Overture of Maelstrom
Ben, as Four Arms, groaned after he had to pin Kevin into submission after the relentless teasing about being Harley's teddy bear, and the jester herself wanted him to turn back into his new form to give another back massage. Ewte had came out with Linker, both looking exhausted, but they were the ones who decided to cook breakfast.
"So, you unlocked a new form?" Linker asked with a yawn.
"His name is Best Thing Ever!" Harley said proudly as the Tetramand grimaced, obviously not approving of the name, but the jester gave no quarter for protest. He tried coming up with a different name to better suit how useless he saw the form, but Harley saw things differently. Now he was stuck with the name.
"From what you tell me, it's like a rabbit that only can vibrate?" Ewte recalled, trying to think of any aliens she was aware of.
"Chibisagi." the genius said calmly as he looked down at the frying pan he was cooking some bacon in. "They're cute, yet helpless." Ewte's eyes widened upon realization.
"I remember them now!" the Caudatian said while frowning a little. " I remember as a kid about them having difficulty at being seen as a recognized sentient race."
"Geez, how long ago was that now?" Linker asked.
"I'm almost as old as you, remember that." Ewte said.
"That was over a thousand years ago at least!" the former Galvan gawked, only to be kneed in the groin by the Nexia. Due to hitting the universal male weak point, she manage to force him to keel over in pain. All the while, she had a look of fury in her eyes. Both Kevin and Four Arms felt sorry for the downed genius, but Harley only shook her head.
"Never say anything to a lady that implies she is old." the jester said sagely. "Even if it's unintentional." as she said the last part, the thinly veiled threat was easily picked up.
"Understood." the two boys said in unison, becoming fearful for their lives. Silence filled the air, with only the sound of the bacon sizzling in the background as well as Linker's grumbling.
Gordon yawned as he came into his office. He was still tired considering he didn't get much sleep. He was just about to take off his trench coat when the door opened up. A large, bulky man with a rounded face that gave the appearance of a loose cannon entered.
"Hey, Commish, you got something wanting to talk to you." Bullock said pointing outside.
Frowning, Gordon came out and his eyes widened upon seeing a group of armed police officers surrounding someone that was unfamiliar with his arms raised up in a show of surrender. Lying at his feet was the Penguin, who was roughed up and tied up in rope,
"Ah, I take it you are commissioner Gordon?" Remus asked in a courteous manner.
"Yes, that's me." the commissioner said warily. The Caudatian Intella nodded before looking at him with his eyes.
"I am an associate of Kai Green. I've come to turn myself in." he said calmly. "I even brought the Penguin in, who had been paying off several of your men with bribes."
Hearing that, Gordon immediately was speechless.
A key suspect was turning himself in, plus he even brought Cobblepot with him with the corrupt members that were increasingly showing signs that he was involved with all them. Throughout his years in the GCPD, he experienced a lot of things, sometimes personally involving himself but usually not. All that experience made him skeptical of Remus' claim. By now, he knew that when something like this happened, there was an ulterior motive of some kind. Even then, it is not often someone would just turn himself in so brazenly , especially a being who looks like he could kill easily.
"What's your call Commissioner?" Bullock asked, having drawn his own handgun and pointing it at the Caudatian. The man had half a mind to just shoot the inhuman being, but he was an officer of the law, so he had to curb his urges unless it was necessary for self-defense.
" Detain him. Make sure he cannot hurt anyone. He is a person of interest in the murders at the docks." Gordon ordered. "I got a lot of questions to ask Mr. Remus here."
Remus only gave a soft chuckle in amusement that didn't go unnoticed by Gordon, which only further reinforced his suspicions.
The Riddler groaned as he awoke. He sat upright as the fogginess in his head cleared. He looked around and saw he was in an empty room with a steel door welded shut, covered in black wallpaper. He looked around, the room illuminated with the light of a single light bulb. He grumbled a little as he recalled what happened.
"Remus. I honestly am curious why you've chosen me instead of someone else." he said, wondering about why the Caudatian Intella selected him.
He surveyed the room, trying to figure out a way to escape. He got up and checked the door, checking if it was secured. As he assumed, he couldn't even make it budge.
"A trapped room scenario." he said before noticing a bulge in the wallpaper. The criminal ran a finger across it, feeling that something was behind it. Immediately, he peeled away at the wall paper, ripping it in the process. A folded note was behind it, and the Riddler frowned as he opened it up, finding a message in the same cipher that Remus used before. Recalling the steps needed, he quickly decrypted the message and read out loud the message.
"Our war of intellect has begun. Escaping the room is going to be easy for you, but the real challenge is learning the answer to the riddle you read before. You have been injected with a neurotoxin I devised myself. It is slow acting, therefore giving you time, three days exactly, to figure the answer out. I injected my toxin around roughly three hours ago. The first symptom is unconsciousness upon being exposed to it almost immediately. With your physique, three hours will be how long it'll last. I am not making it easy for you, but fair."
Nigma frowned upon finishing reading.
Three days, or seventy-two hours. I lost three hours already, so that is sixty-nine remaining. Now how do I escape this room?
Looking around, Nigma shook his head as he immediately realized that in a windowless room with the door unable to be opened, the escape was easy to spot. The note itself acted as a hint. Feeling the walls with his hands, he eventually found a loose part of the wall. Quickly, he tore at the wallpaper, allowing the plywood board to fall down, revealing a hole that he could escape through.
"Easy indeed." he said to himself as he crawled through the hole.
Normally, he'd be wanting to go against the Dark Knight, but with the circumstances, and a riddle that sounds like only gibberish with his life in the balance. His back already felt slightly numb where Remus injected his neurotoxin, knowing that the threat was very much real. He had to swallow his pride and seek out assistance in some way.
The quickest way was to get Batman's attention.
Inside the bathroom with the door open, Ben looked over himself in the mirror once he had the repaired ID mask goggles back on his head. He looked thoroughly and nodded in approval as he saw his peach skin and his brown hair in his reflection. He smiled in satisfaction before noticing Harley and Ewte peering in from the doorway.
"Need something?" he asked the pair.
"Ewte was wondering if you would like to join us in going out to eat?" Harley asked. "Just something to keep us preoccupied while we wait."
Ben nodded before turning to face them.
