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Savages: Multiverse
Chapter 3: Kill the Savages
The two teams stared each other down for several seconds, each band of killers waiting for someone to make the mistake of making a move against them. Though they shared the ambition of stopping Salem's scheme, neither party knew the other's intentions were similar to theirs. Because of this, most believed that they were more of Salem's subordinates. However, the leaders of both teams knew better.
"Ease up, guys. She's not our enemy," Hekapoo said to her team. "Though she's hardly what I'd call a friend."
"Hekapoo," the Sorceress greeted. "Chasing after Salem as well, I see."
Now understanding what was going on, the others eased up on the fighting stances they had previously taken and lowered their weapons.
"Alright, fine, got it, we're friends now, so can we please get back to chasing that scorpion-tailed prick already?" Catra asked, her drive to save her beloved's life not fading.
"Whoa, whoa, ease up there, kitty cat," Hekapoo responded. "We can't yet."
"Uh, come again?" Catra practically hissed.
"With how many tears through this universe's dimensional barriers happened in such a short amount of time, we need to wait until they heal themselves before we can leave," Hekapoo explained. "If we're not careful, we could be risking a structural collapse."
"Okay, and?" Catra asked. "What's the worse that could happen?"
"A dimensional merge, THAT'S what could happen," Hekapoo snapped. "The balance of the Multiverse takes a huge nose-dive, the Council throws a shit-fit, and they come for ALL of our heads.
"Okay, fine, sorry I asked," Catra sneered. "How long is this gonna take?"
"Not that long," Hekapoo answered. "Bout an hour, give or take."
"In the meantime, perhaps we could convince the girl with Murasame to join us," the Sorceress suggested.
"Uh, yeah, bout that," Erron interjected.
The gunslinger then pointed his thumb to where Akame and Leone were...or once were, to be exact.
Back at the Capital, Leone, now out of her beast mode and thankful that she and Akame had managed to sneak away to a busy tavern as the teams stood off, was in the process of downing an entire mug of beer she had ordered for herself. Sitting opposite was Akame, who was currently feasting on an abnormally large drumstick.
"I fail to see how your liver isn't dust at this rate," the swordswoman pointed out.
"Ahh, you're one to talk," Leone countered as she slammed the empty mug onto the table. "Your arteries must be screaming with how much meat you put 'em through."
"...Fair enough," Akame relented before taking a bite from her meal.
"'Sides, can you blame me right now?" Leone added. "Gonna need all the hooch I can get after what we just saw. I mean, what even were those guys?!"
Akame proceeded to place her drumstick down as she thought back to what transpired not too long ago. Her mind was racing with what could possibly explain a humanoid cat-girl, a hulking monster in a suit of armor, a talking brain in the stomach of a metal man, and a mechanical giant with a large cannon on its left arm.
"Well, unless this is all a clever rouse, it's unlikely they're with the man who attacked us," the wielder of Murasame stated. "And something tells me they're not with the Empire either."
"Some of them looked kinda freaky," Leone pointed out as a waiter brought her a second mug of beer. "Maybe they're some of Stylish's leftovers?"
"Maybe," Akame answered as she thought back to the mad doctor they did battle with not long ago. "Whatever the case, we should definitely mention them in our report."
"Oh, crap, I just realized," Leone groaned as she grabbed her second mug. "How the hell are we gonna explain all this to the boss?"
Her friend was about to answer her when suddenly, she picked up something someone was saying at a nearby table.
"It's the girl from the wanted posters," a patron happily whispered to his friend. "We bag her, the reward money'll set us for life!"
The raven-haired girl sighed dejectedly upon hearing that. Despite Leone making good on her word on a disguise by concealing her appearance with a hooded cloak, it would seem that someone took notice of the member of Night Raid.
"Yeah, I heard the sleazeball too," Leone whispered. "I'll try and sneak you out through the back."
"I doubt that will do much good," Akame responded. "Look."
The blonde obliged, finding more and more of the bar's patrons eyeing the two of them.
"Great, another pub I'm never gonna be able to set foot in," Leone groaned. "Alright, guess we're bustin' our way out."
Nodding once, Akame reached her hand down to where she had concealed Murasame, ready to use it to fight their way out of this predicament, all while the patrons began to rise out of their seats. But before they could make their way to the members of Night Raid, the sounds of metal clanking were heard outside, followed by the ground beneath them violently shaking without warning. Several of the frightened occupants fell flat on their backs while bottles of wine and whiskey shattered upon falling to the floor.
"An earthquake?!" one of them shouted. "Here?!"
