HeroVerse
Chapter 5
"There's Magic in the Air"
A/N: Originally I had NO idea what to do for the next chapter. Then I remembered I hadn't included Gwen and Kevin yet. Then the pieces just seemed to fall into place.
Flames roared and ate at the old apartment building. Bricks crumbled and fell off in flaming chunks. Firefighters had long since arrived on the scene. They desperately tried to quench the flames, but they burned on. Screams could be heard inside, but the flames burned too hot for the firefighters to make their way in. A black and green sports car came screeching to a halt. Ben stepped out from the driver's seat, with Danny coming out of the passenger's seat.
"Danny, cool it down!" Ben yelled above the roaring flames.
A ring of light washed over Danny and changed him into his Phantom Form. His hands began glowing with cold, blue energy and fired ice blasts at the flames. The flames died down slightly, creating an opening for Ben. "It's Heatblast time!" Ben slammed down the Omnitrix and green light erupted around him.
"Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainstorm!" Brainstorm cried as he emerged from the green light. "You have got to be joking me, Omnitrix. It's been eleven years, you incompetent DNA transmorgrification device!" He sighed. Brainstorm's shell opened up to reveal his brain and he began projecting an electromagnetic forcefield. He stepped into the flames, which bended around his shield.
Immediately upon walking in he found one of the people trapped inside. She was a college aged girl wearing pajama pants and a simple tank top. Under different circumstances, Ben would've found her quite attractive, but now was not the time. A wooden support beam cracked and began plummeting towards her. Brainstorm eyed it and projected a blast of electricity. The blast hit the wooden beam and caused it to splinter into a million tiny pieces. He then fired another blast at the girl, but instead of hurting her, it acted as a tractor beam, bringing the girl closer. Brainstorm lifted the girl over him and moved her outside, setting her down by the paramedics who had just arrived.
"Is there any other life forms here?" Brainstorm called out. "Please proceed to project your voice so I may procure you and escort you outside to the authorities."
Several voices cried out for help. Brainstorm sighed. There were way too many to save. "According to my calculations, there's only a 67.86% chance that I will be able to save all of you." He explained. "Do not worry, I will ensure that I begin rescuing you in the most efficient order possible. The rest of you will have to remain patient."
"Or you could just call me in?" Danny said from the Omnitrix's communication device.
"Do not be preposterous, Daniel." Brainstorm said dismissively. "With my superior intellect, I am more than capable of performing this search and rescue by myself."
"No one told me some of your transformations were total dickheads." Danny said, annoyed.
"I don't take your meaning." Brainstorm said, slightly confused.
As this dialogue went on, Brainstorm was walking through the burning apartment building, telekinetically retrieving the trapped tenants. But after a short time, using his abilities so liberally was beginning to take it's toll. Brainstorm was huffing and puffing, and he knew there were still plenty of trapped people.
"Fine, Daniel, I may require your assistance, after all." Brainstorm said in between ragged breaths.
"No can do now." Danny said, his voice slightly strained. "The flames just got way more intense. I'm worried if I let up on the ice, the building will crumble!"
"You know, Daniel, you shouldn't offer your help if you aren't actually going to give it." Brainstorm scoffed as he moved another person out.
Brainstorm could hear the building straining to stay in one piece and understood the grim reality that most of these people weren't going to make it out alive. He'd have to move quickly in order to save the remaining people. "Move…quickly…" Brainstorm smacked his face with his claw. "As the unarticulated would say…DUH!" Brainstorm adjusted the Omnitrix and slammed his claw against it. A green flash fought for dominance over the flames.
"XLR8!" The lizard-like speedster emerged from the light. In a blur of motion, he began running people out of the apartment building. Soon there was only one person left in the building. Of course, they were on the top floor. XLR8 sped up the stairs and through the flames. Sometime during the rescue mission, the structure of the stairs had begun to falter, and XLR8's constant up and down trips had worn them down. XLR8 began speeding up the last flight of stairs. Then, to his shock and dismay, the stairs cracked and splintered underneath him.
