This chapter contains disturbing content, so reader discretion is advised.
One Year Later
A caped figure stood on the roof of Wayne Industries, only to be greeted by the one who called him from his home.
"The Joker and leader: Ben Tennyson, alias Jeager Joker. Queen of Diamonds: Harleen Quinnzel, alias Harley Quinn. Eight of Spades: Albedo Tennyson, alias Spade Link and Linker. Queen of Spades: Real name unknown, alias Gecko Spade. Ace of Clubs: Kevin E. Levin, alias Rugged Ace. These are the founding members of the group known as Wild Card." Batman said as he spoke to Superman.
"Usually you tend to do things yourself, but what makes this group so dangerous that you're asking for help?" the Kryptonian asked.
"It's because of their recruits afterwards. They are recruiting dangerous people. " the masked vigilante explained. "But the real reason for them is the same for why I called out to you, Superman."
Superman frowned upon hearing it.
"This is related to that attack a year ago, right?" he guessed.
"That was not the start of everything." Batman said darkly. "Everything started with the murderer of Gwendolyn Tennyson first stepping foot in Gotham. We need to speak with Commissioner Gordon for more information."
Unforeseen Dangers
Present
Batman grunted when he was struck in the face by a roundhouse kick by Harley. Of the three, her blows would obviously cause the least amount of damage. However, he was more focused on the other two more, opening himself to attacks by Harley on occasion.
He quickly dodged an incoming fist that was launched by Jack Slammer, the arm stretching like rubber. The masked vigilante reached into his belt and threw a freeze capsule, encasing the stretched limb in hopes of immobilizing the limb, however, the Poterian retracted the limb, the ice shattering as the limb became thicker.
"Tough luck, you fuck." Jack Slammer said with a smirk before he swung his fist again.
Rugged Ace charged in, only for the more experienced fighter to easily weave to the side while tripping the Half-Osmosian in the process while raising a hand to catch Harley's fist.
"Stop this immediately." Batman demanded. "There is no reason for you to attack me."
"Fuck that!" Jack Slammer screamed in rage. "Even if you fucking were fucking trying to have Ivy unknowingly lead you to Kai, I fucking won't let the fact you let her be kidnapped go fucking unanswered!"
Batman's eyes widened slightly upon hearing that. He didn't expect the Omnitrix wielder to pick up his reasons for letting Ivy being taken by Kai so quickly, especially since he didn't have the chance to say it.
"So that's why?!" Harley screamed. "I won't forgive you for using Red like that!"
"Seriously? That's low, especially since you're a hero." Rugged Ace commented with a frown.
"I found Gwen's real killer. " Batman said hastily, causing everyone to freeze in place. "I overheard the killer admitting it."
"I already know it's the fucking Joker!" Jack Slammer dismissed with a forceful swipe of his hand in the air. He then launched his arms, avoiding the Dark Knight so that the alien could catapult himself towards the focus of his rage. Batman leaped back to lessen the force of the impact, as the Poterian came in too fast to duck safely. The transformed Ben grabbed onto the masked vigilante with his feet as the two of them flew off the roof. The force of the blow was enough to fracture a rib or two easily, but no serious damage due to the preemptive maneuver. The Batman would've easily avoided the blow, but he saw an opportunity to have a say about why he allowed Ivy to leave with Kai, and to prove that he wasn't against Ben.
"It's not the Joker. I have the recording to prove it. And you don't know the full story." he said to the transformed boy just as he stretched out a hand to grasp onto the ledge of nearby skyscraper, preventing them from plummeting. Once they stopped moving, he said the most important thing to catch the boy's attention. "Also your cousin is in danger!"
"What do you mean?" Jack Slammer asked, curiosity finally breaking through the anger enough thanks to being caught off guard by the last statement. "I saw the Joker with her head cut off! How can she be alive?!"
"If you all give me a chance, I can explain everything." Batman said calmly.
"Tell me who it is first, or else I'm going to crush your fucking arms and let you drop to the street. " Jack Slammer threatened. Without any other incentive, the Dark Knight explained everything.
The Poterian's eyes widened in shock as he listened.
Kai hummed out of boredom as she looked around, trying to find her target. She raised her right arm, which brandished a black device that resembled a wristwatch, but with what looked like an electric compass instead of a clock.
"Alright you damn Annodite, where are you hiding now?" she said bitterly.
She recalled what happened when she first appeared, and what became of her target back then.
A pale faced, injured Gwen was struggling to flee as fast as she could, breathing heavily due to how fatigued and in pain she was. A lone arrow was protruding from her back, dangerously close to her heart. The arrow, however, managed to puncture her lung. She was almost close to an occupied side of town, close enough to get help. She has suffered a lot of blood loss from her movement, on top of internal bleeding. And was close to her absolute limit.
"H-Help." the redhead cried weakly as she heard the foreboding footsteps of the person who shot her.
"My, my, you're looking a little green around the gills. Does the kiddy have a boo-boo?" the Joker asked with mock concern before he cackled at his own joke before he pointed his crossbow. "Come here and let Uncle Joker fix that for you." his tone became more cynical and hostile as he said the last part. He fired the shot, striking the girl in the knee. collapsing to the ground, Gwen began to cry, the pain too much to ignore now, on top of feeling helpless.
"It was a fun game of tag, and you did much better than I expected, little girl." the Joker said while reloading with an arrow he pulled out of his pants leg. "But alas, all good things must come to an end." He pointed the crossbow towards the girl's head, who simply fell silent, aside from her labored breathing.
"I have to agree." a new voice said, surprising the Joker. The psychopathic clown leaped back to avoid the sword swing from connecting with his face. Kai smiled smugly as she shouldered Excalibur.
"I have a complaint against this girl for ruining my fun!" the Joker protested. " Are you going to deny me that as well!"
Gwen struggled to raise her head, hope rising in her eyes upon recognizing who it was. Kai helped the young redhead sit upright, a friendly smile on her face.
