Welcome back everyone! Here we are again with the third chapter to this special story of Avengers of the Multiverse! I'm glad the previous chapter was so well-received, especially with the return of a newly reformed Breach, you can expect an explanation for how she turned over a new leaf in this chapter. But also, we may have a glimpse as to what is the source of this mystical crisis the Avengers and their friends are facing.
Without further delay, let's begin.
Note: I am planning to have a picture of the new and improved Breach uploaded to DeviantArt soon, but it's not yet ready. You'll just have to be patient.
Part 3
In an unknown location, five mystically transparent images were shown around a large chamber, each one revealing the battles the Avengers and their allies waged against the Elemental Monsters, as well as their outcomes. Those watching included a group of five consisting of a large female humanoid snake, a ghost-like specter with a body made of a starry night, a blonde man in a dark blue suit with a black cape, another man with pale skin and a skull-like tattoo over his face clad in a dark red hood with a staff that had a bird-like skull on top of it, and finally a giant humanoid turtle with pale green skin and a flaming purple skull for a head.
"Well gentlemen, and lady, it would appear our test was a rousing success!" Eli Pandarus stated as if he were presenting a successful business investment.
"The Avengers and their allies continue to live, without a single casualty among them." Rani Nagi hissed. "I would hardly call that a success."
"But our creation has worked perfectly." Nocturne countered, the Ghost of Sleep, hovering toward a large black stone totem that had the carvings of skulls on it, stacked in a set of six. In each of the six stone skull carvings, within the open mouths, hovered a jellyfish like creature with transparent blue skin covering purple and pink insides.
"These Cassiopeian Dream Eaters that Albedo provided have proven to be very useful." Nocturne continued. "I am able to use my own powers through them to harvest the energy from the minds of all those people across three dimensions."
"A feat that can only be accomplished by our combined magical skills." Addwaitya said, walking over to caress his hand down the totem. "Our Nightmare's Totem. The darkest of magics from multiple worlds, creating something that even surpasses the Sorcerer's Engine in potential. Wouldn't you agree, Hex?"
As Addwaitya looked mockingly toward the old wizard, he merely grunted with a glare in the humanoid turtle's direction. "Yes."
"All the potential is meaningless if it cannot do what it is intended for!" Rani Nagi stated.
"That is why we tested it." Pandarus said. "And I'd say it passed with flying colors. But of course, the final verdict lies on our 'board of directors'." He and the others glanced upward to a floating crystal ball.
Another crystal ball appeared hovering near the ceiling of the chamber where each member of the Cabal sat, having seen the work of the Nightmare's Totem, as well as the Elemental Monsters' battles against the Avengers.
"Yes, it was quite effective, certainly." General Modula said with a simple nod.
"The Nightmare's Totem is only one half of our goal. We've only just finished Phase 1, so it is far too early to celebrate." The Dark Dragon said.
"True, but still the process did have the desired result." Vlad Masters pointed out. "We harvested the energy from the people's minds and were able to use it with such grandeur."
"Seems more akin to a blunt instrument." Van Kleiss countered.
"Which was why Phase 1 was only the testing stage." Drakken said. "Once we move on to Phase 2, we can work to be a bit more… precise in how we control this energy."
"Due to our meddling however, the power is merging back together at a faster rate than normal." Vilgax put in. "We cannot allow it to reconstitute itself before we are ready!"
"Of course, that is not our only concern." V.V. Argost said. "An old ally has come to the Avengers' aid…" He cast a glance toward Van Kleiss. "Perhaps you should have followed my example in eliminating loose ends, my dear Van Kleiss."
Van Kleiss narrowed his eyes, but still spoke in a composed tone. "Breach's sudden re-appearance is unexpected, yes. But it is not something we should be overly concerned about."
"Is that right?" The Dark Dragon growled. "A being capable of passing through dimensions on a whim can cause us a great deal of trouble; not just with our current plan, but our entire operation!"
"Why did you not eliminate her the moment she was free from your control?!" Vilgax also questioned.
Van Kleiss took a moment to collect himself to avoid lashing out. "I'm sure that many of you know by now, some things remain outside our control. I was unable to eliminate Breach before because my forces were defeated, and I was cornered. But rest assured gentlemen, the next time I see Breach, I will not be so lenient."
"What are the chances she can help the Avengers get a step ahead of us with her powers?" Drakken questioned.
"I'd say very little." Vlad assumed. "It's not as if she knows what our intent is."
"True. However, Breach's abilities do present a problem for us." Modula said, stroking his beard. "Perhaps we should accelerate our plans. Now that the Avengers have regrouped, they will find a way to track us… or rather track those who attacked them with the beasts. Perhaps while our agents deal with them, we'll personally execute Phase 3 simultaneously with Phase 2."
"Ah yes. With the Avengers distracted, and our own personal strengths combined, we can easily acquire the final piece we need." V.V. Argost sneered. "Provided our other creation is ready."
"Chang and the others have already ensured it is completed." The Dark Dragon said. "All we need do is locate the realm upon which it is meant to be used."
