covered her ears. I was dancing along. “MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” said Wyldstyle. The Balrog listened to her and smashed the speakers.

“My ears!” cried the Riddler. “What was that horrible, HORRIBLE noise!?”

“Hey, I like that song!” I called.

“Grandmother said this,” waxed Kabuto. “Good music must never be interrupted. It leads to discontent.”

“Well, your grandmother wouldn’t know good music if it bit her in her rear!” snapped the Riddler.

“All right, just for that,” I called, “I’ll find something to teach you to insult a friend’s family! Locate Keystone, activate! Initiate rift detection!”

“No, you don’t!” roared Gorshagh. He grabbed the Kiri Zecter again and a device that had a big red button and a small lever on top. “Henshin!”

“Henshin!” repeated the Zecter. After the armor appeared, he moved the front legs again.

“Cast Off!” shouted Kiri.

“Cast Off: Change Mantis!” announced the Zecter as the armor flew.

“Is that a…Hyper Zecter?” asked Kabuto. “Funny, I have one too.” He then drew out the same device and attached it to the left of his belt, with the lever pointing up. “Hyper Cast Off!” called Kabuto. Kiri did the same.

“Hyper Cast Off!” announced Kiri. Both Riders pushed the lever down.

“Hyper Cast Off!” repeated the Hyper Zecters. Armor appeared on both Riders, giving them a slightly bulkier appearance.

“Change Hyper Beetle!” called Kabuto’s Zecter.

“Change Hyper Mantis!” announced Kiri’s Zecter.

“Hyper Clock Up!” shouted both Riders. They slapped the red buttons on their respective new Zecters.

“Hyper Clock Up!” repeated both Zecters. They both vanished.

“With that out of the way,” I muttered as I found the rift near the courtyard edge, “Identify source of rift!” The information beamed into my head. “I’ve…never heard of you,” I mumbled. Oh well. “Locate help from L-3-G-3-N-D-5-0-F-C-H-1-M-4!” I said. A caterpillar treaded tank with arms and a lion motif came into this universe. The pilot poked his head out. It was a male anthropomorphic lion in armor and a blue cape. He had a crown on his head and had a red mane. The poor guy looked confused.

“Where am I?!” he yelped. “Who are you?!” He heard the Balrog roar. He turned to see it prepare to swipe at him. “On second thought, I’ll find out later. It’s time for the Fire Lion to fire!” A missile array launched its arsenal at the Balrog. It knelt to the ground as the “Fire Lion” ran over it.

“What’s your name?!” I asked the pilot, then mentally chided myself for being rude.

“Laval, prince of the Lion Tribe,” introduced the lion. “You?”

“Megumi Hishikawa, Princess of the Feudal Nerd Society and leader of the Vortex Riders! Known throughout the multiverse as Kamen Rider Royal!” I replied

“Then I hope we meet again!” called Laval as a portal opened for him.

“Where’d THAT come from?!” wailed the Riddler. “You’re not playing fair!” The Balrog then went to the cliff part of the courtyard. “Enough play, it’s time for a classic showdown!”

“Get back here, Riddler!” shouted Batman as we pursued the Balrog.

“We need to douse the Balrog,” I realized. “Gandalf, if you please?”

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” called Gandalf. “Element of Water, Gandalf!” Gandalf then sprayed water on the Balrog. It then turned its back on us.

“He’s hurt himself! Keep it up!” encouraged Batman.

“Guys, there’s an electric coil on the back of the chair!” Wyldstyle pointed out.

“Element of lightning, Wyldstyle!” announced Gandalf. Wyldstyle made the chair overload. Apparently, that was a mind control device for the Balrog. It thrashed in pain. “Take that, servant of Morgoth!” said Gandalf. The Balrog then bucked the Riddler off as it fell over the cliff face and onto the buildings below. Gollum saw this.

“Good!” he hissed. Durin’s Bane was picked up while the Riddler kept a black stone to his chest. We advanced on the lunatic.

“Riddle me this,” asked Batman, “what drink hurts the most?”

“Really hot coffee?” guessed the Riddler.

“Anyone else?” asked Batman.

“Punch!” snarled a voice. It was Discornia. She punched the Riddler. She was free! The blow sent him near the edge and letting go of the stone. The Riddler’s flailing made his loosen some dirt.

“My poor eyeses!” wailed Gollum’s voice. The Riddler regained his balance. Kiri and Kabuto reappeared.