"Just sit back, relax, and enjoy, my good sir." Kai said before standing in front of Gwen. The Joker watched in quiet observation while lowering the crossbow slightly, poised to fire at any moment, but was curious with how it'll unfold.
"K-Kai…" Gwen rasped, trying to express her relief and comfort knowing that she is amongst a friend of hers.
Kai turned her head and smiled before she pulled out a small ampoule, breaking the seal before splashing the contents onto the girl's face.
"What did the magnetic supervillain say to the heroes?" she asked.
Despite her current condition, pained chuckling began to be heard coming out of her mouth, sounding loud and forced, eventually having trouble with breathing.
" Welcome to Die!" Kai responded before decapitating the Gwen's head off just before she broke into laughter as an inhuman smile formed on her face. The girl's head lopped to the ground, the smile frozen in place before Kai stuck her sword into the now exposed trachea to hold the head up before the girl began to bob it around like it was a puppet.
"Look at me! I died before I can laugh!" The weilder of Excalibur said in a mocking high pitch voice before she tossed the head towards the Joker. " Head's up!" The Joker caught the disembodied head as he began to laugh hysterically.
"Girl! That was just absolutely priceless! Comedy gold!" he commended her. "I have to admit, that was well worth being denied my payback, and then some."
Kai simply bowed before sheathing her sword.
"Thank you, I learned by your example." she said humbly. "And do not worry, I have no intention of taking the spotlight from you."
"You better." The psychopath said, his tone becoming hostile right away. "I'm giving you a pass this time, but only because you gave me quite a show just now. Next time, I'm delivering the punchline." to emphasize his thinly veiled threat, he aimed the crossbow at Kai briefly before he fired. The girl didn't flinch as the arrow whizzed past her face, the arrowhead cutting her cheek. "Understood?"
"Loud and clear." Kai said before she saw a finger of Gwen's headless corpse twitch a little. "I suggest going after the boy now, I'll do clean up for you, free of charge."
"Humble and courteous." The Joker said as his tone became carefree. "I must admit, that's a rare thing to see in Gotham nowadays. Toodles." He briefly set the head down so as to reload the crossbow before he went off with the disembodied head in his possession, going off to where he believed Ben went off to.
Once alone, Kai turned her attention towards the headless corpse as a magenta mist began to seep out of it.
"Damn…she's got the spark." the swordswoman said bitterly as the mist began to take the form of a humanoid entity. Seeing a potential look of hostility, she drew Excalibur and swung at the figure, the sword glowing red as it cut through the being just as it gave out a pained scream before dissipating into thin air.
"Fuck. She got away…" Kai cursed. "So much for reasoning with her beforehand. Seeing that look of fear just made me want to kill her. "
Gwen Tennyson's human body had been slain, but she persisted through her Annodite heritage. Due to her attack before her ethereal body formed completely, it was possible she instinctively created a new body to hide in. A new body, a new identity. Gwen was a huge risk to her plans. She was the only being capable of using magic strong enough to seal off the dimension from her allies. The biggest threat next to a Good Ben with access to Alien X with complete control.
Looking down at the wrist mounted device, seeing that it pointed her in the direction of a small diner.
Gordon sighed in relief when he saw Jack Slammer return with the Batman relatively unharmed. The Poterian reverted back to the Jeager Joker, who had a sullen look on his face.
"Stand down guys." He said firmly. "He did the right thing, even if I still don't agree with the methods."
"Why should we?" Rugged Ace questioned as he clenched his fist.
"Stand down. Now!" the Omnitrix wielder ordered, his voice becoming hostile for a second. The message was delivered loud and clear, causing the half Osmosian to relax, despite being confused.
"What happened after you both went flying?" Harley asked.
"My cousin is alive." the Jeager Joker said in response.
"But you said she's dead." Spade Link questioned.
"She is dead." the young boy said. "But she's alive too."
"What do you mean she's both dead and alive? That doesn't make any sense." Gecko Spade stated while tilting her head. "Is she a zombie or something?"
"No. I don't get it either myself, but all that's important to me is that she's out there." Jeager said solemnly.
"Kai Green, the one who murdered Gwen, is looking for her. I understand that sounds contradictory, but I have a recording of when she was talking to Ivy." the Dark Knight explained, pulling out an audio player and pressed a button. "Listen."
"Look, I have a little problem I need to resolve first before I can help you get your dear Harley back." Kai's voice said. "I learned that there's this girl who is a descendant of an alien race from my world called an Annodite. The girl's original body has perished, but she turned out to have the Annodite Spark, which unfortunately activated when she perished at my blade. An Annodite is the biggest threat we face with not only my plans, but also what will stand in your way to get Harley away from Ben. They are basically gods for lack of better terms, capable of changing all matter into whatever they want with ease. However, I can kill them with my sword. It is the very same Excalibur that is mentioned in King Arthur's story.
The legends say it's a holy weapon, where only those who are deemed worthy can wield it. I am one of those people, but it turns out the sword is cursed as well. Like Camelot and Arthur, I too fell into ruin due to the sword, becoming what I am today. However, I do not regret it at all. Excalibur has tasted blood before me, and is not as holy as one would like to believe. However, it does have the powers to slay the ethereal. It is a power I can use, and has been proven useful on many occasion.
Now Ivy, are you willing to let me help you? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you accept."
"Damn…" Rugged Ace said in amazement when Batman stopped the recording.
"So what now?" Spade Link asked.
"We find Gwen." the Jeager Joker responded. "I can't lose her again"
"Let's go, then." Gecko said,
Just before Wild Card could get ready to move, the door to the roof swung open as an officer came out.
"Commisioner, we got trouble. Some girl with a sword has been spotted terrorizing a small diner. Witnesses say she is looking for a Gwen Tennyson. She approached by several police officers and changed into Diamondface for a moment to retaliate. One of our own was killed in the process."
