Disclaimer: “Tenchi Muyo!” is the property of A.I.C. and Pioneer. Their use is not intended to be cannon, so don’t sue. All other characters are from a story I have written, entitled “The Dragon Pendant Saga,” and are copyrighted by me. Please don’t use them without letting people know who created them. Thank you. ************************************************************************ Akihibara, Tokyo, Japan. 6:43 PM Cailynn awoke in a dark alley. Her leopard-spotted hair shimmered under the neon lights of the electronics prefecture of Tokyo. Her dark-blue, silk Chinese-style blouse was ripped in the back, revealing several whiplashes. Her loose black pants were torn at the knees. She could see many bruises on her arms. Even her tiger-striped tail was in pain. She could barely stand, and it ached to even adjust her self to a seated position against the nearby wall. This had not been Lynn’s day. “It’s good that you are awake, Lynn,” said a raspy voice from her left. “I was beginning to get lonely.” She turned to see a gargoyle. He was about two years younger than she was. He wore no shirt, for one would hinder the large gray wings on his back. His long, black hair and bony horns stuck out of the bandages wrapped around his head. His thick, reptilian tail poked through a hole in the back of his dark yellow slacks. The anklets around his large, crocodilian feet were cracked and warped. But what haunted her most about the nine-year-old dragon-boy were his eyes. The left one was golden yellow; the other was as gray as his skin. “Flint,” beckoned Lynn, “what happened?” “I don’t recall,” Flint-Requiem said. “Ask Vardis when she returns.” The sky above them seemed to be barred by lights and signs of all shapes, colors, and sizes. “If Beelzebub is up there,” Lynn thought, “it would be impossible for us to find him.” She stared into the skyline, hoping to see a familiar face. “Manji,” she sighed. Why couldn’t he be here, watching over her, fighting with her? She hoped beyond hope that her friend would return. “I miss the others, too,” came a voice from above them. “But we must make due until Liam finds the man called ‘Tenchi.’” The origin of the voice leapt from the windowsill above them and landed at Lynn’s feet. “Are you well?” “Yes, Vardis,” Lynn answered, “but I wish I knew what happened before I was unconscious.” The demi-fox stood before Lynn in a dark cloak, which covered most of her features. Her velvety red hair hung below her waist and fluttered in the wind like a crimson flag. In either of her gloved hands were circular boomerangs, called chacrams. Her bushy tail waved gracefully behind her. Her orange eyes glanced at the young gargoyle to her right, then back at Lynn. “You don’t remember?” replied Vardis. “ Do you not remember the first attack Wasp made upon this city?” “I shall try.” Lynn closed her cat-like eyes and concentrated on the day’s events. “Yes. Yes, I remember now. At William Castle…” ************************************************************************ William Castle, Chima. 10:57 AM All was well at the capital of Arborous Kingdom. Pierce was meditating in his private chambers. Roseri was at a meeting of the Illuminati. West and Manji were attempting to steal some of the figs in the royal kitchen. And Liam was dong his best to act like a prince. He, Lynn, and his father were walking through the castle, talking about Liam’s travels across the eastern continent of Chen. “…The people there were really poor,” the prince stated. “They lived in little wooden shacks and had to, like, hunt in the forests for food. The people would be lucky to find a rabbit to eat. It was sad to see ‘em live like cave men.” “That is why we must do something to stop Red Long’s tyranny of Chen,” added Lynn, who was a former resident of the region. “If he stays in power much longer, he…” She did not get the chance to finish the thought. A young scout for the Knightly Order of Draconus ran up to King Marius. “Sir,” the scout reported, “there is a immense group of demons headed towards the eastern portal-gate, Sir!” “But, the king replied, “No one has been through the eastern portal in seven-hundred years. We don’t know where it will lead to.” “Shall I inform the knights, Sir?” the scout asked. “No, I’ll go, Dad,” said Liam. “Just lemme tell the others we got a mission and I’ll go.” “Very well, son,” replied the king. “Be careful. Please come back alive.” “After it took me over a year to find you, of course I’ll come back!” “Go well, Liam.” “Stay well, Dad.” Liam embraced his father and ran to find the other members of the Saga. “C’mon, Lynn. We got Shadow Demons to exorcize!” “Coming, Liam!” Lynn quickly caught up with, and then passed by, her friend and commander. “Hey, Lynn, wait