“Hyper Clock Over!” called the Zecters. Both Riders were winded.

“That’s it!” snarled Kiri. He moved the lever down again. Kabuto did the same.

“Maximum Rider Power!” announced the Zecters. Kabuto pressed the buttons while Kiri pressed a button on the abdomen of his Zecter three times. “One! Two! Three!” counted the Zecters.

“Hyper Kick!” called Kabuto.

“Hyper Crusher!” roared Kiri. His blades came to his hands in a reverse grip.

“Rider Kick!” announced Kabuto’s Zecter.

“Rider Crusher!” called Kiri’s Zecter. Kiri raised his blades, leaving his stomach open for Kabuto’s kick. The attack went straight and true and Kiri lost his suit again. Gorshagh stumbled into the Riddler. They were near the edge, trying to keep us away.

“Keep back! Don’t come any closer!” wailed the Riddler. He then felt something on his leg. “What the?!” Gollum then pulled the Riddler off. The Riddler then grabbed Gorshagh and they all tumbled before a Fell Beast picked them up. They went through a portal. Batman punched the wall near Gandalf in frustration as Gandalf lowered the stone in his hand.

“You almost shattered the Palantír, Batman!” rebuked the wizard.

“Almost,” countered Batman as he took it and put it in his cowl.

“Guys, our ride home is about to depart!” called Wyldstyle.

“Drop the Palantír and turn around slowly!” hissed a voice. I sighed.

“I don’t have time to play, Hiro,” I groaned as I turned. “So, I need you to…explain that!!” Hiro had taken a different form. He looked more like an anthropomorphic tiger with machinery sticking out! He had the Shocker Buckle underneath the Rogue Driver.

“Impressive, is it not?” quizzed the Rogue Driver.

“Hiro, what did you do to yourself?!” I asked.

“I’ve obtained this form when I joined Shocker,” explained Hiro. “Tora-otoko (Tiger-man), I’m called. Unimaginative, yes, but it serves.”

“I’ve never fought anyone with a tiger motif,” said Ichigō.

“I’ve never fought you or Ichimonji,” replied Hiro.

“So, why are you here?” I asked.

“The Palantír,” hissed Hiro. “Hand it over!”

“Suppose we refuse?” I asked. He then drew out his i.d tag.

“This, I HAVE to see,” mused Ichigō.

“Henshin,” announced Hiro. He then became Kamen Rider Rogue. He then entered his Super Charge sequence. “Super Charge.” After that new suit formed, he started a new movement that extended his hands. “Dai Super Charge,” he said. His bulkier armor flew off. We got out of the way to see a new suit. It was purple with black tiger stripes. My heart sank.

“That’s not…” I uttered.

“You see the kind of power you could have had?!” called Rogue, er, Proto-Rift, er… “What you see before you is the combination of Shocker Cyborg and the true Rift Driver. You now look upon Kamen Rider Rift!”

“How does that concern me?” I asked.

“Have you ever wondered why I left you to the streets?” quizzed the newly-christened Rift.

“…Not as often as I should, judging by the tone,” I gulped.

“Well, how do you suppose you’re so strong?” asked Rift.

“Well, from my parents, obviously!” I declared.

“Right, and which parent DID you get that strength from?” asked Rift.

“…I don’t wanna ask,” I said weakly.

“Here’s the thing,” continued Rift, “cyborgs of my caliber are still very much fertile.”

“I don’t…” I began.

“The fact is,” interrupted Rift, “when Shocker makes a cyborg, they alter everything, even the genitals. Some of the cyborgs were naturally occurring between a mother and father cyborg. Granted, they were old when you fought them, Hongo, but it still served to prove our science. The cyborg parents had nanobots that would make cybernetics once the baby was out of the mother’s womb and would alter the genes to make an animal based cyborg. After that, they went through hellish training to be the strongest there was. One thing was never tested, reproduction between a cyborg and a normal human.”

“Wait, but…” I gulped, fearing the worst.

“So, when I escaped the destruction of Shocker,” continued Rift, “I went to your universe, married a woman, I wasn’t about to have a baby out of wedlock and rape was out of the question.”

“Good to know you have SOME morals!” I muttered, my fear dying off.

“In any case,” continued Rift, “after her death, I left you in the streets so you would understand your beast side. However, you made one costly mistake! You accepted help from someone beneath you! Sadly, I couldn’t just shoot you, there would have been too many questions. So, I took the legal route and contested Haruna for possession of you.”