"Where do you plan on going?" he asked. "I'm pretty hungry myself now that you mention it."
"Just to that fast food place where the two of us first met." the Jester said smiling.
Ben raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but nodded, not against the idea at all. He adjusted the goggles a little to make them more comfortable before speaking up.
"Count me in. Is anyone else joining us?" he asked.
"Well, Linker is busy working on something that I don't get, and Kevin has gone off to some auto body shop." the Nexia said while shrugging. "So, it's just the three of us."
"Never though Kevin would be a car guy." Ben commented.
"Meh, I wouldn't worry too much." Harley said. "Unless he gets a car himself and you somehow always wreck it, possibly without thinking things through.."
Ben laughed nervously as a sinking feeling was felt in his gut. For some reason, he felt that scenario would become a reality in the near future. And some of his forms were more prone to cause collateral damage than others, with Rath being the leading cause.
Within an abandoned factory, two hulking figures were clashing with each other. It wasn't an argument, nor one trying to stop another. It was two monsters who were keeping each other on their toes, to hone their skills of combat even further
"Remind me again what our alliance is meant to accomplish?" Bane asked as he dodged to the right to evade a punch.
"Because, you get Batman, while we get our objective." his opponent responded bluntly before he blocked a right hook with his left arm. Bane nodded as he examined his adversary in close detail.
His skin was deep purple with a yellow belly. His arms were long yet muscular, with his hands with three fingers and a thumb, all of them with webbing between them. His torso was bulky, just like Bane's when under the influence of Venom. His feet were proportionately equal than the length with the arms, which were also thick with muscle. He had a spiny dorsal fin across the length of his spine, as with a pair of dull, bony sickle blades resting neatly against his back, positioned like a beetle's hardened outer wings. The flattened salamander head receded into the torso, with a barely noticeable neck. With how the head was positioned, he was hunched over naturally. His tail was long, thick, and flexible. Adding to the danger was the fact two pairs of blades protruded at the tip pointing outwards, giving a look of a bladed mace.
His red eyes focused on Bane as he delivered an uppercut with his other hand, knocking Bane off his feet.
He began to laugh, his mouth opened to reveal he had pointed teeth. A long prehensile tongue hung loose as the Caudatian laughed.
" I'll be honest, you're valuable to spar with." Bane said with a slight smile. "I don't often fight foes who can rival my own strength, Aniki."
The Caudatian Furia Vanguard, Aniki, closed his mouth and retracted his tongue before nodding. While Bane was superior in intellect compared to the alien, the pair had manage to respect one another. Mainly because the Furia wanted to master himself like Bane had accomplished. Knowing a bit about how the race worked also reminded Bane of his childhood within that prison. This led to the two to reach a level of understanding.
The pair sparred with each other in various ways, mainly to keep each other's skills sharp, but also to develop some new strategies. While Bane still easily get rid of the Caudatian without remorse, he saw a great amount of use of him. The sentiments were openly declared to be the same.
"Have you learned anything new?" the criminal asked as he leaped to avoid been swept off his feet.
"I only know that Kai took in an pair of young girls and that some of the other Vanguards are acting on their own." Aniki answered as he rolled into a straight hook, this time aiming for the torso. Bane tensed his muscles and grunted upon the fist making impact before he rolled with it and in response, hurl the Caudatian onto his back.
"I win." Bane said as his smile formed. "But you are improving."
"Thanks." Aniki said as he rose to his feet. "I'll admit. This idea is more beneficial than I expected."
"I agree. There is not much I can do while lying low to learn about the current situation. Plus it gives me a reason to keep in shape." the muscular villain admitted.
"Anyway, think we could make a little noise?" Aniki asked. "I think we could test the waters a bit. Who knows, we can possibly face off against an Omnitrix user."
Bane took a moment to consider his options. He was trying to lay low like planned, but he hasn't yet gauged the danger the Omnitrix posed towards his goal. A direct confrontation was necessary so he could prepare accordingly.
"As long as it's not detrimental to our plans, I am not against that idea." he said with a nod.
Aniki began to laugh again in excitement, his tongue staying in this time. Bane, admittedly, felt some excitement himself. He had a possible new enemy to test himself against, one potentially worthy of his focus.
Ben and Harley both moaned in bliss as they ate another chili fry from their respective piles. The former criminal was wearing jeans and a tshirt, and not her trademark costume. The trench coat-and-fedora wearing Ewte was busy focusing on a hamburger, chewing thoroughly yet calmly. They had just recently ordered their food at the restaurant they both met at, taking a seat on the bench next to the bent one the then mutated Kevin sat on that night. The pair were still baffled at how easy the crowd paid little attention to her. The day was warmer than usual, which warranted the trio to eat outdoors.
"Man, these are so good!" Harley gushed as she let herself go, beginning to scarf her chili fries like she never eaten before. Ben was almost as bad, shoveling his in to the point his cheeks were puffing out like a squirrel's but in smaller amounts compared to the gluttonous blonde. Of course, their faces were far from clean due to their poor manners.
"I mow!" Ben said in muffled agreement before he swallowed. "Best chili fries, ever! Of all time!"
The Nexia sighed and shook her head.
"You're both such pigs." she said before sighing again.
"I'm no pig!" Harley said in protest. "I got a hollow leg!"
Ben however just chuckled, slightly embarrassed at being called out like that, and was eating what was left one at a time after that. Harley however, didn't care, and finished her chili fries soon after, much to the Caudatian's chagrin. The blonde licked her lips upon finishing and patted her belly in satisfaction.
"Are you sure that's not going to go to your hips?" the alien questioned.
"How heavy does she look to you- AGH MY EYES!" Ben said before a frowning Harley pulled down the goggles over the Omnitrix wielder's eyes. Hissing as he pulled them up, he shook his head and opened his eyes, which were watering a little as he remained silent as the brief pain subsided after a few moments then he spoke up. "That was totally uncalled for Harley!"
"What were you implying then?" the blonde asked ominously.
"I was not implying anything!" Ben replied in defense. He sighed before he saw someone that stood out approach the trio. Ben recognized who it was, but it was Harley who spoke first.
"Eddie? What are you doing here?" she asked as she saw the Riddler approach them. The rest of the crowd had run away screaming upon seeing the super villain, but most failed to notice his green suit was disheveled and covered in stains.