up!” ************************************************************************ Outskirts of William City. 11:13 AM Liam and his guardians assembled in a clearing outside of William City. The sound of insects flying towards them could be heard clearly from kilometers away. The army of possessed bugs proceeded to a large, red gateway that easily stood over ninety feet tall. “If those pests make it through the gate,” said Liam, “whatever world’s on the other side’s in big trouble. We gotta stop ‘em.” “On your word,” said Vardis, “we shall attack.” The swarm came to a halt and landed in front of the gate. They stayed there for what seemed to be hours. Suddenly the gate began to glow. From the gate stepped a man with white hair. His other features were hidden within a yellow hooded robe. He raised his left hand and spoke. “The time is come, Beelzebub. Aid us and Earth shall be yours to command.” Beelzebub walked from the mass of bugs and replied, “I do swear my allegiance to you, Master Calgio.” “Now! Attack!” cried Liam. The twelve mighty heroes ran towards Wasp and began to do battle with him and his horde. Liam himself assaulted the Wasp King with a barrage of slashes that almost mortally wounded him. The hooded man raised his hand again and sent a bolt of energy surging through the Great Knight. “Come quickly,” said the mysterious man. “The Order of Draconus will surely come for us soon.” With that, he flew back into the gate. Wasp and the insects followed him. Liam laid on the ground, convulsing and spasming. “Will he be okay?” asked Manji. “Yes,” said Eri. “He just needs a little time to calm down.” “We don’t have that sort of time,” retorted a young man be hind her. “The Beelzebub is probably terrorizing Earth as we speak. We must go after them!” “I agree,” replied Liam, who had recovered from his shock. “We gotta go after ‘em. Besides, it’s been a long time sine I’ve seen the Earth. And TV. And pizza. Hey guys, when we beat the demons, let’s all celebrate at the local Pizza Wigwam. My treat.” “Okay,” the others agreed, and went into the gate. ************************************************************************ Akihabara, Tokyo. 6:50 PM Lynn’s attempt to recall the events of the day was interrupted by a streak of light falling rapidly towards them. “What is that?” asked Flint. “I do not know,” answered Lynn, “but it’s about to crash on top of us!” The trio ran out of the alley to avoid the object, which landed with a loud thud. They peered into the alley from behind an adjacent building. There was a large, round pod that was smoking from the reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. When the smoke cleared, Vardis went to the space pod to discover what was in it. “I wonder how we may open this.” She touched the surface of the orb and scalded her finger. “Ouch!” She put her finger in her mouth to ease the pain, when a square shaped hatch in the pod opened. A figure stepped out of the pod and walked up to the fox-woman. “Excuse me, is this Okayama?” Her hair was spiky and light blue. She had feral, yellow eyes like a cat. Her clothes were unusual, to say the least. And a green line of what seemed to be war paint ran under each eye and contoured her cheeks. She stared at Vardis for what seemed like forever. The strange woman said, “My name is Minagi. Are you okay?” “Why are you here?” inquired Vardis. “I’m looking for my sister, Ryoko. She looks just like me. Have you seen her?” Minagi responded. Lynn and the others were confused. “I doubt that she is here, Miss, but perhaps we can look for her,” said Lynn. Suddenly, a red shimmer came from the jewel in her right gauntlet. She tapped the gem and two small, identical swords formed in her hands. “There is a demon nearby. We must find it.” Lynn ran off to seek the Shadow Demon. Flint received a large axe from the jewel in his glove and flew behind Lynn. Vardis unsheathed her chacrams, and ran after the two younger beast-people. “Who were those people? Oh well. I guess I should follow them. Maybe they’ll lead me to Ryoko,” thought Minagi. “I hafta warn her that the GP are coming here. I hope its not to late.” She exited the alley and flew towards the others. ************************************************************************ Sky above Toshima-Ku, Tokyo. 