“That went pear-shaped for you and you were tried and found guilty of murder,” recalled Lukas.

“Now, be honest,” quizzed Rift, “should you really accept the help of a lesser being?”

“…I’m going home,” I said as I cancelled my transformation. I saw what he was trying to do.

“I’m sorry, the wind up here is a bit loud. What did you just say?!” growled Rift.

“I’m going home, back to Vorton,” I elaborated.

“Okay,” muttered Rift, “I’m confused. Vorton isn’t your home universe.”

“It’s got my friends, the people that make me stronger,” I countered. “That’s home to me. I don’t wanna fight someone like you. You’re a boring, sad, and bitter old man. You try to make me question my life and humanity. I still feel like a human. The fact that I’m a naturally occurring cyborg hasn’t changed that I’m Megumi Hishikawa. These are still my friends. The fact that they’re not running in terror shows that they don’t care about my biology either. We’re leaving.”

“But, we didn’t fight!” protested Rift. “I didn’t swing a punch at you yet! This isn’t a proper show of power! This is…I don’t even know what it is!”

“It’s called robbing you of satisfaction,” explained Ichigō as he cancelled his transformation. Kämpfer, Kabuto, and Claw followed suit.

“Grandmother said this,” waxed Sōji. “One that drowns in oneself will eventually fall to darkness.”

“You ARE a sad man,” sighed Lukas.

“I must disagree with the ‘man’ bit,” argued Sheela.

“Yeah, that DOES sound like a man-child,” replied Discornia.

“We’re going home and taking the Palantír and Discornia with us,” I declared as I summoned our rides to fall into the Vortex. “I’m sure Turretorg will want to see you.”

“You little s**t!” snarled Rift. “I can NOT believe that you’re walking away from this! You need to know what power you’ve denied yourself! SO, GET OVER HERE AND FIGHT ME!”

“You’ve lost the right to order me when you left me on the streets!” I roared as I mounted my steed. “Vortex Riders, we’re leaving!” And leave with the Palantír and Discornia, we did. We drove off the cliff and fell into the vortex. I heard Rift roar in frustration when we went through.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 31

We had gathered in the Gateway room the next day. All of the Keystone Bearers were on the platform and X-PO started his Rider Chance. “And today’s riders are…” the arrow stopped on Sheela. “Sheela!” announced X-PO. The next arrow stopped on Lukas. “And Lukas!”

“Theek hai!” (Alright!) cheered Sheela.

“Wunderbar!” (Wonderful!) called Lukas.

“Destination set!” reported Rusty.

“CHARGE!” I called. We pounded through the vortex. Meanwhile, the enemy was already there with the Foundation Element in hand. The leader, a man in green with question marks was playing it like a basketball, but almost dropped it. An Orc caught it.

“Thank you, friend,” said the leader.

“What’s Lord Vortech want with this stone?” asked the Orc as he handed it back to his current boss.

“No idea,” replied the man. “It’s quite the riddle!” The man chuckled softly to himself.

“It’s not fair!” whined a raspy voice. “Sméagol does the riddleses!”

We soon arrived at our destination. It was a landmark I recognized! A friendly place if the Steward would get his head out of his butt! “Minas Tirith, the White City!” called Gandalf. “We are in Middle-Earth!”

“You mean Middle-Zealand?” asked Wyldstyle.

“…No,” replied Gandalf.

“So, it’s called Minas Tirith, I see,” called a voice. A Japanese man walked towards us. His hair was messy, he wore a loose shirt, and had his hands in his pockets, incredibly rude in Japan. “Most people don’t pop out of holes in space like that. I’m guessing you guys aren’t most people. Neither am I. I see that a Showa Rider’s with you.”

“You’re the second kabutomushi (rhinoceros beetle) Rider, right?” asked Hongo. “Kamen Rider Kabuto?”

“That’s me,” confirmed the man. “And you’re Takeshi Hongo, the first Kamen Rider.”

“I’m Princess Megumi Hishikawa of the Feudal Nerd Society,” I introduced. “What’s your civilian name?” The man smirked.

“Obaachan ga itteita,” (Grandmother said this) he said. He then pointed to the sky. “Ten no michi o iki, subete o tsukasadoru otoko.” (Walking the path of heaven, the man that shall rule over everything.) He then pointed toward the sun. “Ore no na wa…Tendō…Sōji.” (My name is…Tendō…Sōji.)