XLR8 began to fall, hitting the banister of the flight below him and bouncing off and into the central part of the building, where there was nothing to catch him except the bottom floor. In a panic, he uselessly flailed his arms and legs in the air as he fell. He was about ten feet from colliding with the ground when a glowing pink construct of energy caught him and cushioned his impact. The construct floated down and set him on the ground. XLR8 took inventory of himself and looked around. Standing behind him was a beautiful red-headed girl he knew all too well.
"Gwendolyn!" XLR8 blurred over to her, squeezing her tight. "It's so good to see you." He looked around himself again. "I'm getting the strangest sense of déjà vu."
"Less talk, cous, more getting the hell out of here." Gwendolyn said as she began rushing towards the exit.
"But there's one more person trapped still!" XLR8 responded.
"Kevin's got the last person. Come on!" Gwendolyn said as she blasted the flames around them away for a brief moment so they could escape.
XLR8 nodded, grabbing Gwendolyn and speeding outside. XLR8 and Gwendolyn emerged from the flames moments before the building finally gave in and crumped. Gwendolyn called up a shield of mana to protect them all from the crashing rubble. As the dust settled, Ben resumed his human form and gave Gwendolyn another big hug.
"It's been too long, how's everything going at the University?" Ben asked her.
"Well I'm teaching now, so that's a thing." Gwendolyn nodded.
"Tennyson!" A muscular arm wrapped itself around Ben's neck and a fist dug into his hair. Ben looked up to see his once enemy turned best friend delivering a serious noogie.
Kevin and Gwendolyn had both grown in the last six years. Not necessarily in height, but in their presence and general appearance. Kevin had clearly been hitting the gym more, and appeared very muscular. He wore a grey tank top with black lining around the shirt's holes. His hair was shaved on the sides of his head, with the hair on top reaching to his ears. The X-shaped scar on his chin had faded but was still pretty noticeable. He wore oil-stained ripped jeans and worker's boots.
Gwendolyn wore her long red hair in a ponytail that reached her waist. She wore blue-rimmed reading glasses that matched her blue sweater vest, which she wore over a lighter blue collared shirt. She wore clean black jeans, as opposed to her usual skirt.
"Good to see ya Kev." Ben and Kevin exchanged fist bumps.
"Who's your friend?" Gwendolyn asked, pointing at Danny.
"Oh yeah, that's Danny." Ben said, gesturing for Danny to come over.
Danny finished helping the first responders and ran over to meet Ben and the others.
"Hey Ben, who're these two?" He asked.
"Danny, I want you to meet my cousin Gwendolyn, and my best friend Kevin." Ben gestured to each of them. "Together, we've gone up against all kinds of bad guys."
"Nice to meet you two. Most know me as Danny Phantom…" Danny waved as a ring of blue light transformed him. "But you can call me Danny Fenton."
"Woah, that's a neat trick." Kevin whistled.
"I'll have to catch you guys up." Ben said, walking to his car. "There's a lot going on."
"Likewise…that's why we're here. We need your help." Gwendolyn said.
Back at the Plumber Base, Ben gathered the other heroes into the command room. Proper introductions were made and they began to exchange explanations of their situations.
"So Eon's back then? And he's gathering villains from across the multiverse to aid him in whatever the heck he's planning this time?" Kevin asked.
"That about sums it up." Rex said. "He even recruited a nanite creature that Ben and I fought a few years ago."
Meanwhile, Jake was on his own train of thought. He gave Gwendolyn a cocky smile. "So you're into magic and stuff, huh?" Jake shined his knuckles on his shirt. "I'll have you know I'm like, a GUARDIAN of magic and stuff."
Kevin stared daggers at the American Dragon. "Back off, pipsqueak." He said. "That's my girlfriend you're talking to."
Kevin and Jake gritted their teeth at each other. You could practically see the hostility between the two.