"Harley Quinn, been a while since we last met." Nigma said before he took a moment to take a deep breath. "I was honestly trying to figure out someway to get Batman's attention immediately."
"Is it one of your schemes again?" Harley said. "If so, then I want nothing to do with it."
"Far from it. I actually need his help." the man said before flexing his fingers. "You see, I've been injected by this neurotoxin that'll kill me in three days time."
Ewte's eyes widened before speaking up.
"Was the person responsible not human?" she asked.
"Correct, he called himself Remus, a Caudatian Intella." the Riddler confirmed. "Appeared to resemble a humanoid salamander."
"How long has it been since you met him?" the Nexia pressed.
"By now, close to eight hours." the redhead recalled. "I am in a situation where I can't go to the police, and others in the underworld would take advantage of my situation."
Ewte nodded before she took off her fedora and trench coat, revealing herself to him.
"Ben transform into Wildvine, NOW!" she ordered.
Ben flinched a little before he activated his Omnitrix, upon slamming his hand upon the raised core, in his place was Best Thing Ever after being engulfed by a flash of light.
"Oh, come on!" the Chibisagi said in annoyance before being scooped up into Harley's clutches. "Let go of me, Harley!"
The Riddler blinked in confusion as the blonde hugged the transformed Ben a few moments before she pressed the Omnitrix and tossed him. In a flash, Ice Ridge appeared and landed on the ground on his side.
"Oww…." the Cryomancian groaned as he used a pair of ice arms to get himself up. "Next time, just set me on the ground, Harley!"
"Sorry." Harley said with a small giggle. "You're just so cute at BTE!"
"I'm not even going to ask." Ice Ridge said before triggering another transformation, this time becoming Goop, then Jetray, Wildmutt, Heatblast and Lodestar before he finally became Wildvine. Following Ewte's instruction, he took a few of his seeds from his back and handed them to the Nexia.
As Edward Nigma watched the transformations, the riddle Remus gave him quickly made sense. He was to find this boy for the antidote. But why did the Caudatian want them to meet? He could have an ulterior motive that was kept secret. But the Riddler couldn't find some kind of hidden meaning in the message.
It was then one possibility appeared in his mind. He was to lead him towards the boy.
"Boy, you must leave me now." he said. "I had lead Remus to you. Obviously he'd want whatever that device is that lets you transform."
Wildvine focused his one eye onto the super villain.
"He's right. Remus is a Vanguard, just like Cwifer. Unlike him though, Remus is as intelligent as Grey Matter, but more of a strategist in comparison." The Floraruna physically flinched upon hearing that.
"Okay. Guess you're staying here," Wildvine said reluctantly to Ewte before looking at Harley. "What about you?"
"I'll come with. " the former villainess said with a serious look on her face.
Ben reverted back before pulling down his goggles to his neck, undoing his disguise. The Riddler blinked again, surprised how quickly his skin and hair changed color. However, he quickly got over his surprise as he looked at the boy in curiosity.
"My, you're quite a riddle yourself." he said to the boy.
"You cause any trouble or hurt my friend, and I'm punching your lights out." Ben warned.
"I understand." the super villain said with a nod.
With that, Ben and Harley walked off, leaving the Riddler behind with Ewte, who went straight to work. Unbeknownst to the four, they were all watched in secret by thelifeeater, who was chuckling in enjoyment as he saw his comrade's plan coming together faster than expected. He turned and walked off into the alleyway he was in, disappearing before a bright violet flash appeared. A pedestrian who noticed the flash looked into where he saw it, but saw nothing.
Bruce Wayne was frowning after he came out of the conference room at the Wayne Foundation, not pleased with what he learned. Turned out that a few members on the board embezzled a considerate sum of money from the yearly budget, so any plans to develop something that would benefit the citizens of Gotham were forced to be put on hold.
His cell began ringing, causing him to look at it, seeing that the caller was Alfred.
"Is something wrong Alfred?" he asked.
"Figured you'd answer if I went with that number, Wayne." an unfamiliar voice said. "Looks like Remus was right after all."
"Who are you?" the billionaire asked with a scowl. "What have you done with Alfred?"
"I only had my comrade hack into your phone and pulled the number of the one you spoke to most." the voice said calmly. "Alfred is unharmed and unaware of this. Anyway, I am known simply as thelifeeater, one word, and I am a Caudatian. Perhaps you remember my comrade Cwifer?"
Bruce's body tensed up slightly upon hearing that. From what was said, it was heavily implied that the person on the other line knew who he truly was.
"Bet you're on edge now. Perfectly understandable. But I wanted to tell you something of interest. My comrade has decided to declare war on Edward Nigma. My kind relishes on war of different types. Remus is intellectual, so he wants a mental challenge."
"Why are you telling me this?" Bruce asked in a low voice.
" I want to make things interesting. Perhaps Nigma has made contact with Ben and learned of the Omnitrix. The question is, can you trust them?"
With that, the phone hung up. The playboy's scowl deepened considerably. He could tell the Caudatian was pulling him into another's scheme. But he recalled what was said.
"War of different types." he mumbled, his mind beginning to think. Perhaps he could figure out how they think more better. Ben was going to be at odds with an alien race that craved only war, but they weren't as simple minded as it sounds like. And Gotham is the stage for the conflict to unfold upon.
Batman won't let it happen if possible.
The Riddler frowned as he hunched over, his coat and shirt removed to allow Ewte access to the puncture wounds directly. The Caudatian made a paste out of the seeds in an empty drink cup, and using it caused a discomfort as he felt a slight burning sensation, making sure the paste went into the wounds.
"How does this help me exactly?" Nigma asked.
"Remus' neurotoxin was modified to be exactly neutralized by Floraruna seeds, which contain a chemical that renders the deadly part inert, with an interesting side effect." the Nexia explained.
"Let me guess, I get enhanced." the super villain deduced.
Ewte's eyes widened upon hearing him say it correctly.
"You're right. You will have a slight increase in intellect as a result." she explained. "Nothing considerate, but you will need to rest for the neurotoxin to be neutralized. Anyway, what gave you that impression?"
The Riddler smiled a little.
