"MAROON AND THE EARTH-NI PROTECTORS!"

BOOK ONE: TURF WARS

CHAPTER THREE: NIGHT TERRORS


Night had fallen upon the cleaved city of Echo Creek. The moons and stars were out and shining upon the hybrid landscape, all except for one. Down in the Monster Temple, where the Butterfly family was currently housed, Star Butterfly lay asleep in her bedroom, where her resting state was far from peaceful...

Star was having quite a strange dream at this time. In her vision, she was inside the last place she expected to see again; The inside of her wand. Here, she could see all of her sentient spells; Familiar faces like Narwhal Blast, Warnicorn Stampede, even Spider with a Top Hat. Star was shocked; How could they still be alive?

"Uh...hey, guys? Glad to see you back." Star awkwardly greeted. No response from any of her spells; They just stared her down unflinchingly, without uttering a single syllable, which freaked the girl out.

"H-hello?" The former wand-wielding princess queried with a slight stammer. The room was still dead silent, to the point where the only sound Star could hear was the beating of her heart. The eerie silence was broken when Spider With A Top Hat began to speak.

"Star...why did you kill us?"

This question pierced the girl like a cold knife. She had no idea what to say; All she could manage to choke out was a shaky "I'm sorry." This only seemed to turn the apathy of her sentient spells into anger and disgust.

"You KILLED us!" Roared one of the Warnicorns.

"Murderer!" Another Warnicorn snapped.

Star could feel her heart sink into her chest, as tears flowed down her eyes. As the spells kept jeering and guilting her for destroying magic, she let loose an agonizing outburst of "I'M SORRY!" causing all to go quiet again. Suddenly, all the magical creatures started fading into nothingness, as she watched in horror.

"I'm...I'm so sorry..." Star sniffled tearfully, as her surroundings crumbled, and turned into putrid black slime. No matter how hard she tried to struggle, she still ended up sinking into the jet-black goo...


Star woke up in a cold sweat, still shaken by her sudden nightmare. As she took deep and labored breaths, she looked around her room; No one else was around, except for all her puppies, who were fast asleep in a pile on the floor. Star mournfully sighed; She was lucky her precious pups weren't wiped out by the Cleave as well. She wanted to pet them for comfort, but decided against waking them up from their peaceful slumber.

"Aww...hopefully they're having better dreams then me..." Star thought to herself, as she lay her head on the pillow. The mewman girl then shut her eyes, hoping she could go back to sleep...


Meanwhile, the masked Maroon was out on the prowl, under the cover of darkness. He stood atop a bell tower, which gave him a good view of most of Echo Creek. He looked at a text sent to him Star, regarding the monster Lobster Claws, who they saw after the monster terrorists attacked the park. If he was in cahoots with them, perhaps the crustacean creature could be his lead to stopping the ruffians for good. The vigilante jetted off with his rocket boots to find his target, unaware that he was being watched...

Luckily, the one watching him was friend, not foe. It was merely Janna, who was recording him with her camcorder as he hovered through the air. The raven-haired girl was hoping to start a hit video series about the vigilante, and this would be her first episode.

However, Janna wasn't alone. With her was Tom, who volunteered to assist her for two reasons. For one, he loved hanging out with Janna, and did so whenever he could; She was someone he felt comfortable to be himself around. Secondly, he was quite the fan of Maroon, ever since he heard stories of how he saved Mewni from a weaponized flying dreadnought.

"Man, that Maroon is so freakin' cool. I wonder who he really is?" Tom wondered. Now, Janna was one of the seven people who knew Maroon's secret identity, but she promised to keep Austin's alter-ego a secret.

"You know, Maroon saved my life once." Janna bragged, piquing Tom's interest.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He saved me from that flying ship on Mewni. Gave him a lil' smooch for that." Janna purred, referring to when she kissed Marco on the cheek for rescuing her from the brig of the Dauntless.

"You're making that up. How did you end up on a flying warship?"

"Does it matter?"