Jeager froze upon hearing that before he stormed right up.
"Where is this happening?!" he demanded, his voice in a panic. He finally found out Gwen was still alive, but was aware what Kai wanted her dead because of her powers. Time was of the essence.
Pixie sighed as she wiped off several plates. The girl was helping out Katherine with some chores for Isabella. The woman was dealing with the hidden business with her brother in the back of the building.
"So, Pix, what do you plan to do? Gotham's getting crazier with the bubbling gang war that's about to blow up any day now." Katherine asked. "You aren't forced to stay here, you know. Izzy has offered to send you to a boarding school."
"There's someone that I need to find, remember?" Pixie said solemnly as she took a stack of plates and put them away. "And I feel that if I stay here, I will eventually remember something about myself."
Katherine nodded before she looked at her friend as she paused for a second to collect her thoughts.
"I'm being realistic here. I can't help but feel that person is in Gotham. Right at this moment." the pink haired girl said. "And besides, I told you already, I like this life already. It doesn't get boring."
"You always live an interesting life." an unfamiliar voice said before the pair ducked to avoid the blade of a sword being lunged through the delivery window.
"You had to jinx us!" Katherine said incredulously before opening a nearby cabinet and pulling out a pair of handguns.
"Not my intention." Pixie said as her eyes glowed magenta. "I'll attack first, you back me up."
Katherine nodded as an excited smirk formed on her face. Holding out her hand, her friend created a tentacle of magenta energy that curved upwards and went through the window, eventually greeted by the sound of someone hitting the ground.
"Damn you Gwendolyn." the unfamiliar voice said in annoyance. "You really are a genius still if you can control your powers like that at your age. "
"Gwendolyn?" Pixie asked, the name oddly familiar.
"You have the Annodite spark! There is no way you can play stupid with me!" Kai said as she revealed her face through the window. However, she immediately ducked when she saw Katherine pointing her guns towards her, narrowly avoiding a bullet to the brain as one of them went off, putting a hole into the ceiling.
"We aren't going to become mincemeat that easy." Katherine declared before she glanced around to check her surroundings. Smiling, she pointed her two handguns in different directions and fired four more shots, twisting them upwards in between shots. The bullets bounced off of a pot then the top of the window and the bottom flat of the sword before they exited the kitchen.
Kai screamed as she felt all four shots interconnected with her arms, forcing her to release her hold on Excalibur. The teen growled in annoyance as she saw the blood run down her arms.
How did I get so careless? the woman said before she saw the pair emerge, both ready to attack further. When she saw one of them with the guns, it connected with her.
"Oh, so your friend is capable. Pretty talented I have to say. Haven't seen that kind of marksmanship in a very long time." she commented.
"Oh, go choke on a condom." Kitty spat as she aimed the guns to their attacker's chest.
"You really need to stop those insults." Pixie chided her friend before looking at the woman, examining her closely.
Her eyes focused on her arms and focused on the alien device on her wrist. He head felt foggy all of a sudden, yet felt like she was close to remembering something. A surging pain throbbed through her head, making her stagger a bit.
Katherine blinked at Pixie's reaction, and quickly began to realize what was going on. A smile formed on her face as an opportunity arose that she couldn't resist. She came to kill the one with the Annodite spark, but a possibly better alternative just arose.
"Hold on, you're not who I thought you were. My apologies, but I thought you would be a threat to this world. But, if you are not a threat, then we can talk after all. I have answers that you want. Like who you are, what you can do." she said while giving the pair a look that feigned regretfulness.
"That's fine and dandy, but I don't trust you." Katherine said before she moved a gun up to aim for the head. "First you attack us, and now you want to talk. That is so blatantly suspicious. Only a fool would buy that."
"Kitty, wait." Pixie said while placing a hand over the top of one of the guns. "This is suspicious, and I don't trust her either, but she seems to know who I really am. I want some answers."
"You girls incapacitated my arms, so there's little I can do." Kai said solemnly. "And seriously, do we have Deadshot's daughter here?"
"I'm nothing compared to him. Besides, I am not some kind of mercenary." Katherine said abrasively. "I only go for the slime of this town. Besides, I'm not some expert."
"Ricochet shots are difficult to pull off, borderline impossible for most. You do have real talent." Kai admitted before closing her eyes. "Now, can you tend to my wounds? Getting kind of woozy here." The pair glared at their attacker before Kitty gestured with her head to signal Pixie to get the first aid kit. As she went off, Pixie felt like Kai was holding back on purpose. As if she had something planned. It was probably a trap, but one that the pink haired girl was willing to walk into.
One Year Later
Batman and Superman were over on the roof of GCPD with Gordon, the three of them discussing about Wild Card.
"To think things went like this." Gordon said in disappointment. " Why did Ben turn down the offer to join you guys?"
"He had priorities with his team." Batman said indifferently. "The decision was all his."
"I honestly am alright with that." Superman said with a smile. "He did promise that he'd help us if we needed their help. He openly said he wanted to act independent of us, but not as enemies."
"That's a relief to hear at least. However, I am still a little worried about Ben's company, a lot of them used to be Arkham residents." Gordon said while crossing his arms.
"Those that stayed with him have shown that they are trying to be better. Kid's a good influence." Superman pointed out, trying to ease the commissioner's worries.
"Anyway, what have you heard from Lovlila Ani?" Batman asked.
"She actually was kinda dodgy about a lot of things, like usual, but she did confirm one thing. Kai is planning something big. Big enough that Ani's getting involved herself. Considering how little she does things since she first arrived, this is alarming. I don't fight gods or extradimensional invaders like the Justice League, but even I can tell something big is going down here."
"Big is an understatement." Ani said as she made her presence known from atop the Bat Signal.
The Batman narrowed his eyes while Superman raised an eyebrow.