"It was by what Remus said when I spoke to him. He declared war on me for only entertainment. It'd make sense he'd do something to raise the stakes even further, to increase the fun." he explained before closing his eyes briefly. "To think I missed something so obvious about me guiding them towards that boy."
"What are you going to do now?" the alien asked. "I am aware you tend to focus on trying to outwit Batman with your riddles. Take advantage of your boosted intelligence?"
Nigma took a moment to think. He prided himself, focusing his best efforts with only the Dark Knight. That was because he saw the vigilante as his only equal. However, there was now another intelligent opponent. One that was actively going against him.
"I want to defeat this Remus at his own game. He has stolen my modus operandi and used it against me. My pride won't let it slide." the Riddler said calmly. "Seeing how this is going. I will be needing assistance."
Ewte nodded as she finished. "If you promise not to harm anyone, we could possibly help you."
"'We?' What do you mean by that?" he asked while raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"I've got experience of the Caudatians, and there's a genius amongst my group who can easily outsmart Remus. That also includes Ben and Harley." Ewte responded as she grabbed her trench coat and reached into a pocket, pulling out one of the masks Wild Card used.
"Here. You can wear this while with us. Harley wears one as well, so you're not alone."
"Who's the leader?" Nigma asked while taking the mask and looking at it.
"It's Ben actually, He's the one who is our leader on the field." Ewte said pulling out her own mask and putting it own.
The Riddler blinked in surprise upon hearing that, and fell silent to process what he just learned.
"Riddle me this: Why allow a child to lead?" he asked.
Ewte nodded and spoke up.
"He is unexpected, but actually is more suited for the role than you'd expect." she said.
Nigma frowned as he thought a bit.
"I'll need to see proof before I am convinced." he said skeptically.
The masked Caudatian nodded before a huge shadow came above them. Looking up, Gecko Spade immediately clenched her fists.
"Aniki…" she said venomously, putting on her mask as she looked into the Furia Vanguard's face.
"Wait… Is that you Ewte? Oh, the odds of finding you here." Aniki said before smirking. "Now I get to kill you off like I was tasked with so long ago."
Gecko Spade took off her trench coat and threw it towards Aniki while pulling out a pair of discs in the same movement. While her foe was blinded, Ewte held onto each disc in each hand and flung them, having chains appear from hidden compartments while retractable blades extended from within. The discs darted forward, aiming for Aniki just as he removed the coat, leaping back as the dull scythes moved forward, shielding the Furia's face as they blocked the blades.
"Still using children's toys?" the Vanguard mocked as the discs returned to the Nexia in their original state.
"These toys kick the asses of your muscle headed minions." Gecko Spade said before holding up the discs as each had two gun barrels extend from them. Aniki's eyes widened before he leaped back as the flamethrowers went off, narrowly avoiding the flames.
"Are you crazy?" The Riddler asked in disbelief. He honestly didn't expect the Nexia to use such a weapon.
"He's weak to flames and heat." Gecko Spade said firmly before Aniki charged forward, only to be repelled by another burst of flame. "He's super strong, and can pop our heads with just two of his fingers."
"You little Nexia bitch. I will make you pay for all the pain you inflicted on my brethren." Aniki said before opening his mouth, his long tongue darting forward. Gecko Spade leaped to the side before the tongue impacted the ground, creating a crater due to how much force was behind it.
The masked Nexia raised her discs, ready to anticipate the next attack.
Ben and Harley were already in the middle of combat with Bane, who approached them at the same time Aniki did with Ewte and Nigma. Ben had transformed into Fourarms, but the masked villain had easily overpowered him with his intellect and experience, on top of his monstrous strength. The fight went on long enough to force Ben to time out, so he was unable to fight for the time being. Reluctantly, he hid behind a car to wait while the former lover of the Joker distracted the hulking criminal.
Harley was dodging Bane's attacks thanks to her flexibility, and kicked him in the face when she could. However, her luck ran out when he grabbed her by the leg and held her up, dangling upside down.
"Hey, easy there big guy." the blonde said nervously.
"I recognize you now. You're that loco Joker's señorita." Bane said. "I remember you in Arkham." He proceeded to squeeze his fist, causing Harley to scream in pain.
Ben came out from where he was hiding, impulsively from hearing his friend's scream.
"Let her go!" he demanded. Bane turned his attention and was surprised.
"Niño, you are foolish to think you can stop me." he said before he tossed Harley aside like she was garbage. She crashed through the storefront window of a café.
"Harley!" Ben screamed before he ran towards her, only to halt his advance when Bane stepped in the way and noticed the alien device on his left arm.
"Is that an Omnitrix, correct?" The criminal asked.
Ben frowned and pulled down his goggles, undoing his disguise.
"Oh? Well, this is surprising. I never expected her to have a child with him." Bane said in honest surprise. "But where is the true wielder of that device, Ben Tennyson? You look quite like the Joker. "
"Wrong Joker." Ben said. "I am the Jeager Joker. Remember that, you muscle headed brute!"
"Don't press my patience, Niño." Bane warned, not showing any hesitation to hurt the boy in his voice.
The Jeager Joker heard his watch beeping to signal it could be used again. Without looking, he activated the device as Bane stood by, observing silently. He immediately slammed down on the raised core, being engulfed in a flash of light, blinding Bane briefly.
Standing in the boy's place was the Poterian, Jack Slammer. The transformed Ben pounded a fist into his open palm as he stared down the taller Bane
"Alright, you fucking motherfucker. I'm going to make you fucking pay for fucking up Harley!" he said.
"I'm not dead!" Harley's voice protested. "But my ankle's messed up!"
"That's what I fucking just said to the motherfucker!" Jack said back in defense.
Bane began to approach the transformed Ben as he cracked his knuckles. "Now, what are you going to d-" he asked before being stopped mid sentence by a stretching punch by the Poterian. The force behind the punch sent Bane reeling backwards as he was caught off guard.
"Impressive, Niño." the criminal said, impressed with the surprising display of power. "I see that the Omnitrix can potentially get in my way. "
Without warning, Jack Slammer stretched his arms back and proceeded to charge as fast as he could. The stretched fists rocketed past the alien's body and were aimed for Bane. The super villain raised his arms up and grimaced behind his mask as the fists connected. The force strong enough to deliver sharp pain through the Venom enhanced body. Bane lowered his arms and flexed his fingers to gauge the damage. He knew he had to have suffered some damage blocking that, but nothing debilitating despite some obvious bruising.