"Probably best to just ignore them." Kim said. "Okay Gwendolyn. So we've told our story. Now you tell us what's going on with you."
"Right." Gwendolyn sighed. "Yesterday, I was in Ledgerdomain, a dimension which is the source of all mana and magic. A dimensional tear appeared, and out came a man with a small army."
Gwendolyn's eyes glowed and she formed an image of the man. He was muscular, wearing red and black armored leather. He carried a staff that seemed to be constructed of advanced technology. On his head, he wore a draconic skull. "He calls himself the Huntsman."
Jake broke away from his staring match with Kevin. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"The Huntsman, sound familiar?" Gwendolyn asked Jake.
"Yeah, sure does." Jake said, his face becoming very serious. "I wished him out of existence."
"Well for one reason or another, it seems like it didn't stick." Gwendolyn said. "The Huntsman and his followers have somehow gained access to Ledgerdomain and have taken over the heart of the realm."
"You mean…?" Ben began.
"The creep has the Alpha Rune." Kevin said.
"What's the Alpha Rune?" Kim asked with a critical look on her face.
"The Alpha Rune is the foundation of magic as we know it." Gwendolyn began. "It holds nigh-unlimited power and can be used to manipulate magic across the multiverse."
"And if the Huntsman has a hold of it, it only spells trouble." Jake said. "That creep hates magical creatures and all of magic. He and I fought for over a year as he tried to exterminate all of magical life, including me."
"So his take over of this Ledgerdomain place sounds really bad for magic." Danny said.
"Kevin and I tried taking him on, but with the Alpha Rune, he's pretty much untouchable by anything I'd be able to throw at him." Gwendolyn said. "That's why I came here, I need your help, cousin."
"Little did we know you got your own multiverse-hopping problems right now." Kevin added.
"If this Huntsman guy is supposed to be dead, and he just suddenly popped up in another dimension, maybe our problems are linked." Rex thought out loud.
"Rex has a point." Ben nodded. "I think the Huntsman returning might have something to do with Eon's schemes."
"It might explain why Alpha was scanning Jake when we fought." Kim suggested.
"You think it got info on the Huntsman by scanning me?" Jake wondered. "Gross, I got Huntsman data on me. I feel like I need to take a shower."
"Alright Gwendolyn, we'll all come help drive this Huntsman guy out of Ledgerdomain." Ben nodded.
"Are you sure Ben?" Gwendolyn said with a concerned look. "I know you have a lot going on here."
"It's more than likely that this Huntsman guy is related to whatever Eon's planning." Danny nodded. "We're all going. Together, this guy doesn't stand a chance."
"Very well," Gwendolyn said. "Everyone gather close, and I'll transport us there."
Kim, Danny, Rex, Jake, Ben, and Kevin all gathered close to Gwendolyn as her eyes began to glow pink with mana.
"Abeo Exorior!" Gwendolyn's voice echoed. A dome of mana surrounded them. The world began to blur around them. The feeling of moving suddenly overtook them as they seemed to hurtle in a void. The group struggled to keep their balance as the teleportation spell hurled them in every direction all at once.
As soon as it began, it seemed to end. The orb of mana that held them seemed to settle and slow down suddenly as the world around them became more clear. The mana dissipated and they found themselves in a world of purple-sky and stone structures.
"Everyone, welcome to Ledgerdomain." Gwendolyn said.
"This place is kinda creepy." Rex said, looking around.
"You think this is creepy, you should see the Ghost Zone." Danny replied.
"Eyes up, we got company." Kim pointed ahead of them.
A little way down the stone pathway were several giant stone golems with pink runes glowing across their bodies. They did not look happy to see the heroes. The golems let out a collective roar and charged towards Ben and the gang.
"Alright guys, it's hero time!" Ben cried, rallying the group. Ben slammed down the Omnitrix, engulfing himself and the others in the green light.
