Issue 4: Introducing Morlun
Prime Earth, Central America
"Ugh. This is really boring," whined Grimadoom the hedgehog, the supreme lifeform born from the ISO-8 thanks to the collaborative efforts of the most sinister villains from three dimensions.
The dark clone hedgehog, part of a maniacal group called the "Masters of Evil," was, somehow, forced to accompany the dark young queen, and his "mother," from Remnant, Salem, and their robotic servant, Mecha Spider-Man, both who are also members of the Masters of Evil. For the past week, they've been exploring the globe to learn more about the mystical Spider-Totems of the multiverse, researching many ancient temples simply for research, and to pass the time. Now their journey takes them to Central America where they discover another spider temple isolated for many centuries, maybe longer.
"I don't know how you dragged me into this," Grimadoom continued complaining, walking behind Salem, while being followed by Mecha, all wearing exploration hats, trekking deep within the dark depths of this old temple, "Why couldn't we enjoy our break somewhere not dark and filled with annoying cobwebs? Instead of exploring dusty old temples filled with nothing, we should've went to the beach, go to a skiing resort, or try our hand at a casino, win lots of cash."
"We're allies with one of the wealthiest men of the planet. Why do you need money?" Salem asked her creation.
"You guys never gave me an allowance," said the artificial hedgehog.
"Because you don't deserve it." Salem replied.
"Why," whined the bratty Grimadoom.
"Oh, hush, child." She said.
"I'm actually a teenager."
"Whatever. And to answer your previous question, I consider research much more enjoyable than the "beach." That, and I'm not a big fan of it." Salem answered while scanning a line of spider-markings carved on the wall.
"Why, 'cause you can't swim," Grim asked, receiving a menacing glare from the dark mistress to tell him to shut up. "I'm joking. Uh. You need to lighten up a bit." He defended, hearing a scoff from the annoyed mistress before the three of them continue exploring this temple to its core. "So why are we wasting our time trying to learn more about Spider-Totems? Are we trying to find a weakness to defeat Spider-Man or something?" He questioned.
"That would be nice. I'm simply just interested in the stories of Spider-Totems, knowing what they're all about since I myself no little about them. After all, you, me, and Cinder are also considered Spider-Totems. Aren't you vaguely interested why we are so important in the cosmos?" Salem asked the curious hybrid clone.
"Not remotely. How 'bout you, buddy?" Grim turned to the silent robotic Spider-Man next to him but receives no answer, "I thought you might say that." He joked.
BGM-Sonic Adventure OST-The Past
Shortly, the villainous trio found themselves at the center chamber of this extremely old spider temple. They notice they are surrounded by many markings of a spider, murals that depict ancient history long forgotten in the modern world.
"Hmm. What's this?" Salem quietly walks over to a large mural that vaguely describes a battle between the Great Spider-Totem Gods of the multiverse and a mysterious hunter group of old. The intrigued villain notices ancient text underneath the mural and starts silently reading it to herself.
"What does it say? Were you even able to read it?" Grimadoom asked his creator.
"This's a description about the Inheritors." Salem answered after reading the text.
"Inheritors?" Grimadoom turned his head sideways, confused.
"A clan of great hunters that inherit our entire reality, existing long before me and many others. Since the dawn of time, they've hunted down thousands of Totems, beings that connect man and beast, kinda like us. Whether they be god or demon, these hunters have proven too formidable for them and fed on their life essence. It's even said they used and later killed the Great Weaver, the Spider-Totem responsible of the creation of the Web of Life and Destiny, before the other Spider-Gods intervened." Salem explained the story of these Inheritors of Reality after reading the old text.
"Do they still exist?" Grimadoom asked her.
"Very much so. To this day, they still hunt down totems, specifically those that are part spider." Salem said.
"Well that's not pleasant." Grim replied, crossing his arms.
BGM End
Before the three could consider leaving, their spider-sense triggers to a danger not unlike anything they've ever sensed before, and its quickly approaching them. "Huh? This feeling. Something's approaching. I've never felt anything like it." The dark hedgehog said.
"Same here. Our spider-sense is sensing something more "animalistic," or should I say, "totemistic." Salem said, as they could sense the mysterious being has found them at last, looking like humanoid spider-wasp that's colored nothing but black and has glowing blue eyes.
