Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the "Sailor Moon" series. This goes along the lines of the original series, but an alternate dimension. Trust me, eventually, my knight will meet the scouts. Patience is a virtue, so awaiting that moment won't be so bad. REVIEW!!
Chapter 4
Green-Eyed Charmers
"Stephen….that girl from school, Angela Furosuto ….she called again. She still wants to talk to you about business or something." His mother called from behind Stephen's door, young Stephen still laying in his bed and trying to ignore her.
"That's the 10th time she's called this morning, honey. She said she was going to come over here if you didn't come out." His mother added, banging on his door.
Stephen looked over at his alarm clock, grumbling at the 10am it was blaring out. "The maniac is going to drive me to drink, Cyrus. Can't she leave me alone? I don't want to date her, she's a nightmare." Stephen groaned, turning his face into his pillow when his mother knocked again. Cyrus was lying at the end of Stephen's rumpled bed, looking terribly tired and annoyed.
"She is a knight, just like you, and very brutal. Hey, don't try and blame me for her falling in love with you. It was her idea, not mine. I don't welcome the idea of the knights mingling in such ways together. Friendship is just fine, but that girl has serious hormonal problems. I'm surprised she hasn't scaled your house and climbed into this room yet." Cyrus yowled, lifting his head slightly.
Stephen sat up crossly and gave the cat a dirty look, rubbing his bare chest. He let a bare leg dangle out of the bed, the corner of his light blue boxer shorts sticking out a bit past the sheets.
"Please, don't even suggest it. I was just starting to feel safe in here," he grumbled out, eyeing the his door as another knock sounded," Stop bothering me, its Saturday!! I'll talk to her when I feel like it. Go to your bridge club and stay out of my hair, Mom!"
The knocking stopped, and all Stephen could hear was his mother walking down the hall on the carpeted floor, then nothing. He laid back against the headboard a few moments later, running one hand through his shock white hair.
"Life sucks, its official. Not only do I have a bratty little sister who goes out of her way to try and get in my room and bother me, but I have to fight super, weirdo villains from another universe. To top it all off, I have to do it alongside a hormonally challenged street fighter female that has the hots for me, and Gary! The two of us had to hide in the trash bin behind the arcade for two hours so she wouldn't get us. I took five showers when I got home and I still felt soiled." Stephen grumbled.
Cyrus shook his little fuzzy head, his eyes closed as he spoke. "She is persistent….I will give her that. Well, did you do what I asked you to do after school before you and Gary played in the dirt?"
"Oh….sure I did, that charm store is just jumping with business….all of it bad. Worse than what the Black Velvet Beauty products did to those poor women. I saw guys beating each other's brains out for even the ugliest women in the store, not to mention all of the women fighting. Funny thing though, the women were busy slapping and insulting each other, the men were the only ones really brawling." Stephen yawned.
"Another recent store sprouting out of nowhere and causing distress among the customers. This Prince Viper doesn't stray from old ideas for very long. One school infiltration failure and he's back to bad businesses. Feeding off the wickedly heightened emotions of humans, what the Dark Universe does best. I guess originality really doesn't matter as long as they get away with things for while." Cyrus said, scratching his head with his front paw.
"They never had to worry about anyone interfering with their plans for a long time, I'm surprised they waited this long. They could have easily started feeding on humans when I was still a baby….or a kid. Why didn't they?" Stephen asked, kicking his sheets off onto the animal.
Stephen would have burst out laughing at any other time at the site of the cat trying to navigate its way out of the sheets and talk at the same time, but he didn't feel up to it. Being hounded by the school maniac and hiding from her constantly with his equally horrified tutor with all of her powerful advances was less than appreciated.
'And no matter how many times you tell her you're in love with Lady Glamour, she dismisses her as a harlot or a myth. The nerve of some people, and soon everyone at school is going to see her hanging on me like some lovesick puppy. The daydreamer and the maniac….God, that's a frightening thought.' Stephen thought harshly.
