Battle Girlz: Human Again
(Page 1. We see the front page of the Arlen times. The lead article reads: "Princess Sasa Rai still missing." The article continues thus:)
Article: The living Goddess, Princess Yasigra Sasa Rai Desperado is still missing after three days. The rest of her SIS team have been searching endlessly for her to no avail. She was last seen going to bed three days ago in her room at the castle. No sign of her has been seen since then, and many in the realm fear she may be dead. While the royal spokesman has been very silent on the issue, it is believe that her abductor is of equal or greater power than her. It is feared that if the living goddess is dead, all hope for the forces of good to triumph in the cosmic war may be lost. Arlen times can only guess what has happened to her. However, Priestess, acting as a spokeswoman in the absence of the living goddess, said that all efforts are being made to locate her, and that if any threat comes along, the rest of the SIS team (a.k.a. the Battle Girlz) will assemble and neutralize that threat.
The living goddess has, for a long time, kept the forces of evil and trouble in check. Her team, the Battle Girlz were formed about two years ago when the demon known as Genezorr threatened the realm with his demonic hordes. After a long, drawn out battle in which many lives were lost and resurrected, the Saintly Goddess slew Genezorr and saved the day. Since that time, the Battle Girlz have cropped up time and time again when trouble rears its ugly head on Arlen, and nearby. They have saved hundreds of lives from mass extermination. Many often give thanks to the Saintly Goddess, and she has given her blessings to the people of Arlen time and time again. Arlen has been very prosperous and able to reconstruct much of the places damaged by the many battles that the forces of evil have with the SIS team.
Now, that team is in disarray because its leader is missing. While Priestess claims she has taken over in the Saintly Goddess' absence, one has to wonder if the team could function without her. The team claims that the loss of their leader has done little to affect their performance, one has to wonder if the Battle Girlz can survive the loss of the Saintly Goddess...
(The rest of the page is filled with pictures of Sasa Rei and an ad that reads: "Save lots of at the giant blowout sale happening now at Thermada's armory. 25% off thermonuclear blasters! 30% off crystalline short swords!" The ad has a picture of Mech Girl with it, and it reads "Mech Girl says: "Thermada's armory has the best weapons in Arlen!")
(Page 2, panel 1. Tempress is standing atop a cliff, attired in her uniform. She is looking through a pair of binoculars at a bunch of fields in the distance.)
Caption (N): Gazing down at fields faraway, staring out at all I see
Temptress' thoughts: Still no sign of Sasa Rai... but those rumors of her being dead just can't be true!
(Panel 2. Temptress talks into a communication device.)
Caption (N): Just returned from a war that was lost
Temptress: Temptress here... still no sign of our Saintly Goddess in sector 5. I really don't think she's on Arlen anymore.
(Panel 3. Temptress flies away.)
Caption (N): The only foe I fought was me
Voice from Communicator: Return to base, Las Ferichee. We're having a meeting.
Temptress: Right. I'm on my way back.
(Panel 4. Outside the headquarters of the Battle Girlz, the Girlz have gathered, but Temptress and Mech Girl are not there. The others are waiting for them.)
Caption (N): No retreat from the forces that I fought
(Panel 5. Temptress and Mech Girl enter from opposite directions.)
Priestess: Here they come.
(Panel 6. The two of them land and gather around the others.)
Caption (N): Believing I could only win
Gadgeteer: It's about time you showed up.
Mech Girl: Hey, who was the one that assigned me to the furthest sector from here?
Priestess: Stop it, both of you. We have to keep things together. My senses tell me that Sasa Rai is not dead. We have to stay together for her.
(Page 3, full panel page. Sasa Rai suddenly appears about 10 feet off the ground, and on fire. Her clothes are in rags, and she is on fire. Her sword is stuck in her left leg, causing her to bleed. She has numerous cuts on her as well.)
Caption (N): And from the grace to the ground I fell
And I am human again
Mech Girl: By the Gods!
Priestess: It's Sasa Rai!
(Page 4, panel 1. Sasa Rai crashes into the ground, and the Battle Girlz have to scatter to get away from the resulting impact.)
SFX: WHAM!
(Panel 2. The infirmary. Everyone is standing around Sasa Rai, who is lying in a bed. She is covered from neck to toe in a sheet. The others look with worry at her. Behind Sasa Rai, there are several gadgets monitoring her condition.)
Caption (N): I saw myself untouched by hate
Mech Girl: Will she make it?
Priestess: Hard to say.. She's not responding to healing spells.
Gadgeteer: The final report on her is coming up right now.
(Panel 3. Gadgeteer reads a screen.)
Caption (N): But I was much too numb to feel
Gadgeteer: She will live. She has been stripped of her goddess-hood. Whatever did this to her, it really did a number on her. She has numerous cuts and bruises on her. Her left leg has a greenstick fracture from where the sword entered her.
(Panel 4. Mech Girl looks with worry at the others.)
Caption (N): And the angels that carried me away
Mech Girl: What could have done this to her?
Priestess: Whatever it is, we had better prepare for it to show up and finish the job.
(Panel 5. Priestess strokes her chin in contemplation.)
Caption (N): Let me know they weren't real
Priestess: I wish she had let us know she was in for this kind of a fight though.
Gadgeteer: I think whatever did this to her caught her by surprise.
Mech Girl: Could it take us by surprise too?
(Panel 6.)
Caption (N): And no matter who this vision was
Priestess: Possibly.
(Panel 7. Sasa Rai regains consciousness.)
