146Jet and the Black Knight
Tomo the Chameleon © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Thirteen: Lessons of Life
The scene opens to a realm of endless black and crimson raised high over the realm of King Arthur's domain. With the entire kingdom watching, the stress for the outcome was enough pressure to lose confidence. But such feelings were beyond this point. Morgan le Fay, formerly known as Merlina, drifted lighting through the limitless darkness, occasionally turning the dark blade of Varden in her hands. Jet the Hawk, clad in shining gold armor swung the crystal blade of Excalibur to test the effects of carrying such a powerful artifact. It was surprisingly lightweight and felt the same as when he wielded Caliburn.
"All right, time to get my 'A' game on!" Jet cheered, confirming his grip on Excalibur.
"This is no longer a game, Jet." Excalibur stated seriously. "The fate of not only this kingdom, but the entire universe rest on your shoulders."
"No pressure." Jet said sarcastically. The golden Knight stabbed his blade to Morgan, calling out to the dark witch. "You better listen well, Morgan! I am giving you this one last chance to give up before someone gets hurt!"
"And that someone will most likely be you." Morgan said coolly. "You would never understand the tragedy of losing your kingdom, nor could you understand. That is why I must do what I must do. I will put an end to this."
"How many times have you said that before?" Jet questioned jokingly.
"But this time, I will not be as content." Morgan vowed. "This time, you end will be absolute."
But the golden knight just waved her off as a bluff. Grimacing at her careless opponent, the dark sorceress summoned a magical seal around her, which consumed her body in a red sphere. Shortly following the sphere, multiple tendrils of neon armor began forming around the sphere – Jet flew backwards to avoid one of its claws. It the one moment he wasn't looking, Morgan had completed her final protector. The Knight of the Wind felt a hint of nostalgia when he found himself facing against a neon copy of the Black Knight from his previous venture. Only this time, the dark tyrant was without legs and had four entangled arms – two holding copies of Deathcalibur and two holding jeweled scepters. In the heart of the beast, Morgan stood protected behind her barrier with Varden safely nestled into her newly acquired scabbard.
"And once again, we face the truth tyrant." Excalibur said composedly. "Do you often have to deal with this kind of trouble?"
"With her around, I practically live for danger." Jet chuckled.
"Just submit to my cause." Morgan requested. "Together, we can create a perfect kingdom."
"What good is a world that goes on forever?" Jet retorted. "That sounds pretty lame to me."
As always, you mind fails to grasp the true reality." Morgan sneered. "I no longer pity you."
Upon her commanded, the Dark King began swinging the twin scepters within its hands at a rapid pace. The golden Knight shot for the beast, but was suddenly blocked off by an invisible barrier – Morgan was playing extra careful. And from the swirling rods, several sphere of electrical energy appeared with their power focused on the Knight of the Wind. Using his newfound speed, Jet carefully attempted to avoid each of the spheres. Unfortunately, they seemed reminiscent to the dark spores created by the Black Knight and began tracking him. With the path to Morgan and the Dark King blocked off, he shot towards the edge of the dark vortex with the charged balls chasing after him. To experiment a theory, Jet allowed one of the spheres to move close enough for him to cut, but ultimately released the energy from the sphere. The only thing that protected him at that moment was the resilient armor he had obtained.
"Next time, think before you act!" Excalibur snapped, shaking slightly from the encounter. "You couldn't possibly believe that would have worked."
"It worked on those things on Avalon!" Jet shouted back as he proceeded to run again.
"That was an entirely different situation!" Excalibur proclaimed. "When dark matter is formed, the only antidote is..."
"You're not gonna nag me, are ya?" Jet groaned. "I get that enough from Wave."
"I should justly say – Jet, watch out!" Excalibur cried."
While he was distracted by his argument with his sword, Jet remained unaware of the locations of the energy spheres. The collective energies surrounded the golden knight in every direction possible, leaving him without room to escape. Smiling darkly within her protection, Morgan gave a swift wave of her hand and watched the spheres collide into her prey. She knew she had won – no one could have survived such a slaughter. But as the smoke cleared over the site, her smile faltered almost instantly. Jet's body remained untouched by the power of Morgan's magic as it no longer seemed to hold a physical presence in the world. While the Knight of the Wind stared though his intangible hand, the matter suddenly returned to its solid state.
"Ok, what just happened?" Jet questioned confused.
"It was the power of Arondight!" Nimue's voice echoed – her magic was still present. "The powers of the Six Sacred Swords have merged with your armor! All their powers are now at your disposal!"
"That means we can use any of them." Excalibur summarized pridefully. "Galatine, Clarent..."
"Crewennan." Jet said deviously.