"I was hoping to face one of your other forms, but I think I now know enough from just those two of your potential." Bane announced. "After I get the Bat, you're next Niño. I see potential in you, so it'll be worth waiting for you to improve. A worthy challenge next to Batman." With that, the criminal turned around and began to walk off.
"No I don't fucking think so, you fucker!" Jack Slammer said before launching another fist. However, Bane quickly turned around and grabbed his fist, grunted as he withstood the inertia.
"Don't think you can defeat me as you are. You lack experience, Niño." the criminal warned. "I am sparing you for now, but I won't hesitate to kill you if you keep attacking me." To emphasize his point, he tightened his grip on the Poterian's arm, applying enough pressure to make the alien scream in pain.
Bane then yanked on the limb, forcing Jack Slammer to come towards him, his arms retracting back into position while pulling him. Helpless, the transformed Ben immediately blacked out upon being punched in the face, mainly by the full force behind it.
Cwifer sighed as he walked through a darkened sewer system. He wasn't alone, being followed by a considerable sized group.
"What's the report?" the Rapere Vanguard asked to the being to the left.
"Everyone is on standby and await the command." the being reported.
Cwifer chuckled and nodded.
"Alright. Kai already gave the go ahead." Cwifer said as he spoke loudly for everyone. "Tonight, we will show Gotham the might of the Rapere! We have formidable foes who are quick on their feet despite being on par with the Nexia. Let's show we are superior! Leave no one in our wake! Execute mercilessly! Destroy all in sight! And remember, I will be there alongside you in Gotham's slaughter!"
A group of fifty Rapere of various colors cheered while all were raising their scythes up towards the ceiling. Only one though had signs he was forcing himself. He was a Rapere who had dark blue skin and a cream yellow belly and bronze eyes. The blue Rapere was in the back of the pack. He stopped his forced cheering and fell silent.
"Dammit, don't be a damn mood killer like usual, Faust." one of the Rapere soldiers said bitterly.
"I know. I know." the one called Faust said without protest.
Faust was seen as one of the weak members of the entire race, but not because of his physical stature. If anything, he was potentially able to run as fast as Cwifer himself at top speed if he ever did the same training the Vanguard did. He was weak because his instincts were blunted after a fight with a Furia leading to mild brain damage that was irreparable. It didn't stunt his intellect, but it instead damaged the part of the brain that managed his instincts enough that he didn't feel the same way as the others, especially.
"Nexian sissy." the Rapere said bitterly.
Faust narrowed his eyes at the derogative nickname he was called by often. He still felt insulted and other emotions, but he was incapable of feeling fear, or anything tied to his instincts. This made him still seen as a viable soldier, but the disconnection ostracized him. He kept quiet, despite a building anger at how he was belittled, but Cwifer still saw use of him, and kept him alive. If one was deemed useless by the Vanguard, they were slaughtered on the spot. Faust remembered the fate that befell upon his brother when he entered a vegetative state from a fight with a Conductoid. Cwifer swiftly decapitated him as a result without remorse.
Faust secretly despised Cwifer for that. While warmongering, the Rapere still felt familial ties and cared for their siblings. If one fell in combat, it was seen as an act of fate, and was accepted easily. If they were murdered, things are different.
One of these days… I will take over. the blue Rapere thought, his glare focusing on Cwifer.
In the back alleys of Gotham, a portal opened up before a figure stepped out.
His outfit was a black tunic and pants that were aristocratic with black leather boots. He also donned a cape like mantle with green highlights around the edges of it. The inside liner, especially the cape, was of a blood red color, made out of a soft, elegant material resembling silk in texture. On his left arm was a golden Ultimatrix with a red Omnitrix symbol. An odd feature were a pair of silver pincers protruding away from the gold circle around the core they were coming out of.
The brown haired teen of eighteen years had a cold, indifferent look on his face. He glanced his surroundings and noticed a man who was frozen in place by the sudden appearance of the boy. He was attempting to force himself onto a woman, but without saying a word, the Ultimatrix wielder transformed in a flash of blood red light, being replaced with Swampfire.
The Methanosian charged and grabbed the man by the face before flames erupted from his palms, burning the man's face as his screams were muffled. This kept up until the man fell limp. Swampfire twisted his body and smashed the would be rapist's head against the wall, having it crumble with little difficulty due to how charred it became thoroughly. Dusting his hands off each other, he turned back as the woman looked at him.
"T-Thank you." the woman said before the brunet kissed her deeply. The woman at first protested, but eventually gave in, remembering that he just saved her. When he broke the kiss, he spoke calmly.
"I deserve no thanks. I am a tyrant, and I take what is mine, by force usually." he said while stroking her cheek.
The woman felt a shudder through her spine but nodded. Something about the boy scared her, yet was comforting at the same time.
"Who are you?" she asked, nervously.
"I am Ben Tennyson. As of right now, you're my souvenir." the adult, regal looking Ben said with a smirk.
"I can't believe Bane did that!" Harley said, fuming in anger. Ben only sighed as he bandaged her leg.
The boy helped the blonde back home, and was currently helping her remove the glass shards that were inside her still. Ewte and the Riddler were back, Ewte looking more worn out with a lot of bruises and a broken arm. Nigma himself probably suffered from a concussion and a few broken ribs after Aniki slammed his tail into the criminal's chest.
"So, why are you here?" Ben asked the career criminal.
"I have been considering the offer Ms. Ewte proposed. I'd like to see how this Wild Card functions with my own two eyes." Nigma explained.
"Okay, let's go over the facts, Harley and I were attacked by Bane, while Ewte and Nigma had to deal with this Aniki guy."
"He is a Caudatian Furia. A being who can go toe to toe with the likes of Tetramands and Vaxasaurians." Ewte explained. "Aniki is their Vanguard. And he is also the one who can really hold a grudge."
"And from the looks of it, he is at least on par with Bane in raw strength while he is utilizing Venom." Nigma said. "And he isn't stupid either. Far from the intellect Bane possesses, but not a simpleton."
"Aniki sounded like he intended to kill me, but he didn't." Ewte said. "He and I have history, so this is very surprising."