Ben's skin became scaley and tough as his jaw extended into a beak. His arms and legs became skinnier and wings grew out of his back. The green light faded and his alien form emerged. "Astrodactyl!" He squawked. Astrodactyl's back ignited with green fire as he took flight towards the stone golems.
"I'm Going Ghost!" Danny cried. A wave of light washed over him, changing his body into that of Danny Phantom's. Danny flew after Astrodactyl, his legs becoming a ghostly tail.
"Dragon Up!" Jake's voice echoed as flames and blue mist transformed his body. Jake's Draconic Form emerged as he let out a mighty roar and followed Danny and Astrodactyl's lead.
"Man I wish I had a cool catch phrase…" Rex said. His arms morphed into the Smack Hands and he ran to meet the golems.
"You're telling me." Kim said with a slight sigh. Her Battle Suit hummed to life, enhancing her abilities. She ran, easily able to keep up with the flying heroes.
"Bunch of show offs." Kevin grunted. He knelt down, absorbing the stone from the ground underneath him. His body and clothes covered by a layer of stone armor. "Come on, Gwen. Let's kick some rock monster ass!" His hand morphed into a spikey mace and he charged.
Gwendolyn's body glowed as she transformed into her superhero persona; Lucky Girl. Her body took on a similar appearance to that of an Anodite, purple energy skin with pink mana hair. She wore a black cat mask with blue accents. She wore a similarly colored robe that reached to the middle of her thighs and she wore black tights under. The sleeves of her robe seemed to drape past her hands, giving her a more mystical and carefree appearance. She took flight as well, glowing with mana.
Astrodactyl squawked loudly as he gathered energy in his mouth. He launched a green energy blast from his beak, hitting the lead stone golem. The golem roared as it stumbled, it's companions running into it from behind and they all tumbled and made a mess of themselves. The golems righted themselves and scattered as the other heroes closed in for a fight. Twin whips emerged from Astrodactyl's arms, glowing with green energy. He squawked again as he lashed out with these whips, attacking the lead golem again. The golem was ready this time though, as the whips lashed out, it grabbed them in it's giant fists. Astrodactyl let out a surprised squawk as the golem yanked down hard and sent Astrodactyl crashing into the ground. Astrodactyl tugged at his whips in an attempt to get free, but the golem just pulled him again and as Astrodactyl hurtled forward, the golem hit him with a massive punch to the face. Astrodactyl squawked in pain and surprise as he flew across the stone path and nearly fell off. He hit the ground hard, tumbling and scraping himself against the stone. Astrodactyl stood up and fired an energy blast from his mouth, blasting the golem's arm clean off. The golem roared in pain but Astrodactyl didn't give it a chance to recover. He lashed out with his whips, tying the golem up. Astrodactyl took flight once more and pulled the golem over the edge, releasing the whips. The golem plummeted into the endless void of Ledgerdomain. "You know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall." He squawked with laughter at his joke, which admittedly made no sense.
Danny bobbed and weaved around the golem's punches effortlessly. "Come on ya big dumb rock is that all you got?" Danny taunted as fired a blast of ecto energy at the back of its head. The golem roared and swung its giant arm around, catching Danny in the ribs and sending him tumbling through the air. He righted himself, coughing. "Not cool, but this is." Danny fired an ice blast at the creature's feet, forming ice on its legs and the stone path. The golem roared and struggled but it was certainly stuck. Danny's hands glowed with ecto energy, acting like brass knuckles. Danny hit the golem hard with several punches to its chest and face. The golem attempted to reciprocate the attack, but Danny was far too agile for the golem to keep up, especially being rooted into place. "Time to end this!" Danny charged a massive amount of ecto energy in his hands and fired the blast at point blank range. The blast carved a perfect hole in its chest. The pink energy in its runes faded away as the golem died, collapsing in front of Danny.
