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Savages: Multiverse

Chapter 1: Invaders From Another World!

UNIVERSE #51520

The first thing that got Catra's attention was a noise. Now, noises in the night were a usual thing around the castle, what with birds chirping or the sound of the guards' footsteps as they made their rounds through the night. But this particular noise was not like the usual sounds in the night, which put the cat-woman on edge. Catra's ears perked up as she sat up in bed, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. She then glanced down to her lover, Adora, who was still fast asleep.

"If this was an attack, she'd be dead by now," the cat-woman thought to herself. "This woman sleep's like a brick!"

It had been three months since the war with Horde Prime had come to an end, and while the group was still trying to figure out a plan to bring magic back to the universe, they also needed some time to enjoy the peace they had brought to the world of Etheria before heading back out into the depths of space once more. Still, even if there was peace in the once war-torn world, Catra feared for her lover's safety, and whatever that noise could be a threat to her. So, after gently pulling herself out of Adora's grip and quickly getting dressed, Catra snuck out of the room and began to search the dark and empty halls of the castle. She kept her ears sharp for even the slightest sound, trying to locate whatever or whoever it was that was trying to enter the castle.

Perhaps it was nothing. Maybe it was nothing more than a rodent that had managed to get into the castle or Bow getting a late-night snack. On the other hand, it could be something far worse. Catra wanted to keep Adora safe at all costs after everything she had been through, most of which was put upon the protector of Etherira by the woman who would become her lover. After winning the war with Horde Prime, Catra swore that she would protect Adora no matter what. The former villain carefully slunk around the shadows in search of whoever or whatever had intruded into their home. As she did, she rounded a corner to find a guard standing at silent attention in the hallway.

"Guard, have you seen or heard anything?" she asked.

The guard did not answer her.

"Guard?" she repeated.

The still silent guard suddenly slumped to the floor in a dead heap. Catra's body went rigid in fear as her suspicions were confirmed in the worst-case scenario. Before she could fully register what she had come upon, the humanoid cat felt something dripping on the top of her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and saw her hand covered in fresh blood. Suddenly, she heard the creaking from the rafters above, making her shoot her head upwards to see the large shape of a figure crouched above her before suddenly it leaped down at her with what looked like blades at the ready to gut her. Catra managed to leap out of the way at the last second, but the speed of the unknown assailant was mindboggling to the former Horde Force Captain.

"And I here I thought this was going to be boring," the stranger noted with a snicker.

The stranger's appearance was surprising, to say the least. The man was dressed in white with black boots. On each of his wrists were strapped strange bladed weapons with what looked like gun barrels within them as well. But the most striking feature was that this unknown assassin had something that looked like a robotic scorpion tail was attached to the back of his head. Catra didn't care who this guy was or what he was after. All she knew was that this guy was a threat to Adora, and she was going to make sure that this threat was going to end before he could even get close to the woman she loved.

"You picked the wrong house to break into," she sneered, flashing her claws as she took a battle stance.

"Oh, is that so?" the assassin mockingly asked. "Well, let's see if you can back that up!"

No sooner had he said that did the former Force Captain launch forward with her fangs and claws out and ready for a fight. But as Catra pounced forward at the stranger, the man only cackled at his attacker before quickly sidestepping the cat-woman and delivering a high-kick to her ribs that knocked her into the wall before she fell to the floor. The scorpion-tailed warrior cackled as he leaped her with his robotic stinger at the ready to try and impale her on it. Catra narrowly managed to dodge the attack and jumped back to her feet before unleashing a flurry of wild slashes at her opponent. The unknown enemy easily avoided and evaded the oncoming claws before blocking Catra's next swipe and kneeing her in the gut with enough force to knock the air out of her. He then grabbed her by the hair and flung her down the hall.

Catra gritted her teeth before getting on all fours and letting out a hiss in anger, to which her opponent grinned at, knowing he was already keeping her off-balance. Catra charged again and leaped forward, only to be grabbed by throat in mid-air before pinned to the wall.

"Sorry, kitten, but I don't have to play tonight," the assassin said as he raised his blades to her throat. "I'll make this fast...and painful!"

Catra, refusing to allow herself to be killed so easily, slashed her claw at the man's face, making him yelp in pain as he loosened his grip on Catra's throat enough for her to break out of his hold on her with a swift kick to his torso. Though she managed to strike her adversary twice now, Catra took notice of something off about her assailant. Her attacks clearly made their mark, but the former Force Captain felt as if they had struck some kind of protective barrier, hence why his face wasn't currently bleeding from the swipe her claws made.