Cyrus yawned so mockingly it was as if he thought it was the stupidest question in creation. "Your powers were still developing then….some of you may have learned how to use them faster than others. There are ten knights total, one for each planet and Earth's moon, where your powers hail from. Some of the other knights might be older, some younger. I don't remember much about the way they all looked, but I do recall all of your auras. It's the only way I can identify any of you. The Dark Universe can only sense great amounts of energy in certain areas or targets, all energy feels the same to them. It's just an addiction to them, like brain candy. For me, it plainly what I feel in my heart, not in my mind. Does that help?" Cyrus said, but Stephen shook his head.
"Makes about as much sense as a firecracker up my nose. You always do this, you start to tell me the answer, but then you drift into something I didn't ask about. Why do you have to be such a snob about information? My ass is on the line here, not yours." Stephen grumbled.
"Well, la-dee-da, fluff boy. This information is meant to help you in the future, and I did answer your question. They probably weren't strong enough when any of you were younger. Not enough to break free from wherever they disappeared to 10,000 years ago, understand?" Cyrus sassed, a bit too proudly," Therefore, until one or a few of the knights actually gained some strength from their ancient powers, the Dark Universe had to wait just as long for their energy to build up over the centuries for that moment. So I did answer your question, in my own way."
"Bull, you just answer me in a way you feel superior to me so you look smart," Stephen grumbled," But to stray from our illuminating conversation, as much as I'd love to chat about the past, remember the charm store? If it's not just a coincidence and Viper is playing businessman again, he has to be stopped. With whatever else is helping him this time."
Cyrus looked pleased a moment at Stephen's interest in knight business and gave off a small smile. "Yes, at least you're focused on things other than complaining about this quest of ours. Yes, we should go there today, but I'll be hanging back. If Viper is in there as he was in the beauty shop, he'll recognize you if you're with me. Well, then again, your hair makes you stand out a bit."
"I'll wear a baseball cap. Wigs itch….that'll be last minute stuff. Beats being around the maniac, she'll never know I'm gone," he sighed, leaping out of his bed with a gigantic grin on his face and flashing victory sign," Look out, Viper, here I come."
"Here we come!" shouted a voice, a female one.
Stephen stood stock still for a moment, feeling a chill run up his spine as the voice began, the recognition of it hitting him like a brick wall. He turned his head a bit towards it, finding Angela Furosuto sitting in his window in white high tops, blue spandex pants and a white tank top, and wearing the most seductive smile on her face.
"Oh God!" Stephen yelped, his face going bright red as he leapt back into his bed, fastening the sheets over his body," What the hell do you think you're doing, Angie!?"
"Admiring the view." She cooed, climbing into his room as if everyone did it, then leaned on the foot of his bed. Stephen turned redder as she did it, a bit of her tanned cleavage poking out.
"Well I'm not, stop that! And get out of my room….I'm not even dressed, you maniac!" He blubbered, throwing his pillow at her. She caught it with ease, taking a small sniff at it. Her lips curled into a wide smile before she dropped, keeping herself propped where she was as she did so.
"Mmm, I love the smell of a fresh morning man. Its so sexy." She smiled.
Stephen glowered at her. "I'll remember not to shower at night from now on. I do not love you, Angie, and you just think you do. I didn't want to fight you in the first place and Gary didn't even fight you and you won't leave him alone either. What is your deal?" Stephen hissed, but Angela's expression never changed.
"I've never backed down from a potential relationship….and I can get really rough with those that get in my way. Most of my old boyfriends moved away….just my luck, but you, ah, your parents are very prominent in Tokyo and I doubt they'd move very far. You're all mine, Snowflake." She said sweetly, crawling onto his bed.
Stephen leapt off with his sheets as she took a dive for him, landing her pink lips into his bed with a few bounces. "Yuck! Stop calling me that and you can forget about me ever loving a nut like you! How many times must I repeat myself before your thick skull actually understands me?" Stephen growled, raising a fist at her with a sneer.