Ben frowned as he listened. His mind figuring out why they were attacked. The fact Aniki and Bane attacked at the same time was something that pointed out. From Nigma's face, it was obvious that he already knew the answer, but kept silent, as if testing the boy. Ewte too had a good idea, but wasn't as certain.
"Hmm… The fact we were attacked at the same time can't be a coincidence." Ben said while fidgeting his fingers with the goggles, thinking. His eyes widened. "Was it to see how strong we were?"
"That's a good guess, but riddle me this: What other reason would they do this?" Nigma said.
Ben closed his eyes and was deep in thought while Harley laid over the edge of the couch, giving up on figuring out.
"My brain hurts." she groaned in defeat. "This is throwing me off a bit. I don't usually think this much!"
Hearing that, Ben's eyes widened in realization before he stood upright.
"What about if they were trying to throw us off?" Ben asked. "Caudatians are crazy for war right? What if this was meant to throw us off our balance. That'd explain why Aniki didn't settle the score with Ewte, Bane tested me to see how much of a threat I am, and from what I heard, these guys would launch an attack to provoke. It's obvious it's Batman they're after."
Nigma smiled a bit, impressed with the deduction of the young boy.
"Exactly, you do have a sharp mind, Tennyson." he reached into his green suit and pulled out the mask Ewte gave him from one of the inside pockets. "And I can tell your team does work well together, albeit a little rough around the edges still. Perhaps my aid could be of use."
"Wait, does that mean what I think it means?" Ewte asked.
"Until these Caudatians are dealt with for good. I wish to ally myself with Wild Card. After all, I can't stand for somebody else to defeat Batman but me, let alone a copycat who is stealing my method of choice." The Riddler said before putting on his white mask.
It became the same shade of green as his suit, with a purple question mark on one side of his mask, followed by a white spade appearing within the hook of it where the eye was. On the other side, a white eye shaped mark appeared.
"This is only a temporary situation." The Riddler reminded them. The others simply nodded while Harley gave just a thumbs up, too lazy to do the same thing. They just had to wait for Linker, who was out to gather supplies for whatever he was working on, and Kevin to come back so that they were caught up.
Night had fallen upon Gotham, and Pixie, Ivy, and Kitty were standing in a park.
"Kai said we were going to stop this menace tonight." Katherine said while checking her ammo clips and guns. Pixie nodded as Ivy looked distracted.
"Something wrong?" the pink haired girl asked. The redhead came to her senses and smiled a bit.
"Nothing to worry about. Just wondering how I can stop Ben." she said reassuringly.
Pixie's eyes widened upon hearing the name, her memories flaring up of the brown haired boy during her road trip with him and Grandpa Max. It all came back to her. The time she was Lucky Girl, the Negative Ten, the mutant Kevin 11 attacking, Ben's slow transformation into Benwolf thinking it was the curse of the Yenaldooshi , her spell book that was a spoil from an encounter with Charmcaster. Everything came back to her mind.
Her name was Gwendolyn Tennyson.
"I…I remember now…" Pixie said. "I remember who I am!"
"That's great Pix!" Katherine said with a smile as she put her guns into their holsters. "What's your real name?"
"I'm Gwendolyn Tennyson, but call me Gwen. Still, Don't know why I have pink hair. Used to be a redhead like Ivy."
Her attention went to Ivy upon saying her name. "I won't let anything bad happen to my cousin. Not just because he has the Omnitrix!" she said to the older woman. "He's my only family here, and I don't want to lose him."
Ivy blinked for a moment before it clicked into place.
"You're Ben's cousin? But Ben said you were murdered!" she said before the pink haired Gwen raised her hands as magenta energy formed. The redheaded Meta narrowed her eyes for a bit, staring down with the girl. She then sighed and shook her head.
"From what I am hearing from you, Kai lied to you. And it makes me wonder myself if she was wanting to manipulate me as well." Ivy said as a scowl formed on her face. "I will ask Kai about this when we see her again."
"Well, so much for that plan." a familiar voice said in annoyance, revealing his presence. The three girls turned around with Gwen frowning.
"Tetrax, why are you doing this?" Gwen asked the Petrosapien.
"Simple, I want to destroy Ben and claim the Omnitrix for myself." Tetrax said without hesitation before smirking. "Oh, you thought I was the same one you knew? That's so stupid!" he began to laugh at that.
Gwen clenched her fists and glared at the Petrosapien. "I will stop all of you." she said firmly, steeling her resolve. Tetrax only laughed louder.
"Stop us all? Good luck stopping all sixty of us!" he boasted. "Anyway, Kai told me if you three started to remotely doubt her to take you in Pinky, and kill the other two."
He held up a hand as it turned into jagged crystals, poised to fire them at any moment, at the same time, he pulled out a disc shaped communicator in his other hand, speaking into it. "Commence the attack."
Faust watched as a couple were decapitated by a Rapere without any warning when Tetrax gave the word, their bodies crumpling and spasm for a moment before their blood oozed out and mixing with each other.
The Caudatian only stood as he watched the helpless citizens of Gotham be slaughtered. Whenever the police acted, they were quickly killed before they could even get out of the cars.
Why? What is the point of us killing these helpless humans? Aren't we supposed to fight only those who are strong? The humans are weak, and these ones never showed any hostility or threat towards my kind. I don't understand… Why do we find this fun?
As he thought to himself, two of the Rapere stopped and looked at him. Their scythes already covered in the blood of humans they slaughtered.
"Hey, get your head out of your ass, Nexian Sissy." one of them said.
"Why does Cwifer see use of you? You're just dead weight, you damaged shit." the other said before raising an scythe. "I got an idea. How about we gut this Nexian Sissy and save Cwifer the trouble?"
"I like that. We only need the strong and useful to help-" the first one said before stopping as he realized Faust already moved. It took a moment for him to realize his head was decapitated before death claimed him. The second one was stunned at the sight of Faust's actions, but he hat his head bisected down the middle, killing him instantly. The blue Caudatian's blades were dyed scarlet, but with the blood of the Rapere he attacked.
"Weird… I don't feel sorry for that. If anything, I feel regret and shame for even agreeing to this. I guess there's no turning back now. Only getting revenge for Bastion matters now." he said, remembering his brother as he spoke his name. With that, he darted off as a blur, his mind focusing on stopping his fellow Rapere to thwart Cwifer.