Shaking these feelings off, the former villain then followed up her attack with a double kick that knocked her opponent back. She attempted another kick but was grabbed by her ankle and tossed into the wall on the opposite side. He then opened fire with his guns, making Catra again run on all fours from the onslaught of bullets, all the while the scorpion-themed warrior laughed madly as he watched his prey flee from his attack. The cat-woman then leaped upward and grabbed hold of a chandelier. Once she hung onto the chandelier, it broke off from the ceiling, but rather than have it smash to the ground, Catra angled it so that it would fall on her enemy instead.

However, the scorpion-man was no idiot, for he used his robotic stinger to swat it away and Catra along with it. The former Force Captain then had to evade every attempted stab at her person with his stinger. When Catra tried to go in for a slash with her claws, her opponent not only countered the attack but also took hold of her wrist. He then twisted her arm behind her back before kicking her legs out from under her, forcing her onto her knees. Now helpless, Catra was at the non-existent mercy of her opponent.

"Now that you've pissed me off, I'm going to make this REALLY hurt!" he stated as he raised his wrist blades to gut her.

Before the blow could be struck, an arrow came flying in from behind that nearly hit the back of the attacker's head, but the villain's stinger batted the arrow away. The assassin turned around to see Adora, Bow, Glimmer, Casta, and several castle guards with their weapons drawn. However, rather than be frightened by the arrival of the other defenders of Etheria, the unknown killer only grinned at the arrival of the other heroes. He seemed even more excited at the thought of fighting more combatants. He tossed Catra back to her friends, to which Adora went to her lover's aide.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I had him right where I wanted him," Catra brushed off, trying to save her dignity.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," the assassin stated directly toward Adora. "And I here I thought I was going to have to bathe this castle in the blood of your little pet to get your attention."

"You're going to pay what you did," Adora warned him as she raised her sword into the air. "For the honor of-"

Before Adora could finish her sentence, the assailant had darted toward her and impaled his stinger into Adora's torso, lifting her into the air as he did. The whole world seemed to stop at that moment for Catra. Her whole body seemed to lock in place at the sight of her lover likely being killed right in front of her. As the protector of Etherira was being held in the air by the stinger, Adora's grip on her sword loosened before falling out of her hand, only to have it caught by the unknown assailant. The attack, which felt like it went on for hours, only last a few seconds, but it was more than enough to keep everyone petrified and unable to even so much as move. Before anyone could react, the scorpion-themed assassin flung Adora at Bow and Glimmer, knocking them both over before smashing through a nearby window and running off into the darkness, cackling madly as he did.

The still horrified Catra looked upon Bow and Glimmer as they tried to heal the wound in Adora's torso, all the while she remained motionless. She had failed. The woman she loved had been harmed, and she wasn't able to protect her as she had sworn she would do.

"Is she...is she dead?" Catra asked, fearing the answer.

"No, she's alive," Glimmer assured her. "But she's been poisoned. We can slow it down, but I don't know if we can stop it from spreading."

"She needs the sword," the former villain stated. "It's the only way to save her life."

"But how do we even catch that guy?" Bow pointed out. "He could be anywhere by now!"

With her rage taking over every thought in her mind, Catra looked out to the broken window, knowing what she had to do next.

"Keep Adora safe until I get back," she informed the others.

"Wait, Catra, don't-!" Bow attempted to reason.

But it was too late. For Catra had already dashed toward the window, jumping out and giving chase to the monster who had harmed her beloved. There was no other thought running through the former Horde Captain's mind other than finding the monster who had wounded Adora and skinning him alive with her claws. It was something that she knew Adora would not condone, but in Catra's rage-filled mind, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was saving her lover's life, and she'd accomplish that in any way she saw fit. The light of the moon was the only thing that lit the path through the surrounding area. Thankfully, her enhanced vision allowed her to navigate the darkened terrain.

She looked for any sign of the assassin in the darkness. Even so much as a broken stick on the ground could give her a clue as to where her target had run off to. There were still several questions that were left unanswered: Who was this man? Where did he come from? Why did he steal the sword? Was working alone? It was all too much for Catra to think about right now, nor did she really care in the long run. All that mattered right now was that she get the sword back and then gut the guy who hurt Adora. But as she continued her hunt, she heard a noise from the underbrush beside her. Running on pure animalistic instinct at this point, Catra leaped through the bushes and tackled who she, at first, thought was the person she was chasing. However, when she got a better look at the person she had tackled, it wasn't even close to the person who she was tracking.