"We mustn't act too brashly." Vilgax advised. "If our plans fail, and the energy reconstitute itself outside our control… we will unleash a terror beyond even our control upon the whole Multiverse; risking not it's conquest, but it's destruction!"
"This is worth the risk." Modula said as he stood up first, followed by the rest of his comrades. "Where Sym-Bionic Goliath failed, this will succeed." He glanced up to the hovering crystal ball. "Rani Nagi, Nocturne, Pandarus, Addwaitya, Hex, begin Phase 2 immediately. We will execute Phase 3.
"Consider it done, masters." Rani Nagi replied from the other end.
Earth SBT- Avengers Mansion
A group that consisted of Zak, Gwen, Max, Octus, Drew, Lao-Shi, and Fu Dog stood in the large laboratory chamber, all around a cylinder-like device that emerged from the floor and emitted an energy field that kept the severed stone hand of the Earth Monster hovering in place.
"It was fortunate you were able to acquire a sample of one of these creatures." Octus said to Gwen specifically. "My team and I were unable to acquire a one from the Fire Monster we fought, and it seems the others didn't have as much luck."
"Yeah, you can't exactly grab air." Fu Dog pointed out.
"It's still better than nothing, now we can learn more about what we're dealing with." Zak said.
"No offense, but why exactly are you here?" Max asked Octus. "Robots aren't exactly magic experts."
"No offense taken." Octus replied. "And while I may not understand everything about magic, it is still a form of energy. And perhaps by studying that energy, I'll be able to better understand and prepare for any future occurrences."
"Good idea." Drew nodded.
"Yes, quite wise." Lao-Shi also nodded.
"So, let's get started." Gwen extended her hand, along with Max, channeling their respective magics; Gwen's hand emanating her pink aura while Max's glowed white with sparkles around it. The stone hand hovering in the center began to glow with a mix of the auras as it was broken apart into smaller fragments.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Zak asked.
"Some sort of residual trace of the magic used to animate this." Gwen answered. "Everyone who uses magic has their own unique wavelength, and there's always some trace of it left over even after the spell's completed. Kinda like a fingerprint on a crime scene."
"And if it follows the same principle…" Octus followed along.
"We'll be able to use it to not only ID our bad guys, but even track them down." Max finished.
"Elemental magic is pretty basic stuff." Fu Dog explained. "But given how big our little 'hurricane' was, it's gotta take some powerful mojo to bring that to life."
"And four similar monsters were created at the same time across several dimensions." Lao-Shi added. "The concept is basic, but the vast amount of magical energy gathered would be well beyond any single person's capability."
"Which means there's definitely more than one person involved." Drew said.
"The Cabal." Zak said with narrowed eyes.
"However, only two heads of the Cabal utilize magical abilities." Octus put in. "Argost via the Anti-Kur, and the Dark Dragon, but I do not think they have the type of magic used to bring this together."
"They don't." Max shook his head. "Tall, dark, and scaly may got power, but he's not the sorcerer type."
"Neither is Argost." Zak added. "Probably somebody else they brought on."
As Gwen and Max continued to work, looking for whatever residual magic they could find, the later decided to strike up a conversation. "You're good, red." He commented toward Gwen. "You've got plenty of power, and the brains on how to use it. You'd be surprised how rare it is for someone to have both."
"Years of practice." Gwen said with some pride in her voice.
"Ben said you got alien powers. How do aliens and magic mix, exactly?" Zak asked.
"Our grandmother is an Anodite, a race of beings that can manipulate all forms of energy, including mana." Gwen answered. "And since magic is just another form of energy, it's pretty easy for them to master, at least compared to everyone else."
"Now that's interesting." Drew mused, sounding rather intrigued. "I think I'd like to meet your grandmother."
Gwen chuckled slightly. "She's one of a kind, that's for sure."
"I'd personally like to meet these Anodite guys, I'm sure they know how to have a good time with all that energy manipulation." Max said with a grin.
"I wouldn't mind an encounter myself." Octus also said. "It would be quite informational."
"Do other members of your family possess this ability?" Lao-Shi asked out of curiosity.
"Aside from me, only my cousin Sunny." Gwen replied. "With Anodite and human genes mixed you gotta have 'the spark' or whatever Grandma called it. Sunny and I were just the lucky ones."
"Magic aliens… and here I thought I'd seen everything." Fu Dog commented, causing Zak to pat his head with a chuckle.
"We're dealing with the multiverse now, Fu. Pretty much anything is possible at this point." He spoke.
"Hang on, I think we got something." Gwen said as she and Max focused their powers on a specific piece of stone, causing the combined aura to vanish around the rest of the stone fragments. As they brought out that single stone piece, they were able to pull out a strand of black and flowing energy. One look at it and they could tell that it was bad news.
"Oh yeah, that's pretty dark stuff alright." Max commented.
"Is there a way to identify it?" Lao-Shi questioned.
"This stuff is like several different magics mashed up together; almost like it was all in a blender." Max replied in partial annoyance. "It's gonna be a hassle to try and pick this stuff apart."
