In the meeting room, Count Bleck had called an Emergency Meeting for his minions. He was gathered with six sleepy faces by 4:30 that morning. O'Chunks, Mr. L, Mimi, and Dimentio were in front of him on their pedestals as always, yawning and rubbing their eyes. Nastasia beside him was stifling her own yawns, but looking professional if a bit disheveled. Tippi was a pixl and didn't actually have a face, but was still radiating her tiredness somehow. She rested on her husband's hat and flapped occasionally. Only Merlon was wide awake, clutching the Light Prognosticus to his chest. He was standing on a lower pedestal in front of Count Bleck, and casting nervous glances to the Dark Prognosticus, floating above Count Bleck's head next to the Beige Prognosticus (which was as usual doing absolute nothing.)

Mr. L yawned loudly, then said, "So, why are we here again?"

"I haven't told you yet," said Count Bleck. "According to Merlon, the worlds are in danger."

"Oh. That sucks."

"Yes, it does."

Merlon opened the Light Prognosticus and pointed the pages to the minions. "I'm afraid it's something more horrible than we could have imagined."

"Try me," said Dimentio.

"All we know right now is that somewhere, somehow, for some reason, the Void will be or has already been opened to wreak havoc, suck up worlds into nothingness, and grow to massive proportions."

"Ouch," said Mr. L.

"Verily."

Mimi gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "Ohmygosh, we gotta get Mario!"

Merlon shook his head. "It is not Mario who is prophesied to save the worlds this time, nor any of the heroes from before."

"The Four from Before have found their peace," said Tippi, quoting from the book. "They have moved onto their futures, and their help will not be needed."

"Oh, well, that's nice," said Dimentio. "Really, good for them."

"So who is gonna fight?" asked Mimi.

Merlon turned the book back to his face and said, "Well... according to the book... you are."

They were surprised, to say the least. Thankfully, they were speechless so Merlon took the opportunity to keep talking. "Really, there can be no one else as described in this book."

"How can you be so sure?"

"'Though they were the ones to open the destruction in the first place, now it is only them and their unusual capabilities who can stop the destruction this time.'"

"It's certainly a good thing we're the 'good guys' this time, then, isn't it?" said Dimentio idly.

Count Bleck was skimming the Dark Prognosticus. "This version has us listed by name."

"Really?" Merlon craned his neck to look around the book.

"Except for Dimentio, though. He's only described as the Mysterious Evil One." Count Bleck looked up. "It also says he's the one who's been stealing my red brooches."

Dimentio looked offended. "I have not!"

"The book doesn't lie."

"If that were true, then before this could happen you would be dead and I would be sunbathing on a beach on a pile of coins, reclined beside-" but Dimentio stopped suddenly.

"Anyway," said Count Bleck. "The time to act is now. Now is the time."

"Just like in that song," said Tippi. "Now is the Time."

"Oh, I love that song," said Merlon.

"Yeah, it's pretty catchy. Not the kind of thing you really dance to, but when it comes up on 'Shuffle All' you enjoy it."

"Oh, most certainly."

"What are you talking about?" asked Count Bleck.

"We used to listen to music together," said Tippi.

"Oh, I'd forgotten you lived with Merlon for a time." Count Bleck chuckled. "I still sort of have it set in my mind that you were dead at that time. Since that's what I thought, I mean."

"Oh, of course."

"Anyway," said Dimentio loudly, "Do either of those books say what we're actually going to do? Or must we stagger around blindly at all hours of the night until suddenly our enemies are vanquished."

Merlon turned to his book. "It says here something about you being unceremoniously yanked from your beds and thrust headfirst into an unknown dimension."

"That sounds uncomfortable," said Mr. L.

"Indeed it does."

"It's a difficult situation we're in just now," said Merlon. "The world doesn't appear to be ending today, but we have no idea how much time we do have. At this point I have nothing in this book to guide you."

"So what was the point of waking us up?" Mimi said.

"This isn't the sort of thing I thought was appropriate to leave for after breakfast," said Count Bleck. "At the very least, we need to discuss how to get you minions into battle shape as quickly as possible. There will most certainly be fighting in our future. And I also-"

All of a sudden, the world was torn in half.

A Void tore open on the floor of the meeting room with such force that the entire castle shook. Then, like it's gigantic predecessor, it began to suck.

Count Bleck was the first to go- he had been floating rather than grounded on his pedestal and had nothing to support himself.

Tippi panicked- she flew off his hat but stopped still. The Void did not pull her.

Nastasia reached out grabbed tightly to Count Bleck's white cape- she was sucked into the Void along with him.

Mr. L, Dimentio, and Mimi, being light, were sucked in right after that.

Then O'Chunks fell into the hole, and abruptly the terror stopped.

O'Chunks peeked through his meaty arms, crossed in front of his face. "Eh?... what 'appened?"

Merlon and Tippi were the only other two remaining. Merlon had fallen to the floor and was several feet from the hole, quite close to disappearing himself. Tippi, trembling, was now floating beside his head.

"I mean it," said O'Chunks. "What in bleatin' blazes was that?" He looked down and saw that, below his torso, was the floor of the castle. No hips or legs to speak of. "Wait! Where's the rest of me?"

"It seems your girth was enough to stop up the dimensional hole," Merlon observed.

They stood there silently, those three, at a complete loss for what to do.


Meanwhile, in Mordhaus, Nathan had brought out his laptop and was showing the others how he planned to summon monsters. Ofdensen was standing on the outskirts of their party, being very disapproving. He was often disapproving of their wacky antics.

"I'm really going to have to advise against this, boys."

"Juscht ignore him," said Murderface. "Robotsch don't know how to have fun."

"Well, you know, you didn't have much fun the last time you tried to summon a monster."