Angela got into a sitting position, her mouth opening for a retort, but Cyrus leapt onto her lap, his expression very stern. "If you two drama queens are done with your little spat, we have more important things to discuss than a silly crush….like the charm store….the one Viper set up shop in. Come on people, do I have to do all the thinking around here?"
Stephen let out a deep sigh, still trying to keep himself hidden in his makeshift robes of the bed sheets. "Yeah, Puss N' Boots, you do so much thinking, it makes my brain hurt. But….you have a point, Cyrus. This isn't the time to be fighting each other, we should be fighting Viper and his creep crew. The fighting in the charm store got very violent yesterday, even when the people left the store they were still trying to take things from each other. Its wasn't just the charms, they were trying to take the clothes off of other people in rages, shoes, purses, even hair too. If it isn't Viper, it must be one hell of a sale or by coincidence everyone loses their sanity in that store."
"Sounds like my kind'a store. Free for all brawls." Angela piped up proudly, sitting up so quickly Cyrus went flying into Stephen's chest. The pair hit the floor seconds later, Stephen being the first to gripe.
"You would. Probably not a feminine bone in your whole damn body….you are a living, breathing fight. You probably get off on it."
"I do, thanks for noticing, Snowflake," Angela cooed, blowing him a kiss," So, when do we leave?"
"Turn around and let me get dressed, then we can go. Don't you dare peak or I'll make you eat my fist, ten times over. I don't care if you are a girl, you're a brute and a pain." Stephen chided, but Angela just gave him a hardened look.
"Ooo, I like it when you tease me. I love it rough. Fine, if it'll get us into a fight sooner, I'll turn." Angela said sweetly, turning her back to him, slowly.
Stephen went on grumbling, but kept the sheets around him 'Knight or not, she's weird. I'll dress under my sheets. I don't need her bragging about seeing me in my underwear, everyone will have a field day with the kissy face jokes. My name and hers should never be in the same sentence as "love" or "relationship." Double yuck, I hope Glamour shows up soon, I need Angie to see for herself that I love Glamour.' He thought, digging through his bureau for fresh clothing.
~ Dark Universe ~
- Raven's Grotto -
"Oh, that little bastard is so worthless, why is getting all the prime missions and I get none!?" Raven screamed, kicking at a small, black horned creature sipping from a sickly green pool. It landed with a slushy splash into the murky waters, frantically clawing and screeching towards the rocky shore. Raven herself was standing in the midst of the black grass a ways from it, yanking at her hair in a feverish panic, gritting her teeth so hard they were near the breaking point.
She never expected to hear an answer, or the clink of boots in her own private realm. "Dear Raven, the reason you weren't chosen is because you have a big mouth. I appreciate that factor, in more ways than one, but Lord Specter isn't me. He has….much higher standards for his warriors." Said a cool, so sure voice.
She didn't need to turn around to know who it was, it was a voice she was always anxious to hear in her time of need, but it was also so reasonable and smart even when she was angry that it could be a bane to her.
"Xeno, I did not ask you to interrupt my private time. For my own royal knight, you are excellent to have around in battle…..as well as in my bed, but you are not needed now. Leave me be." She snapped, turning about sharply to give him a cold glare.
She got angrier when she saw him, the smirk on his creamy face, the white hair with purple and blue streaks running through it. He was the Earth equivalent of a cyber-punk, dye in his hair, a painted blue star over one eye and clothes that looked more metallic than like fabric. He wore sharp looking shoulder armor on his left side and metal boots that looked to be taken right out of one of those Earth science-fiction movies.
Xeno was the e eldest of all of Specter's warriors, and was the only one that wasn't royal. His only relation to the entire Dark Universe was with Specter, being Specter's sole cousin. Raven, Viper, and their little sister Kitty were the only royal members who Specter took with him to take on Earth and to locate the Earth princess. There were more Dark Universe royal family members back where they'd been banished, but Specter hadn't thought they would meet with any interference.