"Perhaps I can help." Octus volunteered. "As I've said, magic is energy; and while I don't have full grasp over the understanding of magic, I am capable of identifying different forms of energy. I should be able to help in isolating and separating the different residual traces."
Both Max and Gwen looked rather impressed. "I think we can work with that."
"Alright, let the magic-forensics begin!" Max smirked as he twirled his cane in his free hand.
At the same time, Lance had shown Kevin, Tucker, and Doc to the hangar where he had opened the hood and other similar compartments for the Avengers' Quinjet to show its insides; and it seemed like they were more than a little impressed.
"Anti-gravity boosters… aerodynamic chassis… proton energy blasters… this stuff could give Plumber tech a run for its money!" Kevin stated with a grin.
"Galalunian technology, retrofitted with Earth materials." Lance said. "You'd be surprised how more advanced tech can be if Earth stuff is thrown into the mix."
"As someone who retrofits his own car with alien tech, I know exactly what you mean!" Kevin told him.
"I guess these anti-gravity boosters help you to breach the atmosphere, but how do you prevent this stuff from getting frozen over?" Doc asked as he ran his hand over the Quinjet's surface. "What kind of material is this made from?"
"A titanium-Galatruinian alloy, the latter is only found on our planet." Lance explained. "It's what helps keeps our armor from freezing in zero atmosphere."
"Fascinating." Doc smirked.
"'Fascinating?' Dude, this is like science geek heaven! I think I've fallen in love with alien tech!" Tucker said as he marveled over the Quinjet as a whole. "Think I can take her for a spin?"
"No." Lance said immediately, causing Tucker to sulk. "But… if the others say it's alright, I could have you take some notes to try and improve whatever kind of tech you got."
That caused Tucker to perk up. "I can get behind that."
"So you've helped to design retrofit this?" Doc asked Lance in particular.
"G3 built it, but I have the schematics to repair it or even add some upgrades." Lance replied before a proud smirk formed on his face. "But it doesn't quite compare to building something yourself, like a car."
"Whoa, whoa, back up. You a built a car?" Kevin asked in surprise.
"From scratch." Lance said proudly. "Well, technically Octus and I got an old and damaged car from a junk yard, but we were able to fix it up. Earth tech might be primitive compared to Galalunian, but it's still fun to drive."
Kevin put his arm around Lance's shoulder in buddy-buddy fashion. "Dude, you are so helping me with my ride. Wait till you see all the stuff I got on that."
"Mind if I tag along?" Tucker offered. "I may not have the body of a mechanic, but I got the brains of any cyber-tech nerd, and the imagination of gamer."
"Can't go wrong with that." Kevin shrugged.
As the three seemed to get along quite well, Doc couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. 'Kids. I remember when I would geek out at fixing up my dad's car too. You got some good friends here, Zak.'
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the mansion, Zed looked towards Rufus, who stood on the shoulder of Fiskerton curiously. "Hello." Rufus waved to the alien dog, who leaned in close to sniff Rufus, causing the naked mole rat to giggle as her breath seemed to tickle him.
Fiskerton then kneeled to Zed's level, she backed away slightly, but he offered his hand for her to sniff, which she did before Fiskerton scratched her behind the back of her head, causing the alien dog to pant happily.
"Good dog." Fisk smiled as he continued to pet her, with Rufus adding to the attention as he crawled from Fisk's arm toward Zed and scratched her underneath her chin.
Komodo however walked up to Zed's side, causing her to look his way before he gave a slight hiss in her direction, which she retorted with a growl of her own. Fiskerton and Zon both moved in to break up any possible hostilities as Fisk shook his finger at Komodo with disapproval while Zon cawed toward Zed, who walked around to sniff her before looking into her eyes, the two simply staring at each other while Rufus leapt to the floor and scurried up Zon's leg and body, toward her head to get Zon's attention.
"Play nice with doggy." Rufus told her, which led to Zon giving a slight purr before lowering herself toward Zed's level, easing any tensions as Zed's own guard lowered as well.
At the same time, the group consisting of Danny, Kim, Rex, Ben, Ron, Sam, Dannielle, and Illana all sat around the lounge across from their newest guest as she helped herself to some tea that the princess gave her.
"Thank you for the tea." She said to Illana.
"You're welcome, nice to have you back." The princess told her with a friendly smile.
"Gotta be honest, Breach. I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Rex said. "Not that I'm complaining but…"
"With my head such a mess you'd thought it take a few years to regain any sense of sanity?" Breach asked in a somewhat joking tone.
"Kinda…" Rex said with a slight wince and a shrug.
To his surprise, she actually laughed. "I don't blame you. My mind was a major den of scorpions."
"Was she really that bad?" Sam asked Danny.
"I didn't know her personally, but according to Rex she did have some… issues." Danny tried to explain it as best as she could. "In fact, this was her." He took out his phone to show Sam and Dani images and video recordings of Breach in her former appearance.