Rex hit his golem in the chest with the Smack Hands. The golem was sent rolling across the ground by the massive punch. Rex chased after the golem, landing blow after blow. Suddenly, the golem stopped mid-roll, and caught Rex's punch. The golem's runes glowed as it seemed to grow larger. The golem let out a deepening roar as it seemed to grow twice the size. "Awww man, come on! That's not even close to fair!" The golem picked up Rex by his Smack Hand. It swung Rex around above its head and flung him through the air. "Woahwoahwoahwoah!" Rex hollered as he flew through the air. The Smack Hands collapsed and Rex formed the Boogie Pack, a jetpack made of twin orange turbines expanded from his back, righting himself in the air. "So not cool, feo!" Rex flew back towards the giant golem. He collapsed the Boogie Pack, reforming the Smack Hands. He used his velocity to enhance his punch. Rex hit the golem right in the jaw and sent it stumbling. The golem struggled to retain its balance as it stood just on the edge of the stone path. Rex landed, switching out the Smack Hands for the Slam Cannon. The back of the cannon extended and grabbed a chunk of rock from the ground for ammo. "Adios!" Rex fired the chunk of rock out of the slam cannon, hitting the giant golem in the chest and causing it to finally lose balance. The giant golem roared as it fell over the edge and disappeared into the abyss.
Jake engulfed a golem in flames as he flew towards it. The golem, blinded by the flames swung wildly, trying to hit Jake as he flew around breathing fire. Jake ceased the attack, flying to the golem's back and landing several punches and kicks to its body. The creature swung around with its giant fist, hitting Jake hard and causing him to fall to the ground. The golem raised its arms to slam down on Jake, but as it swung its arms down, Jake caught the fists with his hands. The golem and Jake struggled for dominance, pushing each other back and forth. Jake launched a fire ball from his mouth into the golem's face, stunning it and giving Jake the opportunity he needed to break free of the struggle. He pushed the golem's arms back and rushed in to the golem's face. He gripped the golem's jaw, forcing it open, and began breathing incredibly hot flames into the golems body. The golem let out gurgling, pained roars as Jake roasted it from the inside. It's body began to glow red with heat as the flames continued to heat it up. The pink glow of the ruins began to flicker and fade. Jake leaped off the golem, landing a few feet back. The golem smoked and hissed, the pink runes finally dying out, and it fell to the floor.
Kim projected a force field from her Battle Suit as a golem repeatedly threw punches at her. The force field flashed with each punch, making stars swim in her eyes. The golem had her pinned. She wouldn't be fast enough to move out of the way if the golem kept up these attacks. Kim grunted from the force of the golem's punches. She could feel the shield straining to maintain itself as it began to crack. Kim expanded the force field as it finally gave way. It pushed the golem back for a second and she rolled out of its reach. From her belt she pulled out a grappling hook and fired it at the golem. The hook and rope wrapped around its legs. Kim pressed a button on the grapple gun, and the rope pulled taut. The golem's legs were pulled together and the top-heavy beast fell over and hit the ground hard. Kevin jumped over Kim and hammered down hard with a rocky fist, crushing the golem's head.
"Nice finisher." Kim gave the rocky Kevin a thumbs up.
"You held your own against it pretty good." Kevin said to her.
Two other golems were flung through the air by bursts of mana. They roared in fear as they fell to their infinite dooms.
Lucky Girl walked up next to Kevin. "Come on, if we're already getting attacked, then the Huntsman already knows we're here."
Jake flew up next to them, resuming his human form. "And I'll make sure he stays gone this time."
Astrodactyl landed in front, transforming back to Ben. "Sheesh, I forgot that flying here can get a little wonky."
Danny remained in his Phantom form, but joined the group. "I'm guessing that was only the greeting party. It's only going to get worse the deeper we go in."
"Come on, we smashed those guys easily." Rex said, adjusting his goggles. "If that's all this Huntsman guy's got, this will be a breeze."