"If you're not lying, then tell me; Who is Maroon under the mask?" Tom questioned. Now, Janna was in a dilemma; She couldn't reveal the hero's identity on account of their promise of secrecy. Suddenly, she had an ingenious idea that wasn't the truth, but technically wasn't a lie, either.

"Which one?"

"Oh, now I KNOW you're full of it. You expect me to believe there are two Maroons?" Tom rhetorically asked, unaware that his friend was quite correct.

"Enough talk, let's get more footage. You know what to do, demon boy." Janna taunted. Tom picked Janna up, and carried her bridal-style; A rather suggestive position, but the only one convenient enough for two-person flight. Flames jetted from Tom's boots, as he and his beanie-wearing friend flew off in pursuit of the mysterious Maroon...


Back in her bedroom, Star was fast asleep, yet she was plagued by a haunting nightmare once more. Here, she was in one of the rooms of the old Butterfly Castle, where she was being held on trial by Mewni's Magic High Commission. Star wasn't the only one being prosecuted; Sitting next to her was one Marco Diaz. It seemed that both teens were summoned there to answer for their biggest crime against magic; Its destruction.

"Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz! You stand accused of destroying all magic in the universe!" Boomed the mighty Omnitraxus Prime, as Star's anxieties began to flare up; She felt sick to her stomach, and was sweating bullets.

"Don't worry, Star. Everything's gonna be okay." Marco consoled, but not even his encouraging words seemed to calm his girlfriend down.

"Do you deny it?" Hekapoo questioned, as Star became even more nervous. All she could muster was a shaky, tearful "No."

"Then you are GUILTY!" The rock-headed Rhombulus roared, as an expression of sheer horror befell Star's face.

"For your crimes against magic, you both are sentenced to be crystallized for all eternity!" Omnitraxus mandated, as Rhombulus aimed one of his arms at the prosecuted couple. Terrified that she and her lover were doomed to be frozen for all of time, Star's heart-shaped cheek marks glowed brightly, as she screamed "NO!" in an outburst of pure emotion.

Star's reaction caused a wave of magical energy that hit all three members of the commission, and killed all of them immediately. Once the girl had realized what she had just done, she was horrified and appalled by her own actions. All she did was look on in horror at where the commission once stood, until she heard Marco weakly call out to her.

"...Star?"

Star quickly turned her head to Marco, to see that he was slowly fading away, as a result of her magical outburst. In an instant, she hugged him as tight as she possibly could, while painfully pleading "Don't go, please don't go!" over and over again. However, her pleas of sorrow did nothing, as her boyfriend soon faded into nothingness, leaving her arms empty and her heart bereaved...

Star suddenly jolted awake from her bed with a frightful scream. As she hyperventilated, the blonde-haired girl realized that her terrible nightmare was just that, and her beloved was still alive and well. Still, she was truly shaken by her frightening vision, and felt overwhelmed with guilt for the destruction of magic. The traumatizing dream caused the former princess to woefully weep into her pillow...

The sounds of Star's sadness managed to wake up her parents Moon and River, who were sleeping in another bedroom just down the hall. Alarmed by her cries of distress, the two arose from their bed, and headed down the hall to comfort their crying daughter...


Meanwhile, Maroon continued to roam Echo Creek in the dark of night, until he came across the place Star told him Lobster Claws would most likely be at; Castle Avarius. According to her, this foreboding fortress was the domain of her former foe Ludo and his monster army, which the crustacean creature was a part of.

"This is the place." The vigilante muttered to himself. Taking Star's advice as his lead, Maroon used his rocket boots to jump onto the roof of the castle. He leaned his ear to the roof, and through the enhanced audio systems in his helmet, he could hear a group of voices conversing. From what he heard, he knew Lobster Claws was in the building by the sound of his voice. Now, it was time to procure his target.

Maroon leapt through the castle window, startling the monsters who were present in the room. As he landed on the ground in a three-point stance, he spoke his trademark catchphrase:

"The Name's Maroon."