Then, all of a sudden, the roof of the tavern was ripped off, several chunks and a couple of support beams crushing five of them to death and coating the walls and wood flooring with their blood. The one responsible tossed the now torn-off roof aside as the sounds of civilians screaming in a panic right outside were heard. The surprised Akame and Leone looked up at the freshly made and massive hole, seeing Megatron looking down at them.
"We'd like a word with you two," he informed before looking at the patrons he hadn't inadvertently killed. "The rest of you..."
The former warlord proceeded to point his charged cannon down at them.
"...Leave."
Not needing to be told a second time, the rest of the pub's customers made a mad dash to the door, passing by the rest of this merry band of killers as they did so.
"Well, that's certainly one way to kill a party, *gurgle*," Krang said.
"Guess we're serving ourselves tonight," Catra dryly remarked.
"Out of my way," Trevor suddenly said as he shoved both the former Horde captain and Acxa aside, practically marching towards the now empty bar. "I need a drink before anyone says another fucking word to me."
Meanwhile, a figure observed the ensuing chaos from afar, her ears just barely picking out the sounds of the Captial's inhabitants screaming for their lives.
"Run, assemble the rest of the Jaegers," she ordered a blonde man who stood beside her.
"Yes, General," the man named Run responded.
Two angel-like wings sprouted out of Run's back, allowing him to take to the skies to do as he was commanded, all while this General smirked to herself, anticipating her inevitable encounter with this mysterious enemy to the Empire.
As The two teams headed into the now completely emptied tavern, Hekapoo took hold of the Sorceress by the shoulder. Despite not saying a single word, the guardian of Castle Grayskull already knew what her fellow Council member had to say.
"You. Me. Outside. Now," the horned woman ordered.
The two celestial beings stepped aside from the others so they could speak in private. As they did, Catra looked over to where the two multiversal beings had gone to speak in private and thought about getting in closer to eavesdrop on the conversation, only for Erron to stop her.
"I'd advise against it," he warned. "Let's let our bosses speak in peace."
"Hekapoo isn't my 'boss,' she's just helping me find my girlfriend's sword," Catra corrected.
"So you an' the other ladies ain't hired help then?" the gunslinger surmised. "Well, that's a mighty fine relief. I was startin' to get a bit antsy on possibly working with you an' share the reward. I'd hate to shoot a lady over money...again."
"Wow, what a gentleman," Catra sarcastically scoffed as she walked into the bar while muttering "And Seahawk wonders why I'm gay."
Back with the Cosmic Council members, their conversation had gotten far away enough so that they could speak in private.
"So, do I even have to ask why you're doing this?" Hekapoo inquired.
"If you must know, I was already getting involved before I sensed that Adora was in danger," the Sorceress replied. "I was concerned that you might not be able to complete your mission without the extra help."
"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," Hekapoo noted before adding "I was given this mission by the others because I know how the dimensional scissors work better than anyone, since, ya know, I make them. What's your excuse?"
"Salem must be stopped, Hekapoo," the spellcaster said.
"Well, we can't exactly stop her now," the Magical Commissioner reminded her. "She still has a prophecy to fulfill."
"Maybe we shouldn't let that prophecy come to pass at all," the Sorceress said. "We would spare Earth Prime much pain and sorrow if we did."
"Oh no, you're NOT going rogue on me!" the horned woman denied. "In case you forgot, the last Council Member who tried to alter the course of fate was Zordon, and look how well that's going for him and his Earth."
Zordon, once a member of the Cosmic Council, had attempted to alter the destiny of his Earth by defying the council's rule not to interfere with the coming of the Phoenix and instead left it to create a team of his own to try and stop it. Though they were successful in their endeavor, they had cast the cosmic being into another universe, where the Phoniex ran rampant for ages. Now it had returned to Earth Prime and was currently waging war on the planet it had long been denied by Zordon's folly. [1]
"Also, who's watching Castle Grayskull right now?" Hekapoo continued. "It's kinda important that place doesn't fall into the wrong hands, namely Skeletor's."
Castle Grayskull was a source of great power in the universe that the Sorceress hailed from, for it was a nexus point to other universes. It was how its protector found and recruited Erron, Trevor, and Durge in her crusade. However, it was vital that this castle was not taken from her, for its power could bring ruin to the Multiverse.
"He-Man and the Masters of the Universe are more than capable of guarding it my absence," the Sorceress defended. "But for now, it is vital that we stop Salem here and now. And the only way we can do that is if we work together."