"I said leave!" she shouted at him, starting towards him, but he still held his ground, smugly. "Oh, you're sexy when you're raging mad. I can almost see the pulse in your throat beating out of control, feel your need to tear me apart. Its exquisite." He teased, licking his pale lips.
She took a swing at him, but he caught it easily, and blocked a kick with just as much ease before he forced her onto the dark ground. "Its not me you're angry at, it's young Prince Viper, my dark lady. Our lord went for youth instead of power….and brutality. Viper will surely mess up too often and Specter will erase him from our world. You'll get your chance, I trained you well enough to be patient. Why can't you listen to your teacher more often?" he hissed out, still smiling.
She tried fighting back, but he was a lot stronger than her. He was a well-seasoned dark knight of their home universe, one of many skilled warriors, but he was Specter's personal favorite. He was as evil as she was, but he was a very intelligent strategist. He knew more about battles than even Specter would let on. She fully understood that when he began teaching her, before the great war against the Earth Universe came. He continued to teach her, as well as becoming her lover in secret. 'Specter, I bet you found out that we did it and that's why Viper got the missions first. Hmmph, it was worth it. It still is, but that brat's incompetence is making you look weak. Just because I'm sleeping with your knight doesn't mean I can't do the Earth jobs better.' She though, shuddering a bit as Xeno's hand clasped over her thigh.
"Maybe, but feeling me up isn't going to improve my situation. He's messed up too much, Xeno, he's making us look like pansies…like worthless humans. We should rightly own the Earth universe, not those pitiful and weak beings. If I was on those missions, that Moon Knight would be a pile of blood soaked bones by now. I'll make Specter regret looking past me. I'll show them all!" she growled, her tutor and lover still smiling.
"Yes, but all in due time. He won't be around much longer….and your persistence with our lord is gaining you the attention as his successor. Specter hasn't killed the whelp because he's brought in a heavy amount of energy for the Dark Goddess. It may be in small doses, but its energy all the same," he told her, his face mere inches from hers," If you really want to get ahead in the game, you have to prepare more than Viper did. He's not even looking for the princess anymore thanks to Moon Knight and his friend Glamour. You should start searching for her and the Soul Crystal like your little sister is. As conniving as she is, little miss Kitty is getting ahead of the both of you as warriors. You don't want that ball of worthless fluff outdoing the queen of mean, now do you?"
"I'd rather die that see that little tart outdo me. Let me up, Xeno, I have to show Specter who's the best royal bad ass this side of the universe." She huffed, but Xeno was starting to suckle on her throat.
"No….give me a half an hour. I'm starved for a taste of you, darkling. I want to feel the chill of your wicked skin before you devote all your time….to other things. Then I will aid you in your search." He said softly, taking her mouth in a deep, hot kiss as he undressed her. She allowed it, undressing him in turn.
'Yes, then onto victory.' She mused, the chill of their bodies meeting on the black grove.
~ Cherry Blossom's Charms ~
(Sakura's Charms in Japanime)
"Get off of my arm, Angie. It's starting to turn purple." Stephen griped, trying to shove the young woman away. She held on tightly, dragging him along as if he was stubborn child. People were staring at them, mostly men, and laughed as they passed by. Stephen got angrier every time it happened, wanting so much to lash out, but Angie didn't stop for a minute. He felt like a trophy being displayed by an egomaniac.
'Huge maniac….I can't believe this. It'll be all over school soon that the maniac is in love with me. God, I'll be labeled as her whipping boy. Why is this happening to me. I'd sooner call Viper out for a fist fight than lay my lips on Angela Furosuto.' His mind screamed.
He felt a sharp tug on his arm suddenly, a rush of air whipping across his face and tons of screaming filtered into his ears. He found that they were already in the store, waves of people plastered on the glass counters and pulling and pushing at each other in the aisles. He was about to say something to Angie when the door burst open behind him and sent him crashing into the carpeted floor. He wrapped his arms around his head feeling sneakers and heels bite at his skin. Stephen got to his feet quickly, adjusting the brown wig he'd bought.