It was a woman with light blue skin and dark blue hair dressed in a tactical, greyish blue suit of armor. The woman vaguely reminded Catra of Huntara for a moment before she snapped back to the here and now when the woman kicked the former villain off her person before jumping to her feet and drawing her gun. After recovering from the hit, Catra flexed her claws and was ready to gut the unknown woman, thinking that this new stranger was working with the scorpion-man. But before she could do so, she felt something take hold of each of her arms. She looked to both her sides to see that she had been taken hold by a pair of strange, demon-looking women with fire in their red hair.

"Hey! Let me go!" she demanded,

"Yeah, that's not happening, kitty," came a voice.

Out of the darkness came a third demon woman, looking exactly like the other two that were holding Catra back.

"Who the hell are you people?" Catra questioned sharply.

"We're...out of towners, and that's all you gotta know," the horned woman answered.

"Did you find Tyrian?" the blue woman inquired to her partner.

"I caught up with him, but he cut open another portal and got away," the demon woman answered. "He was carrying the sword with him too."

"Wait, a sword?" Catra questioned. "That's the guy who hurt Adora!"

"You know Adora?" the demon woman asked.

"She's my girlfriend," Catra answered. "How do you know her?"

"Let's just say that Adora's safety is our concern," the demoness said.

"Well, your concern sucks!" Catra snapped. "That scorpion guy poisoned her and stole her sword!"

"If she's hurt, then we need to go now," the blue woman addressed her partner.

"Neither of you are going anywhere until I get some answers!" Catra stated.

The two women stopped for a moment to look at one another before finally speaking.

"My name is Hekapoo, and this is Acxa," the demon woman introduced. "We come from the Multiverse to hunt down a group of dangerous criminals."

"Wait, Multiverse?" Catra questioned.

"Different universes," Acxa elaborated "Hekapoo is a part of a group called the Cosmic Council. [1] A team of celestial beings from across the Multiverse who try to maintain the balance between the various universes. That man you fought is a psychopath named Tyrian. He's been given a way to traverse the Multiverse to seek out and capture or destroy various weapons that could harm his master. Hekapoo and her partner had been chasing him for weeks across several universes before they arrived in mine. After I helped drive him off, Hekapoo invited me to assist in hunting him down."

While all of this was a lot to take in, not once did Catra question if all of this talk of the Multiverse was true or not. All the time she had spent with Entrapta and her rambling on the theories of the existence of a Multiverse made her believe the fantastic tale rather quickly.

"And he's not working alone, either," Hekapoo added "Tyrian's master also dispatched three other of her henchmen to seek and destroy other weapons and artifacts that could hurt her."

"Does this master of his got a name?" Catra inquired.

"Salem," Hekapoo answered. "She's an immortal witch with powers we couldn't possibly dream of. Long ago, she murdered a member of the royal family of my universe and stole an item that could allow her to travel to other worlds called dimensional scissors. She replicated the scissors and gave them to her minions to carry out her will across the Multiverse."

"So, if you know who's behind this, then why not take the fight to her directly?" Catra pointed out.

"Because Salem is going to play an important role on another universe one day, and she can't be killed until then," Hekapoo explained. "There's a balance we have to maintain. So, while we can't attack Salem directly, we can at least stop her from carrying out her scheme to tip the scales in her favor."

Catra grit her teeth at the thought of not being able to go after the person behind the attack on Adora. One way or another, she was going to rip apart whoever this Salem was piece by piece.

"I'm coming with you," Catra said firmly. "That bastard attacked the woman I loved, and the only way to save her life is getting the sword back!"

Before Hekapoo could deny her request, Acxa stepped in.

"It would be nice to have the extra help," she said. "After all, isn't that what you said in my defense when I joined your team?"

Hekapoo grimaced at her teammate, who grinned back at her, already knowing her answer.

"Ugh, fine," the Magical High Commissioner relented before muttering "Krang's not going to like this."

"Then it's settled," Acxa concluded. "Welcome to the team...I'm sorry, we didn't get your name."

"Catra," the former Horde Leader introduced.

"Is she for real?" Hekapoo asked before getting a look from her teammate, to which she spoke up. "Well, we've spent enough time here. We need to get back to Krang. Hopefully, he's managed to pinpoint where Tyrian went to next."