"Fine," Hekapoo relented. "But I'm telling you right now: if either you or one of your trigger-happy friends try to make a run at Salem, then I won't hesitate to drop any of you. Got it?"
The Sorceress nodded in agreement, though she did not like the terms she had been dealt. As the duo walked back toward the tavern to address the others, Hekapoo brought something.
"So, when all of this is said and done, are you going back to Catra's universe to bring Adora home?" she inquired. "I mean, she has been separated from her family for quite a while."
"We shall see, Hekapoo," was all her fellow council member said in response.
"Wha-Wait, wait, wait, I...I am SO lost right now," a stunned Leone stated as Catra finished her side of the story. "So...a witch is...is going around stealing weapons from other universes...and you guys hitched a ride with a talking brain to go after her?"
"Basically," Catra answered before downing a shot glass full of whiskey.
"Aaaaand you, a monster hunter, and an alien bounty hunter were hired by a bird-girl to go after her too...and you brought along a robot that...that's also an alien?" Leone added, turning to Erron as she did so.
"You'd be right," the cowboy answered.
"That certainly explains a lot...and yet somehow I'm left with more questions," Akame blankly replied.
"The boss is gonna think I imagined half of this shit while I was drunk. I just know it," Leone muttered as she placed a hand onto her forehead.
"That brings up another thing," Akame said before turning to the gunslinger before her. "You say this 'Sorceress' wishes for me to accompany you, is that right?"
"Sure is, missy," Erron answered.
"I understand the severity of your situation, but I'm afraid I can't," Akame stated. "I'm still needed here to assist Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army in combating the Empire's corruption. Najenda needs me to play a vital part in bringing about the new world order. If something were to happen to me, there's no telling how it might impact her ambitions."
"Hmmm..." Leone mused. "Still, this 'Salem' is a threat to us as much as the Empire is. If the Teigu are what she's after, then she's not gonna stop until she gets her hands on them. Best to cut her out of the equation so our operations can go smoothly. And since you're still needed here..."
She then pointed her thumb to herself with a grin on her face.
"...maybe I can tag along instead."
"Huh?" a slightly stunned Akame asked. "Leone, you don't have to-"
"Akame, we need to get Salem off our back if the revolution's gonna work," Leone argued.
"That's not what I meant," Akame countered. "You're talking about traveling to several realities you don't know anything about. We've...We've already lost Sheele and Bulat...I..."
Even for someone who kept her emotions in check, the bearer of Murasame couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. Something Leone took notice of and signed as she relived the loss of two people she considered family.
"I know..." she admitted. "But if we don't deal with this now, we could find ourselves fighting a three-pronged war against the Minster AND Salem. You know we can't take that risk."
Though she hated to admit it, Akame knew she was right. The losses Night Raid had suffered recently tipped the scales in favor of the Empire after the deaths of two of their own and being forced to relocate their base. If Salem were to get involved, it would most certainly spell doom for both them and the dream of a world free from the Empire's tyrannical rule. As she mulled this over, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder and turned to see her friend grinning once more to reassure her.
"Besides, you know more than anyone I'm a tough girl," she boasted. "Anyone who tries to tangle with me is gonna be REAL sorry."
A small smile formed on the One Cut Killer's face.
"Guess that settles it, then," Leone said as she turned back to Erron and Catra. "We'll need to make a quick trip back to Night Raid first, though. We'll guide you guys there."
"Eh, what the hell?" Erron replied. "Still got some time before we leave."
The four of them then rose out of their seats, noticing both the Sorceress and Hekapoo reentering the destroyed tavern. They were about to make their way to them when...
"Someone approaches," Megatron informed as he observed the horizon. "And they do not appear to be friendly."
"Oh, for fuck sake," Trevor groaned, having only just now found a bottle of alcohol that suited his taste.
"Durge," the Sorceress commanded.
Nodding once, the Gen'Dai bounty hunter used his jetpack to fly through the massive hole Megatron had created, using the scanners on his helmet to zoom in on this mystery person who approached them.
"Well?" Erron inquired. "Whadya see?"
"I see a female mounted atop a quadruped steed," Durge answered. "White clothing, seemingly authoritarian, with pale skin and blue hair."
"Oh, shit!" Leone cursed, already knowing who this was. "We need to go! Now!"
"Why?" Acxa asked. "Who is this-?"
Suddenly, an explosion ringed through the ears of those inside the pub's wreckage. They looked up just in time to see Megatron reeling from being hit by what seemed to be a motor shell of some kind. The former gladiator grunted in pain as he stumbled back into a nearby building, causing the entire front of it to crumble as he slumped onto the ground.