With a heavy sigh, he looked back to where Angie had been standing, groaning when he realized she was no longer there. "Back off, you tacky bimbo! I don't want your stupid brooch! Let go of my hair!" Angie's voice suddenly rang out.
Stephen looked towards it to view Angie and a frail looking blonde having a cat fight, pulling at each others' hair and slapping at each other whenever they got a free shot.
"Well, at least she's out of my hair. Now its time to play 'Find that snake.' I wonder if Viper is stupid enough to be at the counter again?" he whispered to himself, walking past the fights as best her could, having to block a few punches along the way.
When he reached the counter, he found a very lovely female grinning at the fighting customers as if it was amusing. 'Must be either a primal lunatic like Angie or a Dark Universe witch. Wonder what she's hiding under her skin?' he thought.
Stephen took a deep breath before approaching the woman, who barely looked at him as he did. She didn't even seem to notice he was talking to her when he reached the counter. "Ma'am, I have a complaint."
She nodded vaguely, licking her ruby lips as more fights erupted. Stephen heard the cracking of bones sound behind him. Suddenly, a man's beaten form slammed up against the counter inches from where Stephen was standing. He looked like a royal mess, complete with broken teeth and black eyes. "Ma'am, I have a complaint….and I think this guy needs a doctor." Stephen said, louder this time.
The woman finally looked up at him, shaking her red hair in a sultry manner, batting her unnatural red eyes at him. "It happens a lot. Our products are so rare, yet so in and affordable, hey, they have to fight just to get a bargain. But a complaint, that's a first here. What's your problem, sweet thing?" she drawled out, her southern accent very apparent.
"Not from around here, are you? Never mind that, my complaint is more of a legal matter. I left my wallet here, I bought a charm here for my….mother. I'd really like to see if you might have found it when you cleaned up last night….I uh, need more money to buy my mother more charms. She just adores them….its almost an obsession for her. Please, I'm desperate, I'd go through anything for my mother's happiness. No sacrifice is too great for her." He spouted, trying to sound a little more frantic. He assumed she would think he was trying to pull one over on her if he was too calm about things, he had to act a bit like the others in order to get past the counter.
She smiled and patted his head, using her other hand to take his and pull him around the counter. As she did so, he saw the fuchsia spandex tank top and hot pants better, though he wished he hadn't. She was beautiful, drop dead gorgeous in fact, but he knew she wasn't what she appeared to be. Her appearance was terribly distracting, which made it harder to concentrate on the mission at hand.
'Think about Onyx and Greese, the ugly sisters. This witch is probably the same thing underneath, hideous and evil. Think hideous and evil…..hideous and evil.' He thought hard, cringing at her strangely warm fingers, deftly pretending to fix his wig as if it were his actual hair.
"Oh trust me, young man, we here at Cherry Blossom's Charms believe highly in great sacrifices. Your mother will be getting more than she ever bargained for in our fine charms, as will you." She smiled, an uncomfortable twisting starting in Stephen's stomach.
"I hope so." He said, giving her a fake smile.
Stephen followed her to a door a few feet away behind the counter, watching her anxiously with every step they took. The room the door opened to was dimly lit room, the walls lined with boxes marked in strange writing, and some open while others weren't, and a lone table and chair sat in the very center of it all. The table and chair were jet-black, shimmering eerily in the pale light, with a small crystal ball balanced on the table.
Stephen found himself staring at it, his bright eyes growing wider with every second that passed. He was vaguely aware that the woman had let go of his hand, that she was standing a ways behind him with a smug grin on her face.
He didn't do anything until he heard a loud slam echo though his body, whipping head around to find that he was alone in the room, shut it. He raced to the door and frantically tried to turn the knob, but it fell off in his hands and the hole it had occupied filled up.
"Hey!" he shouted, banging his fists on the door," Let me out, lady! What kind of a joke is this!?"
"No joke, honey pot, you're in the lost and found section," the woman's voice whispered on through the door," You lose something, we find you so you can get lost with it to benefit us. Sweet nightmares, honey."