"What do you mean, we never tried this before!"

"Yes you have. You summoned Mustakrakish." When he saw they weren't following, he said, "Your public apology? ...In Finland?" The band just stared blankly at him. "You, ah, wrote a new national anthem? ...Summoned a troll? Any of this ringing a bell?" They looked at each other, then back at him. "It knocked out the DSL?" That, if anything should get them.

They just sort of blinked at him. Skwisgaar turned back to his guitar, which he had never stopped playing, and said, "Nope."

"Oh, I remember!" Toki suddenly said. "And we had to play the grandpa's guitars."

"No wonder I forgets then," said Skwisgaar. "I blocks de memory of grandpa's guitars froms my mind."

"Grandpa's guitars schuck!"

"Well," said Ofdensen, "then, if you don't want to have to play acoustic instruments, I would suggest you not summon anything."

"Oh, uh..." Nathan looked up. "Okay, we won't. But I already did."

The ceiling opened up and five monsters fell out of a hole, followed by a pair of legs dangling in the air. The monsters landed in a heap on the floor.

"What is this, groaned Count Bleck..." He shook his head and looked around. Dethklok stared back at them, totally bewildered.

"Security breach in the main room," said Ofdensen. Within seconds, Klokateers swarmed in from every entrance, medieval weapons drawn, and made right for the interlopers. Trained bodyguards picked up the band and moved them to safety. Count Bleck gestured and they all got up and formed a tight circle, facing outwards. The gears closed in.

"Nastasia!" barked Count Bleck. She raised her glasses.

*GAZOOOORT*

The gears immediately stopped their charge. Simultaneously, they pumped their right fists, clutching their weapons, and called, "Hail Bleck!"

Count Bleck sighed with relief and leaned backwards. Mimi, Dimentio, and Mr. L realized they were all clinging to each other in a panic, and quickly let go, looking uncomfortably in opposite directions.

"What are you stopping for?" Ofdensen barked. He advanced threateningly on Count Bleck, but he was immediately grabbed by the arms by the two gears closest to him.

"You may not touch the Count or his minions," said one of them.

"716, let me go right now."

"Our orders come from the great and wonderful Count Bleck."

"Do you remember your training? We do not tolerate betrayal of Dethklok."

Count Bleck stepped forward. "It's not his fault," said Count Bleck. "Nastasia's hypnotic power has brainwashed them into my service. It's quite useful for taking over the world." He looked at her. "It seems you missed one, though."

Nastasia shook her head. "No, I didn't miss. His mind... yeah, I just can't get a grip on it."

"A mind my Nastasia can't control, mused Count Bleck. Oh, well. It can't be helped."

Ofdensen spoke in a voice of barely masked rage. "I'm asking you, why have you come here?"

Count Bleck looked up at the hole he'd fallen from. O'Chunk's legs were now hanging down, occasionally kicking. In a moment, they were sucked up through the hole, and it closed. "I... really have no idea what's going on. Where have I come here, exactly?"

"What?"

"What is this place?"

"This is Mordhaus, home of Dethklok and the single most protected building in the world at this time. Entering without extensive clearance is punishable by death."

"Well, I'd like to go home," said Count Bleck, "but my ride home seems to have left without me." He pointed to the ceiling.

Ofdensen struggled, but the gears wouldn't let him go.

"Shall I kill him, Count Bleck?" asked 716.

"No, thank you," said Count Bleck. He turned to Nastasia and said idly, "They're all humans."

She nodded.

"And what are you, then?"

"I am of the Tribe of Darkness, descendant of the Ancients and keeper of the Dark Prognosticus. This is my faithful assistant Nastasia, 'she who will rise up again.'"

"I used to be a bat," said Nastasia.

"I don't care," said Ofdensen, still furious.

Count Bleck suddenly realized that the gears were still restraining Ofdensen, and he said, "Excuse me, er, gears, you called them? Count Bleck asks you to release this man."

The gears hesitated, but removed their grip from Ofdensen. He took two threatening steps forward and they grabbed him again.

"You're not a nice man," said Count Bleck. "What's your name."

"Charles Ofdensen."

"Ofdensen, then. Tell me, by any chance... would you consider this a world of chaos and evil?"

"... That's... a strange question to ask."

Count Bleck nodded. Then he turned around to the other minions, Dimentio, Mr. L, and Mimi, and said, "I think I know what's going on." He turned back to Ofdensen. "I must speak with you. It's urgent. In fact, the fate of all existence depends on. I think."

Ofdensen looked at him, sizing and judging, and finally he allowed his tense, ready to attack muscles to relax enough so that the gears would not consider him a threat, and release their grip.

"Talk to me," he said.


Meanwhile, Nathan, Murderface, and Toki were crouched by the door listening through.

"Oh, man, are you hearing this?" said Nathan. "I told you I could do it."

"Wowee." Toki looked at Nathan with admiration. "You summons us a bunch of monsters we can go pal around with!"

"Schhhhhut up!" Murderface's spit, a toxic and dangerous thing, flew out of his mouth as he shushed them. "Itch monschter versus robot in there! I don't wanna miss that!"

"Well, you can't kill robots," said Nathan. "So it's really over before it begins."

"What? You can, you totally can!" Murderface turned away from the door to glare at Nathan.

"No," said Nathan. "Robots are, like, completely invulnerable. They're made of metal."

"Yeah, Murderface, they's made of metal."

Murderface glared at Toki. "I can't believe you'd take his schide after everything I've done for you."

"You don'ts do nothing for me. And robots can beat monsters."

Feeling betrayed, Murderface went back to listening at the door, but now all of the voices were hushed, and they couldn't hear anything. When that happened, they just lost interest left.