Because the magic belong to the Lady of the Lake was restricted only to Jet, Morgan was flabbergasted at his security. Did this knave have some power that she was unaware of? No, it was impossible. She was Morgan le Fey, the greatest sorceress in recorded history. With a defensive cry, she commanded her Dark King to release another fresh wave of energy spheres for the golden hawk. Jet was prepared this time. After recalling the tactics used by the Knights of the Round Table, he scrapped Excalibur across his gauntlet to draw a shower of sparks. As he had expected, a curtain of electricity overshadowed the legendary blade and transformed into a bolt of white lightning as he stabbed it forward. The energy spheres exploded on contact, clouding Morgan's line of vision. The malevolent sorceress commanded her soldier to sweep away the smoke with its blade. For a moment, Morgan imagined she saw a small hole of darkness before remember her main priority: Jet was missing.
"Where is he?" Morgan snarled. "Come out, you insufferable pigeon!"
"How many times do I have to say it?! I am a hawk!"
Attracted by the sound, the dark sorceress turned and gasped. A black hole formed from within her barrier just as the blade of Crewennan had done and regurgitated the golden knight from its depths. With barely a split second to react, the Dark King swiped Deathcalibur over the intruders head. Fortunately, Jet's skills were on par with the neon knight and managed to repel the blade with a swing from Excalibur. Twisting around rapidly, the golden knight swiped his Sacred Sword again the red container that held Morgan protectively. The strike did not shatter the barrier, but it did leave a terrible scar in her defenses, slightly scaring her to the point where she nearly drew Varden. But she restrained herself and pressed her palm against her shield. A mighty of wind blew the Knight of the Wind backwards, pushing him of her defenses.
"What? Running away again?" Jet laughed mockingly.
"Why won't you listen to reason?" Morgan questioned with a frown. "This story and the world it created will come to an end. Not only will this kingdom fall, but your world will also suffer the same fate. Is that what you wish?"
"Nah, it's not going to end." Jet countered. "My stories will only end when I stop moving."
"This is not about you!" Morgan growled. "This is about the fate of the kingdom!"
"Exactly." Jet nodded. "When the world comes to and end, then I'll stop moving."
Realizing she was being made a fool, the dark sorceress prepared herself for another spell before she realized it wouldn't work. Judging by his display of magic, Jet had obtained the powers of the Six Sacred Swords he had collected, making him invulnerable to magic. The only choice now was to attack directly. With no used left for the scepters, Morgan replaced them with extra copies of Deathcalibur. The Dark King roared victoriously as the neon knight twisted all four blades within its claws and started swinging at the golden knight in rapid session. At first, the Knight of the Wind began blocking the swords at the most opportune times, but slowly began to slip from fatigue. As the hawk lowered his defenses, the Dark King saw this as an opportune moment to strike and swiped all four swords together. But at the moment the quadruple swords attacked, they were suddenly shattered to pieces. Morgan took a double take on the situation before realizing that the knight's golden armor was had been transformed into crystal – Clarent's work.
"Why is it so difficult for you to deal with the truth?" Morgan questioned harshly.
"Oh, I can handle the truth." Jet stated assuring. "But what you're spouting off isn't truth, just some twisted nightmare."
"Life is not some fairy tale!" Morgan screamed. "This is the cold reality and there is nothing you or your little dagger can do about it!"
"Dagger?!" Excalibur yelled furiously, feeling insulted. "My dear lady, do not underestimate the power of Excalibur reborn!"
"You here that, Morgan?" Jet sniggered. "My little sword is going to teach you're a lesson."
The dark sorceress could no longer stand the continuous ramblings of the hawk and his blade. Morgan reforged the collection of swords with new sharpened edges to cut through even solid diamonds. Unfortunately, Jet no longer found the use for the crystallized armor and instead activated the powers of Arondight to phase through her magical barrier. Adding her own spells to the blades of the Dark King, Morgan issued the order for her protected to skewer the golden knight. But she only realized her mistake at the last minute as Jet activated the power of Galatine to forge four golden tentacles from under his cape. While the unusually addition of limbs restrained the knight's hands, Jet took another swing for Morgan's protective barrier. Unlike the last time, this strike managed to force a massive crack straight down the middle of the sphere. Morgan gasped in fright and deformed the Dark King, floating backwards away from her opponent.
"So it's just us, is it?" Excalibur questioned. "Have you given up this corrupted ambition?"
"You could never understand my sorrow." Morgan proclaimed forcefully. "My heart weeps for the ruinous future of my kingdom."
"In that case, I'm glad I don't understand." Jet responded, grasping Excalibur with both hands. "I don't ever want to feel such one-sided sadness. I prefer living in the moment and having some fun."