"I've found you, roaming spiders." The creature spoke, hovering in the air with its wings.
"I told you exploring these temples were a waste of time. We attracted a big moth." Grimadoom quipped.
"That's a Spider-Wasp, a totem version of its species. We must have caught its attention." Salem informed.
"I am Shathra. An ancient presence has awakened, disrupting the Astral Plane, summoning me here to this world. I was hoping to feed on the one your people call "Spider-Man, but you two smell FAR more delicious, especially the black one." Shathra said.
"Who? Me?" Grimadoom asked the Spider-Wasp totem.
"You're more unique than most totems. You make the perfect meal for my hungry young hatchlings." Shathra darts at the dark hedgehog, but Grimadoom's superior speed helps him hop over her attack without worry.
"Sorry. Not in the mood to become a father. I'm not a hedgehog of responsibilities." Grimadoom quipped. The totem creature flies back to claw swipe the hedgehog multiple times close quarters but he keeps deflecting. Shathra distracts him with a kick, landing a powerful blow to the chest with her razor sharps claws, enough to send him flying to a mural, forming a crater upon impact. "Ugh. You're pretty strong. I like that." Grimadoom said in slight pain, but is enjoying himself in fighting a strong opponent, who proved to be strong enough to pound him in the air, then deliver a bone-breaking punch that hurls him to the ground. "Maybe a bit too strong…" He quipped, weakly.
"Grimadoom. Stop playing around. We don't have time for this." Salem ordered him, knowing full well the supreme hedgehog is not even close to trying.
"Just five more minutes." Grimadoom quipped, webbing up the wasp completely, but in a matter of seconds, she ripped herself free. "Alright. Fine." Grimadoom finally agreed to end this battle, using a demonic move he inherited from street fighters, Ryu and Akuma, to demolish this antagonistic totem. He glides over to Shathra, and in a dark flash, bombards her with hefty barrages of speedy punches and kicks too fast for anyone's eyes to see, leaving her destroyed body on the ground.
"That was fun. You weren't bad." Grimadoom complimented the nearly dead totem.
Salem and Mecha Spider-Man quietly walks over to Shathra so the former could ask her something. "Tell me: What was this ancient presence you spoke up before?" Salem asked the wasp totem.
"Th-The Fell Totem…He will soon awaken…End all totems…All worlds…There is no stopping the end…" And with her dying breath, Shathra evaporates into nothingness, leaving a confused Grimadoom and Salem wonder what, or who, this Fell Totem really is.
Latveria, Castle Doom
At the home castle of the Master of Evil, another member of the alliance, the villainous genius, Doctor Otto Octavius, is in his lab provided by Doctor Doom to search for the Exo Stones scattered across the multiverse. "Orbot. Recalibrate the scanners once again. Cubot. Go fetch me my coffee." The octo-criminal ordered Dr. Eggman's robot lackeys.
"Right away, boss." Orbot saluted.
"Do you want added sugar in your coffee?" Cubot questioned with a confused robot face.
"After what you did to my last batch, no! Hurry it up!" Ock ordered them to scaddle out of the lab just as Salem and the others teleport themselves into his chamber.
"You've been pretty busy, Otto." Salem spoke up to gather Octavius' attention.
Doc Ock quickly turns around to properly greet her partners in evil. "Ah. Salem. It's so glorious to see you again. How was your investigation?" He asked.
"Terrible." Grim answered for his mother.
Salem pounds the hedgehog on the noggin before turning back to Octavius, "Mm. Not bad. Learned a few things. Not much that might prove helpful though. Where's Doom and Eggman?" She asked.
"At a diplomatic meeting with those cretins from Symkaria. They should be back shortly." Otto replied while still scanning for any Exo Stones using the Chaos Stone they have.
The Grimm Queen walks beside Octavius to check on what he's doing. "Still haven't pinpointed another Exo Stone?" She asked him.
"Gah. It's like finding a needle in a multiversal haystack. It's been weeks and I still can locate the third Exo Stone, even after CONSTANTLY upgrading the scanner, plugging in the Chaos Stone to detect a SPECK of its energy but still nothing," Otto said, clearly annoyed and slightly frustrated, "Grimadoom, what about-?"