7:13 PM “I’m getting air sick…” West announced. “We woulda been better off with our vessel, the Fenrir.” The other members of Liam’s group nodded their agreement. “Hey, don’t complain,” said Ryoko. “This is the fastest way to get all the way north to Tokyo. Besides, Ryo-Ohki is made for combat. Right?” “Mrreooow!” answered the sentient spaceship. “You should also be thankful that I was able to set up a holograph system so that she looks like a blimp,” Washu included, “or else the Japanese Air Force would be trying to shoot us down.” Liam did not pay any attention to the goings on inside the ship. He looked out the window of Ryo-Ohki to the city below. His sword was in his hand, glowing red. “Beelzebub is close.” His sweat belied his calm façade, revealing his nervousness. “You scared, Liam?” asked West. “Yeah,” answered Liam, “What gave it away?” “The sweat, heavy breathing, quivering hands, and the fact that whenever you’re scared you talk to yourself,” the gremlin responded. “Oh.” “Why are you afraid?” queried Aeka, “I thought that you were used to fighting the demons.” “I am,” said Liam, “But I get scared every time I fight a demon. They could kill me. I think that it’s a rather valid fear.” “Ryoko fights against people that are stronger than her all the time,” said Tenchi, “and she doesn’t get afraid.” “Tenchi, lemme tell ya somethin’ Grampa Marius once told me,” said Liam, as he dragged the Juraian prince to the side. “Don’t confuse idiocy for courage.” “Are you saying I’m stupid?!” asked Ryoko “No, only that it’s foolish to rush into battle without a little caution,” said Pierce. “Hey, I’m careful. You need to worry for yourselves,” the space pirate retorted. “We can’t,” said Eri. “Why not?” asked Mihoshi. “We are the Saga,” replied West. “Our destiny is to protect Liam, even to the death. We gotta make sure that he lives long enough to destroy Xander Tyrann once and for all. Or at least until he can produce one that can.” “That’s kinda sad,” the detective sighed, “but I guess Liam wouldn’t last very long on his own, so he needs some help.” Silence. “Hey, Liam, can I barrow your sword for a minute?” asked Washu. “Why?” replied Liam. “You gonna, like, take a sample from it or somethin’?” “Funny. I need to see how you can detect demons with it. Maybe it can help us find Sasami.” “Well, okay,” said Liam. “But be careful with it.” He reluctantly gave the sword to Washu. She summoned her holo-computer, and placed the blade under a scanner of sorts. The screen of her computer showed a close-up shot of the blade. “Hmm. What do you call this metal?” queried the auburn-haired genius. “Its name is Demonium,” replied Manji. “Well,” Washu continued, “Demonium has unique natural properties that allow it to trace the astral signatures of the demons. It also has a magnetic quality. It reacts to anything made of a substance similar to itself. Fascinating. Perhaps if I can download such traits into Ryo-Ohki, we can use the radar to find Beelzebub and Sasami.” “Cool!” exclaimed West. “We’re that much closer to finding the lil’ rabbit girl and going to Pizza Wigwam!” “Is food all you can think about?” said Liam. “No, sometimes I think about sleeping, too,” West retorted. Everyone face faulted. “The download is complete,” announced Washu. “Ryo-Ohki?” A small, rhombus shaped object with Ryo-Ohki’s face floated next to Washu. “Myah?” “Bring up the radar on the screen, please.” A map of Tokyo appeared on the screen of her astral PC. “What’s with all of the blinking lights?” asked Tenchi, as Liam retrieved his sword. “The red dots on the screen are the demons. The yellow dot is Sasami. I don’t know what the blue dots are, though,” answered Washu. “I do,” said Eri. “Well,” said Ryoko, “What are they?” “Our weapons glow blue whenever someone with Demonium is nearby,” explained the sorceress. “The only persons with such weapons are our allies. So, those blue dots must be…” “Our missing friends.” Said Liam “And all of those demons have Sasami at … Oh no.” “What is it, Sir Liam?” asked Yosho. “They’re in Chiyoda-Ku. The gateway to Chima there. In front of the Imperial Palace,” Liam explained. “So they are trying to get back to Chima!” gasped Aricelli. “We must stop them!” “What about our friends?” worried Eri. “According to the radar, two of them are already there,” said Tenchi. “Let’s hope that we can get to them in time. Full speed ahead, Ryo-Ohki!” The sentient space vessel rushed off to the Imperial Palace. ************************************************************************ Streets of Toshima, Tokyo. 7:28 PM The denizens of Toshima paid little heed to a blimp above them that occasionally sounded like a cat. Four young people, however, took particular interest in it. “Wow,” said a young man. He had a pack of cards in his left hand. “What is that?” “Maybe,” said another young man, “It’s our local super-heroine, Super-Chic Naval Officer Fan-Service, leaping off to save the day and appease some pervert.” The young boy also had a pack of cards in his hand. “Wouldn’t that be cool?” “Yeah,” said a young girl. “Oh well, we’d better get to Akihabara, or else we’ll be late for the monster battle trading card game tournament.” “Yeah, let’s go,” said the two young men, and they walked to the subway station. A lone silhouette stood on the rooftop of an apartment complex. A long robe covered her figure from head to toe. She looked down on the three children and the other citizens below and chuckled to herself. The blade of the scimitar in her right hand shone paranormally in the moonlight. “They could never comprehend how far from the truth they are.” She leapt form the roof and was caught by a flying creature that swooshed by quicker than the human eye can capture. She and the beast flew in the direction of the “blimp.” ************************************************************************ The Imperial Gardens, Chiyoda, Tokyo. 