Tarlax is\u2026well\u2026WAS a lush place in the multiverse. The trees would always bear fruit, crops were plenty, food of all kinds was available to even the poorest Tarlaxian. I wish I could say that was what the Four Horsemen and I were greeted to. Instead, we got a Mordor like landscape. The people were starving and being smacked around by a race of potato headed, three fingered trolls, the Sontarans. We proceeded to a formerly ornate castle. It was run down now, silhouetted against a red sky. \u201cYou should have come here at the height of their Empire,\u201d sighed Death, taking the form of an old woman. \u201cTheir entertainment was second to none, the criminal justice system was superb, the Empress was fair, yet firm, and their warriors would make Sontarans and Klingons cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why are there Sontarans here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPart of Vortech\u2019s design,\u201d growled War, looking like a girl in cardboard armor. We approached the castle, but a guard stopped us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe only wish to see your Queen Empress,\u201d assured Death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou will have to leave the staff here,\u201d replied the guard, a hulking brute in Roman Centurion gear and a bladed tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould you take a grandmother\u2019s walking stick?\u201d I asked. \u201cThis little girl here would be very disappointed if you remove something of value to her grandmother.\u201d I was referring to War, who gave me a dirty glare. The guard considered my words, then let us pass. The halls were\u2026tall. No real tapestries, though. I was picturing something more opulent. We went towards the throne. On it sat a bug-like humanoid, modeled after a scorpion, I\u2019d say. It had four arms. Two of them ended in scorpion claws while the other ended in clawed fingers. It had its tail wrapped around the waist like a belt, had two big black eyes and six smaller ones beneath the large ones. It had a fang on each side of the mouth and a pale brown carapace. It looked female, but I couldn\u2019t vouch for that until Death spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe welcome in your hall has gone down, Queen Empress Scorpainia,\u201d she observed. That answered the question about its gender, I guess. Her advisor whispered something to her. The advisor was bipedal, had large, red, metal arms and a triangular head with the point facing us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy\u2026should I\u2026welcome strangers?\u201d groaned Scorpainia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA just question, My Liege,\u201d agreed the advisor. He then strode towards us. \u201cLate is the hour in which these false witches come, requesting money to help us when we cannot pay. Our money must go to the Sontarans on our world so they may better defeat the Rutans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut what about the people?!\u201d I wailed. Death motioned for silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid our resources must go to keeping our Empress alive,\u201d answered the advisor. \u201cWithout her, this universe will die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe seems to be dying anyways,\u201d observed Death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMetalran\u2026\u201d wheezed Scorpaina. The advisor, Metalran, headed for the throne. She seemed to whisper something, but it was unintelligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou see?\u201d asked Metalran. \u201cHer mind is troubled and you would heap more troubles?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold your forked tongue behind your teeth!\u201d snarled War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr what, little girl?\u201d asked Metalran. It was then he noticed the design on the toy sword. \u201cThe Horsemen!\u201d roared Metalran. \u201cI told you potato trolls to keep the Four Horsemen from our door!\u201d The Sontarans were confused but trained their rifles on us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow,\u201d declared Death. She and War dropped the disguises and held off the Sontarans. I knocked Metalran down and rushed for the throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard tales about your magnificence,\u201d I said to Scorpainia. \u201cThose tales will be told again. Queen Empress Scorpainia, old friend of my teachers, I will release you from the evil side of darkness that has taken you.\u201d She started gurgling with laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have no power here, student of Death,\u201d she laughed. I had a feeling that the voice wasn\u2019t her own. I then revealed my belt, but Scorpainia laughed. \u201cWhat is that? Something to free her with?\u201d I knew it. Someone\u2019s speaking through her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhoever you are, release her,\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr what?\u201d giggled the person through Scorpainia\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr you shall bear witness to Kamen Rider Apocalypse, one of two people capable of beating Vortech!\u201d I declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImpossible!\u201d dismissed the person. \u201cThere is no Kamen Rider Apocalypse!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWanna bet?\u201d I asked. \u201cHenshin!\u201d I turned into Apocalypse before the enemy\u2019s eyes. After I put my suit on, I turned the dial on my belt to Death\u2019s symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDeath Scythe!\u201d announced my belt. A scythe blade appeared on each of my wrists as energy gathered in my hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know who you are,\u201d I snarled, \u201cbut I will extract you like poison from a wound!