The two took a moment to look at what Danny showed them and how she was now. "You sure this is the same girl? They look like totally different people." Dani pointed out.
"Yeah, I gotta admit, you really cleaned up nice." Ben commented with a smile.
"So where have you been these past few months?" Illana asked.
Breach took a sip of her tea before answering. "It may have been a few months for you, but for me… it was about five years since I last saw any of you."
That took them all by surprise. "Five years? Five years?!" Ron exclaimed. "Oh no… don't tell me we time traveled!"
"Pretty sure we didn't, Ron." Kim told her boyfriend before looking toward Breach with a still perplexed expression. "But seriously… how is that even possible?"
"Well after I left you guys…" Breach began to explain. "I just retreated to some empty pocket dimension, I don't really know which one, I just… wanted some peace and quiet to… think about some things. Not sure how long I was there, maybe a couple hours or even a day before… I ran into someone."
"Who?" Ben asked.
"You're old friend, Professor Paradox." She answered, taking Ben especially by surprise.
"Wait… Paradox? That time traveling scientist guy you told us about?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, helped me and my friends out many times." Ben answered before looking to Breach again. "Didn't expect him to show up and help you… but then again, it does sound like him."
"At first, I didn't quite trust him." She continued. "But after he showed me what he could do… someone who can walk through different dimensions, powers much like mine… I guess I just felt a connection. He offered me his help in putting my broken mind back together… saying it wouldn't be any trouble for someone who… literally has all the time in the world. So, I decided 'what the heck' and just went with it. He took me all across all the multiverse, showing me all kinds of things, I never expected… he taught so much…" A warm smile formed on her face. "He even showed me my past… before I changed. Helped me to remember who I was."
"And who were you, exactly?" Kim asked. "According to Rex, nobody in your world ever knew your past."
"That may have been partially my fault." Breach continued, turning back to Rex. "You remember Greenville, Ohio?"
Rex shivered slightly. "Kinda wish I could forget that."
"Sorry about that." Breach apologized before getting back on track. "Well, that was my home. I grew up there." That got Rex's attention as he and everyone else continued to listen. "In fact, that school you were in was the school I attended. Almost right after the Nanite Event, I went EVO. I couldn't control my powers at all, I brought in things that weren't meant to be, accidentally sent things and people to… different places. As you can imagine, most people didn't take a liking to it so… I whipped up a portal and ran away. During that time, I found myself traveling through so many different places. So many dimensions and worlds that would drive people mad. I was lost with my powers, unable to control where I wound up. I had been popping in and out of dimensions for a couple years. And by some freak accident, or some twisted sense of fate, when one portal I opened sent me back to Earth, I end up at Abysus, and you can guess what happened next."
"Van Kleiss." Rex said slight growl as the rest of the Avengers narrowed their own eyes as well.
"Yep." Breach confirmed. "He was real interested in my power. It's the reason he took me in, told me I was special, even more so than other EVOs. He called my power a blessing, not a curse. Said I was better than all those people who scolded me. He said I could stay with him, and do whatever I wanted, so long as I did what he said. And between that, and living in a world that hated me, seemed like my only option. He taught me how to control my power."
"But let me guess, that was all he helped you with, right?" Sam guessed, getting an idea of where this was going.
"That's right." Breach confirmed. "But I thought my lack of control was the problem, and once he showed me how to control my portals, I thought I could… go back home, and show them the good I could do with it."
"Is that why you took Greenville into your own personal pocket dimension?" Rex asked.
"It was still my hometown." She continued. "I figured with my control over my powers, I thought I could bring all the people to a safe place where there weren't any EVOs. I could bring them food and other stuff that they would run out of." Her body shook slightly, recalling some painful memories. "But… they didn't like it. They still called me a freak, a monster, even my own parents… add that with what Van Kleiss told me about normal people being lesser than us… I thought what was wrong were the people themselves. So, I sent them back, but the kept the town itself. It was silent, nobody yelling or screaming at me… and I could do what I want with it, bring what I want and keep it there… it made me feel safe… even with everything that I did… and how broken my mind got each day I worked with Van Kleiss."
All the present Avengers, as well as Sam and Dani, looked toward Breach with sympathy. "Breach… I'm so sorry." Rex told her.
"We all are." Illana said as she moved in to give the four-armed woman a hug.
"Thank you…" She said to all of them.
"Hey, for what it's worth, I kinda know what it's like." Dani walked up toward Breach and sat down next to her. "To be used by someone who says they know what's best for you… who say they care about you… but they don't. To them, you're just a means to an end, one they wouldn't hesitate to throw away if it means getting what they want."
Danny and Sam exchanged eye-contact, knowing what Dani was talking about, and whom she was referring to.
"But now I'm with people who do care about me." Dani smiled as she looked up toward Breach. "I have friends and I'm part of a family who love me… and I'm sure you can do that to, I mean kinda sounds like you have friends already, and I could be a friend if you want." That caused Breach to smile. "And if that Van Kleiss looser tries to mess with you again, just let me know. I'll make him eat his own teeth."