"I can't believe I am saying this, but Jet is right." Excalibur supported. "You would sacrifice the lives of countless innocents just to escape your sorrow. And kingdom that exists for eternity would never prosper."
"You speak nonsense!" Morgan screamed insanely as she drew Varden. "I will show you my vision! I will make my everlasting kingdom a reality And then I will finally escape this sorrowful prison Merlin trapped me in!"
"You know, I'm beginning to wonder who trapped who." Jet murmured.
At speeds that could easily outstrip Percival, Morgan crossed the dark vortex and clashed blades with Jet. The Knight of the Wind recognized Varden's power and found it pointless to create Excalibur's barrier if she could just tear it down. But he was not worried in the least. As Morgan removed her blade and swiped from below, Jet effortlessly blocked the sword and jabbed his fist at the sorceress's face. Unfortunately, his hand made contact with another barrier that Morgan summoned instantaneously. She swatted away the gold knight's hand and retracted her sword stabbed the Varden for the hawk's neckline. But much to her amazement, he was much faster and more powerful than she had ever seen him before. It was then she realized something.
"You..." Morgan gasped horribly. "You are just playing with me. You were never serious during the battle."
"I was never serious since I've known you." Jet responded. "But I don't think it's too late for you, Merlina. There's still hope."
"Merlina was just a figment of your imagination." Morgan sneered aggressively. "I am Morgan le Fay!"
"But you will always be Merlina to me." Jet said softly.
"The time has come, Jet." Excalibur stated finally.
"It's over, Le Fay." Jet proclaimed. "You lose."
And with a twist of his hands, the golden knight knocked Varden out of her grasp and took it into his own. As the Dark sorceress floated backwards with fear present in her eyes, her gaze was enchanted by the five rays of light surrounding him. Jet released the twin blades in his hands to float freely around him with the other Sacred Swords that reformed at his presence. He didn't know what compelled him to do so, but the Knight of the Wind began chanting in an unknown language while commanding the swords to twirl around him. The Seven Sacred Swords began spinning around his body in multiple directions that it appeared as if a golden prism had surrounded him. With once sad glance, Jet charged across the dark vortex. A moment of silence passed. Morgan remained still, panting harshly, with Jet floating directly behind her.
"I thought you didn't kill others." Morgan gasped.
"I don't." Jet responded.
The scene returned to the ruined structure of the former Camelot Castle. After risking the chance to return, Nimue stood in the central garden of the castle, which had remained amazingly untouched by the destruction. She was shortly joined by the Knights of the Round Table and the visitors from the land of the Arabian Knights. All stood worried of what battle was taking place in the sky, but none more than Shahra, despite Erazor's attempted condolence. They were edgy and irritable for some form of recognition until...
"Look!" Shahra screamed suddenly; Erazor jumped. "The Sky! It is returning to normal!"
Just as she said, the black vortex hovering above the clouds faded and was replaced by the calmly blue atmosphere. From the four corners of the kingdom, Nimue could feel the Knights of the Underworld slipping back into darkness. The nightmare had passed. But just as they allowed themselves to relax, a frail, yet familiar, form dropped onto the ground in front of them. Morgan had reverted to her previous appearance, but her skin was still slightly pale. The group of heroes, mostly Erazor, appeared hostile toward her until Jet landed between the groups. The golden armor he had fondly favored left his appearance and Caliburn was once again forced back into his original form, despite his complaints. The Seven Sacred Swords dropped in a circle around the emerald hawk, but he paid no notice to them, only the fallen sorceress.
"You did it, Jet." Gron said admirably. "With Morgan's defeat, peace has finally returned to the kingdom. Camelot is free to breathe easy once again."
"What will happen to her?" Jet asked, motioning his head to Morgan.
"She has committed unforgivable crimes." Lancelot growled menacingly. "Impersonating a king, usurping the throne, deceiving the Knights of the Round Table, attempting to destroy the kingdom! It will be a miracle just to have her beheaded!"
"I don't think that is necessary." Jet shook.
"But, Sir Jet..." Lamerok whined.
"Morgan..." Jet murmured softly, ignoring his entourage. "A good friend of mine once told me that no matter how we see it, the world will end eventually. It was a sad thought and I depressed just thinking about it." He smiled encouragingly and plucked a single rose he noticed near his foot. "But then he gave me some advice that I will never forget: Don't worry about what kind of future you'll have. You have to live life to the fullest in the time you have." He holds out the rose for Morgan to take. "And I don't normally agree with him, but I think he's right."
Something within Morgan's heart seemed to stir at those words. As the fallen sorceress took the rose into her hands, he was happy to discover that it did not wilt at her touch. Finally, she could enjoy the simple smell and beauty of the smallest joys in life.