"So this is the infamous informant who even the Batman can't vanish on?" The Man of Steel asked as he looked the Time Soldier over. "Looks a lot younger than I expected."
"I'm way, way older than you think, little boy." Ani said with a smile. "Anyway, we have to talk about Kai's group. They are no longer a threat right now, but as long as this dimension is open, they will return, but in much bigger numbers. Not even the likes of Ra's Al Ghoul, Darkseid, Braniac, and Doomsday together can handle their numbers."
Hearing those names caused both caped heroes to tense up.
"I'm aware Doomsday can come back and become immune to what killed him last, but despite being battle junkies, they recognize a real threat when they face one." Ani explained as her face became deadly serious. "And Parademons can be overpowered physically. Plus they have dealt with intelligent computerized foes like Brainiac before, so they do know how to handle him."
"Okay… this is getting over my head here, but from what you're saying, it's like these guys are a threat to everything on Earth." Gordon said, becoming uneasy.
"Not just Earth. Every race that interacts with this Earth is at risk. " Ani said. "Demon, Human, God, Machine. Everyone is at risk."
"So, how can we stop this from happening?" Superman asked.
"Ben 10. Funny that a kid who doesn't really have any powers outside of the Omnitrix carries such a burden." Ani admitted. "Not even I could do much against our opponents, and I can screw with reality. "
Present
The Jeager Joker was the first to arrive and frowned as he saw no trace of Kai around. He transformed into Ditto and divided to cover more ground as the rest of his group arrived with Batman.
"Anything?" Spade Link asked.
"Nothing." the Splixsons all said in unison. " Not even as much destruction as I expected."
As if on cue, something fell from the top of nearby skyscraper and crashed into the street with enough force to make the pavement give way underneath what fell. Luckily no one was close enough to be caught in it, but the closest, Geko Spade, leaped back instinctively.
"Owowowowowow…" the being said as she sat upright, revealing to be a lithe young girl. She was wearing what looked like a black bikini with a white tube top connecting with the top, covering her midriff as the front was held together by two purple bows. Her hair was peculiar, mainly bubblegum pink with purple underneath it. It was cut short in a rough method.
She was wearing a smooth full mask that was of two colors that reflected her hair colors with eyes that were the opposite side's colors with a gash where the left cheek was. The rest of her attire consisted of black detached sleeves that ended with purple cuffs. Her feet was wearing two long pair of mismatched stockings that reached midthigh, the left a solid dark purple with the right being horizontal stripes that alternated between the same dark purple and a lighter violet. Her shoes were a pair of plum purple cloth boots that almost resembled socks if the top part of the boots were loose and large. Completing her look was a purple scarf that was around her neck.
Batman immediately recognized the masked figure was Lovlila Ani by her hair coloration, but wasn't expecting her to be dressed like that.
The masked Ani shook her head before she tried to get up using her twin tails, only to gradually realize what happened.
"THAT BARBER IS GOING TO PAY!" Paradox's aide screamed in bloody murder.
"Barber?" Ditto asked as his clones reformed into a single person. Ani froze before turning her attention towards the Jeager Joker as he turned back to normal. She then looked around and her mask's eyes widened in horror. Upon seeing Batman, her eyes closed as she sighed while slumping her head.
"What are you doing here?" the Dark Knight pressed.
"I was attacked! It was Cwifer, a Caudatian Rapere!" she cried out.
Gecko Spade immediately tensed up on hearing that.
"C-Cwifer, as Cwifer the Swift, one of the Vanguards of the Caudatian Armada?!"
"Same one." the masked Time Soldier said. " To make things worse, he can negate magic."
"I see…" the masked Caudatian said darkly.
"Quiver? That's not really an intimidating name if you ask me." Harley pointed out in an not so amused tone.
"It's Cwifer. It sounds similar to that word though." Spade Link corrected the former villainess.
"Heads up guys!" Rugged Ace called out as he saw something run down the side of the building, scoring two grooves in its wake.
The figure ran straight down and touched the ground, moving too fast to be seen as anything but a blur. The blur went through a car, slicing it in half as it ran through it before making an abrupt stop.
"Cwifer…" Spade Link said, identifying the newcomer.
The being had a stature similar to XLR8, but instead, his feet were three toed and ending in three thick white talons that were tight against each other. His skin was soft and jet black with a red underbelly. Opposed to the form Ben had, he had two pairs of forelimbs. The first pair were as large as the Kineceleron's, but ended with two sickle shaped blades that were sharpened, and were already shown to be very destructive, yet he had them folded against the forearm in a bone like groove. He had a second, smaller pair with two clawless fingers and a thumb each folded against his chest in such a way that it didn't disrupt the aerodynamics of his body. His head was flat and like a salamander's, with golden eyes that were sunken into the head. He had a long tail that tapered off into a tail fin reminiscent of a shark's, but the bottom half was folded into the top.
Cwifer opened his mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth as he spoke.
"So, Kai was right." he said in a sophisticated voice as he focused on the two Omnitrix wielders. "I would indeed have some quality recreation come here." The salamander like being flexed his scythe arms, tapping them against their grooves eagerly.
"Be careful, Despite being in short bursts, he can outspeed XLR8," the masked genius warned.
"The reason why is because I need to keep my skin moist and dry. In a warm climate, this would be quite detrimental. Though in this coldness, I can go much longer." Cwifer chuckled as he explained. His attention turned towards Batman and Spade Link. "And I see I am facing the loathsome Linker and someone else who looks like a challenge." His head twisted to look over his shoulder to Geko Spade. "And ahh, to think you would be here too. This is most fortuitous for me."
"Why tell us that you don't like the heat?" Rugged Ace asked.
"To raise the stakes, of course!" Cwifer said before he darted faster than the others could react, slamming his tail into the half-Osmosian's chest, sending him flying and landing onto the ground a few feet away.