"NO!" he shouted, freezing as the dim light became a bright purple. He looked back over his shoulder, gasping as he saw that the crystal ball was floating above the table, dark light snaking out of it towards him, crackling with purple charges.
"This isn't good….," he uttered, leaping out of the way into some of the boxes as the energy shot at him. It didn't follow him, seeping like ghost snakes through the door.
"The people! She's going to steal their energy!….Angie's out there! Dammit!" he swore, getting up as fast as he could, clenching his sword pendent tight in his hand," Moon Sword! Transform!"
~ Five Minutes Earlier ~
Angela Furosuto loved to shop with her mother as much as she did when she was a child, though their tastes varied. Her mother loved to shop for dresses and shoes while Angela preferred buying workout attire and health food and herbs, whatever was the latest in keeping oneself trim and tough. Only natural things went into her body. She detested candy, something her parents delighted in, and wouldn't dare touch a soda pop of any kind.
Jewelry wasn't really Angela's thing either, thought she bought earrings and rings on occasion, but being in the Cherry Blossom's Charms store was unlike any trinket store she'd ever been in.
Right now, she was fighting a trio of girls she knew from school. She did 't know them very well, but she enough from seeing them walking about in school together to know that they were good friends and didn't have a wicked bone in their bodies. Still, they had given her quite a fight over some amethyst charm necklaces that a fat woman stole from them and lost to Angela. She had only wanted to give it back to them, but they were enraged to see her with what they wanted. Not only that, they were in jealous rages about the way she looked, who she was, and about everything else they could think of to be jealous about.
"You think you're so hot cause you feel you're stronger and prettier than me? Hah, we are much more enchanting than a brute bitch like you, Angela." The brunette laughed, her face thin with rage, eyes wide with hate. Her blonde friend with braids shoved and slapped her hard, the blonde's face equally hateful. "You? What about me, you whore? I'm much foxier and better than everyone in this whole damn store. I deserve that gorgeous necklace. It was mean for such a queen-like person, so that's gotta be me!"
The other brunette with a very long ponytail butted in at the end of the blonde's speech, baring her ruby-red press-on nails at all of them. "Heh, if you mean drag queen, you were meant for it all right, but it was meant for a girl with goddess qualities, that's me. You stupid tarts wouldn't know real beauty if it bit you on your fat asses."
Angela watched in disbelief as the trio of girls started to beat each other up, their small fists crashing into one another and their noses splashing out blood with each hit. The young woman just dropped the necklace in disgust, unable to understand what the big deal was about the silly trinket.
"That stupid thing isn't worth that. God, what a bunch of whackos. Maybe 'ole Snowflake and the pussycat were onto something about this place." She said, trying to make her way towards the counter, the last place she saw Stephen standing.
As she got closer, she saw a faint outline of blackness snaking its way across the ceiling, loud thuds vibrating to her ears as it got closer to where she stood. She saw why as men and women started fainting all around her, the black tendrils littering with what looking like purple lightening shooting into them. Each person struck by the tendrils choked for a moment, their arms frozen in pain for a few seconds before they fell to the floor.
Angela quickly ducked behind one of the display cases to watch and wait, feeling a sick tug on her heart as the last of the poor people fell lifelessly to the floor. There was one person left standing, a woman in a tacky fuchsia outfit, her blood-red hair almost dripping down her shoulders. "Oh, Prince Viper will be so pleased. Mmmm, the delicious suffering, so sweet. Oh, give me all your energy, meat sacks, give me your lives for the dark goddess. Sacrifice yourselves for the Dark Universe! Ah hah hahh hah hahh haaaaa!" the woman cackled.
Angela clenched her right hand down tight, looking at her ring as it glowed with her fury. 'I'll give you some energy you won't believe, lady. Straight up your tasteless butt!' her mind screamed.