7:33 PM This had not been a good night for Malcolm. He had been torn away from his land to stop a monster. And for what? For a boy that barely recognizes him a his cousin? For Liam? To make matters worse, he has not heard from said cousin in eight hours. Now he is stuck in forbidden territory in a foreign world, fighting scorpions and grasshoppers with his entourage, Mariah. “Mariah!” called Malcolm, “How are you doing?” His friend was busy fending off arachnids to respond. Her furrowed brow was lined with perspiration. Her black hair hung out from her helmet, and her comely physique could be seen even through the dark armor she was wearing. Violet shin guards protected her long, well-defined legs. Mariah’s Hammer of Diana, a standard-issue hammer for all Valkries, was smashed into the head of an orb spider. Her gray eyes finally met his. She nodded, as if to say, “I am well.” “Come, Mariah!” the prince called. “We’ve not much time before Beelzebub comes!” The two knights ran out of the gardens and towards the front gate to the Imperial Palace. They paused, seeing that their enemy was not presently there. “Where is he?” asked Mariah. Malcolm looked into the knight sky for a sign of the demon. “I cannot see him,” he answered. Suddenly, he heard voices come from behind him saying, “Halt, intruders!” “We’ve been found, Sir Malcolm,” the Valkrie says, calmly. “We should flee.” Before they could react, a large axe was thrown at the palace guards. It came three inches from slicing one of their faces, then returned to the night sky. “A boomerang?” questions one of the guards. A small growl is heard from above them. They point their pistols skyward to see a dragon person fly down towards them. “Ah! It’s an Oni! Run!” The two Japanese rent-a-cops ran back into the palace. Flint landed in front of Malcolm. “Are you well?” “Yes, Sir Requiem,” he responded. “Thank you.” “Let’s go,” said Vardis, who appeared from behind. “The guards will garner reinforcements if we do not leave now.” Malcolm agreed and left the palace to seek refuge. The group rushed into a dark avenue where Lynn and Minagi awaited. “Thank Pater we found you,” sighed Lynn as she embraced Malcolm. “Beelzebub and his new master had separated us all when we went through Otemon Gate. I feared that you were, well, dead.” “It would take more than an infestation of roaches to kill me,” boasted the prince. “It almost took a legion of mantises, sir,” Mariah pointed out. The others chuckled. “It’s good to know that you are well,” laughed Flint. He became serious. “But we must stop Wasp. He may destroy this city if he cannot find Liam.” “We can’t do it here,” said Minagi, “People could get hurt badly.” “You can fly, yes?” inquired Flint. “Yes,” the pirate answered. “I can as well,” the gargoyle said. “As can Vardis. Lyn is capable of aerial combat. I believe we should ambush the Beelzebub from the air. That way, few people are injured, and we can prevent him from returning to Chima.” “Brilliant!” exclaimed Malcolm. “I have my dragons with me. They’re hiding at the palace. Mariah and I can help as well.” “Good,” replied Flint. “I have a plan.” The others gathered around him to hear is strategy. ************************************************************************ Otemon Gate, Imperial Palace. 8:10 PM Wasp the Beelzebub had made it to the palace. He looked down at all of the guards that were currently fighting off dragonflies and sneered. Then he looked at Sasami. She was still asleep from the poison he had injected her with as he left Okayama. “Good,” he thought, “She cannot call upon the goddess to stop me.” He landed meters away from Otemon when an arrow hit him in the shoulder. “AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!” Pain surged through his body. He had been hit in the shoulder once today, and Calgio healed him. But now the aching was unbearable. “Find him, whoever it was, and eviscerate him!” The insects flew in the direction from which the arrow came. They stayed suspended in the air for two minutes and returned to Wasp, finding nothing. Another arrow came from his left. “Ugh! Who is this attacking me? I shall