"We shouldn't underestimate him." Lucky Girl reminded them. "Especially since he has the Alpha Rune, he'll have access to a limitless amount of magic, and be completely invulnerable to our magic."
"Wait, so if he's invulnerable to magic, will my dragon abilities be able to touch him at all?" Jake asked.
"I'm not too sure." Lucky Girl said. "Worse comes to worst, you and I will have to focus on support."
"Lame, he's my villain." Jake groaned. "I should be the one to kick his butt."
"Don't worry," Rex reassured him. "We'll let you get the finishing blow."
"Jake is an expert on this guy." Ben said. "So he'll hang back while the rest of us focus on taking away the Alpha Rune and getting it to Gwen. After that, Jake will finish him off."
"Didn't Gwendolyn mention he brought an army?" Kim asked. "I doubt we'll be able to just all steamroll this guy."
"The Huntsclan," Jake nodded. "They're all trained in the ways of the Huntsman. Every one of those losers is capable of taking down super strong magical creatures…like dragons."
"Noted, so they're an army of badasses." Kevin said.
"Alright, then this is our plan." Lucky Girl began. "Ben, Danny, and Rex will take the fight directly to the Huntsman. I'll stay close by and provide you guys with any help I can, but I'll also be helping the others fight off the Huntsclan. Kevin, Kim, and Jake will focus primarily on fighting the goons and keeping them away from their leader. Once Ben, Danny, and Rex get the Alpha Rune away from the Huntsman, I'll magically seal it and Jake will take on the Huntsman."
"I'm not too sure how well my machines will do against someone who's got all this magic at his disposal." Rex said with some worry.
"Come on Rex, I know you've taken on plenty of powerhouses." Ben reassured him. "Plus, that's what Danny and I are here for, to pick up the slack."
Rex punched Ben in the shoulder, but smiled. "Thanks, hermano."
"Sounds like a plan, then." Danny nodded. "Let's push forward."
They continued down the stone path. As they delved deeper into Ledgerdomain, dark purple storm clouds seemed to begin forming. Thunder roared and lightning cracked and danced between the clouds.
"Stay away from the edges." Lucky Girl yelled over the thunder. "These clouds are Ledgerdomain's reflection of its ruler."
"Shoulda brought a jacket." Kevin rubbed his arms as a gust of chilly wind rushed past.
"What's that up ahead?" Rex asked, pointing down the path and out of the clouds.
Up ahead, where the clouds seemed to part, was a large altar that seemed to be gathering energy. It was a giant stone structure, shaped like a curvy Y-shape. In its center floated a man, the man Gwendolyn had shown them. On his chest, the Alpha Rune pulsed with energy that seemed to flow into him. Hundreds of individuals cloaked in maroon ninja-like garb stood at attention in front of the floating figure.
"Well well, if it isn't the interlopers I was told about." The Huntsman said. His voice seemed to echo with power. His eyes widened. "And with them, my greatest adversary, the American Dragon."
"I can't believe I have to take your punk ass down a second time." Jake punched his palm. "I'll make sure it sticks this time."
The Huntsman raised an eyebrow. "A second time?"
Lucky Girl elbowed Jake. "This Huntsman comes from a time before you finally defeat him. Be careful what you say."
"Oh, got it." Jake nodded.
"No matter, you can't possibly hope to stop me now, dragon scum." Huntsman said. "I have control over all of magic."
"Sucks to be you, I got some non-magic friends!" Jake laughed.
In that moment, Danny appeared right in front of the Huntsman. He'd snuck up while completely invisible. Danny emitted a bright flash of Ecto-energy in an attempt to stun the Huntsman. He made a grab for the Alpha Rune, but the Huntsman swung his fist wildly and managed to hit Danny in the face. Danny tumbled back a few feet in midair. Danny recovered and fired an Ecto-energy blast at the Huntsman. The Huntsman casually deflected the blast with a magical shield.
"I admire your attempt." The Huntsman said with genuine admiration. "However, you are far out of your weight class, boy."