With that, the newly formed trio made their way back to wherever their other ally was. But internally, Catra was already planning out a way to kill whoever this Salem was, no matter what her new allies had said. But to properly go after the unknown enemy, Catra needed more information on the woman she would kill.

"So, this 'important role' Hekapoo was going on about, what is it?" she asked Acxa.

"According to her, there's a prophecy regarding a Queen in Black who will shroud the first world that was born in the Multiverse in darkness," the Galra warrior answered.

"And Hekapoo and her friends think Salem is that queen?" Catra surmised as they continued to walk.

"Oh, we don't 'think' anything," Hekapoo cut in, who had been listening in on the conversation. "We KNOW she's the Queen in Black."

"Okay, so why let her live at all if you know she's so dangerous?" Catra addressed. "Because some prophecy told you so?"

"What part of 'there's a balance to the Multiverse' did you not get?" the Magical High Commissioner reminded her. "She has a role to play in the big scheme of things, so she needs to live for now. Besides, it's not like we can kill her, to begin with. Believe me, many have tried to."

Before Catra could make some snappy comeback or boast, Catra looked upon what she and the other women had been walking toward. It was a strange, massive dome-like object with what looked like an eye atop it. Before she could mentally take in what exactly she was seeing, her already stunned mind was sent further reeling when a door on the dome opened to reveal something that sent Catra's brain spinning. There, standing in the doorway, was a large, shirtless man in red trunks and boots. But more so above all else, there was a strange, brain-like creature sitting in the man's torso. Catra's stunned expression did not go unnoticed by her allies by Acxa.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too," she mentioned.

"Ah, I see you've brought along another stray, Hekapoo," the brain-creature noted sardonically in a gurgling voice.

"Catra, this is Krang," Heckapoo introduced. "He's 'volunteered' both his services and his Technodrome to help us on our mission."

"If by 'volunteered' you mean 'Raiden threatened my life,' then, yes, I volunteered, *gurgle*," Krang retorted.

"Have you located Tyrian?" Acxa asked.

"I have," Krang confirmed. "We need to move, quickly, before he jumps again."

"Then let's get going," Hekapoo stated.

As the team headed inside the Technodrome, Catra remained steadfast in her resolve: One way or another, she was going to get Adora's sword back and kill Tyrian and his master, and heaven help whoever got in her way.

UNIVERSE #11272

Meanwhile, on a crescent-shaped spaceport, a tavern was filled with aliens from across the cosmos. Some were pirates, others were thieves and rouges from across the stars, some of whom were waiting to be board as crewmen for a ship called the RLS Legacy in their mission to find some long-thought lost mythical planet filled with treasures. However, the tavern's cacophony of voices and music came to an abrupt stop when the front door open to reveal a pair of newcomers, neither of whom were welcome in the tavern. The first was a black-haired man dressed in a white uniform with a strange crest on it, no doubt a royal sigil of some kind. He also had not a gun strapped to his side but a whip as his sidearm.

The other man was dressed as what could only be described as a cowboy with the addition of a cape, armor around his arms and legs, and a leather mouthpiece covering his face. It didn't take a genius, which no one in the tavern was, to figure out that these to men were bounty hunters. The two men silently scanned patrons in the room, who went back to their business but kept their guard up out of fear of being the ones whom the hunters were searching for. The bounty hunters made their way to the bar, where the bartender approached them, all the while keeping an eye on their weapons.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" the bartender asked.

"Yeah, I want a beer. I don't care what it is. Just give me a beer. Now," the man in white said in an exhausted tone as he placed a few coins on the table. "And for God's sake, make sure it's strong."

"We could also use some help with some...other things, too," his partner added as he placed an extra few coins on the table. "We're looking for information."

"Not now, Black," the first man sighed. "I want my drink first before we get into another fight."

"We're on the clock, Belmont," Erron Black reminded. "If we don't find who we're looking for, we don't get paid. And not gettin' paid makes me madder than a knotted up rattlesnake."

"I am so fucking sick of your accent, you gunslinging twat," Trevor Belmont muttered. "Beer first, then bar fight."

"I take it you two are looking for someone?" the bartender surmised curiously. "I figured you two were bounty hunters."

"Yeah...bounty hunters," Erron said slowly. "Anywho, I reckon you could help us find some folks who may have moseyed on through this saloon."

The bartender was perplexed by his words.

"He means come by your bar," Trevor explained before adding "Fucking moron."