"You might get your chance sooner than you think, little sis." Danny said. "If the Cabal's really behind this, it won't just be his teeth we're kicking in."
"Yeah, we got a bunch of bad guys we're gonna bring down." Kim added. "And we need all the help we can get."
"And that's why I'm here." Breach stood up. "Paradox told me that you would be facing a pretty serious crisis, and you would need my help."
"And let me guess… he knew what it was but he won't give any explanation or hints on how to beat it, right?" Ben assumed with a knowing expression.
"Yeah, and he figured you'd say that too. And he also told me to say this in response…" She put on her best impression of Paradox. "'If I have to help you with every universe or multiverse ending crisis, how will you learn and grow on your own'?"
That earned a chuckle from Ben. "Yep, that's something he'd say alright."
"That sure sounds familiar." Sam smirked, looking toward Danny as they both remembered another time-user who would also speak in riddles and never give any straight answers for the sake of the time-space continuum.
"Well, we're glad you're here Breach." Kim told her. "And we're glad you were able to get yourself the help you need."
"Yeah, we got some portal action on our side now!" Ron stood up with an eager smirk. "You can just send all the bad guys into the bad place with fire and brimstone, and we don't have to worry about them anymore. Booyah, baby!"
"Oh, by the way, how were you able to bring everyone here?" Ben asked Breach. "I thought the most you could do was just pocket dimensions, and even had trouble with time-travel. How could you cross between whole universes?"
"With this." Breach gestured to her choker with the emblem of the bird on it, taping the top of it to open and reveal a tiny clock inside. "It's a modified Chrono Navigator that Paradox made for me to work in conjunction with my powers. I can use it to access all sorts of dimensions and even entire universes."
"Really? That's amazing!" Illana grinned.
"But unlike with him, I can't travel through time." Breach added. "Yeah… one time-traveling experience was enough for me."
"I hear ya." Danny told her. "Don't even get me started with that." Everyone in the group shared a laugh.
"Glad to see you guys having fun."
They looked towards the entrance of the lounge where Gwen, Zak, Jake, Octus, Max, Drew, Lao-Shi, and Fu Dog came in, all followed by Lance, Kevin, Tucker, and Doc; with Rufus, Fiskerton, Zon, Komodo, and Zed right behind them.
"Did you guys find anything?" Kim asked.
"We did." Gwen nodded as she held a single stone in her hand. "We were able to identify the spell used to animate those elemental monsters and find out who casted it."
"Turns out, we got at least four different spell casters here." Max added. "Two of them are pals of yours…" He pointed toward Ben. "Some guy named Hex and a turtle-alien called Addwaitya. We also got this novice Jake and his family are familiar with called Pandarus, and a bunch of giant snakes."
"Nagas." Zak said in annoyance.
Now everyone looked serious. "With a magic roster like that, we can pretty much confirm the Cabal is involved." Ben said. "So, what's our next step, can we track them?"
"We'd have to find the dimension they're in first." Gwen said. "Pretty sure I can't track across the multiverse."
"I can help with that." Breach stood up. "I can open portals to each of your worlds, I just need to know the likeliest spots our suspects would be, and you can use whatever magic trick you got to check and make sure."
"Pandarus has his own private island, but he also his own property on Wall Street in my New York." Jake told her.
"I don't know much about where Addwaitya stays, but I know Hex has his own mansion. It's not far from Bellwood." Ben added.
"The Nagas have their own nest underneath the Chao Phraya River in Thailand." Zak also said. "Probably the best places to start."
Breach nodded as she opened four portals in front of her for the whole group to see the aforementioned locations in the separate dimensions. Gwen then concentrated her magic, using her usual mana-tracing method on the stone she held to trace the four distinct sources of mana to their sources. Four streams of her pink magic flowed out from the rock she held and toward the portals; two went in the direction of Hex's mansion, one toward the river in Thailand, and another to the private island, ignoring the portal that led to New York.
"Got em." Gwen said. "Looks like Hex and Addwaitya are together."
"Okay, so we're splitting into three teams." Danny began. "Sam, Jake, Dani, Tucker, Max, Lao-Shi, and Fu are with me; we're going to the island. Zak, you take your family, Lance, Octus, and Breach to the Nagas home turf you're probably more familiar with that place. Ben, you go with Rex, Kim, Ron, Illana, Gwen and Kevin to the wizard's mansion."
Everyone nodded as they split into their respective groups (with Zed following Kevin) and went into their selected portals before they all closed and left the mansion vacant.
Earth KP – Pandarus Island
Stepping out of the open portal and into the underground caves beneath the island was the group consisting of Danny, Jake, Sam, Tucker, Lao-Shi, Dani, Max, and Fu Dog. The portal closed behind as Max used the same type of spell Gwen used to track Pandarus' mana as his cane glowed its usual sparkling white before pointing down one cave.
"Our playboy is this way, let's not keep him waiting." Max said as he led the group onward.
"Who exactly is this Pandarus guy anyway? What's his deal?" Sam asked.
"Well, he's a dark wizard and a rich guy working at Wall Street." Jake explained.