“…Well, I’ve seen my fair share of arrogance, but that takes the cake,” I muttered. “Your name literally means Path of Heaven, Ruler of All.”

“Comes with the greatness of the Zecter,” replied Sōji.

“The what?” I quizzed.

“The Kabuto Zecter, my transformation device,” elaborated Sōji. He turned to Gandalf. “You’re the one most familiar with this place?”

“Of course!” answered Gandalf. “This universe is my home! I have good news; we will be welcome here!”

“I’m not so certain,” countered Batman. He pointed to the current inhabitants that bellowed at us.

“ORCS?!” yelped Gandalf. “But how?!” That’s when some of the Orcs appeared to teleport. Sōji appeared to be ticked at them.

“I can see right through them,” he hissed. “Some of those Orcs are my enemies, a race of aliens that only need to look at a victim to copy their looks and memories, the Worms. They can molt their original shells and gain super speed, faster than our eyes can go. That’s where the Zecter comes in.” A red, metal rhino beetle flew towards Sōji and he caught it.

“Battle, it is!” I remarked. We got ready.

“Rider…” began Hongo.

“Henshin!” we all announced. Sōji slid the beetle into his belt buckle with the horn facing his left.

“Henshin!” repeated the beetle. Sōji’s armor appeared in hexagons and looked bulky. It had ZECT on the left shoulder and a blue visor. He then tapped the horn forward. The armor opened a little with a hiss.

“Cast Off!” called Sōji, Kamen Rider Kabuto. He then moved the horn to his right side.

“Cast Off!” repeated the beetle.

“Hit the deck!” warned Batman. We all fell to the ground while Kabuto’s armor flew off, damaging the Orcs. The new suit had red armor and allowed a beetle horn to go up across his visor.

“Change Beetle!” announced the beetle. An intercom then switched on.

“Welcome!” called the speaker. Batman tensed up.

“The Riddler!” he hissed.

“Please,” invited the Riddler’s voice, “come on in if you can! I hope you remembered to pack your brain, fail my riddles and you’ll feel pain!” The Orcs and disguised Worms came at us.

“You can barricade yourself in all you like, Riddler,” threatened Batman as he punched an Orc. “I’m coming for you!” Some of the Orcs went faster. Their attacks came out of nowhere!”

“Clock Up,” announced Kabuto as he slapped the side of his belt.

“Clock Up!” repeated the beetle before he disappeared.

“Can Sméagol do his riddleses now?” asked a voice over the intercom.

“Gollum?!” yelped Kämpfer, Claw, Gandalf, and I.

“Um, NO!” replied the Riddler. There were some explosions in the air after we dispatched the normal Orcs.

“Clock Over!” announced the Kabuto Zecter. Kabuto then reappeared with an Orc looking Worm that was shedding its disguise. Its real form looked like an armored humanoid with three large claws on the right arm, a hood like carapace, and the face looking like the eyes were being covered by hands. Kabuto then pressed the three buttons on top of the Zecter. “One! Two! Three!” counted the Zecter. He moved the horn back to his left before turning his back on the Worm as it charged at him.

“Rider Kick,” announced Kabuto. He moved the horn back over to the right.

“Rider Kick!” repeated the Zecter. He then did a 180º roundhouse kick, making the Worm blow up. Once the enemies were dispatched, Batman got his grapple gun ready to open an Orc Siege Tower. I got out the Batman i.d tag and swapped my usual one out.

“Batman Steel!” announced Vortoranii. My armor changed and I got my grapple gun. We opened up the siege tower and we got some parts.

“I have literally no idea what to do with this,” called Wyldstyle.

“Maybe I can get some help from another universe,” I mused. “Locate Keystone, activate! Initiate rift detection!” I found the rift near a pile of hastily made Orc barricade. “Identify source of rift!” The information beamed into my head. “…Well, I’m sure GLaDOS won’t mind. Locate help from P-0-R-T-4-L!” A giant turret in leopard print and wearing a crown came out. I heard a voice from the rift before it closed.

“Wheatley, shut up!” snapped the voice. It had a Swahili accent I was familiar with!

“Tanisha?!” I yelped. The rift closed.

“Tanisha?” repeated Batman. “What’s she doing in GLaDOS’ world?”