An explosion cut her thoughts off, her eyes shifting back to the evil woman, who was now crouched on the people-littered floor. The Moon Knight had taken her place on the counter, his brilliant sword held firmly in his armored hands. "Dark Universe bitch, how dare you harm these people for your damn twisted goddess. Time to meet you maker the hard way. Hyaa!" Moon Knight shouted, leaping at the evil woman swiftly. Sadly, she was prepared for his attack and used her feet to catapult him out the store window.
"Sorry, Moon Knight, but I don't think you know who you're dealing with! Prepare to die!" she shouted, jumping out after him.
Angela watched her go for a few more seconds before raising her ring to the ceiling. "Mercury Ice! Transform! Arghh!" she groaned, a haze of light surrounding her body.
~
Moon Knight pulled himself off the pavement, taking the time to sigh in relief for the fact that no one was on the streets. He was almost thankful he'd slept half the day away and let Angie take the long way to the store, wasting most of the remaining daylight they had left. The night sky had welcomed him, along with a few dozen shards of sharp, broken glass as the dark Universe flunky had tossed him through the large glass window.
He heard the crunch of glass erupt behind him, so he wasted no time in rolling away from it and facing it as he was sure he'd gone far enough. He blinked at the woman, unable to take his eyes off her until she opened her mouth. She looked like cross between a diamond statue and Onyx, her mouth much larger than her head and filled with long, needle-like teeth. She snapped at him as she spoke, the shrieking sounds of her teeth rubbing against one another driving his hearing crazy.
"So, you're the pretty boy Moon Knight that has been plaguing our master. Viper is not too pleased with you, so I'm not pleased with you. Now you face me, to the death. Now you face Needles!" she spat, raising her claw-like fingers up and seemed to throw them right at him.
His eyes widened as a hail of crystal shards shot at him, all looking as sharp as Needles' teeth. He swung his sword at them, trying to block all that he could, but a few got past him and crashed painfully into his arm, knocking him on his back from the great force.
"What a wimp! Time to die, little man!" Needles cackled, leaping over Moon Knight as she raised her arms up against and threw a new barrage of shards at his head. Before they could touch him, a chilled mist littered with ice shards ripped through the crystals, shattering them on impact.
"What!? Who did that?" Needles swore, landing neatly at Moon Knight's feet, turning her head towards the attack.
Moon Knight scrambled away from her as she did so, smiling a little when he heard a familiar voice ring out proudly.
"I am Lady Mercury, metal head! And that's my man you're messing with. Not only that, you just knocked out a whole bunch of good people for your dirty goddess. You are getting a major ass-whooping!" Lady Mercury shouted, her diamond sword held high as she struck a gallant pose.
Moon Knight backed away a bit as Mercury and Needles got in their standoff, Mercury acting terribly haughty with each passing moment.
"In the name of my planet of Mercury, I'm going to send you and your spiky rear end crackling down the frozen gates of my hell. Prepare to be cold cocked by the mighty Lady of Merc…."she was saying, just as Needles let out a terrible wail and charged her with her claws extended.
She took a quick leap into the air to tackle Mercury with her razor sharp grip, her mouth open wide, the needle-like teeth screaming for Mercury's blood. "Lady Mercury, get out of the way!! Mercury!!" Moon Knight shouted, rushing towards them to stop the attack.
Needles fell down in a crumbled heap as several crystal shards rammed into her back, breaking the surface with sickening cracks. She was bleeding out some green goo from the wounds, shatter marks extending from each one.
"Next time Lady Mercury, make your speeches short and stick to fighting. The Dark Universe won't wait for you to finish your drivel to attack. This isn't a comic book, you know." Said a honeyed voice.
Moon Knight smiled towards Lady Glamour, her lovely and virtuous presence very welcome to him after being deprived of her in his sights for weeks. "Lady Glamour! Thanks, you're right. Time to toast this loser, my way," Moon Knight replied, raising his sword towards the gasping crystal monster, "Celestial Beam! Eradicate her!"
The beam of light shot forth from his sword and infected Needles, as it had the other Dark Universe creatures before her, the light of Moon Knight's attack shining rapidly through her near-transparent body.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!! VIPER! FORGIVE ME! AHHHHHHH!!!!!" Needles screamed, as her body vaporized into nothingness before the trios' eyes.