The Omnitrix wielders both activated their respective Omnitrix. In a flash of red and green light, they were replaced with XLR8 and Heatblast.
"I warned you this guy moves faster than that guy!" Heatblast snapped at the transformed Ben.
"But you also said in short bursts. He can only do it for so long." XLR8 said before the face visor came down as he dashed towards the Caudatian, becoming a black and cyan blur. Cwifer ran up at the same speed, becoming a black and red one himself. The blurs clashed towards each other and splitting apart, the pair putting distance between each other before the closed in on each other, attacking once again. The two parted ways and this time both ran up the side of a skyscraper before they zigzagged, striking each other on occasion as they went upwards while becoming too difficult who was who amongst the spectators. However, when they reached the roof, the blurs clashed once more and one was sent down towards the ground, crashing into the roof of a parked car.
XLR8 groaned as he sat upright from where he landed, but was unharmed aside from several cuts, revealing purple blood that oozed out of them.
"Okay… honestly didn't expect him to be that good." the Kineceleron muttered as the blur that was Cwifer ran down and landed nearby, revealing his scythes had tasted blood, XLR8's. The Caudatian Rapere however was breathing heavily, but was otherwise unharmed.
"That was a fun joust, but you are inexperienced." Cwifer said with a hint of disappointment. "The Toku'star elite were far more entertaining."
"Toku'star?" Harley asked out of confusion.
"Way Big, one of the Omnitrix's strongest aliens." Batman said while narrowing his eyes. "Ben never used that form, because of it being taller than most of the skyscrapers in Gotham. He does attempt to avoid causing massive damage at least."
Harley's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"So even if I had some kind of giant robot, I wouldn't do much against Quiver." she said, a little uneasy at the feeling of uselessness.
"It's Cwifer, you little whore!" the Rapere screamed in fury, immediately hearing his name being pronounced wrong, his voice dropping any sophistication immediately.
The Caudatian charged forward, but was halted by a wall of fire appearing in front of his path. Growling, he turned his attention towards Heatblast with Rugged Ace standing beside him, covered in a layer of concrete.
"Stand down." the Pyronite warned as he held an outstretched arm. "Or I will ignite the entire area. I know you'd hate that."
Cwifer immediately froze in place and stopped before closing his eyes to weigh his options. He immediately folded up his scythes back into their standby position, with his smaller arms unfolded and crossed across his chest.
"Kai said not to go overboard for now, and to not kill anyone." he pondered out loud as he calmed down. "I really, really want to vanquish that whore for her insensitive outburst, but alas. I must swallow my pride as the Rapere Vanguard and let it slide."
Harley was about to object to Cwifer's remark about her, but Gecko Spade immediately covered her mouth to silence her. The jester growled and bit onto the female Caudatian's hand, but was to no avail despite Gecko hissing in pain through clenched teeth.
"Why are you in Gotham?" Batman spoke up, catching the alien's attention.
"Pretty simple explanation actually, to find and clash against the sentient life of this dimension." Cwifer responded, his voice once again sounding sophisticated. "Is there anything else you all wish to inquire?"
"Is it for enslaving mankind? Or is it resources you are after?" The Dark Knight pressed. He did this to buy further time to figure out what to do. This also seemed like a good chance to get some information out of him. This was an unknown enemy that was super fast, yet his countermeasures for a speedster like XLR8 could fail on him. For now, caution was the best course of action. A sentiment shared also by both Geko Spade and Spade Link.
The Rapere laughed upon hearing that as if it was a hilarious joke before his face becoming serious. The tone he used next was unnerving to most and threatening.
"We seek to fight to extinction against reasonable foes. We don't give a fucking damn about your planet, resources, or people. All we want is a fight to prove whether we are strong or weak. War is all we care about."
"Fighting isn't everything, surely we can make some kind of compromise." Harley countered, finally getting her mouth free to speak. "And seriously, can't you guys just decide on something like a game of chess or dodge ball instead of war?" With that, she was silenced again by Gecko Spade, who was struggling against the squirming jester now.
"Ahh, sports and games, engaging in a nonviolent conflict that doesn't lead to intentional death." Cwifer said before laughing again. " Maybe with the more intellectual beings of my race, but everyone else just exists to fight to the death. War in our genes and instincts. We can't live without conflict. It's how we evolved. If it wasn't for war, I would've resembled the pathetic Nexia. I love that fact that I am evolved for war." He broke out into laughter again, finding enjoyment in the fact he was designed for conflict.
Without warning, Cwifer was sucker punched by XLR8, knocking him off his feet and landing onto the ground. The Caudatian looked up and snarled at the transformed Ben.
"I will remember that, Wielder." he said in anger as the Kineceleron reverted back to normal.
"Name's Jeager Joker, Remember that, Quiver." the masked Ben said, provoking the alien by deliberately saying his name wrong. He looked at his opponent without any fear shown, and wasn't backing down.
Cwifer hissed venomously and his smaller arms clenched into fists while his scythes came out again, ready to strike. However, the Caudatian realized what the boy was doing and forced himself to calm down.
"I recognize that voice. To think I'd encounter another Ben 10 here, albeit a younger version of him." the Rapere said in amusement as his scythes were replaced again. "This has been a most intriguing evening. I am now glad that Kai is our leader now. I used to not trust her, but she has delivered on her promise."
The alien swayed his tail a bit as he examined the Jeager Joker.
"I am most curious about what made you decide on that odd name, but it at least you saved us the trouble of classifying you to differentiate you from the various other Ben 10's we have faced." he said out of curiosity before he turned around and leaped back to avoid the Dark Knight trying to discretely plant a small bug on the tail. "And seriously, you think you can plant a tracking device on me? I applaud your stealth. You almost had me there. Anyway, I must take my leave now. Kai has gotten more than enough time for whatever she has planned by now with that Annodite." the last part caught the pale skinned boy off guard, fearing the worst for his cousin.