"I told you before, old man, I can't," The artificial hedgehog cut off Ock, already aware of what he's about to say since he was created thanks to the Espeon Stone's power when they used to have it, "The Exo Stones are constantly traveling between dimensions at ludicrous speeds, making it impossible to pinpoint their location throughout time and space until they land in another universe. Even then, they're always emanating a low energy signature to keep themselves invisible from radar, almost like they don't want to be found. So unless someone uses its energy, and knows how to use it without breaking themselves and that dimension apart, we'll never find the other six. Like you said, it's like finding a needle in a multiversal haystack that's always expanding." He explained.
"If we had another Exo Stone, I'm sure it would make pinpointing their precise location much easier, but the Avengers have the Espeon Stone secured." Otto said, metal tentacles underneath muzzle.
"Keep working, doctor. I'm sure with all of us working together, we'll eventually find one. We just have to be patient. There's no rush." Salem assured Otto to not lose hope, ironically something she wants to crush out of her enemies.
Still inside the lab, the trio heard the doors open up to reveal Dr. Doom and Dr. Eggman entering the high tech chamber. "Greetings, everyone. Nice to see we're all together again." Doom greeted everyone after their separate assignments.
"How was the meeting?" Salem questioned the returning associates about their venture at the neighboring country.
"It went alright. Those symkarians can be very picky to bargain with." Eggman replied.
"Any new information regarding the Exo Stones' current whereabouts?" Doom asked.
"Do I have to repeat what I just said?" Grimadoom asked with a deadpan stare.
BGM-Dragon Ball Super OST-Desperate Plan
Suddenly, for reasons they're completely clueless about, both Grimadoom's and Salem's spider-senses hit an all-time high, detecting a dangerous presence much more powerful than when they confronted Shathra not too long ago, much more powerful than anything in their entire life, so headache-inducing it causes them to kneel down on the floor in pain.
"What's going on?! What's wrong with you two?!" Otto frantically asked, worried about his allies.
"I-I don't know! I've never felt anything like it before! It's at least 100 times stronger when we encounter that Spider-Wasp." Salem said while trying to ease her own headache.
"Our spider-sense…It's like they want us to hide, but from what?" Grimadoom wondered. Just as their headaches slowly disappear, a new disturbance interrupts them in the form of a blurry projectile smashing through the titanium doors of the lab. Quickly, Grimadoom catches the projectile only to realize it was Cinder Fall in her Toxin Symbiote form, and badly injured, with parts of her alien suit teared off.
"What the-?! Cinder?! What happened to her?!" Eggman exclaimed to see her in such a beaten state, nothing he has ever seen before.
"It would appear her life force has been drained. Any more and she would be dead. And here I thought you were tough." Grimadoom casually taunted the broken symbiote.
"Oh…shut up…" Cinder spoke, but barely before falling completely unconscious.
"Beating Ms. Fall is no small feat. I want to know who did this and how they bypassed Latverian security on the double." Doom ordered his fellow masters.
"There should be no need," said a male voice approaching the lab. Once this mysterious man arrived, the Masters of Evil notice he's holding an unconscious Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, casually dropping them to the metal floor. "Hello." The man smiled as he greets the Masters.
"Who are you!? What gives you the right to barge in here!?" Eggman demanded an answer from this new person, someone he's never met before.
"This is the presence we just sensed. Something about him makes my blood crawl in fear." Salem said with a slightly worried face, never faced an opponent that would actually terrify her besides Spider-Man.
Lucky for him, Grimadoom's not afraid, not one bit. The dark supreme hedgehog attacks this strange person with numerous barrages all across the body, firing punches that could destroy mountains with little trouble, yet this man doesn't move, doesn't flinch from his lightning-fast attacks, completely immune to all of his attacks.
Seeing its futile, Grimadoom stops his tiredly assault and back handsprings away from the invincible man. "He's strong. I've never faced an opponent that could fully withstand my attacks like they were nothing. You are no ordinary man, are you?" He menacingly glares at this invincible foe, asking him a question he better answer.