To the superhero's surprise, out of the ten monsters in the room, none of the four who attacked the park were there. They didn't look hostile, either; They were all sitting on metal folding chairs arranged in a circle.

One of the monsters sitting in the circle recognized Maroon; It was the vigilante's amphibian acquaintance who he saved just the other night, Buff Frog!

"Helmet boy?" An extremely confused Buff Frog questioned.

"Buff Frog?" Maroon asked back, feeling equally bewildered. Had he got the wrong house?

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" A voice suddenly squawked. It was the diminutive, bird-like monster Ludo, who was sitting on a throne with a mound of cushions and pillows stacked on it.

"Look, we don't want any trouble." Added Ludo's younger but taller brother Dennis, who was sitting next to him on another folding chair. "Whatever you're here for, can't we just talk about it peacefully?"

"Wait...what is this place?"

"It's my castle, you dolt!" Ludo snapped, as Dennis groaned in exasperation.

"We're having a support group for monsters displaced by the merging." Dennis explained.

"Support group? But what about him?" Maroon asked, as he pointed at Lobster Claws.

"Me?" The monster piped nervously.

"I have reason to believe he works with the monsters who attacked the park today. Are YOU their leader?" Maroon growled at Ludo; He knew how the kappa and his monster army always went on missions for Star's wand; It was the very reason he conceived the idea of Maroon in the first place.

"Me? Why would you think that?" Ludo barked.

"My brother's put that life behind him." Dennis added.

"These monsters...what did they look like?" Buff Frog queried. Maroon described the monster terrorists to the support group; He mentioned a massive, orange beetle-beast, an indigo-colored slime woman, a female panther creature, and a giant bat with a sonic screech.

"I've never heard of any of those guys." The short-statured kappa answered. Meanwhile, Lobster Claws was suspiciously sweating, as his eyes darted across the room. Maroon stared him down while rotating his wrist-bracelets, and the anxiety of the vigilante's questioning made him break.

"Okay, I admit it! I know those guys!" Lobster Claws cried, as all the other monsters gasped in surprise. "But it's not what you think! They told me they were a monsters' rights organization, and I just wanted to help my fellas out."

"Lobster Claws...what was that group called?" Dennis calmly asked.

"Uh...the Dreaded Beasts?" The crustacean meekly answered, causing all the monsters to gasp in shock.

"You joined the DREADED BEASTS?" Ludo shouted harshly.

"They're still around?" A werewolf-like monster wondered. Like everything regarding monsters and Mewni, Austin was once again out of the loop.

"Whoa, hold on. What are the Dreaded Beasts?"

"Extremists. Ruthless warriors fighting for monster supremacy. To even speak their name...it is taboo." Buff Frog quavered.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know they were so violent! I promise I'll never go near them again!" Lobster Claws profusely apologized.

"You should." The caped crusader spoke, as the support group went silent. "I need to find their lair to stop them, but I don't know where it is. Tell me, Lobster Claws; Do you?"


Back at the Monster Temple, Star was still sobbing in her bedroom, when in walked Moon and River.

"Sweetie, is everything okay?" River asked. Star looked up from her tear-soaked pillow, and her parents gasped at her traumatized expression.

"Mom...Dad?" Star choked out as teardrops dripped down her cheeks.

"It's okay, Star. We're here." Moon consoled, as the two former monarchs sat on their daughter's bed. Moon ran her fingers through Star's lush blonde hair, in an effort to comfort her.

"What's the matter, honey?" River kindly questioned, as he patted his daughter's back.

"I...I had a n-nightmare." Star weakly muttered, as her concerned parents inched closer to her.

"Oh, Star..." Moon sighed.

"It's all my fault." The mewman teen squeaked sadly. "I never should've destroyed magic..." Both the Butterfly parents gasped softly upon hearing Star's utterance.

"What you did was a very difficult thing, Star. But think of all the lives that have been saved now that magic is gone." River consoled. Star looked at her father with a tear running down her cheek, as she quavered out a truly heartbreaking response:

"What about the lives I took?"