destroy him!” He gave Sasami to a giant ant for safekeeping, and flew to find the assassin. From the sky, he felt he would have a good advantage against his opponent. When he turned around to find him, however, he saw that he was wrong. “Attack!” cried a hoarse voice. Then Flint, Vardis, and the others charged into battle with the Wasp King. Minagi was the first to reach him, attacking him with her energy blade. Wasp dodged or parried every attack she made, and then countered by slashing her in the face with his talons. She fell back and let Flint attack next. The gargoyle entered the melee with a fierce thrust of his axe. His blow hit Wasp directly in the chest. Wasp then summoned a ball of energy into his hands and threw it at Flint. His large axe deflected the blast. Flint then rammed the Beelzebub into Vardis, who pummeled him with a barrage of kicks. Lynn then jumped off a nearby building and cut Wasp with her ninja blades. Wasp caught her and flung her into a wall. Minagi teleported back and stabbed him in the abdomen. Mariah and Malcolm, mounted on their steeds, were fighting off the other insects below. Suddenly, a great mass of fiery arrows was shot at the swarm. “Where is this attack coming from?” asked Malcolm. “I don’t know, Sir,” replied the Valkrie, ‘But whomever is shooting down these pests must be an ally.” “Agreed,” said the prince. Gunshots could be heard coming form the Imperial palace. “The guards must be trying to stop Beelzebub as well. Good, we have a good chance to stop him now.” “Um, Sir Malcolm,” said Mariah, “They’re assaulting us as well.” “Take evasive maneuvers. Quickly!” commanded Malcolm. The two knights had their dragon fly past bullet after bullet. Soon, another stranger on a dragon flew past, firing flaming arrows at the insects that hovered into her path. She swooped down towards the large ant that held Sasami, grabbed her scimitar, and lunged it into the beast’s head. The stranger then snatched Sasami and flew to the Otemon Gate. The gate began to shine a blue light. The mysterious stranger entered the gate and disappeared. Above, Wasp was still wrestling with Flint. The wounds that he sustained had caused a loss of blood, which affected his strength. He was about to pass out, when… “MEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWRRRRRRR!” FABOOOOOSSSHHHH! Beelzebub was awash with light, which came from Ryo-Ohki’s laser cannon. He and the other insects were soon vanished. Vardis, cut and bleeding looked to the sky. “What is that?” “That,” answered Minagi, “is my sister’s ship, Ryo-Ohki. The gunshots soon resumed. “We’d better get up there fast.” She and the other warriors flew into the bio-ship and escaped from Chiyoda-Ku. ************************************************************************ Inside Ryo-Ohki, above Nerima, Tokyo. 8:53 PM “Hey, Minagi,” said Ryoko, as the others entered the ship. “What’re you doing in this sect of the universe?” Behind her sister, Lynn and the others were greeted by Liam and informed of the current situation. “I’m here because of the GP,” explained Minagi “Whoa. You mean, the pigs gotcha?” asked Ryoko. “Yeah,” Minagi answered. “But I was able to escape using an escape pod.” “Why did they capture you?” inquired Aeka. “Because they thought I was Ryoko,” Minagi replied. “They got an All-Points Bulletin to look out for a wasp-man. They said that all officers should bring in all criminals they find for questioning. They’re coming to Earth for Ryoko.” “Did you see Sasami?” queried Tenchi. “Yes, but she was taken by someone on a dragon,” said Minagi. “She went through Otemon and just, poof, disappeared.” “I know where they went,” said Pierce. “Otemon is one of six gateway-portals between Earth and our world, Chima.” “So I guess we have to go to Chima, then,” Tenchi remarked “Yeah,” said Liam. “But all of Chiyoda is on red alert after what happened. They probably think we’re terrorists, or somethin’. We’ll hafta think of another way to Chima.” *********************************************************************** NEXT TIME: Liam, Tenchi and company have defeated Beelzebub! Kinda… Now it’s off to Chima to claim Sasami. But they’ll have to get past the Japanese Armed Forces, the Imperial Guard, the Galaxy Police, and one of Wasp’s sons! If they survive, how will they find Sasami? Who holds her captive; will she give the young princess back? Find out in “Beelzebub: Lord of the Flies- Chapter Four: We Need an Escape Plan!” A/N: More action than you can shake a Light Hawk Wing at, no? I hope that you enjoyed it. I wrote this after playing MGS 2 for seven hours straight. So the action may be a bit intense from here on… I’m still lonely. (Sob.) SEND YOUR Q, C, C, AND F TO enigma@iamdstudents.com PLEASE! Later! The Semi-Great Enigma