Unbeknownst to everyone, this was going to be a long, bloody night.
Race: Caudatian Furia
Bio: Another primitive subspecies, the second after the Rapere. They were created to overpower the Vaxasaurians and Tetramands amongst other physically strong races. Opposed to other Caudatians, their secondary forearms are developed to be as physically strong as possible, while their scythe arms degenerated into appendages on the shoulders that can flip the scythes forward for defense. The scythes are also fundamental for the Furia's ability to swim. With the huge physique and muscles, they are quite dense and would sink into water, no matter how much they flail their arms and legs. The scythes act for buoyancy and stability when swimming. If they're lost, the Furia is stuck to being on dry land as they are too slow underwater. While having Herculean strength and resilience, they are very slow, but are a bit faster in water with the adaptations to improve efficiency underwater, but are still slower than the other subspecies, including the Nexia. Their skin is also much thicker, mitigating their dependence of moisture to the point they can handle heat better than the other subspecies. This skin also makes them more resilient to weapons.
Amongst the other subspecies, Furia are more willing team players opposed to others, even having a form of camaraderie amongst themselves. However, they will acknowledge their new Vanguard immediately without any issue if the former is slain in combat. They are driven mainly by facing stronger enemies, and in turn making themselves stronger. Intelligence doesn't matter to them, as with weapons and armor. They greatly prefer to use their own bare hands to fight. As such, a good amount are not the brightest, but are far from dimwitted. Furia have openly shown emotion towards their own kind, a rare trait compared to the other subspecies. Other primitive subspecies also shown hints of emotion, but have better control over them.
Stats.
Strength: 9
Speed: 2 Running/ 3 Swimming
Intelligence: 2-4 average (Varies on individual)
Endurance: 9
Combat Skill:6
Weakness: Fire, extreme heat. Slow speed. Possible to outwit easy. Emotional if comrades are threatened.
Threat Level: 7
Name: Aniki no Kizuna (Brother of Bonds)
Race: Caudatian Furia
Bio: Aniki has always had a strong sense of camaraderie, always supporting his brethren. This in turn made him a natural leader. He lost his two brothers in challenges to become Vanguard. The loss of them caused him to learn the feelings of vengeance. He began to train with fellow Furia who taught him what they knew. After several decades of training, he took on the Vanguard, eventually prevailing.
After this, he sought to become stronger and improve himself so that he can pass his knowledge on to his fellow Furia, to strengthen them as a whole and to support them. He acts dumb, but is actually as smart as Cwifer. However, of the Vanguards, Aniki is the most compassionate for his fellow Furia. He values the lives and safety of his comrades above all else, and as such, he has grown to hate Ewte for harming them.
Aniki obtained his name not because he always fought without fear, but mostly taking attacks for his comrades to keep them safe. He is even willing to protect anyone he deems as a worthy rival that could help him improve. His name and title was adopted from the Japanese Earth language, liking the sound of it and the true meaning of it.
During his time in Gotham, he has improved considerably by learning maneuvers from Bane by sparring with him, and the two actually reaching an understanding of sorts. However, knowing how Bane thinks had Aniki grow not trust the man. He also follows Kai, but holds nothing but contempt towards her.
Of the Vanguards, Aniki may be the only one who can be reasoned with.
Stats.
Strength: 9
Speed: 2 running/ 3 swimming
Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 9
Combat Skill: 7
Weakness: same weaknesses as a regular Furia, emotions could be manipulated
Threat Level: 8
Name: Faust
Race: Caudatian Rapere
Bio: A Rapere who was injured fighting against one of Aniki's brothers over who was to fight in an upcoming battle before he was slain by the former Furia Vanguard. He lost the thrill combat brought to a Rapere amongst his other instincts, eventually disassociating himself from his kind as questions formed in his mind. This was quickly noticed, and he became ostracized by all but his brother, Bastion. Cwifer chose to spare him, because he still was capable of fighting, even seeing the disassociation as a potential advantage. For a long time, Faust was alright with this, as long as he had his brother.
That all changed in their war against the Conductoids. While fighting one of them, Bastion suffered enough damage that he was rendered into a vegetative state, leading to Cwifer executing him. The loss of his brother shook Faust to the point that he felt anger towards the Vanguard. Already treated as an outcast, and with no remaining ties to his race, Faust eventually defected from the Caudatians, driven by only revenge now.
Due to his brain damage, the disassociation allowed Faust to question his race's actions, which can be said as a moment of clarity and a chance to gain precious insight. Any form of instincts, primarily debilitating ones like fear and the lust for combat are absent. He has also come to understand how his brethren think, allowing him to be aware of how to dispatch them.
Stats
Strength: 5
Speed: 7 (on foot)/ 6(swim)
Intelligence: 6
Endurance: 7
Combat Skill: 8
Weakness: Fire, heat. Lack of fear could be potentially reckless
CCR:
Blazorna: Boy, am I on a roll. Things are building up, and the question now is: Can Ben stop the Caudatians when it was shown he is outmatched?
This chapter also shows the newest member of Wild Card, though you saw it coming. The Ace of Spades: Edward Nigma. I'm not the best with making riddles, let alone ones with hidden clues so apologies if Nigma didn't feel right. I'm drawing a bit more of the reformed version here for personality than the criminal, but I am trying to make it work. I feel his reasoning to join is in character enough. On that note, I am confident that Remus' puzzle is solvable ahead of time. I made the clues more noticeable, but one's more subtle, but it answers the "Why" at least.
As for Faust, he is going to be important, but mainly to show an inside look to how the Rapere work, and how Caudatians treat those with injuries like his own or Bastion's, and that they are capable of feeling various emotions as well.
Now, onto the black wearing Ben. He's very, very special. Why? He's the main Ben for his own story, Journey of a Misplaced Villain. Tyrant Ben, the Ben of this story, is going to serve a role that creates an alignment trinity amongst the three Bens of the Misplaced Hero series. Jeager Joker of MHG is Good, Rogue Ben of MH is Neutral, so what does that leave?