“Maybe some mission with Wheatley,” I muttered.

“Hopefully, this contraption will aid us,” observed Gandalf, remembering his previous encounter with turrets. The giant turret was pointed at the gate, but not firing.

“I’ll try it out,” offered Kabuto. He jumped up and found controls for the turret inside the crown. He started firing on the barricade that replaced the main gate.

“Heads up!” warned Batman.

“Look! From over the walls!” called Gandalf.

“Look out!” yelped Wyldstyle. The enemy had started using their catapults! Kabuto got clear as an Octan ship from Wyldstyle’s universe destroyed the turret.

“Well, we’ll have to find another way in,” muttered Kabuto.

“No need,” answered Wyldstyle. “I can rebuild it, better than it was before, and more awesome.”

“That’s all well and good,” argued Kämpfer, “but it’s on fire. We need to douse it. Gandalf, würdest du bitte?” (If you please?)

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” announced Gandalf. “Element of water, Kämpfer!” Kämpfer doused the flames while Wyldstyle built a bigger cannon out of the turret and the Octan ship. Kabuto took the controls again and destroyed the barricade. The enemy came out and we fought our way through. Some of the Orcs were Worms, though. In fact, many. I touched Kabuto and got his i.d tag. I swapped out the Batman one for the new one. It had multiple forms, so I chose his slimmer form.

“Kabuto Rider Steel!” called Vortoranii.

“Cast Off: Change Beetle!” announced the Zecter’s voice. My new armor was similar to Kabuto, complete with horn. Kabuto looked at me, confused, I’ll wager.

“Clock Up!” I yelled.

“Clock Up!” repeated the Zecter’s voice. Kabuto did the same action as we dispatched the Worms. Man, super speed is awesome, but everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, slows down. “Clock Over!” said the Zecter as we both slowed down. We all made our way in.

“Where would the fun be in just letting you up here?” asked the Riddler. “I thought I might toy with you a little first!” There was a green energy field around a door leading up into the main courtyard.

“This magic barrier is being channeled,” mused Gandalf. “We should follow it and turn it off.”

“I’d argue the magic bit, but you’re right,” replied Batman. Ichigō then leapt into the air.

“RIDER PUNCH!” he shouted as he punched a door which had cables for the energy field sticking out.

“Was that necessary?” I asked.

“I haven’t practiced that technique!” protested Ichigō. We went through the door.

“So, I guess my welcome party wasn’t to your liking?” quizzed the Riddler. “Oh well. So, heroes, riddle me this: This is cast, but not a stone. It flees from light. The dark, its home.

“Oh, a riddle?” asked Gandalf. “Bilbo would have been useful here, most definitely.”

“Bow before your Golden master!” roared a voice. A black and gold four-legged spider mech came with its pilot in the same colored armor. I didn’t know which dimension he came from, nor do I care. All I knew was that he made a web from golden strands and had turned part of a building gold so he could levitate it and block our path. Batman and Kabuto took care of that. Kabuto had grabbed a rope and lashed it to the rubble. Batman and Kabuto pulled it down, but the man had levitated statues to block our way to the web.

“Allow me,” called Gandalf. He levitated the statues out of the way and saw something inside the web. There was a cable running from the web to the door. “That box seems to be the source,” observed Gandalf.

“And the legs of the mech seem to be the source of the web,” guessed Batman. “Shift Keystone, activate! Cyan, near the right leg of the mech! Yellow, near the left leg of the mech! Magenta, near the bottom of the web! Shift! Royal! Cyan! Shift! Batman! Yellow!” Batman and I warped to our respective locations. I changed into Batman Steel and we fired our grapple guns at the mech’s legs.

“What are you doing?!” roared the pilot. The legs were loosened, so Batman and I threw a batarang at the joints, making the mech fall off the web. The pilot escaped before the mech exploded, leaving fire behind.

“Let me try the Elemental Keystone,” called Kabuto. “It seems interesting.”

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” announced Gandalf. “Element of water, Kabuto!”

“Just put your hand towards the fire,” I instructed. Kabuto did so and a stream of water came out, dousing the flames. We then opened the box to reveal an on/off switch. I set it to off and power stopped going to the energy field.

“Off we go!” called Claw. We left that courtyard and headed to the main one. Another door was available to us, so we went through there, via Kabuto’s Rider Kick. When we entered that courtyard, the Riddler came through.