"THERE'S NOWHERE FOR YOU TO RUN, CRIMINAL SCUM!" a new voice yelled. "JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"
Turning towards the source of this newcomer's voice, what remained of the tavern's roof, the group of killers saw a red-headed young woman clad in green with what upon first glance seemed to be a pudgy dog standing on its hind legs next to her. Though that wasn't what caught them off guard. Rather, it was the gargantuan cannon that was where the lower half of her right arm should be. She also had a metal left arm placed onto said cannon and a psychotic grin on her face that could rival Tyrian's, all while smoke seeped out of the open barrel.
Suddenly, more strangers jumped down from the roof and began to surround the team while several soldiers busted inside to join them. They included a blue-haired, seemingly normal young man, a masked brute carrying a massive flamethrower, a girl who bore an almost creepy resemblance to Akame, who too carried a sword, and the same winged man who assembled this lot in the first place.
As if that wasn't enough, the sounds of heels clacking drew their attention to the door. They turned to see the soldiers making way for their superior as she strode inside. She was a blue-haired, blue-eyed woman wearing an all-white uniform that signified her authority. Unbeknownst to most of the team, they had caught the attention of one of the most powerful and feared people in this world. The Empire's Strongest.
General Esdeath.
UNIVERSE #62281
In the Land of Darkness, Tyrian screamed out in pain as his queen unleashed her magic onto his backside, all while he was held up by chains binding his arms. An ired Salem had done this for nearly an hour now the instant Tyrian groveled back to her without Murasame. It went without saying that she would not tolerate failure from her acolytes in the slightest, especially when it came to this conquest.
"You are quite an enigma to me, Tyrian," she stated. "One minute, you claim She-Ra's sword without a hitch, and then the next, you fail oh, so miserably."
She then paced around Tyrian, stopping when she was right in front of him before casting her magic around her open right palm.
"B-B-But, m-my Queen, I nearly had the sword in my grasp!" Tyrian pleaded. "I was ambushed before I could claim it!"
"By who?" Salem demanded as she conjured even more of her magic, ready to inflict more pain onto the scorpion-Faunus.
"The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull!" Tyrian answered. "She's onto us. She's assembled a team to try and thwart your plans, your grace!"
Hearing this, surprisingly, caused the Queen in Black to retract her magic, allowing it to fade away as she glared right into Tyrian's very soul.
"Are you sure?" she firmly asked.
"Y-Y-Yes, my lady!" Tyrian answered. "I saw her with my own two eyes!"
A chilling silence overtook the scene for several tense seconds. Then, much to Tyrian's shock, his queen smirked deviously to him and shot a tendril from her right wrist that sliced the chains that bounded him, allowing him to fall roughly to the floor.
"Then it would seem that your mission was not a total failure, Tyrian," she stated.
"F-Forgive me, my queen, but I'm not sure I catch on," Tyrian admitted as he picked himself back up.
"Think of it," Salem began as she began to pace around her subordinate. "If what you say is true and the Sorceress is indeed trying to stop us...then who is back in Eternia protecting Castle Grayskull?"
As he took his master's words in, Tyrian's psychotic grin slowly returned to him.
"Ah, I see now," he said as he began a giggling fit. "Now's the perfect opportunity to tear our way through the Masters of the Universe and claim what's inside!"
"Not yet," Salem corrected as she rose a finger towards her servant. "First, we will need to ensure that the Sorceress and this team you spoke of cannot interfere."
"Then what are your orders?" Tyrian asked as he knelt before his queen.
"You will go and assist Hazel in Luna Nova," Salem answered as she made her way to her throne. "Find the Shiny Rod that once belonged to Shiny Chariot. My avatars and Grimm will continue their efforts in Corona and Honnouji Academy, while Emerald and Mercury will continue their work in Kumandra. If all goes according to plan, this team will be forced to split up to try and keep up with us, allowing myself to travel to Eternia right under their noses."
"It shall be done," Tyrian assured as he rose to his feet. "I promise you I will not fail you again."
"For your sake...you had better not," Salem warned.
With that, Tyrian, still giggling to himself, grabbed his dimensional scissors and tore a hole to the universe Hazel was currently at before jumping through, all while Salem seated herself onto her throne, smirking as she placed both of her hands on her throne's armrests.
If all went according to plan, then the secrets inside Castle Grayskull would be her's...and everything that stood in her way would be powerless to stop her.
[1] - As seen in The Dark Phoenix