With that, Cwifer avoided a punch from Rugged Ace and slamming his tail into his chest to bat him away before running off despite the young hero's protests to stop and tell him more. With nothing else in mind, the Omnitrix wielder slumped to his knees and slammed a fist against the ground in frustration before screaming at the top of his lungs.
"So, what now?" Spade Link asked while looking at Batman.
"We rescue Ivy and Jeager's cousin." the Dark Knight responded firmly.
Hearing that caught Harley's attention before she nodded in agreement before going towards the frustrated boy.
"Hey, it's not the end of the world. Did you find any bodies?" she asked in a soft manner.
The young boy looked at his "sister" and fell silent for a moment as the jester placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"I didn't find any bodies… though I found what looked like a strip joint in the back of the restaurant."
"You all go get some rest, and tend to any wounds he may have." Batman instructed the group. "I'll speak with the people inside the back. Some of you are minors after all."
"Aw, man!" Rugged Ace groaned upon hearing that. "We're heroes, don't we get some kind of perk for that?"
"No." was the stern, authoritative response from the caped vigilante. "Spade Link, make sure the kids stay outside."
"Understood." the masked genius responded after reverting back to normal as the Batman walked over towards Harley and Ben.
"I know it's hard, but let me take over for now." he said calmly.
Ben took a moment to process what was said before he nodded.
"Alright, but let me know as soon as you learn anything about my cousin." he said as a smirk formed on his face. He realized that Batman wasn't trying to push him away, and he gave underlying consent for him to help out. But for now, he had to recover. The mask and clothes did hide his cuts, which were carried over from his transformation. However, they weren't debilitating, and were quite shallow.
Watching the vigilante head off into the diner, he was helped up to his feet by Harley.
"I swear it, Gwen. I will save you this time…" Ben vowed. "I won't be helpless again."
"Hey, does anyone know where that masked girl go?" Gecko Spade asked.
Looking around with the rest of the group, Harley and Ben noticed that the masked Ani had slipped away without them noticing. She pulled a Batman on them and didn't notice it until that very moment.
The masked Ani sighed in relief as she laid down on the roof she was upon now. Standing before her was another Ani in a cloak, the same one who acted as Gordon's informant, as she shook her head.
"What were you thinking? You know only I am the one allowed to be here, sis." the cloaked Ani said. "Do you want Ben to die or something?"
The masked one shook her head before removing her mask, revealing herself to be blushing.
"I wanted to help this Ben out. If I didn't get Cwifer's attention, he'd have killed Harley!" she commented while fidgeting.
"You nearly wrecked this whole time line just to help out a certain Ben?" the cloaked Time Soldier said while using one of her twin tails to point towards her doppelganger. "I always knew you were reckless, but seriously, why are you infatuated with this Ben?"
"It's because of what happens in the future…" the bob cut Ani muttered timidly as her blush deepened.
The cloaked Ani groaned as she placed a hand over her face, realizing what was being implied.
"Oh my god…" she groaned in an exaggerated manner. "YOU are the one he hooks up with?!"
"In the Sacred Spork Timeline, yes…" the other said before replacing her mask on. "With that, I want to help him out, even if it doesn't come to that possibility."
The cloaked Ani slumped her head and whimpered.
"Master Paradox is going to have my hide for this…" she said dejectedly. "You randomly showing up, the Caudatians, Kai. This is too much to go unnoticed…"
"Indeed that is correct." a familiar voice said, causing both Ani to freeze in place.
"Master!" they said in unison , with the cloaked one's voice trembling in fear.
The Time Walker gave a small smile and gently patted the cloaked Time Walker to ease her fears.
"You're not in trouble." he reassured her. "Though your sister's sudden appearance does naturally warrant concern." The cloaked witch looked up with a look of confusion on her face as her masked doppelganger simply tilted her head.
" Masquerade Witch here is tied to this reality as she claims, but from a branching timeline. Her appearance isn't going to derail the timeline, as long as she doesn't get too involved like yourself." Paradox said, referring to the masked Ani by her alias. "I just visited an alternate timeline that is not really a good one despite how it sounds. One where despite being 13 years old, winds up becoming a father to twenty different kids. Harems can cause a lot of problems, and take a mental toll on the one who is in the center of it. The Ben of that timeline fled into hiding, unable to handle the pressures of fatherhood. Very few Bens have the aptitude of having a harem, which is why they mostly are monogamous."
"Like my Ben." the masked Ani added. " He loves only me!"
"Remember, Masky, this isn't your timeline, so it's my responsibility." the cloaked one stated before looking at Paradox. "What do you want us to do now?"
"You were doing a pretty good job, despite getting more involved than I'd prefer. But so far, things are going smoothly. Just avoid interactions with the Caudatians at all costs from now on. As your sister found out, Cwifer has the ability to negate magic. And we can't afford Ben learning about us just yet. Things will be further difficult due to Batman already figuring out about you. He'll stay quiet for now, but he will ask questions, being one who wants answers after all. Despite having traveled through time himself, he must not learn about us."
"So stay on the sidelines, gotcha." the masked Ani acknowledged.
"I will entrust things to the both of you, so please be careful until I return in a few chapters." Paradox said with a smile before he walked off, walking behind a water tower leg and vanishing.
The cloaked Ani sighed in relief, knowing that everything was alright.
"Alright sis. I'm in charge, and make sure you… Arggh!" she said, immediately frustrated upon noticing that the masked Ani had disappeared on her. She managed to do what even the vigilante the action was named after couldn't pull off, she pulled a Batman.
Race: Caudatian Rapere
Home World: Necrosia XII (destroyed) Of *redacted*
A speed oriented subspecies of the Caudatian race. They have been genetically modified to match the fastest races like the Aerophibians and Kinecelerons. The primary weapons are their scythes which are capable of slicing through steel, but only if moving at top speed. The Rapere are also adept swimmers, capable of moving at speeds that are faster than most human speedboats with ease, but are faster on land in comparison.