"A literal wizard of Wall Street, huh?" Dani giggled slightly. "That's actually kinda funny."
"Yeah, and he's also a total power-hungry freak." Jake continued. "He even invented this whole beauty pageant thing for magical girls…"
"As in like mermaids, fairies, and elves?" Tucker asked hopefully.
"And pixies, and she-trolls, all sorts of other hot magical mamas." Fu confirmed with a slight howl.
"I think I found my favorite magic villain." Tucker smirked, only to get elbowed in the side by Danny. "Ow!"
"You also know he's probably connected to that whole mess where people could have gotten run over on the highway, right Tuck?" Danny pointed out.
"Yeah, I get it. Dude's evil." Tucker replied. "Still can't go wrong with magic hotties."
"The whole reason he even put that thing on was for a dark magic ritual to make him the most powerful wizard in our world." Jake added.
"Well, that sure sounds familiar." Sam muttered angrily, remembering when she was in a similar situation with Prince Aragon.
"That is quite enough." Lao-Shi got them all back on track. "We must be cautious, Pandarus is incredibly dangerous and we are on his territory."
"Not to mention since he's teamed up with a multiversal rogues gallery, he's probably got some back up too." Max added with his usual smirk.
"Why do you look so excited about that?" Dani asked.
"Hey, now I don't just have to deal with the usual magic stuff. I might get a chance to square off with an alien warlord or smash another army of robots." Max mused. "Sounds like a party."
"Okay, I like this guy." Dani smirked.
Soon, the group entered an underground cathedral, but they soon heard distressed moans, causing them to look up in surprise at the sight of a dozen cages hanging from the ceiling, containing various magical creatures such as leprechauns, trolls, ogres, dwarves, mermaids, elves, and other similar creatures.
"Well, well, we finally have an audience." They heard Pandarus speaking from the alter at the end of the cathedral, where the Wizard of Wallstreet held one third of the Nightmare Totem, which consisted of two skulls that each had Cassiopeian Dream Eaters inside. "Welcome all, welcome."
"Pandarus." Lao Shi growled, but before anyone could make a move; Danny, Sam, and Danielle all gasped as their respective Ghost Senses went off.
"We got company!" Sam exclaimed as a cloud of purple vapor appeared behind them, followed by a familiar laugh as the vapor took the form of a certain ghost Danny and his friends knew all too well.
"Ah, the ghost boy along with his lover, sister, and precious friends, new and old. I bid you welcome as well." Nocturne said in a feign polite tone.
"Nocturne?!" Danny questioned as he, Sam, and Danielle transformed into their respective ghost forms, while Jake and Lao Shi donned their dragon forms. "What are you doing here?!"
"Oh, your sleepy friend here has been a big help to us." Pandarus told them. "He may not be a wizard like moi, but his powers have been crucial for us."
"Uh Danny, care to give us the four-one-one on this guy?" Jake asked.
"Nocturne's the Ghost of Sleep." Danny explained. "He puts people to sleep and harvests their dream energy to make himself stronger."
"Yeah, this guy really got on our bad side one time." Sam's eyes narrowed at the ghost.
"I do appreciate that you haven't forgotten me, but you'll be wishing you were still in that dream I placed you two lovers in." Nocturne smirked evilly. "For you've just now stepped into a true nightmare unlike any other!"
Pandarus placed his hands on the section of the Nightmare Totem he held and channeled his magic into it. Once he did, a wave of energy spread out from it, which didn't seem to affect any of the heroes, but it did affect the imprisoned magical creatures; causing them all to glow brightly before the cages they were imprisoned in had suddenly broken apart.
When all the magical creatures fell, they looked nothing like they had before. Though they still had their distinct sizes, builds, and extra appendages of their respective species; they were each clad completely in black and red clothing with golden emblems of fire on their chests and faces. Each of them brought their hands together, creating spheres of pulsating energy before throwing them outward in the form of an attack.
Earth B10 – Naga Nest
Breach was the first to step out of her own portal, followed by the Saturday family along with Lance and Octus. They stood before the cavern entrance, which bore two enormous cobra statues at the sides with two more below it.
"Welcome to snake central." Zak said, mostly toward Octus, Lance, and Breach. "Was really hopping we wouldn't have to come back here again."
"That makes two of us." Doc said as he slipped on his Power Glove.
"Three." Drew added, drawing her Fire Sword; while Fiskerton, Zon, and Komodo looked ready for a fight themselves. The group then entered the cavern entrance and into the inner sanctum of the Nagas.
The group looked around the stone city, which appeared to be empty for the most part, their weapons at the ready. Zak already began to channel his Kur powers. "They're here alright, lots of them."
"Can't you control them with your powers?" Lance asked.
"No, my Kur powers don't work on them, probably from having worked alongside the original Kur in the past." Zak replied. "Resistance from exposure or something like that."
"I do have one question." Breach raised one of her hands. "If you knew where their home base was, why not simply destroy it?"