When the streets were silent, Mercury let out a feral cheer, raising her armored fists to the sky. "All right, Moon Knight! What a man! Yo….huh?" Mercury began, looking over at Moon Knight appreciatively, but her face fell as she did.
Moon Knight was looking at the woman with black hair and the fancy mask, the one he called Lady Glamour. She'd thought this woman to be a myth since she'd never seen her once. She was surprisingly beautiful and shapely, and she had Stephen's full attention. He was even reaching for her, a smile on his delicate features.
"Thank you so much, Lady Glamour. You don't know what your presence means to me. I'm very happy to see you….its been so long since we've fought side by side. Where have you been?" he said, his tone bright and happy.
'He never speaks to me like that. Hmmph, she dresses like a tart anyway. She's no good for him.' Mercury thought, a sneer forming on her lips.
Glamour was about to say something when she suddenly put both hands on her head, moaning in pain. Moon Knight was still reaching for her, but the smile was gone, his lips pursed nervously. "Lady Glamour, are you all right? What's wrong?"
He asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Nothing, I must go now. Please Moon Knight, heed my words. Find the other knights and stop the Dark Universe, stop them from getting the Soul Crystal….and save the royalty. We're….oh….their only hope." She moaned out, leaping high into the air, highly than Mercury imagined a normal human could. She disappeared over a building, too high up for even her footfalls to be heard.
"I hope she's all right." Moon Knight mumbled, staring up at where the mystery woman had vanished. Mercury shook her head, hearing moans erupt from behind her. She turned her head back towards the store, the people who had passed out earlier were getting up, rubbing their faces in confusion. They were mumbling out their confusions quietly, looking around the wrecked store. The once lavish store was nothing but an abandoned shop, the display cases nothing but concrete blocks stacked on top of each other and the charms were now dust.
"Never mind her, we have to go. Our work is done here….we have to get to finding more knights and stuff like the bimbo said….and the jewel and royal types she was talking about." Mercury chided, getting a vicious snarl from Moon Knight.
"You're lucky you're a human woman or I'd deck you for that comment. Still, you're right, this is all done with and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. The royalty, yes, we have to find them and the Soul Crystal before those Dark Universe geeks do. There's no telling how many people they'll hurt with it….or what they'll do to the royalty if they beat us. We have to go on fighting….then, retire. That'll be a happy day." Moon Knight uttered, running down the street, Mercury trailing swiftly at his heels.
~ Mansion in the Forest ~
-The Dark Abode of Prince Viper-
"NO!" Viper shouted, slamming his fists into his dining table, snapping the poor piece of wood and metal in half.
"I can't fathom it! Needles was the best warrior I had ever had the pleasure of knowing and that little do-gooder Moon Knight and his new friend beat her. And that Glamour witch, how dare she attack my warriors!! HOW DARE THEY INTERFERE!!" he screamed, smashing the halves of the table to pieces as his rage worsened. He stopped after a few minutes, raising his head in surprise as he felt a dark force enter his home, one he despised.
"Raven! My big, slutty sister. How miserable that you showed up. Get out before I throw you out!" he yelled, not even bothering to look at his sister who floated only a few feet away from him. She was grinning like lunatic, her sultry expression taking great pleasure in his suffering.
"Not before I deliver a message to you, little brother. From Lord Specter." She cooed, to which he finally whipped around to face her.
"L….Lord Specter? What? What message does he have?" he asked, keeping his voice tight.
"Oh, it was short, little brother, and sweet. He says shape up….or die. As in he's going to tear you apart if you don't start giving the goddess what she wants. I'd stop fooling around so much, little prince, or you'll look even more foolish than you do now. Ta-ta, loser." She laughed, vanishing before his eyes.
"A fool am I," he said through clenched teeth, raising his fist at where his sister had been," I'll show you who's the fool, big sister, and you'll be kissing my ass in apology for ever doubting my power! You'll never win! NEVER!"