Like most of the Caudatian race, they have an instinct to instigate conflict, so peace means nothing to them. Combat is their euphoria, and will keep fighting until death, no matter how impossible it is to defeat their opponent if they feel they even have a remote chance of prevailing, unless their instincts say otherwise. However, they will listen to orders if beaten into submission to show dominance.
Due to their lust for battle, their homeworld was driven to death, with all apex predators, including their natural predators, fought to extinction, leading to ecosystem collapse. Due to explorers from other planets interacting with them, the Caudatians survived their own self-inflicted genocide and became a nomadic race. At first, they were just seen as an inferior, barbaric parallel to the Incursions, but became feared after they triumphed over the conquering race despite their disadvantage, and driven them to extinction. Only Attea is the last surviving member of the Incursion race.
For generations, they were at odds with other technologically advance races, which eventually led to the more intellectual Caudatian Intella forming. They then experimented with various things to improve their race, going as far as to try out genetic manipulation. This led to the rise of various subspecies, each specialized in one area. The Rapere was the first, hence the more primitive appearance compared to other subspecies. To limit the frequency of civil wars, they were all made male, with the Nexia being created as the only option for mates, and have a Supreme Ruler to guide them all. To this day, the Caudatians keep experimenting to further improve their race, leading to new adaptations and mutations.
All Caudatians are amphibious in nature, so they must keep their skin moist in order to breathe properly. This trait is the biggest weakness of the Rapere, who can't maintain their blistering speed without their skin drying out fast. As such, they also do not fair well in hot areas, especially those that lack humidity. Fire also dries the skin quickly, which makes Pyronites the only enemy to give the Rapere any pause.
Stats (Caudatian Rapere)
Strength: 6
Speed: 7 (on foot)/ 6(swim)
Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 5
Combat Skill: 8
Weakness: Fire, heat due to necessity of keeping skin moist
Threat Level: 7
Cwifer
Race: Caudatian Rapere
Bio: One of the Vanguards, a group of elite Caudatians that are the pinnacle of their respective subspecies.
Cwifer, opposed to most Rapere, has more intellect than the rest of his kind, allowing him to formulate plans and complex strategies. To become a Vanguard, a Caudatian must kill the current one to take his place. Cwifer quickly shown he was a force to be reckoned with when he became the Rapere Vanguard. He adopted the name due to having an interest with the English language, something that is rare amongst his race outside of the Nexia.
He fought against challengers of his kind as well as clashing with the Ben 10 of his dimension as XLR8, and was beaten. Faced with the humiliation of losing and still being alive, he trained immensely to push his speeds to levels that surpass the one who beaten him. He was christened "Cwifer the Swift," after he defeated Ben in a rematch, and executing him after forcibly removing the Omntrix from his person.
After that, he has begun longing to have another fight against a different Ben 10, one who would give him the thrill he craves.
Personality: Due to his fascination with the English language, he adopted the tone of a sophisticated being. His fight with his dimension's Ben left him with a desire to face such an opponent again, and gets excited if the possibility arises. He also became proud of his name, and sees any mispronunciation as an insult that warrants death, often becoming furious in the process. However, he can suppress his anger if necessary. He acknowledges Kai as superior as him, which leads to him being loyal to her, despite not trusting her.
Abilities: Cwifer is able to move faster than a regular Caudatian Rapere in short bursts, but still has the physical strength of one. He also holds above average intellect, which makes him a formidable strategist that can match wits with those who are intellectually on par with humans. Through unknown reasons at this time, he is also able to negate magic, therefore rendering even Lovelila Ani, a witch that can actually bend the laws of physics and reality on a whim, completely helpless.
Stats
Strength: 5
Speed: 7 (on foot)/ 8 (max)/6(swim)
Intelligence: 7
Endurance: 7
Combat Skill: 9
Weakness: same weaknesses as a regular Rapere, but going at full speed dries skin even faster than normal andis ex. Short temper with his name being said wrong.
Threat Level: 8
Caudatian Nexia
An all female subspecies of Caudatians who do not harbor the same instincts as the rest of the race, mainly due to their intended role to be submissive mates for breeding. As such, they are more peaceful and gentle towards others, especially of other races. They have a humanoid appearance, because to Caudatians, they see that as the weakest physique to exist.
Due to their role, Nexia are the weakest of the race, but natural evolution allowed them to become empathic, and gaining abilities to understand one's feelings. To further make them as inferior as possible, through genetic manipulation, they lack the scythe forelimbs the others have, leaving them with only one pair of arms. They were also designed to conceive any of the other subspecies without difficulty. Their submission is also an instinct, deeply engrained enough that they feel responsible to only have Caudatian children, even if they can fall in love with others of different races. Also, they can keep their skin moist longer than most subspecies, but fire and heat still cause them to dry out quick.
Most have unfortunately resigned to their role, but a few wish to become free and attempted to escape over the years. However, most who try are captured and punished. So far, only four Nexia managed to escape, one of which was Ewte's mother. Those who have met a Nexia say they are arguably the only redeeming part of the Caudatian race, due to their kindness. Those who take interest in humanoid physiology sexually also admit the Nexia are quite attractive.
Abilities
Nexia can accurately understand how others feel, even if there's a language barrier in place. They do this by pleasantly stimulating the other while the Nexia has their head close to the other's. A kiss is usually the easiest method of doing this. The ability of empathic understanding can help diffuse situations and arguments and can foster understanding if one cannot speak in an understandable language.
In terms of physical traits, Nexia are subpar to an adult human at peak physical shape.
Stats
Strength: 1
Speed: 2
Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 3
Combat Skill: 1
Threat level: 1
Ewte
Race: Caudatian Nexia
Ewte was born with no exposure to the Caudatian lifestyle for Nexia, She was raised by her mother and the Azmuth of her dimension until their deaths from an attack led by Aniki, the Caudatian Furia Vanguard. Ewte managed to escape with her life, and leading to her understanding the threat her race poses.