BGM End
"And you are no ordinary totem. You're an abnormal. I've never encountered someone of your kind. Devouring you would satisfy me for many millennia." The classy-dressed man said, sensing that Grimadoom has the DNA and energies of hundreds of different heroes, some who are actually totems like Spider-Man and Black Panther.
"Totem? Devour? Wait? Are you one of those stupid Inheritors we've heard about?" Grimadoom asked, still keeping himself on the defensives even though it doesn't seem like it, just strictly standing there wide open.
"Ah. So you've heard of me. Yes. My name is Morlun, leader of the Inheritors, and I've come to feed on you and Salem, since you two possess a spider essence within you." Morlun introduced himself to the cluster of inter-dimensional villains.
"Wait. You know of me?" Salem asked, back to acting fully confident once again, now sounding more intrigued, free from fear despite being in the presence of an Inheritor of Reality.
"We've met, so to speak. Different versions of you. At one point, I hunted down your precious Grimm and their masters from different dimensions, wiping them all out. They were quite tasty, and I thank you." Morlun casually said, explicating stating he has eaten hundreds of Salems and Grimm across reality in the past few who knows how many years.
"An entire world of Grimm, hundreds of them, wiped out by one man?" Otto said in such utter disbelief.
"What is your reason coming here, Morlun?" Doom questioned the Inheritor's motives for being in Latveria.
"I told you, to feed on the Spider-Totems of this world," Morlun said but decided to go a little more in-depth this time, "While I was hunting new cosmic game, I sensed an abundant of Spider-Totems emerging from this corner of the cosmos. Spider-Island, I believe the people here called it, happening not just here, but two other worlds close by, but once I arrived they all disappeared, leaving only the original count of spiders. Rumor states it was you "Masters of Evil" that created those new spiders. Is that true?" He asked them.
"You are correct. We were planning on creating an unstoppable Spider Army, but a group of heroes led by this world's Spider-Man stopped us." Doom answered.
"Spider-Man? Of course. I've fed on thousands of him to deduce he could be a persisting menace." Morlun stated.
"You've killed the wall-crawler?! Thousands of them?!" Otto practically yelled, as he's been trying to kill his Spider-Man for years but constantly failed, yet this guy managed to do it again and again, with little trouble from what it seems.
"Easily. Whether it be a Spider-God or a "Spider-Thanos," no totem is safe from me." Morlun confidently stated.
After hearing that Morlun is strong enough to take down god-like versions of Spider-Man, Doom silently forms a plan together in his mind before executing it to the Totem Hunter. "Then, how about you put your skills to the ultimate test, Morlun?" He said to the hunter.
"I'm listening."
"Get rid of the Spider-Man of this world. I'm sure he'll prove to be much more of a challenge." Doom proposed.
"Why is that?" Morlun questioned, interested in his offer.
"Because he possesses the Other. I'm sure you've heard of it?" Salem answered.
"Oh, very," Morlun smiled, "I had a feeling it was here. I've been looking forward to feasting on such a delicacy for centuries now."
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Morlun. Their powers combined could prove even mightier than you." Doom warned the spider-hunter.
"I'm sure I'll manage. I've gotten stronger since the last time I fought the Other." Morlun said, remaining confident.
"Still, to be safe," Doom picks up the Chaos Stone and shows it to Morlun, "This is the Chaos Stone. It possesses power unrivaled in any universe. Just a small boost could turn a weakling to a god." The King of Latveria confidently proclaimed.
"I'm sure I won't need it but go right ahead. Thrill me." Morlun said, and with his confirmation, Doom powers up the Inheritor with tremendous amounts of chaos cosmic energy, granting him a dark cosmic-looking aura. Morlun checks out his body for a bit, looking unimpressed, "Hmm. A minor improvement."
"Now go, Inheritor. Prove to Doom you have not wasted his time on such pathetic trash." Doom ordered.
"As you wish." Morlun respectively bowed to the metal-face monarch and heads out the broken door.
"Grimadoom. Keep an eye on him. Help him track down the insect and his measly friends." Doom ordered his hedgehog creation.