"How about me?" A rough voice asked.
The Huntsman turned to his left to see a giant fist hurtling towards him. He managed to call up a shield that deflected the punch. Humungousaur stumbled past the Huntsman, crashing into the altar.
"Hmph, anyone else?" The Huntsman asked.
A chunk of rock hit the Huntsman directly in the face. Rex stood below with the Slam Cannon, reloading. "Ben, Danny, get it together." Rex laughed. "Let's take this feo down."
Danny coated his hands in ecto-energy and rushed down the Huntsman. He threw several ecto-punches at the Huntsman. The Huntsman was an expert in hand to hand combat. He parried several of Danny's punches, countering with two solid gut punches. Danny gasped as the air was knocked out of him. The Huntsman brought down a powerful hammer blow onto Danny's back, sending him hurtling into the ground. Danny hit the ground hard, creating a large crater where he hit the ground. Humungousaur grew to his full height of 120 feet tall and unleashed his own massive hammer blow down onto the Huntsman. The Huntsman called up yet another shield that reflected the kinetic energy of Humungousaur's attack right back at him, and then some. Humungousaur was flung into the air, over the altar, and hit the ground so hard the very foundation shuddered. In a green flash, Humungousaur reverted to Ben. Rex cursed in Spanish, launching himself with the Punk Busters and forming the Smack hands. Rex threw a mighty right hook that could knock out kaiju-sized EVOs, but the Huntsman caught the blow casually. He gathered mana around his free hand and unleashed a blast that could rival even the strongest magic users. Rex tumbled to the ground, smoking from the blast as his machines collapsed.
"Hmph, I'd hoped for more of a challenge." The Huntsman laughed. "That fool Eon is clearly incompetent if he cannot defeat you whelps with his time abilities."
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was busy dealing with the Huntsclan. Kim blocked an incoming punch from a ninja, shocking them with her suit, and then judo throwing them into a mob of other ninjas, knocking them over. Kevin had formed his hands into stone hammers and was busy knocking heads of clearly outmatched ninjas. Lucky Girl had called up her own personal hurricane. None of the ninjas was able to get close without getting flung across Ledgerdomain.
Jake let out a mighty roar, breathing waves of fire and taking down hordes of the ninjas at a time. He punched a brave, but stupid, ninja in the face as they attempted to get the jump on Jake from behind. "You guys just never learn." He said in a gruff voice. Jake took flight along the ground, straight into a horde of enemies, knocking them all over. He stopped and looked up at the Huntsman to check on his allies. Ben, Danny, Rex, they were all down. The Huntsman wasn't even scratched. Jake growled in frustration. He knew he should've gone to face the Huntsman in the first place. Jake took flight, rushing towards the Huntsman and letting out a mighty, roaring battle cry.
The Huntsman smiled under his mask. "At last, dragon." The Huntsman fired several mana shots at Jake.
Jake nimbly dodged the attacks and went for a right hook. The Huntsman raised his arm, blocking the attack. With his other hand, he grabbed Jake's throat in a death grip. Jake let out a choking sound as he struggled against the Huntsman's grip.
"You're a fool, dragon." The Huntsman laughed. "I control the Alpha Rune, the very source of all magic in the multiverse. That includes yours."
Jake let out a cough. "You control magic, huh?" He wheezed. "How about a kick to the face?" Jake's form changed from dragon to human, shrinking out of the grip of the Huntsman. As Jake fell, he flipped, delivering a kick to the Huntsman's face. The kick was weak, but enough to stun the Huntsman briefly. Jake transformed again, catching himself in midair. He flanked the Huntsman and let out a rush of flames that engulfed his mortal enemy. The Huntsman dispersed the flames with a burst of mana. He fired a blast back at Jake, who nimbly dodged the attack and countered with three fireballs. The first two struck home, but the Huntsman deflected the third.
"You're clever, dragon." The Huntsman nodded. "But its only a matter of time before I have you dead to rights. You cannot defeat me so long as I control the Alpha Rune."