Shocked by the sheer amount of guilt and self-hatred in that single sentence, Moon attempted to further comfort her daughter, but the girl suddenly lashed out.

"This is YOUR fault!" Star snapped, her voice evidently cracking. Since the Cleaving, Star's relationship with her mother had become much more unstable. Add two traumatic nightmares and a lack of sleep into the mix, and you get a loaded pistol with a hair-trigger temper.

Moon was shocked, but said nothing in response; Because of her choice to side with Mina during the Solarian conflict, the former queen was totally in the wrong.

"Just...just leave me alone." Star whimpered. Moon sighed, and left her daughter's room. River patted her head one last time, and left as well. After closing her door, the two former royals began discussing the heartbreaking discovery in the hall.

"This is awful, River! I broke her faith in me. If my own daughter doesn't trust me...who can she trust?" As Moon lamented over her most regrettable actions, her husband got a sudden, brilliant idea.

"Quick, honey! Where is the magical voice sender!" River exclaimed.

"You mean the phone?"

"Yes, find that new-fangled thing! We must make a special call to the Diaz household..."


Meanwhile, Maroon was traveling through a dark forest grove with Lobster Claws, who was guiding him to the hideout of the Dreaded Beasts. As they walked through the woods, Maroon posed a crucial question regarding the Beasts.

"So...if Ludo isn't their leader, then who is?"

"Oh...well, um...you see, I kinda forgot." Lobster Claws stammered.

"You FORGOT? HOW!" Maroon exclaimed in exasperation.

"I'm bad with names, okay! But I do know this; The leader is one of the biggest, scariest monsters I ever saw!"

"Really...So, HOW did you think these guys were good?" Maroon rhetorically questioned, when the two approached a dark, cavernous tunnel in the side of a mountain. The ground around the cave's mouth was littered with hundreds of blue crystal fragments. Maroon picked some crystals off the ground, and inquisitively investigated them.

"Well, this is the place."

"Thanks, Lobster Claws. Just do me a favor and never come here again." Maroon retorted.

"Wouldn't dream of it." The monster shuddered. "Hey, if you need any help, I could get my buddies to back you up."

"Thank you, but no. I don't want innocent people getting hurt because of me; That's why I work alone."

"Alright, suit yourself. Good luck, metalhead!" Lobster Claws exclaimed, as he scuttled off into the woods. Maroon then walked into the dark tunnel, to face down the Dreaded Beasts...


During their journey in the forest, Maroon and Lobster Claws were unaware they were being recorded. Hiding behind a tree thirty feet away from the tunnel were Janna and Tom.

"What is he doing?" Tom wondered.

"Well, it looks like he's going into that dark, creepy-looking cave. Let's follow him!" Janna exclaimed, as she grabbed Tom by the hand, and ran off towards the mouth of the cave.

"Looks pretty dangerous."

"I know, isn't it awesome? Now, are you coming with me or not?"

As the two teens entered the tunnel, Tom began to feel conflicted about following Maroon. Although the demon didn't fear the monsters at the end of the cavern, he felt worried for the safety of the all-too-mortal Janna. However, it was her brash, daring personality and love of the macabre that Tom simply adored...

Janna and Tom trekked through the cavernous tunnel, which was leading them underground. The further they went, the darker it became, until it was completely pitch-black.

"Ugh, I can't see a thing in here." The beanie-wearing delinquent commented.

"I got this." Tom remarked, as he formed a flame in his palm to light the way. To his surprise, Janna was standing intimately close to him.

"Yikes." Janna shyly squeaked as she quickly stepped back and looked towards the ground, with a noticeable blush on her face. After a bit of awkward tension, the two friends continued to traverse the creepy tunnel on the trail of Maroon...


Back in the Monster Temple, Star was struggling to fall back asleep after her chilling nightmares. The girl tossed and turned around in her bed, unable to find a comfortable position. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Go away, Mom!" Star groaned, as she buried her face in a pillow.