“Time for the second part of my riddle!” he challenged. “What breathes, dances, and bakes, yet has no lungs, legs, or cakes?” We went through with no interruption, for a while, until I heard an unearthly humming.

“Anyone else hear that?” I asked. A saucer then buzzed us. It had some sort of face on the front and a four-barreled cannon. The pilot was green skinned and bald.

“Brainiac?!” yelped Batman.

“You know him?” I asked.

“He’s one of Superman’s enemies,” explained Batman. “Has a habit of shrinking cities to bottle sized ones.”

“Just that?” I muttered.

“Do not be so quick to underestimate me, fleshy!” warned Brainiac.

“Did I neglect to mention he’s a robot?” quipped Batman.

“A robot with the knowledge and strength of ten thousand worlds!” boasted Brainiac. He then used some sort of ray to make a box grow and block our path.

“This is worse than I could have possibly imagined,” muttered Gandalf.

“Surrender now!” demanded Brainiac as he shrunk one of the city’s buildings. “You are only delaying the inevitable!” He then tossed the tiny building at us. Gandalf pushed it back into Brainiac, making his saucer spark. “NO!” wailed Brainiac. “You dare attack Brainiac! My intelligence is brighter than anything you can dredge up!”

“Grandmother said this,” called Kabuto. “It doesn’t matter how bright a candle thinks it is, it will never outshine the sun.” Wyldstyle then built a ladder to get us over the barrier. More Orcs greeted us, some going faster. Claw, Kämpfer, and I changed i.d tags to the Kabuto one and selected his Rider Form.

“Kabuto Rider Steel!” announced our belts.

“Cast Off: Change Beetle!” called the Zecter’s voice.

“Shall we?” I asked Kabuto. He nodded and then slapped the side of his belt.

“Clock Up,” we announced.

“Clock Up!” repeated the Zecter’s voice. We sped up and attacked, breaking through the forces and destroying Worms and Orcs alike. Eventually, “Clock Over!” was the announcement of the Zecter.

“You still persist?” taunted Brainiac. “I think you are confusing bravery with outright foolishness!” He shrunk some large statues. “It is useless to resist Brainiac!” Brainiac threw one at us, but Claw had changed armor again.

“Wizard Flame Dragon Steel!” called her belt.

“Flame! Dragon!” announced the WizarDriver’s voice. “Bou. Bou! Bou, bou, BOU!” (Burn) Claw’s armor had a red trench coat and a pair of horns on the helmet. She then mimed flipping levers on a WizarDriver and brought out a ring. “Lupachi magic! Touch to go! Levitate, please!” She managed to push the statue towards Brainiac. Once it crashed into his ship. Brainiac ranted.

“How is this possible?!” he wailed. He tried to regain his dignity. “Such pitiful creatures! You are not worthy of facing Brainiac!” He did the same tactic again and got the same result. “What is this foolishness?!” he snapped. “It is useless to resist Brainiac!” Didn’t he say that already? Anyway, he threw a statue a third time.

“Insane,” I mused.

“Ja, that is a classic case of insanity,” agreed Kämpfer. “He’s going to fail and he doesn’t even realize it.”

“I am Brainiac!” shouted Brainiac. “I am not programmed to fail!” He tossed the statue. Claw yawned as she pushed the statue away one more time, destroying the ship. “This was unforeseen,” he mumbled.

“He’s down!” called Wyldstyle. “That was one big, ugly, green alien.”

“No, again, robot,” argued Batman as we got to the box Brainiac was guarding. We opened it and shut down the generator. We made our way to the main courtyard and approached one more door. We tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Found the problem,” reported Claw. “There’s a piece of wood across the top.”

“I’ll just break it down,” offered Ichigō.

“How, exactly, do you intend to do that?” I asked. He then moved back. “Wait, let me guess.” He ran forward. “Don’t tell me!” I said. He leapt into the air. “You’re going to use a…”

“RIDER CHOP!” called Ichigō. He chopped the wood in half, opening the way to another courtyard. A bunch of stuff from GLaDOS’ universe, like platforms, and switches, and neurotoxin generators! A portal opened, letting GLaDOS poke her head out.

“Surprised to see me?” she asked.

“What are you doing here?!” I snapped.

“After you left,” explained GLaDOS, “I decided that if you are going to run from my tests, then I’m just going to have to bring my tests to you. Enjoy.” She left as the portal closed.