"Good thing I brought friends then, huh?" Jake asked.
Danny appeared behind the Huntsman again. "Take…THIS!" Danny let out a howl as he unleashed the Ghostly Wail. The shockwaves rocked the altar and the ground, cracking it and blowing off pieces of it. The Huntsman was thrown into the ground, pinned by the attack.
As Danny's attack let up, Rex came down on the Huntsman from high above, Punk Busters ready for stomping. He hit the Huntsman directly in the chest, and deepened the crater by several feet. He jumped off, pushing the Huntsman a couple more feet into the ground as he did.
Finally, Ben jumped into the air, slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix, transforming into Cannonbolt. Cannonbolt rolled into a ball and plummeted towards the Huntsman. He hit the Huntsman hard, the crater deepened even further, and the entirety of the platform seemed to crack through, barely being held together. Cannonbolt rolled up the side of the crater and high into the air. As he reached the height of his arc, he yelled, "Jake, grab the Alpha Rune now! Everyone else, off the platform!"
Kim, Kevin, Lucky Girl, Rex, and Danny made their way off of the platform, and out of danger. Jake swooped into the crater, ripping the Alpha Rune away from the stunned Huntsman. "Gwendolyn, you're up!" Jake threw the Alpha Rune towards Lucky Girl.
Lucky Girl mumbled a magical chant, and fired a mana blast at the Alpha Rune. It seemed to catch and wrap itself around the artifact, sealing it in a orb of mana. The sealed Alpha Rune floated safely to the group as Jake landed.
Then, Cannonbolt dealt the final blow. He hit the Huntsman like a meteor. The platform exploded from the force of the attack. Stone fell into the abyss. But so did Cannonbolt and the Huntsman. "Awwwww man!" Cannonbolt bellowed.
A beam of mana shot down towards Cannonbolt. It wrapped around him snugly and stopped his fall. The mana retracted, pulling Cannonbolt back up to the stone path. Cannonbolt saw the mana had come from Lucky Girl, of course.
"Thanks." Cannonbolt said, doing his best to give her a thumbs up. "Seems like that takes care of that."
"The Alpha Rune is secure." Lucky a Girl said.
"And the Huntsman is down for the count, again!" Jake smiled. "I really appreciate your guys help taking care of him."
"It was nothing, el dragón." Rex smiled. "Magic ain't got nothing on machines." Rex said, building a Smack Hand for emphasis.
"Want to test that theory?" Lucky a Girl said slyly as she raised a mana charged fist.
"We should definitely get back and back to the main mission." Kevin said. "Since Ben and his new ragtag team of losers helped us out, I guess we can help them out."
"Your sincerity doesn't go unnoticed." Kim scoffed.
"Glad you noticed, spy girl." Kevin laughed.
Danny was about to chime in, when a cold breath escaped his mouth. A sinister chill ran down his spine. "Oh no…" Danny looked around in alarm. "Guys, I don't think that was the end of that."
Ledgerdomain seemed to shake, and a purple field of energy glowed to life around the area the altar platform used to be. The stone seemed to rise out of the abyss and reshape itself into the platform that Cannonbolt had destroyed. The purple energy dissipated as the altar platform finished reforming.
"Ledgerdomain has a really good repairman?" Cannonbolt said, looking at Lucky Girl.
"I don't think so, Ben…" Lucky Girl began. "Look!"
Standing in the center of the altar platform, was Eon. Of course, he was accompanied by Dark, Alpha, and the Huntsman.
"Come now Benjamin, you should know by now that any serious bout will go for more than one round." Eon said.
"Daniel, you and your pathetic friends have fallen right into our trap." Dark said. "Now you will pay for everything you've done. And my timeline will be restored."
The Huntsclan gathered behind the four villains, brandishing various martial arts weapons.
"It's just never as easy as it is in cartoons…" Danny sighed.