"Strike the Nest Mothers the ones with double bladed scythes and their queen in old Stanford. They're the ones raising up more of these horrors." Said Captain Collision when they were a the front gates again. He then turn to the barricades blocking the path that lead to the cathedral. "Let them through." He ordered and Skulk and The Thing opened a space for Peter and his group to get through. Which included Hunter who carried a sword and dagger while wearing a breastplate.
There were some dead in the distance including a staff with a scythes on each end welding leathery skin figure that was hard to tell if it was female. When the thing saw them it raised it weapon and from the ground more undead started rising. Without needing to say anything Peter and his group attack. While the Risen dead would fall easy pretty much with one hit or blast the Nest Mother took a bit more to take her down. But soon she fell as well when Hunter removed her head with a slash of her sword.
"You're pretty good in a fight Hunter." Complemented Peter and Hunter shrugged. "Aunt Sara and Agatha have been training me to fight since I was little." They continued down the road and across a bridge to an open area that look to be a farm yet had dead swarming it. Though only about two Nest Mothers in sight. "Too many to get through before they raise more." Said Peter attempting to figure out the problem.
Then MariJane climbed on to a wall and pulled out her rifle. "Cover me because this will definitely get their attention." Sue and Johnny took defense position in front of MariJane making it clear to Peter that she had replaced Reed as leader.
Sue caught his eye and despite his mask or ability to read mind she figured out what Peter was thinking. 'Something she and MJ have in common.' "Apart from you darling she was next in line." Johnny heard and snorted a breath of fire out. "Ready." Said MariJane taking aim and Peter and Hunter took fighting stances as well. With the sound almost to rival an actual canon MariJane rifle fired the shot sailing over the heads of the Risen and blew off one Nest Mother's off. Haft of the dead collapsed into nothing.
That definitely got the rest of the dead attention and the Risen started moving their direction. Peter and the others began fighting them off as MariJane reloaded. Peter fought with sword in one hand and his pistol in the other. As Sue swung her weapon light glowed at the end with burned the Risen into black dust even before the weapon hit them which allowed it to go through multiple undead without problems. Johnny glowing blue sword also seem to be magic as it cut through the corpses with little resistance.
Hunter apart from using her sword and dagger also used light powers like a light whip which she used much like Peter seen Ghost Rider's chains did. "Any time MJ!" Peter said as they were getting pushed back while also trying to keep the Risen from circling them. Then Peter her the sound of the rifle being cocked before another boom rang out and the second Nest Mother got a huge hole where here head met her body and she exploded into black dust. "Sorry about that." Said MariJane leaping down to join them as the Risen fell. "But guns here are not as reliable as they are back home."
"What do you mean by back home?" Asked Hunter and everyone looked at her. "You understood what I actually said?" Asked MariJane. "Yeah but what did you mean by it?" Peter thought for a moment since he had a feeling Hunter wasn't remembering whatever past she had. "Tell if you understand what I'm saying?" Peter said the sentence and Hunter said. "I understood it but what is a flying car is that like different type of carriage?"
"You could say that. But I think we should save explanations for later after we save your aunt." Hunter nodded. "Agreed but it will be nice to understand why some who come to New Stanford speak of things or events that didn't happen such as things both Stark and Rogers are responsible for yet haven't done as far as I can tell." As they continue Peter shared a glance with the others as Hunter was ahead of them. 'Clearly Hunter is something special.'
Soon after dealing with more dead they reach where old Stanford was located and Peter couldn't help remembering the destruction of Stanford in their old world that was caused by the villain Nitro and how similar the destroyed village look just like it. Guilt filled Peter as it did before and how he thought Stark was right about Registering was the only way to fix what happened and he had believed it until-. "There's the Nest Queen!" Said Johnny pointing a clawed hand at Nest Mother but this one had a white hair instead of pitch black which was what her wrinkling leathery skin was the color of which nearly made it seem a wig of white hair was floating in the air hiding red eyes underneath while the others had yellow eyes. Her scythe had four blades instead of two.
Spinning its scythe the Queen stabbed it into the ground and spikes sprang up glowing a sickly color which pulsed and a protective shield surrounded the Nest Queen and Risen started rising. "Take our thought spikes!" Said Peter before shooting one with his gun making cracks appeared before the final shot made it explode. The Nest Queen staggered in her protective shield even though it was still up. Johnny fired a fire ball at the dead while the girls move to their chosen spikes. Peter leaped up to a crumbling wall and ran across it above the dead heading for the Queen. Trusting his team to handle the spikes which they did as he leap at the abomination who due to her spikes being destroyed was unable to raise her weapon in defense as Peter's sliced off her majesty very ugly head.
"It's done Nest Queen is down. New Stanford should be safe for now at least." Said Peter putting his fingers close to his left ear where a symbol in a circle appeared. "That good to hear Peter." Came Emma voice in his ear as if they were talking on a regular communication device. "I got information from some soldiers. The survivors said that they locked up the cathedral before getting ambushed and those with the key got separated and headed for a garden belonging to Hunter's mother Lilith that's on your way."