“You’re doing very well!” praised the Riddler. “Time for part 3 of our Riddle Special. Deep below, veiled from sight, it dwells where Dwarves find their delight!

“We better get on those switches,” I suggested. I jumped toward a switch on a platform while Batman grabbed a switch near the door. They triggered a platform to drop some vent sections.

“My turn,” called Ichigō. “Scale Keystone activate! Enlarge scale of Gandalf!” Gandalf brought the vent sections over to a vent that needed them. “Lessen scale of Gandalf!” Gandalf shrunk down and climbed the vent. When he came to a statue, he tried to push it over. “Enlarge scale of Gandalf,” directed Ichigō. Gandalf grew again and pushed a statue onto a neurotoxin generator. It was destroyed and revealed part of a box. Gandalf hopped down, making us shake, and headed to the other vent. “Lessen scale of Gandalf,” said Ichigō. Gandalf shrunk again and climbed the vent. When he appeared near the statue, “Enlarge scale of Gandalf!” he grew again. He pushed that statue and destroyed the last neurotoxin generator. “Normalize scale of Gandalf!” announced Ichigō. Gandalf went back to his normal size but looked queasy.

“I don’t think shrinking and growing the same person is good for their stomach,” he groaned. Batman took care of shutting down the energy shield generator. Once we got that done, we headed to the large courtyard. The energy shield was down. “The way forward has now opened,” observed Gandalf. “Who knows what lies beyond?” Claw automatically canceled her transformation and returned to being Sheela as she fell to the floor, panting.

“We’re not going anywhere until we’ve had a breather!” panted Sheela.

“Go ahead and relax,” called the Riddler. “I’ll wait.”

“Your mistake, Nigma,” hissed Batman.

“Nigma?” I asked.

“Edward Nigma,” answered Batman. I saw the pun in his name. “He’s obsessed with riddles and mind games. He was so intelligent that he figured out my alter-ego.”

“He knows you?” I quizzed.

“I pointed out that if he told the world,” continued Batman, “he would solve the riddle and there would be no point.

“How insane is he?” I asked.

“He’s one of Arkham’s inmates,” elaborated Batman.

“Arkham?” asked Gandalf.

“The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane,” explained Batman. “A psychiatric hospital for people who commit crimes because they’re not right in the head.”

“A place to put the crazies until they’re ready to be normal citizens again,” I simplified for Gandalf.

“I see,” said Gandalf, nodding in understanding.

“So, how often have people escaped from Arkham?” I asked Batman.

“Security’s so bad,” he replied, “I’m surprised the staff don’t remind the inmates to use the sign in sheet when they return.”

“Are they functioning on ancient security methods?” I queried.

“No,” answered Batman, “they use the most advanced security measures that they can, given their…limited resources.”

“Not everyone has your tech,” I reminded him.

“…I know,” conceded Batman.

“What about you, Sōji-san?” I asked. “You seem Hell-bent on destroying the Worms.”

“It was the Worms that killed my parents,” explained Sōji. Batman seemed to understand him to a degree.

“I’m not sure I can fully support the death of an entire race because a group from said race killed your parents,” he mused.

“Wasn’t it a mugger that killed yours?” I asked. Batman flinched but stayed on his course.

“That mugger had appropriate justice dealt to him,” answered Batman. “I saw to it myself. He’s in prison for life.”

“And you’re content with that?” observed Sōji. “Don’t you fight other criminals?”

“I fight so no one has to go through what I did,” replied Batman.

“As do I,” answered Sōji.

“I suppose if things went differently,” mused Batman, “I could have been exactly like you.”

“Moving on,” I interjected. “Batman, is there a reason the Riddler wants to place riddles around here?”

“The answers to the riddles usually result in the answer to his master plan,” explained Batman.

“A riddle within a riddle,” I guessed.

“Exactly,” confirmed Batman.

“I best use that power against him,” chuckled Lukas.

“You can solve it?” I asked.

“I’m an engineer,” boasted Lukas. “No riddle can be locked forever, aside from paradoxes.”

“Everyone all rested up?” I asked. They nodded. “Let’s go!” I declared. My mind also poured over the riddles as well as Lukas’

This is cast, but not a stone. It flees from light. The dark, its home.

What breathes, dances, and bakes, yet has no lungs, legs, or cakes?

Deep below, veiled from sight, it dwells where Dwarves find their delight!

What are the answers and how do they connect?!