"You want me to work together with an immortal vampire guy that wants to EAT me? Alright, sure." Grimadoom casually agreed to the mission and starts heading out, walking pass the unconscious Cinder. "See ya, Cin." He nonchalantly said, barely hearing the lowly groan from Ms. Fall.
New York City
"Hmmm." Grimadoom pondered to himself as he and his new partner, Morlun, are searching the city of the D-Avengers. The two tracked down their scent to the Cunningham Park where they were last sensed before they mysteriously disappeared and have been gone for a couple of days now.
"He's not here." Morlun stated.
"Neither are his friends." Grimadoom added. The hybrid hedgehog focuses his power, charges his psychic power, linked with his spider-sense, to track down the heroes across the nearby dimensions. "They're not on Mobius or Remnant either. That is odd. Wonder where they're hiding." He fully charges his psychic senses to their absolute fullest to briefly scan the entire multiverse, searching for their energy. After a few seconds, it would seem the ISO hedgehog found them. "Hmm. It's faint, but I can sense they've traveled to a distant universe. Hold on tight and I'll teleport ourselves there." As instructed, Morlun puts his hand over Grim's shoulder, and with a charged up Chaos Control, they instantly warp across dimensions to search for the D-Avengers.
Earth-5673, Outside Plegia Castle
The hybrid hedgehog has teleported himself and the Devourer of Totems to the world the D-Avengers are hanging around, but instead of their precise location, Grim teleported them close enough, outside a dank castle where a giant skull of a dragon can be seen.
"Hmm?" Morlun muttered to himself, taking interest in the dragon skull as if he recognizes it.
"Okay, where are we, and who owns this castle?" Grimadoom asked while scouting across the courtyard.
"We're in Earth-5673. Haven't been here since my "untimely" demise over a millennium ago." Morlun revealed that he has died once before but somehow came back to life.
"Yeah, that's cute. Now 'bout my second question?" Grim responded.
"Halt!"
"Oh?"
From out of nowhere, the villainous pair are surrounded by an army of this kingdom's great warriors consisting of barbarians and dark mages, even some knights riding on wyvern. "You are trespassing Plegian soil! Surrender to the king or be executed!" The general of this defensive squad warned the pair.
"Hey," Grimadoom calmly turns to Morlun, getting his composed attention as the both of them are nowhere near worried of being killed, "Rock, papers, scissors. Loser has to fight these low-lives." He offered a game to his partner.
"Deal." Morlun smiled, agreeing with the terms. After like a dozen ties that keeps the confused plegians in check, since they have no idea why they're playing game before their certain doom, Morlun beats Grim's rock with his life-absorbing paper.
"Doh! Fine." Grim casually walks up to the center of this defensive circle, charging up a destructive energy that sends eerie chills to the entire army. "Behold despair! Chaos…BLAST!" A humongous explosion that could be seen for miles encompasses the entire courtyard, disintegrating the entire Plegian Army with barely any effort, leaving nothing but their crispy ashes on the demolished grounds.
"These people have no manners." Grim said, wiping out the dust from his arms.
"I'll say." A sudden voice coming out from the castle doors enters the ears of Morlun and Grimadoom. This man, wearing a kingly attire and an emerald necklace, along with his seductive-looking female servant, walks out to greet his fellow guests.
"So, who do I have to kill for interrupting my sleepy sleep? A couple of Ylissean trash wanting to start a war? Oh, please say yes." This mad king said with a psychotic facial expression.
"Hmm, I don't know, my lord, Gangrel. They don't appear to be from Ylisse. Stragglers from Valm maybe?" His black-clothed, sexy assistant, Aversa wondered, seductively observing the strange hedgehog and well-dressed vampire.
Grimadoom would like nothing more but get rid of these annoying pests and move on with his life, but then he noticed the king of this land possessing a particular yellow emerald around his neck, 'A Chaos Emerald? Why would a Chaos Emerald be in this world? Did Sonic have something to do with this? If so, does that mean the other six are scattered in this disgusting dimension? Is that why the Avengers are here? Hmm…' Grim thinks for himself for a moment until he gets a brilliant idea that could mean trouble for everyone on this planet.
"I just thought of a brilliant idea." He said to Morlun, then turning his attention to King Gangrel. "Hey! Grangel!" He shouted, getting the mad king's eyes and ears.