"Star, it's me." A familiar voice said back. Recognizing that lovely voice, Star abruptly jolted up from her bed, ran to the door and quickly thrust it open, to see her best friend, boyfriend and one true love; Marco Diaz.

"Marco!" Star exclaimed in joyous relief, as she gave her boyfriend a tight, amorous hug. "Don't ever leave me..." She quavered, as a tear streamed down her cheek.

"I'd never leave you." Marco sincerely responded, as he held Star's hand and sat down with her on the bed. The boy was still in his pajamas, as he was fast asleep before he got the call from Star's parents. Once he heard his girlfriend was in a state of emotional distress, he made her wellness his top priority and came straight to the temple.

"So, I heard you had a nightmare." Marco spoke.

"Yeah..." Star sighed, as she looked at the floor.

"Are you comfortable with telling me about it?" Marco asked, as Star took a deep breath.

"Well, I had two. In the first one, I was in my wand with all my spells, but they knew I destroyed magic, and started calling me a murderer. Then...they all disappeared."

"Oh...what about the other one?"

Star winced upon remembering her second dream, which was arguably far worse. The girl began to shiver, as she incoherently recounted the nightmare.

"Well, we were on trial with the Magic High Commission, and they said we had to be crystallized forever for destroying magic, and then I killed them!" She raved, as Marco felt unnerved.

"And then...and then..." Star sniffled, unable to choke out the worst part of her dream. "You died...because of me!"

Star began to cry again, when Marco acted fast and hugged her again.

"There there, it's okay. I'm still here, and so are you." Marco kindly comforted his weeping girlfriend.

"Magic's been in my life for so long...without it, do I even have a purpose?" The former princess sniffled, as Marco put his arm around her.

"I know how you feel, Star. After Toffee kidnapped me, I felt purposeless, too. You know who helped me out of that rut?" He rhetorically asked, to hear no response.

"It was you, Star. You helped me be myself again, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help you." Marco offered. Moved by her lover's kindness, Star hugged him another time.

"Sorry for making you come here so late at night. I don't deserv-" was all Star could say, before Marco shushed her by gently pressing his finger to her lips.

"You could be across the country at 2 in the morning, and I'd still come for you. That's how important you are."

Star smiled upon hearing Marco's kind words, and leaned in to kiss him on the lips. After they shared the heartfelt kiss for a few more seconds, Star pulled away, already feeling much happier.

"So, you feel better now?" Marco asked.

"I sure do, thanks to Dr. Marco, PhD." Star joked.

"No problem, babe. See you tomorrow." Marco replied, as he began to walk out the door, when Star suddenly called out to him, stopping the teen in his tracks.

"Marco, wait! Could you maybe, just...stay with me tonight?"

"Stay with...you mean...sleep with you? I don't know if your parents would be cool with that." Marco awkwardly stammered, his cheeks turning bright red.

"Well, they invited you here, so I'm gonna make the most of it. Now climb in, you adorable dork."

Star lifted up the blankets of her bed, and Marco settled in next to her. Once they got tucked in, she wrapped her arms around his torso, and rested her head on his chest. Marco carefully rubbed her back, getting a good feel of her soft hair. The two lovesick teens cuddled together till Star was lulled to sleep, with Marco falling asleep soon after.

As the happy couple rested in bed, Moon slightly opened the door to peek in her daughter's room. Once she saw that Star was finally sleeping in peace, she smiled to herself, relieved that her little girl was okay...


Meanwhile, the masked Maroon was silently sneaking through the dark, eerie tunnel leading to the Dreaded Beasts' lair, until he reached an opening, and saw quite the creepy sight:

At the end of the tunnel was what looked like an ancient, decrepit temple, with cracked stone pillars holding the place up. The walls were adorned with various carvings etched in the stone, and it was dimly lit by torches on the walls. The most notable carving depicted a truly brutal scene; Droves of people were being slaughtered by monsters of various species.

Maroon snuck behind a pillar, and stuck his head out to see his enemies communing in a circle; Present were all four monsters who attacked the park; Lucanus, Panthara, Viscosa and Manavi.