\u201d I surrounded Scorpainia with energy and saw a figure of a man. I remembered the shape from one of Death\u2019s lectures. This was Lord Vortech!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I go,\u201d warned Vortech, \u201cScorpainia and Tarlax die!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet Death be the judge of that!\u201d I countered. I saw a slave chip on Scorpainia\u2019s shoulder and a thread that connected Vortech\u2019s consciousness to Scorpainia. I charged at Scorpainia with both blades flashing, one striking the slave chip, the other severing Vortech\u2019s connection with Scorpainia. Once both were severed, Scorpainia fell forward in her chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy Lady!\u201d called Metalran. He rushed forward to catch her. When he did, he turned to me. \u201cYou would dare bring harm to my Empress?! You have made a costly mistake!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, Metalran,\u201d growled Scorpainia. \u201cShe has healed me!\u201d Her claw then grabbed Metalran\u2019s throat. \u201cYOU, on the other hand, kept me in the dark!\u201d Metalran dropped the act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is\u2026better\u2026to stand with\u2026Lord Vortech\u2026than to\u2026oppose him!\u201d he choked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRun home to your master and tell him he has no prize in this universe!\u201d demanded Scorpainia. She released him. Metalran caught his breath and turned to the Sontarans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKILL THEM ALL!\u201d he ordered before leaving through the vortex. The Sontarans raised their guns at us. Scorpainia grabbed a strange fruit that was triangular and purple. She ate the whole thing, then made a disgusted noise. Apparently, it tastes bad, but restores a Tarlaxian to full strength. Her carapace went from pale brown to reddish brown. Her face contorted to an animalistic snarl. She then bellowed as laser fire bounced off her shell. One of the guards outside heard the commotion and saw Scorpainia destroying the Sontarans. His face brightened as he ran through the city to spread the news. Soon, the Tarlaxians ate the same fruit Scorpainia did so they could be on equal footing with the Sontarans. The fight soon became chaotic. War, Death, and I were following Technarain, a metallic humanoid with a scalp shaped like brain. We were starting to get tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d I muttered as I gave a chop to the back of a Sontaran\u2019s neck, \u201cany bright ideas?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are the Omega Protocols,\u201d grunted War as she beheaded a Sontaran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOut of the question,\u201d snapped Technarain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you, deficient?!\u201d snarled War. \u201cThe Omega Protocols are your people\u2019s only chance!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an invading force in this universe!\u201d declared Technarain. \u201cThe Omega Protocols will do the work for them!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be the judge of that!\u201d boomed Scorpainia as she leapt onto a Sontaran and injected him with the poison in her tail. She then started glowing red. Technarain saw this, sighed, then followed suit. Soon, every Tarlaxian was glowing red. Blades then formed from blue light. They had a circle around the handle and extended past both ends. They were built out of some blue metal. All blades then started glowing blue. \u201cInitiate the Omega Protocols! Start the Apocalypse!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat!?\u201d I yelped. The Tarlaxians slashed and made dimensional rifts everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose are rift blades,\u201d grunted War. \u201cI believe you can guess why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut that many rifts will tear this universe apart!\u201d I recalled, thinking back to Pestilence\u2019s lessons on multiversal stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the intent behind the Omega Protocols,\u201d replied Scorpainia. \u201cA universe can\u2019t be taken if there\u2019s no universe to take. The Vortonian Identifier String would call this universe T-4-R-L-4-X-1-3, Tarlax 13. What do you think happened to the other 12?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait,\u201d I guessed, \u201cthen those energy masses we passed on the way here, those were your previous universes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd this whole mess HAD to happen when we got this universe the way we liked it!\u201d snapped Technarain. All Tarlaxians turned into silver spheres and fled through the rifts. Meanwhile, the Sontarans were in disarray. A trooper brought his gun to bear on us. His commanding officer, a Colonel Starn, stopped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSir, we cannot let the Tarlaxians steal our prize from us!\u201d called the trooper. \u201cLet me take them out! I will slaughter them like the dogs they are!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBrave of you, Trooper Draggh,\u201d lauded Colonel Starn, \u201cbut we also cannot afford more losses. And your opponents would have been Death and War. Woman though they are, they would have killed you where you stood and the battle would not have added to the glory of the Sontaran Empire. We will withdraw to Foundation Prime. Our primary mission was achieved anyway.\u201d The trooper complied and followed the retreat with Starn covering the rear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore you leave,\u201d called Scorpainia to Death, \u201cI have something for you.\u201d She fished out an i.d tag. \u201cOn this tag is a list of Tarlaxians that were enslaved and those that joined Vortech willingly. I obtained it before Vortech placed me under that spell.\u201d She then saw me. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with your student?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut\u2026I don\u2019t\u2026who\u2026\u201d I stammered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not uncommon,\u201d whispered Death. \u201cMany species have a similar defense mechanism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2026guess,\u201d I sighed. I shook my head. \u201cCan I have that list? I think Kamen Rider Vortex is gonna need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think she\u2019s on Vorton,\u201d whispered Death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought it was destroyed,\u201d questioned Scorpainia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe new Vortex Riders have restored power to the Gateway and the atmospheric generators,\u201d grunted War. \u201cThey\u2019re using it as a base of operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been to Vorton,\u201d I told Death. \u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe center of the dimensional vortex,\u201d whispered Death. \u201cJust follow the pull of the vortex past the Transformers cluster. You can\u2019t miss it.\u201d I hopped on my horse and did as she instructed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe whole trip took about two hours,\u201d said Lacey as she finished. She then gave me an i.d tag with no decoration on it. \u201cJust put this into your belt and you\u2019ll know who\u2019s friend and who\u2019s foe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I lauded as I bowed. \u201cWould you like to stay a while?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t,\u201d sighed Lacey. \u201cMy training regimen\u2019s a little harsh and I need to get back to stick with it. It was nice meeting you. I hope we see each other again.\u201d She hopped on her horse and took off through the vortex again. I was left alone again, for a few seconds. X-PO floated by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere you are!\u201d he cheered. \u201cLukas, Batman, Rusty, Elphaba, the Brigadier, and I have just located the next Foundation Element!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWonderful news!\u201d I exclaimed. I then pressed the intercom button on the Gateway. \u201cEveryone, come to the Gateway room at once! Our quest is about to gain more fruit!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metalran, his loyalists, and the Sontarans had returned to my domain. Starn was angry with Ambassador Hell, with the feelings of the Shocker leader being mutual towards the Sontarans. Davros joined in the argument as well as Metalran. By this time, I decided to call for silence. \u201cLet us see what had transpired,\u201d I demanded. \u201cStarn, you say that Ambassador Hell did not give you the reinforcements you requested, but, Ambassador Hell, you say there was no such request. Starn, you accuse Metalran of not preparing your troops properly, but, Metalran, you say that your own informant was incorrect in the political situation of your previous universe. Ambassador Hell, you blame Davros for not preparing your men against Daleks, hence why you believe Starn made no reinforcement request, but, Davros, you say that your Daleks would rather die than work with Shocker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn excellent summing up,\u201d mused Ambassador Hell. \u201cYou know, Lord Vortech, you would have made a very good judge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou forget, Ambassador, I AM your judge,\u201d I hissed. \u201cYour jury and executioner, too!\u201d I then bowed in mock politeness. \u201cIf need be.\u201d I turned to my right-hand man and his fianc\u00e9e. \u201cOnly Hiro and Igura have not weighed in and accuse anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause the whole thing has nothing to do with us,\u201d replied Hiro. \u201cIgura said she has news about the next Foundation Element. I wish this whole thing were put aside so she can get on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExcellent!\u201d I cheered. \u201cA shining example of knowing one\u2019s duties! Listen to me, all of you! I am not concerned with this petty argument! One thing concerns me, and one thing alone, we must gather the Foundation Elements!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s the dispute here that\u2019s preventing us from doing so,\u201d reminded Hiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d I agreed. \u201cSo, let me offer a simple solution! The Orcs will retrieve the new Foundation Element as well as our fiery friend and enigma obsessed ally. The Sontarans are to remain here as guards in case anyone tries anything foolish. Davros, you are to work with the Rani and help her create a new body for the Yeti. Ambassador Hell, you are to tell your men to await my orders as they have proven untrustworthy in terms of success. Metalran, you are to tell your loyalists to hunt Scorpainia and kill her! Now, get moving!\u201d No one argued as they moved to obey. Igura headed to the Orcs to brief them of the situation. I went to my throne to rest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tarlax is\u2026well\u2026WAS a lush place in the multiverse. The trees would always bear fruit, crops were plenty, food of all kinds was available to even the poorest Tarlaxian. I wish I could say that was what the Four Horsemen and I were greeted to. Instead, we got a Mordor like landscape. The people were starving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,8],"tags":[51,13,27,28,75,77,76],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kamen-rider-vortex","category-kamen-rider-vortex-chapters","tag-apocalypse-horsemen","tag-hiro-adachi","tag-lacey","tag-lord-vortech","tag-scorpainia","tag-sontaran","tag-tarlaxian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1084,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions\/1084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}