Caption (N): It was not of who I am
Sasa Rai: Uhn....
Mech Girl: She's Awake!
Priestess: Sasa Rai, hang in there. We're doing everything we can for you.
(Panel 8. Sasa Rai opens her eyes.)
Caption (N): And from the grace to the ground I fall
Sasa Rai: It's over.... And I am human again....
(Page 5, panel 1. Flashback to a few days ago. Sasa Rai is preparing for bed. She has on a simple robe only.)
Caption (N): Hold me now until I sleep my love
Caption (S): I was preparing for a rest when he showed up.
(Panel 2. A 10 foot tall man clad in a loincloth only appears. He is a muscular male with short hair. Sasa Rai is not amused here.)
Caption (N): And follow me down, follow me down
Ordedono: Greetings, Yasigre Sasa Rai Desperado.
Sasa Rai: Who are you and why do you think you have the right to barge into my bedchamber like this?
(Panel 3. Ordedono approaches Sasa Rai. Sasa Rai looks disgusted.)
Ordedono: Surely you recognize one of your fellow gods? I am Ordedono.
Sasa Rai: What do you want?
(Panel 4. Ordedono takes Sasa Rai's hand.)
Ordedono: I always get what I want, and what I want is you.
Sasa Rai: You presume too much of me.
(Panel 5. Sasa Rai pulls away from Ordedono.)
Caption (N): I will not be so scared anymore
Sasa Rai: Leave before I unleash my full wrath.
Ordedono: You should not be the one tempting my wrath, Sasa Rai. I am a god much more powerful than you.
(Panel 6. Sasa Rai is now in battle armor, and unsheathes her swords.)
Caption (N): As long as my feet don't leave the ground
Sasa Rai: Very well. I may be a little tired, but that will not stop me from defeating you.
(Panel 7. Odedono is now also in battle armor. He wields two swords as well.)
Ordedono: So you want the hard way, do you? Then learn a lesson from someone that is more powerful than you!
Caption (S): At first I thought he was just some egomaniac that thought he could have me. I was wrong on that count.
(Panel 8. Ordedono and Sasa Rai clash swords.)
Caption (N): And I'm staring at fields far away
SFX: CLANG!
Caption (S): It was a very long, hard fought war.
Sasa Rai: Plane shift!
(Page 6, panel 1. Ordedono and Sasa Rai continue to clash swords, but are now standing on top of a cloud.)
Caption (N): Surrounded by this dream I'm in.
Ordedono: Changing venues will not help you, Sasa Rai.
Sasa Rai: But it will spare my bedchamber much damage.
(Panel 2. Ordedono grabs Sasa Rai by her hair, and slams her to the ground.)
SFX: SLAM!
Sasa Rai: What the -!?
(Panel 3. Ordedono knocks Sasa Rai's swords out of her hands.)
Sasa Rai: That's.... impossible...
Ordedono: Not for a god that is more powerful than you.
(Panel 4. Ordedono slashes Sasa Rai on her arm. This knocks off her armor.)
Ordedono: Still want to resist?
Sasa Rai (1): AH!
Sasa Rai (2): You are nothing but a bully and a pervert!
(Panel 5. Ordedono slashes Sasa Rai again with his swords, on the legs this time.)
Ordedono: At least I am not a hypocrite like you. You are far from the saint, Sasa Rai.
(Panel 6. Ordedono gestures, and a white light comes out of Sasa Rai's body.)
Ordedono: Godhood strip!
Sasa Rai: GAH!!!
(Panel 7. Sasa Rai is now lying on the ground, and Ordedono has her crystal sword in his hand. Sasa Rai is attired only in her underwear, and has numerous cuts on her.)
Caption (N): A serious pounding later....
Ordedono: The largest insult to your people is to be slain by your own sword... but I want you to live and know that tempting a god's wrath is not a wise decision.
(Panel 8. Ordedono plunges the sword into Sasa Rai's leg.)
Ordedono: And from the grace to the ground you will fall and be human again.
SFX: SKLURK!
Sasa Rai: AAAAHHH!
(Page 7, panel 1. Go back to see Sasa Rai lying in the infirmary again.)
Sasa Rai: And from the grace to the ground I fell, and I am human again.
Mech Girl: Oh my... Will he be back?
Voice (From off panel): He will not be back any time soon.
(Panel 2. Enter a 6 foot tall blonde woman with blue eyes. She is attired in a lavishly decorated robe, and holding a white sphere in her hands that glows. The others stare at her.)
Woman: I apologize for not being there sooner, Sasa Rai. Even gods can get too wrapped up in various other matters.
Mech Girl: Who are you?
(Panel 3. The woman puts the white sphere on Sasa Rai's forehead.)
Woman: A friend of Sasa Rai's. She is crucial to be here in the cosmic war if we are to win.
Priestess: Is that what I think it is?
(Panel 4. The white sphere gets absorbed into Sasa Rai.)
Woman: Yes. Rest now, Sasa Rai. When you wake, everything will be as it was. Ordedono is being dealt with by the elders.
Sasa Rai: Thank you....
(Panel 5. The woman vanishes.)
Mech Girl: I don't understand! Who was that?
Sasa Rai: She is a fellow goddess... and an ally in the cosmic war, Yunna. What was given back was my goddess-hood.
(Panel 6. Sasa Rai closes her eyes.)
Sasa Rai: I must rest now. However, I have learned from this experience. I should not let my ego get the best of me.
-end-
Narrator's captions taken from the song "Human" by Josh Joplin.