However, there was one other monster sitting on a stone slab, who Maroon didn't recognize. The monster was large, muscular, and humanoid in shape, but Austin couldn't make out any of its facial features, as its visage was hidden under a tattered gray cloak with a hood. However, he knew one thing; Surely, this was the Dreaded Beasts' leader...

"So, how come LC stiffed us at the park?" Manavi questioned, as he hung upside-down from the temple ceiling.

"He's a coward. Can't even face a mob of puny Mewmans." Lucanus scornfully scoffed.

"Clearly, he's the weakest link." added Panthara, as she sharpened her claws on a stone column. Suddenly, the mysterious leader of the Beasts began to speak.

"Lobster Claws is like most monsters of today's generation; Incompetent fools, weakened by the idea of peace with Mewman scum." The leader spoke in his deep, gravelly voice. "But you are unlike them. You are devout and mighty revolutionaries, who will usher in a new age for monster-kind; One without Mewman wretches to oppress our people..."

The threats made by this intimidating monster chieftain deeply unsettled Austin, and shook him to his core; The only thing standing between the innocent people of Earth-Ni and the wrath of the Dreaded Beasts...was him. The teen hero's nervousness was palpable, especially to the monsters...

Panthara's eyes widened when she caught Maroon's scent, and she sniffed the air around her to track the vigilante down.

"What do you smell?" Viscosa questioned.

"Fear..." snarled Panthara, as she prowled towards the pillar Maroon was hiding behind. Knowing he was about to be discovered, the vigilante quickly rotated his right utility bracelet to its blaster setting. Once the feline monster discovered Maroon, she roared and raised her paws to attack, but the masked warrior quickly took her down with an energy blast to the chest.

The four other monsters looked to see their comrade get hit, and spotted Maroon shortly after. "Hey! It's that masked menace from the park!" Manavi squawked.

"Let's kill that runt!" Lucanus snorted, when the leader suddenly spoke once more.

"I will deal with this puny pest myself." The leader growled, as he rose up to his horrifying full height of eight feet and six inches. Now that he was standing upright, Maroon quivered in his boots upon seeing his scaly green skin, his long, powerful tail and his sharp, jagged claws. Truly, this was a monster like no other...

The mystery monster leapt at Maroon to attack, but the masked vigilante avoided him by jetting away with his rocket-boots. While he hovered in the air, Maroon fired a flurry of energy blasts from his wrists, but his foe shrugged them off like they were mere spitballs.

Maroon then tried launching a whip-cord at the monster to entangle his arms, but the beast broke free of the rope without breaking a sweat. Now Austin was starting to panic; This was easily the strongest foe he'd ever faced, surpassing the likes of Commander Cobalt and the other Dreaded Beasts...

The leader charged Austin, and swung his powerful arms at the caped warrior. Luckily, Austin managed to dodge two of his attacks, then he ignited his wrist-mounted energy blade and sliced the monster's middle finger clean off his right hand.

Unfortunately, Austin became horrified once he saw that finger grow right back in a matter of seconds. He looked up, and became paralyzed with fear once he saw the face of his foe up close; He was a Septarian; A reptilian monster with piercing amber eyes, a snout like a crocodile lined with rows of dagger-sharp teeth, fin-like ears and a mane of snow-white hair.

"W-what are you?" Was all a truly terrified Austin could muster.

"The last thing you'll ever see." The Septarian coldly snarled. He then smacked Maroon with his tail, knocking him into one of the stone pillars holding up the decrepit temple. The teen vigilante groaned in agony, but his mighty enemy wasn't finished yet; This was only the beginning...


Tom and Janna had finally reached the end of the tunnel leading to the underground temple, and were immediately greeted by a terrifying sight; Maroon was being brutally beaten down by the boss of the Beasts. Both teens looked on in horror as the reptilian giant grabbed the vigilante by the cape, and slammed him into the ground.