"It's Gangrel. I'm more surprise you could actually speak, vermin." Gangrel said, never encountering a walking talking hedgehog before.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Like your oddly-dressed friend guessed, we're not exactly from any kingdom. We're…outsiders, you could say," Grim said, not completely far off the truth, "We're here to propose a proposition. I see you're in possession of a strange-looking gemstone around your neck." The hedgehog points to the emerald centered on his necklace.
"Oh, this? My men found it outside the court yesterday. It's fancy, but nothing special." Gangrel replied.
"Oh, how wrong you are. That emerald is more special than you'll ever realize." Grim said.
"Oh?" The Mad King responded, starting to sound interested.
"Oh, indeed. You see, that gem is what we call a Chaos Emerald. There's seven of them in total, each wielding incredible power. Collect all seven, and you'll be granted the power to control the world." Grimadoom said, now catching the full attention of the high rulers of this country.
"Control the world?" Aversa repeated.
"I thought only the Fire Emblem those Ylissean swine hold possessed such power." Gangrel said, referring to some ancient relic spoken in legends.
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but just one of these emeralds is immensely more powerful than anything this world has to offer, especially this "Fire Emblem" you speak of." Grim continued explaining.
"Still, I would really love to have my hands on the Fire Emblem. My rightful treasure," Gangrel said, seemingly more interested to have the Fire Emblem than the Chaos Emeralds, probably because it's a relic he's been wanting for years now. "But if this emerald is as powerful as you say, how can I use it?" He asked.
"I can teach you. With that emerald, I can help upgrade your men to not be such weaklings. Grant them new weapons and armor. Build powerful technology to improve your defensives. Transform you into the most powerful kingdom in the entire world. This way, if you ever start a war, you'll easily demolish the competition in a single day," Grim said, sounding very convincing, "And we'll join too. Me and my buddy here are totally awesome and very powerful, and you'll need it if the Avengers get involved in the war."
"Avengers? Who are they?" Aversa wondered.
"I'm sure by now you've heard that these Ylisse people gained new, outworldly powerful allies, one that's dressed as a spider, one that look likes me, and the other holding an abnormally large scythe, among others." Grimadoom said.
"Hmm. I think I've heard some mumblings about these "Avengers," yes." Gangrel said.
"If a war were to start, just one of them could be a problem for your entire army. With our powers combined, they don't stand a chance. You'll have your Fire Emblem, your war, and total domination of the entire planet in less than a month." Grim finished explaining his extremely convincing offer, one that he's for sure this mad king can't dare to pass up.
"Hahahahaha! You strike a hefty bargain! It would seem the gods have strike me lucky today granting me this emerald! You have a deal, whatever your names are!" Gangrel laughed.
"It's Grimadoom. Grimadoom the Hedgehog." Grimadoom smiled.
"And my name is Morlun. It will be a pleasure working with you." Morlun finally spoke after that long conversation.
"Grimadoom, huh," Aversa said with interest, as his name closely fits the fell dragon's name, Grima, "Such a fitting name for an attractive creature like you. I'm looking forward working with you, handsome."
"And I'm looking forward to settling an old score," Grimadoom smiled again, "Watch out, Sonic. Avengers. A war is coming. A glorious war. You fools have no idea what's going to happen." He sinisterly chuckled as he and his new, invincible totem hunter friend, get ready to start a war so destructive, even the mighty D-Avengers might have trouble stopping.
BGM-Rockman. EXE Beast OST-Next Episode Preview
Ruby: Hey, it's me, Ruby. After a slight misunderstanding, we were able to meet up with the Khans, but if we want their troops we need to win a tournament, which also places a Chaos Emerald as a prize as well. That shouldn't be too hard-Hey! It's that Marth guy again. Okay, I lied. This might be a little tougher than we thought.
Next time on D-Avengers: The Fell Awakening:
Two Falchions and the Spider
Ruby: I wonder what he looks like behind the mask anyways? He's probably really cute.
KFX Here: Shoutouts to Sharkzero44 for doing the cover art for this story. If you also want your art shown off, just PM and I'll use it and give ya a shoutout as well.