"I think I finally understand." Morgan whispered softly. "Merlin did not imprison me her to suffer eternal sorrow. He sentenced me here so that I could learn from my mistakes. I was too blinded to see that he always cared for me." She smiled gently to Jet. "Thank you for helping me realize that, Jet the Hawk."
"No problem." Jet grinned.
"You have done well, Sir Jet." Percival complimented.
"And for once, you didn't screw anything up." Sinbad joked.
"Thanks a lot." Jet muttered sarcastically.
"To think...King Arthur was only an illusion." Gawain said with remorse.
"Without a leader, the Knights of the Round Table must be disbanded." Galahad stated regretfully.
"What is this nonsense?!" Caliburn snapped.
"What are you talking about?" Erazor questioned.
"I think we all forgot one important fact." Gron laughed, touching Caliburn's hilt. "This is Caliburn, also known as the Sacred Sword of Excalibur. And anyone who he deems worthy to wield him is destined to be the true king."
"Then that means..." Nimue smiled mischievously.
"You are the one and true King Arthur!" The Knight shouted simultaneously.
"Who?" Jet questioned randomly, staring around until he realized they were talking about him. "What? You think I'm King Arthur?"
"There is no doubt about it." Galahad said surely as he and the knight kneeled to Jet. "Only one with such power and determination could be the true King Arthur. We are proud to serve you."
"Will you lead us into a new age?" Lancelot asked.
"Not really." Jet shook, turning to his fallen friend. "In fact, I think I'll leave Morgan in charge of things around here."
"Me?" Morgan asked surprised. "Are you sure?"
"I trust you, Morgan." Jet said affectionately. "I'm sure you'll make a great queen." After knowing Morgan had accepted her role, he turned to Shahra and Erazor. "Listen, I know I'm not your master anymore, but can you grant me one last wish?"
"Anything, master." Shahra nodded eagerly.
"I wish I was home." Jet sighed.
With a pleasing smile, Shahra and Erazor touched hands once again. And in a whirlwind of sand, Jet and the Arabian Knights departed from the land of Camelot.
-Two days Later-
The final scene opens to the most technological city in the world: Megalo Station. After their little skirmish with the Meteor Tech robots, Jet took the mature route and apologized to Omega personally about the trouble they caused. Storm and Wave ere worried that they had lost their leader forever before they found out he hacked into Omega's credit line. Even now, the Babylon Rogues were cruising through the skyway in a new car paid for by the robot's financial aid. Jet shivered when he remembered the times had had messed around with Shadow's car.
"So you were really pulled into the tale of King Arthur?" Wave asked excitedly from the passenger's seat. Jet sat up from the backseat long enough to see the black leather book in her hand before falling back. "What was it like?"
"It wasn't actually different than anything we've seen before." Jet said nonchalantly. "But I will admit, it wasn't a walk in the park. But if anything good turned out in all this, it's Morgan. I think she's change for the better."
"I still can't believe you're the real King Arthur, boss!" Storm exclaimed happily from the driver's seat. "To think, I'm driving a real king around the city."
"You already knew he was royalty, idiot!" Wave snapped, whacking the book across the albatross' head.
And as he had expected, the emerald hawk found his teammates once again caught up in the usual pointless argument.
"Ugh...are they at it again?" Caliburn whined. After leaving the tale of King Arthur, Morgan granted Jet the power to take his sword back to his world. But he was only granted this power if he took Varden with him to keep their balance in check. "Those two are worse then Varden in the morning."
"I don't see why you complain about it so much." Jet shrugged. "The thing doesn't even talk."
"You'll understand one day." Caliburn murmured tiredly. "So, anymore heroic duties to attend to?"
"Not a chance." Jet stated happily, leaning back against the vinyl. "the way I see it, I won't be do any 'knightly duties' for a long time." Suddenly, an explosion was heard from one of the passing shops. Leaning over the car door, Jet sighed in disappointment as Tomo and Nack were robbing another jewelry store. "Well, it was nice while it lasted."
"Do not disregard your duty!" Caliburn yelled with renewed vigor. "Onward, Knight of the Wind."
"Yeah, yeah, I get the drill." Jet moaned.
Much to the surprise of his teammates, Jet grabbed the Wind Rider from the trunk as he released Caliburn from his scabbard. The emerald hawk cut a perfect 'X' through the skyway pipe, shattering the glass open, and jumped through the hole provided. As their leader raced to confront the remedial crooks, Wave unintentionally allowed the pages of the book to fly by and snap shut. The cover now held a mural of an emerald hawk wielding sterling silver sword with a red-haired sorceress on one side and a black-armored knight on the other. Beneath the picture, a caption was written in golden letters
Jet and the Black Knight
THE END
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