"After we thought Argost was dead, and both Kur powers destroyed, we did try to smoke this place out for the Nagas." Doc explained. "But it was completely abandoned."
"They probably went into hiding, guess they got homesick considering their back now." Drew added.
"Octus, can you find them?" Lance asked as Octus began to scan the area, picking up on several bio-life signatures.
"I'm detecting lifeforms all around us, unknown to anything I have logged into my memory banks, but I should… wait a second." Octus picked up something unusual as he looked directly to the floor and scanned it.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Zak asked.
"They're humans down there! At least hundred of them!" Octus revealed, much to everyone's surprise.
"What?!" Doc questioned.
"I can't see exactly where they are, but they're all gathered in various spots. Probably imprisoned." Octus revealed.
"So, you are more than just a simple machine."
Hearing dozens of hisses; the group was on-guard as they all circled up to see dozens of Nagas appear from the buildings and holes all around them. It wasn't long before the entire group was surrounded, with Rani Nagi herself appearing on the roof of the building in front of them.
"Welcome back, young Kur." Rani Nagi sneered toward Zak. "You've not only brought your worthless family again, but even some of your new friends."
"What are you and the Cabal up to, Rani Nagi?!" Zak questioned. "What's with all this dark magic stuff!?"
"You'll see soon enough, allow me to give you a demonstration." The Queen of the Nagas revealed another piece of the Nightmare Totem, also consisting of two skulls and a pair of Dream Eaters inside. She lifted it high above her head as she already began to channel her dark mysticism into it. "Behold! This is just a taste of our newfound power! A power that far surpasses even that of Kur!"
A wave of energy erupted from the Totem and spread throughout the underground city. The Saturday Family and their friends braced themselves, but nothing appeared to have happened.
"Nothing happened." Lance pointed out.
"Here's hoping they messed up their spell or something." Doc muttered, but Drew silently doubted it, given the Nagas were masters of dark magic.
"Something's wrong." Octus said. "All the humans below are gone!"
"Gone?! What do you mean gone?!" Breach questioned.
"They've vanished completely! There's no trace of them!" Octus revealed.
Drew then looked up toward the smirking Rani Nagi. "What did you do?!"
She would soon get her answer as at least a hundred black, red, and gold armored individuals literally stepped out from nowhere, almost as if they passed through space itself. They appeared alongside the Nagas and completely surrounded the heroes.
"You meddlesome Saturdays were able to overcome the power of Kur in the past… but not even that can prepare you for this!" Rani Nagi sneered. "Destroy them, Esoterica!"
As per her command, the transformed humans, now identified as Esoterica, launched a volley of energy attacks upon the group.
Earth B10 – Residence of Hex
The third and final portal had just closed once the group of Ben, Rex, Illana, Kim, Ron, Gwen, and Kevin emerged, with Zed right behind them and Rufus standing on the alien dog's head, which she didn't seem to mind. The group hid among the trees of a large forest that surrounded what appeared to be a mansion of Japanese architecture.
Gwen took a moment to use her magic and trace the mana inside the building. "Yeah, Hex and Addwaitya are both inside."
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go bust them up." Rex encouraged.
"Maybe we should take a stealthier approach." Kim proposed.
"Our team ain't known for stealth." Kevin pointed out.
"Good thing my GF and I got the stealth thing down to a tee, right Rufus?" Ron said.
"Yuh-huh, ninja stealth!" Rufus made a pose to mimic a ninja for emphasis.
"Odds are though, they probably know we're coming. This is the Cabal we're talking about." Ben pointed out.
"We should still be careful." Illana encouraged. "What exactly can we expect from this Hex and Addwaitya?"
"They're both powerful dark wizards, Hex gave us plenty of hard times when we were kids." Ben answered.
"Didn't you say he had a niece helping him too?" Kim asked.
"Charmcaster." Kevin confirmed. "But she's pretty much the queen of her home dimension now, so I don't think we have to deal with her."
Illana noticed a confused look on Gwen's face. "Something wrong?"
"Yeah, why are Hex and Addwaitya together? They hate each other." She replied.
"Uh, duh, they're bad guys." Ron said as if it were obvious. "Common enemy kind of thing."
"No way, Hex would never work with Addwaitya." Gwen shook her head. "He took over their home, forced them to run away. He even killed Hex's brother, Charmcaster's father."
That caused the rest of the group to look in confusion and surprise. "But you can sense them both inside." Ben reminded. "Maybe Addwaitya enslaved Hex?"
"Where did you last see Hex?" Kim asked.
"Not sure what Ben told you, but while we were fighting one of our most dangerous enemies, we had to go to Legerdomain, Hex and Charmcaster's home." Gwen explained. "She stayed behind to try and free her people."
"Only to end up enslaving them herself." Kevin added.
"We didn't know it at that time, but I tried to ask Hex for help, like you said, a common enemy." Gwen continued. "But he was against it, said it was a suicide mission. He loved his niece, but he was convinced that she was dead."
"Obviously, that wasn't the case." Illana said, recalling Kevin's previous statement.