She was discovered by Albedo, who came because of Azmuth sending out a distress signal. The genius took her in out of pity and soon taught her how to fight to the best of her abilities. Despite being on par with an unfit human physically, she has shown surprising talent with a certain weapon, skilled enough to down a Furia on her own with ease. She also showed intellect that Albedo didn't know existed for a Caudatian, and treated her as such in response. Over the years, the two became close, eventually becoming lovers. She also was the one who came up with Albedo's original alias Linker.
Personality: Ewte can be naïve in some areas, but overall has a good grasp of what's good or bad. She is also supportive of her friends, and acts as Linker's assistant on top of his lover. She also isn't violent, but will fight if necessary. She will stay out if she feels like it isn't her place to interfere, like with Ben's anger towards Batman. Due to her upbringing, she also has an outsider's perspective of her own race, which combined with her instincts, allow her to see things differently than others.
Stats.
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 3
Combat Skill: 5 (with weapons)
Weakness: physically not strong, helpless without her weapons. High heat and fire.
CCR
Blazorna: Ugh, been a while hasn't it? I'm not going to go on another tangent with my life for those reading, but it hasn't been fun. Now, onto the more important matters on hand.
I am just amazed how many people (EVERYONE!) were off the mark with who killed Gwen, or her original body at least. The most blatantly obvious clue was Gwen's own decapitated head. She was decapitated, so had anyone thought it was weird that we had a decapitated head when the Joker had a crossbow at the time, nor her cause of death mentioned as being a shot to the heart? Kai was the one with the means who could do such a thing with a sword. Plus Gwen only had a smile, her eyes weren't bugging out either. And Ani? She is responsible for keeping the timeline on track, and like Paradox himself, they shouldn't get involved unless it's absolutely necessary. Has she actually done anything to be a direct threat to Ben? She's been actually helping him indirectly by interacting with Gordon and Batman.
And for those who thought I was having characters like Eon or the Demon Breaker from the original Misplaced Hero be involved, You may have been thinking a little bit in the right direction, but you're sorely mistaken here. MHG is meant to be independent of the events of the other story, with only a few threads connecting them, mainly Paradox and the Ani sisters and a few references.
As no one has gotten it right, in the polls or in a message, the fate of Ben's love life will be left a complete mystery. That's how things go.
Now onto the Caudatians. They're meant to be the main antagonists alongside Kai. I carefully made sure that the Vanguards weren't overpowered, but are formidable. I know I could get away with more with the DC universe, but even they make sure there's weaknesses and all that. I'm just following suit the best I can.
On that note, I guess I should point out something about my stat system. I am having it where if the rating is 10, that means being like as durable as Doomsday or Flash level speed. With that, it should make the Caudatians that appear not seem so over powered.
Moving on to the bios now. I did that to explain a bit about Ewte and Cwifer. Plus, those were done so as to not bog down the story so much. Don't worry, there is much more that I've withheld. And other parts left with few details to avoid spoilers. For what I have planned, some of those mentioned events could be explored in greater detail if the plot needs it.
Anyway, I have a little announcement. Another author has joined the rankings of this Omniverse that was created through the collabs of the original Misplaced Hero. This story is a bit different than the others as it actually involves a live action TV show. The author is actually really good, plus Bigby is helping him out, so this story has quality and the chapters are large enough to sink your teeth into, even though it only started not long ago (As of writing this, he only has 4 chapters up.)
This is Wrath of The Sun Deity's A Stranded Hero, a Ben 10/Stargate SG-1 crossover. It's a little tricky to follow if you aren't remotely familiar with Stargate at all, especially the younger readers, but if you have a decent amount of knowledge of SG-1, this is a good story you can appreciate, which is also faithful to characters' personality and all that. Ben is more like the UAE version for personality but a bit more mature, and it's fitting for the story. I haven't gotten involved with the development of the story for those wondering, but I did suggest to Sin in a review to perhaps give a brief explanation of some things at certain points that would help out anyone unfamiliar with Stargate that want to enjoy the story.
Harley: *Comes in wearing a black and red party hat* Hey, aren't ya going to join the party?
Blazorna: Busy right now. Anyway, it's a celebration of Harley's 25th anniversary. It's been going on for who knows how long now… Knowing her, just about anything you can imagine has happened.
Anyway, what do we have this time to answer?
Harley: Hey, perfect timing, you go to the party and I'll take over.
Blazorna: Any games?
Harley: Pin the tail on Fuzzy.
Blazorna: ONNORE, HAREE KWUINNU! (Japanese for Damn You, Harley Quinn! Romanji Spelling may not be accurate)
Harley: Calm down. Just because we got the nuclear squirrel involved, it doesn't mean he'll blow everything up if you pin a tail on him.
Blazorna: to quote Power Girl: "Only you can make that game lethal." My death count went up by 249 ever since that damn furball has gotten involved!
Harley: Are you going to get PG involved here?
Blazorna: She would beat me into oblivion if I tried. Trust me. Anyway, Questions! *heads off to the party*
Dragon Rider 66: Was that Back Story really necessary? Wasn't Harley supposed to be wearing some different random costumes during these things or something?
Harley: Well, Mr. B really was at wit's end sadly during that time. He needed to vent that somehow, and he already saw his therapist that month. Don't worry, he's fine now. And for those costumes. *points to hat* I do wear different stuff, just not often.
*Two explosions happen from where the party is.*
And right on schedule. Well, I better head off and see what the BDC is at now. That stands for Blazorna Death Count. In the mean time, I hope you guys leave a review. Fuzzy is pretty fun to have exploding, and we need more ammo! Who knows, maybe I may be wearing something a little more provocative depending on how much we get. starting from Bikini to pushing the limits. Take care, and see you all next time!