The Septarian then grabbed the struggling teen by the throat, and tore off his helmet with ease, revealing his frightened face. Janna's face was aghast with horror upon seeing her friend writhing in clutches of a deadly monster; Tom was even more shocked that Marco's friend Austin was the true identity of Maroon.

"So, under that mask you're just a scared little boy, trying to play hero!" The leader snapped, as he raised his mighty claws to strike Austin down. Before he could deliver the killing blow, he was struck in the back with a scorching plume of fire, courtesy of Tom.

"Let him go!" Tom shouted, with red-hot flames emanating from his hands. The massive monster turned towards his demonic attacker, and glared at him menacingly whilst baring his jagged teeth. Once Tom saw the face of the Dreaded Beasts' leader, shock coalesced through his entire body.

"No WAY!" The prince of the Underworld exclaimed in surprise.

The leader of the Beasts growled in annoyance, and threw Austin across the room, where he hit another pillar, knocking him out cold. "Kill the intruders." He ordered, as his four underlings prepared to attack Tom and Janna.

Knowing she couldn't leave her friend behind, Janna bravely started sprinting towards Austin's unconscious body, in an effort to rescue him. A concerned Tom called out her name, but she kept on running without looking back, until she reached the torpid vigilante.

Suddenly, the beanie-wearing girl heard a ghastly screech, and looked to see Manavi swooping towards her with his fangs bared. In a rare moment of genuine terror, Janna let out a scream, but before she could be bitten, the bat-beast was shot down by a fireball from Tom.

"Janna, come on!" Tom cried out. The raven-haired girl grabbed her injured friend by the arm, and dragged him across the temple whilst dodging attacks from the Dreaded Beasts.

"Tom, get us out of here!" Janna hurriedly exclaimed, as she reached the end of the temple. Tom created a wall of flames to barricade the teens from the monsters, and quickly flew out of the tunnel with Janna and Austin in tow. When the flames settled, the trio was long gone...

"Damned demon." Lucanus scoffed.

"They're nothing but traitors and tyrants who sold their souls to the Mewmans." Viscosa scornfully added.

Panthara picked up the fragments of Maroon's shattered helmet, and showed them to her leader. "Maroon got away. Should we go after him?" The felid queried.

"Save your energy, Panthara. He's good as dead, now. Besides, we have a new enemy; The Prince of the Underworld..."


After the death-defying rescue at the lair of the Dreaded Beasts, Tom and Janna rushed Austin to the nearest hospital. Now, they were anxiously waiting on a bench outside his hospital room, hoping that their friend would be okay. Eventually, the doctor walked out of his room, and talked to the teens.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Janna asked.

"Your friend will be okay, but he's hurt pretty bad." The doctor replied, as Janna sighed solemnly.

"It's gonna be alright, Janna." Tom consoled, as he patted his friend's shoulder.

"He's lucky to be alive. If you two didn't get him here so soon, he might not have made it." The doctor added, as she went back in Austin's room to further check on him, leaving the two teens alone again.

There was a period of silence in the room, until Janna decided to break it. "You were pretty brave back there, dude."

"Thanks..." Tom sighed, still feeling down after their near-death encounter with the Beasts.

"What's wrong?" Janna asked.

"It's nothing...I just saw something back there that really worried me."

"You'll have to be more specific."

"It was that lizard monster, that...Septarian." Tom uttered, his voice shaking on the last word.

"Oh, yeah, him. That guy was terrifying, and NOT in a good way." Janna shuddered.

"It's worse than that. He's a murderous, hateful monster, one I thought was dead for centuries!"

"Woah...what's his name?" Janna inquired, as Tom took a deep sigh, and shivered as he uttered the name feared by mewmans and monsters alike for hundreds of years:

"Seth of Septarsis..."


And that's a good place to stop! Things are really starting to get out of hand, with both Mewman and monster extremists rising to attack. Looks like one hero won't be enough to protect Earth-Ni anymore...


DEDICATED TO CHADWICK BOSEMAN

1976 - 2020

May you rest in peace, sweet prince. Wakanda Forever!