"When we got back, I tried to find Hex and tell him, but he was gone." Gwen said. "No trace of him, he just vanished."
As the group tried to think on that, Rex had a theory. "So, this Hex guy, he didn't have anybody else? No other family? No girlfriend or anything?"
"Nope, it was just him and Charmcaster." Ben confirmed.
"Well… If that's the case… you don't think maybe, he uh… ya know…?" Rex motioned his hand around his own neck, giving the impression of a noose being tied around his neck and tightened it up, even making a certain facial expression to go along with it.
Nearly everyone looked at Rex in surprise or shock, especially Illana, at his suggestion. Even Rufus gasped.
"Okay first off, that's horrible!" Gwen said. "Second, I'm literally detecting his mana inside the building, so I can confirm that he's very much alive!"
"Can't believe you even suggested something like that, Rex!" Illana stated.
"Yeah, what in the world made you even think something like that?!" Kim questioned.
"What? People do it!" Rex pointed out. "You lose your family and don't have anyone else… it can push you to some dark places…"
"He's not wrong about that." Kevin was no stranger to dark thoughts himself.
"Still really messed up dude!" Ron pointed out, with Rufus nodding in agreement.
"How about we get answers out of Hex by asking him directly?" Ben told them, getting them back on track. "By beating the crap out of him and Addwaitya! Let's move!"
Gwen led the group up toward the tallest and largest window in the building, using a series of platforms as steps to allow them to reach it. Once they were close enough, Gwen waved her hand to cast a spell and erase any defenses but found nothing.
"That's strange… I'm not detecting any kid of defensive spells. No barriers, nothing." She revealed.
"Uh oh, I smell a trap." Ron said with worry, causing Rufus to gulp nervously.
"Guess stealth is out then." Kim said.
"Then why don't we take a more direct approach?" Rex formed a Smack Hand on his right arm and punched the window, and most of the wall, creating a large hole that allowed everyone to enter. They all landed on the ground floor of what appeared to be a library and were immediately on guard, ready for anything the enemy may throw at them.
"Once again you break into my home." They looked upward to see Hex and Addwaitya hovering down before landing on the secondary floor, with Hex on the left side and Addwaitya on the right. "I shouldn't be surprised."
"So, these are the Avengers I have heard so much about." Addwaitya observed. "More children."
"Yeah? Well, these kids are about to wipe the floor with you freaks!" Rex smirked eagerly, already forming his Smack Hands again.
"So, what do you guys say we skip the whole evil villain speech and get right to the fight?" Even Ron was ready as he channeled his mystical monkey aura.
"Oh, there will be battle, just not with us." Addwaitya said as he aimed his right hand up at the center of the ceiling where the final section if the Nightmare Totem hung from, with Hex doing the same with his staff, before both channeled their respective magics into the evil relic. Once their magics made contact, a wave of energy shot out from around it, spreading well beyond the building.
Most of the Avengers looked confused when nothing seemed to have happened. "Okay… is there supposed to be a delayed reaction or…?" Kim wondered aloud, until Gwen suddenly screamed, clutching her head in pain.
"Gwen!" Kevin caught her as she fell back with him and Ben, and even Zeb, being the first to try and help her. "Gwen, what's wrong?!"
Her eyes shot open as pure terror filled her being. "This power… No… it can't be…!"
"Oh, but it is." Hex said grimly. "You children were not our intended targets with this particular spell, but rather all the people within a ten-mile radius."
Suddenly, at least three dozen newly-transformed Esoterica soldiers appeared, literally showing up out of nowhere via their trademark dimensional crossing and surrounded the group.
"Esoterica?!" Ben exclaimed before he finally understood. "No…"
"Yes." Addwaitya sneered. "Behold… this is only a taste of our newfound power! Our power to control that of the Dagon!" Upon his declaration, all the Esoterica leapt toward the heroes and immediately attacked.
Done.
Yeah, I'm sure you can figure out what our mystery power is now. The very same power that affected not only Ben an Zak's world, but also leaked into that of Danny's and the one shared by Kim and Jake. The power that Frostbite said was malevolent in nature and able to pass through dimensions with its own natural power. The power of Dagon.
It would seem that the Cabal is looking for a way to harness this power for themselves, and they seem to be well underway, having their agents create and control the Esoterica. But this is only a taste of what they have planned. You'll learn more of their intent as the story goes on.
How will our heroes be able to stand up against the powers of a literal god? Even the assistance of the reformed Breach might not be enough. Find out in the next action-packed chapter of Avengers of the Multiverse – Night of the Beyond! Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.
Note: my origin story for Breach is completely my idea. It was never explored in the canon series, so I decided to make one up myself. Basically, she lived in Greenville, was transformed just after the event, was ostracized by everyone in town, ended up trapped by her own powers and crossing through various pocket dimensions for a couple of years before ending up at Abysus where Van Kleiss got his hooks into her. Yeah, when you consider all that, it's not hard to see why Breach ended up it the way she did. Fortunately, Paradox was able to help her, having the same kind of experience as her. Don't worry, you'll be seeing him soon.