"Copy that. We'll check to see if the key is still there." Said Peter as the other came up. "My mother's Garden is this way." Said Hunter leading the way through another gate, down another path way. "Lilith was my mother yet I don't know much about her. Sara said she died when I was very young." "What about your father?" Asked Johnny as he burned away a group of mosquitoes buzz around his head. "Agatha said he was good hard working man who died when the tragedy that happened in Old Stanford." Hunter gave a chuckle. "She said it was him that I got my good looks from. Ah There my mother's garden." She pointed up ahead at building that looked like a greenhouse. With glass walls that were surprisingly not broken.
Entering they saw (the one in Midnight Suns.) with a statue of a beautiful woman in the center. "My Mother." Said Hunter gazing at the statue. "I'm not seeing any signs of the soldiers." Said Sue looking around. "Over there." Said MariJane pointing to the far end. Peter saw what she had a hidden alcove leading down. "Let's check it out." Going down the ladder they found a place slightly more gloomy then the garden above.
"It seems your mother had her secrets." Said Peter. "Some people said that she was a witch. But I didn't believe it." Said Hunter in Aw as they entered a more opened space with an old caldron in the center and a strange alter off to the side. "Heads up!" Said Sue raising her shield as fresh Risen dead appeared from another corner.
After dealing with them Hunter held up a key. "Hear the eyes and also my mother's journal." She touch a book on a table gazing at it with a longing look. "I… I want to know more about her. But that can wait. We need to save Sara first." MariJane put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "We will go find your Aunt. Stay here and learn what you can. It may be useful later." Hunter smiled as she handed the key to MariJane. "Thank you. Oh and if you see a red demon dog who responds to the name Charles. Please don't kill her?"
After promising Peter and the others left the garden and with a help from Emma headed the direction of the cathedral. "So I must asked?" Said Johnny with a teasing tone and look at Peter and MariJane. "Did she Kiss you or beat the crap out of you."
"Johnny!" Sue scolded as Peter blushed but MariJane just smirked. "When we were alone you could say I kiss the crap out of him. But try to tease us about it and your'll be the one beaten and not just by me. Right Sue?" The blonde hair woman smiled lovingly at the red head making Johnny groan. "You know I'm glad that you're back for another reason." But before he could say what the reason was they came up to the cathedral and more Risen dead in front of it.
After crushing the walking corpses they opened the door and saw where the alter that had been at the end of the isle was gone and a hole in the floor that glowed with an almost electric blue light. Looking down they saw a place they could drop down. Where they saw the crater that star crashed through keep going down further into the depths. "The Star fell through here. But I'm not seeing a way down through the pit it made." Said Sue and the others agreed. "Yet I'm not sensing any demonic energy. But that doesn't mean whatever made this crater isn't evil in itself." Said MariJane green eyes narrowing. Peter could also feel the energy of whatever was in the pit yet couldn't recall what it reminded him of.
"Okay Emma which way do we go?" Peter asked over the magical commlink. "They're a passageway downwards to your right." Came Emma voice in his ear. "I'm also spotting more dead blocking your path."
"Well it wouldn't be fun just walking through creepy zombie filled catacombs with out finding the said zombies… OW!" Sue had smacked Johnny over the head for his ridiculous comment. "Come on let's go." Eventually they reached the passageway Emma spoke of heading down some stairs. When they reach the bottom they saw to the left the glowing pit, to the right was a still large intact part of the floor and another stairway leading down to a strange looking door. But then noise down another corridor near the pit reach their ears.
"Foul monsters stay back!" A white hair woman exited the corridor just stopping at the edge of not stable looking ledge next to her was a red dog with horns atop it's head. But it didn't seem she had much chose and mange to cross the ledge to the stable ground just as three armor Risen that had been chasing her try to do the same but fell as the ledge gave way. The woman who must be Hunter's Aunt Sara and the hellhound must be Charles turned as a ghostly terrible figure appeared on the other side. (Lich King but as a ghost.) "The Skeleton King!" Exclaimed Sara her eyes wide . "The Fallen Star Power Awaken Me And Soon All Will Suffer As I Have Suffered!" Roared the ghost in a booming voice. "Guards Bring Me Her Bones!" The so called Skeleton King raised his hand and skeleton started appearing on the other side moving at Sara before the ghost disappeared.
Immediately Peter and the others went to aid Sara. When the last skeleton was black dust they went over to the white hair woman. "Thank you. But what are you doing here?" She asked petting the red dog to calm her. "Your niece Hunter told us where to find you and will be glad to know that you and Charles are safe." Said MariJane and Sara gave a relieved smile as Charles gave an excited bark at Hunter's name.
"It wonderful to hear Hunter is safe. I feared the worst. Come I discovered a path out from maps I found." Sara went over to a bookshelf and press a hidden switch. It opened revealing another staircase leading up. "Emma we found Hunter's Aunt on our way back to New Stanford." Said Peter touching his ear. "If you get outside the cathedral we can lock on your position and transport you back." Said Emma. "Um copy that. See you soon." Said Peter looking at the others who had knowing smiles as they climbed the stairs.