This story focuses on an Evil Ben who is powerful to the point that he actually formed treaties with the Celestialsapiens and Paradox not to interfere with any dimension Ben is in, or that either overlook, in exchange for his own continued existence. (He isn't planned to be overpowered, but he is a real force to be reckoned with.) He also did this on the condition to help preserve the balance of Good and Evil amongst the Omniverse, and won't appear in any of these forbidden realms unless it is for a very important reason that the greater forces deem necessary.
I am doing this one as a side project, so updates for it will be sporadic. It's also going to be meant to be not necessary to read in conjunction with this story or the original, but it will serve as a bridge between this story and the original MH. Plus it's something Bwen fans would like to check out. As with what I'm doing with the other two, Tyrant Ben has a unique gimmick, one that makes the Biomnitrix seem boring in comparison, and may make you wish they did it in canon instead. For the record, Digitrix is for Jeager Joker, while Rogue Ben has access to Second Physicality and the upcoming Delta variants of his forms. Each of these three are different from each other and an exploration of a "what" for each of them. I'll tell you what the "What" ideas are for Rogue and Tyrant's gimmicks. Digitrix's would give heavy spoilers.
Rogue - What would Ben do if he had the option to surpass his limits physically while trapped in a harsh, cruel world?
Tyrant- What could go beyond the Biomnitrix?
There will be no questions this time around, but accept this as my apology.
Harley: *comes in wearing a modest, normal nun outfit* Can I put you in a blender? You said it was the cheerleader outfit I requested!
Blazorna: Sorry, but we can't use asbestos pompoms. It's carcinogenic and not in the budget.
Harley: Carp in ol' genic?
Blazorna: It means it causes cancer.
Harley: Ohhh… wouldn't be any different, considering the BDC…
Blazorna: Sorry, but I prefer a nuclear fire squirrel over cancer any day.
Harley: Been waiting for that. GET HIM FUZZY!
*Fuzzy comes out and clamps onto Blazorna's face and explodes before a scream could come out*
Ahh, feel much better already. Today's moral is: Give me more ammo! Fuzzy has a "Everybody gets one." policy with a choice of exploding someone, and I used mine up just now. Just gotta improve his nuclear fire to earn it. For the record, questions posted for the previous chapter will be rolled over to the next chapter. Oh, and Mr. B has done a poll to gauge how you guys feel about those Caudatians so far. Who knows, depending on how it goes, something may come out of it. And my outfits for future chapters will reflect the choice. For now, it's just whatever the idiot chooses. Meaning they may not be attractive as possible.
Now, if you excuse me, I gotta torture him with a single large marble. What is that confused look for? You'd be amazed how agonizing it'd be if pushed into the eye hard enough. That or whatever makes you a man. Hey, don't think I'm crazy! Got the idea from Mr. B.
He has a surprisingly sadistic side that he has tapped into before. Been on a filter for the past few years. Seriously, what was that title again he helped worked on? It's an old Digimon Frontier fanfic with a Takuya/Zoe pairing. The author, and partner in crime that he came up with the idea with makes him look like an amateur wuss with describing horrific stuff.
Seriously… Forcing a person to drink water with glass shards mixed in and video taping it and other kinds of torture for future viewing, and the story describing that in detail. That kind of stuff. He even wrote chapters for the sequel until his partner just vanished on him and everyone else. Back then, he didn't know how to do the dark stuff as well himself for a story, so he did the more comedic chapters. But he has proved his insanity exists with a serial killer OC who drinks the blood of his victims with alcohol, use their skin for leather, and is romantically obsessed with his sister, who was a serial killer herself and is afraid of him. Are you afraid of Mr. B now?
It's annoyingly sad sometimes that he still misses Blackandblood after so many years. Not a crush, but someone he could freely indulge with his dark side unfiltered…. He actually saw her as a good friend.
*Glares* I'll shove a marble into you too as I described it if you complain.
Oh by the way, a little shoutout to Rexfan1333, the unsung beta who's been helping Mr. B out for so long with all of the Misplaced Hero stories, including the entirety of this story up to this point and but the upcoming third one, JMV for short. More on that later. And as a little surprise to him and everyone else, Mr.B is wanting to see if there's a story Rexy wants that he wrote to be added to the Omniverse. Usually, Mr. B looks for stories that are of a considerable length and quality, but while shorter in length and may not be as on par in some people's eyes (no offense Rex), he does acknowledge our beta as a valuable teammate and as a fellow author, especially one who puts up with his own stupidity. Maybe because we spare him of it usually. This is a show of thanks to him.
Blazorna: *comes crawling covered in soot * Surprises are not over yet We got new additions to the Omniverse. First is a two in one with bowow0708, with Evil Will Always Find You, a straight up Bwen pairing fanfiction and the Ben 10 crossover with Animorphs, Unexpected Help. And the second person is a bigger surprise. Why? *Gets smacked by the Immortal Chimichanga that's glowing blue* OH COME ON!
Harley: Sorry! Didn't mean to get it possessed again!
Blazorna: Why does that thing attract ghosts? Anyway, getting back on track, we also have A Ghost of A Titan by Bored-Sama. And it's a Teen Titans crossover. No, this will not be set in the same reality as this story. Different reality. Oh, that's right, didn't say what this crossover is with. It's not Ben 10, but instead another beloved fandom, or should I say "Phandom" instead? If you're still confused, I am talking about Danny Phantom. Yeah. Danny Phantom and Teen Titans.
This isn't the only non Ben10 crossover joining. We also have the Composcreator with his Highschool DxD Kamen Rider Wizard story, Highschool Kamen Rider Wizard DxD. Don't let the title throw you off.
And finally, to make sure I don't forget again, We have Lycoan Wolf Entity with Ben 10: Digimon Tamer. He originally approached me wanting to do a collab with the original MH, but I couldn't see really anyway to do one, so I declined, but promised him that I'd acknowledge his work as part of the Omniverse. With the chaos of real life, I forgot until now. Lycoan, if you're reading this, I apologize for that, and if you still want to do a collab, we'll have an easier time with MHG.
One final thing. Remember that whole thing with JMV? Well, Rex has been so busy with life, that I don't want to burden him further. So I'm busy looking for a second beta to help lessen the load on him. This beta will be focusing on JMV, but may have them help with this story as well. If interested, let me know via PM.
That is all for now. Hope you are enjoying this so far. Now, if you excuse me, got a new game to play. *Goes off and plays a new game.*