As the two men spoke with the bartender, the patrons were starting to become restless, some of whom were slowly reaching for their guns, knives, and swords. Neither of the bounty hunters were blind to these actions but kept talking to the bartender.

"See, we're lookin' for two fellas who we've been trackin' for a few days now," Erron continued. "They're a couple of young fellas. One of 'em got silver hair and the other green. See anyone like that around here?"

The other bar patrons became more and more restless the more Erron spoke, to which Trevor let out a groan, already knowing where this was all going.

"They're getting mad," he dryly commented as he waited for his beer. "Stop talking. I want my drink."

"I suggest you listen to your friend, sir," the bartender said as he reached for the gun on his hip. "You're making my patrons restless."

Rather than back down, Erron only narrowed his eyes on the bartender's action.

"Now, why did you have to go an' touch yer gun?" the gunslinger inquired in a steely voice. "We were havin' a nice, civil conversation."

"Because Emerald and Mercury paid everyone in here to kill us," Trevor pointed out with a sigh. "So much for that drink."

No sooner had he said that did one of the aliens roughly grab the monster hunter's shoulder, only to have it grabbed and quickly broken by Trevor before he cracked the aggressive alien in the face. Its nose was broken instantly before Trevor knocked him out with a punch strong enough to knock him to the floor. At that moment, the bartender attempted to reach for his gun, only to have a bullet go through his head from Erron's already drawn pistol. As more of the bar patrons rushed the duo, Trevor drew his whip and cracked at the rushing mob to make them recoil for a few moments before one of the crowd drew his pistol, only to have his weapon swiped out of his now broken hand.

Before anyone else could rush the bounty hunters, a massive armored figured burst through the ceiling and directly into the crowd, crushing a pair of thugs under his boots. The hulking giant then reached out and crushed another man's head with one hand before drawing a blaster and pulling bolts through three more thugs. The giant then made his way into the now panicking masses around him. One alien tried to pull out his gun, only to have the third bounty hunter take the poor soul by both his arms and tear them both off. Another alien grabbed a nearby chair and broke it over the giant's back, but did nothing but earn the titan's attention, who back handed him with enough force to twist his head a full 180 degrees, killing him instantly.

With a war cry, another bar patron charged forward with a cutlass drawn and impaled it through the armored giant's chest, but rather than finally slay the seemingly unstoppable force, it only made him laugh at the effort. He then removed the sword and rammed it through the man's head. As an added touch, the giant bounty hunter slammed both his fists on each side of the already dead man's head, making it explode into a mass of blood and brain matter upon impact. Seeing that there was no point to keep fighting, the surviving bar patrons scrambled for the door, some even diving through the window to escape, screaming into the streets of the spaceport.

"You sure do make a mess, Durge," Erron noted. "But hell if it ain't fun to watch."

"Bleh, the beer is shit here," Trevor mention after taking a swig of a bottle he found before tossing it away.

Just then, a portal opened up before the trio of bounty hunters. But rather than reach for their weapons, they only kept where they were standing as a winged woman adorned in shining robes and jewels came through the portal. Like Hekapoo, she too was a member of the Cosmic Council. But unlike Hekapoo's desire to keep the balance of the Multiverse, she had come to not only stop Salem's scheme and recover everything she had stolen but end her minions as well. To carry out her will, she had chosen three of some of the most dangerous killers in the Multiverse to aid her on her quest after enticing them with the one thing that drove all three of them: Money. Though, in Durge's case, it was the second thing that drove him, right behind killing Mandalorians. Though the woman had gone by many names, she was best known by one on her homeworld of Eternia: The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull.

"Checkin' on us, boss?" Erron asked.

"Have you found Emerald and Mercury?" the Sorceress questioned.

"Gone," Durge said simply in a deep voice. "They baited us here and tried to have us killed."

"Lot a good that did them," Trevor muttered as he brushed an eyeball off his person.

"Then there is no time to waste," their employer stated as she opened another portal. "I've found that Salem has located another relic in another universe. She's sent one of her avatars and a horde of Grimm there already. Durge will have to go in alone due to the location's atmospheric conditions."

The trio of hired killers departed into the portal. As they did, the Sorceress paused for a moment when she felt a disturbance. In the vastness of the Multiverse, she felt the pain of someone she had been keeping an eye on. Someone who she wanted to bring back home to see her long-lost family and help in their war against Skeletor.

"Adora..." she gasped.

[1] - As established in Part 24 of The New Frontier