WOO-HOO! YES! YES! YES! WA-HOOOO! YEE-HAW!
Why am I so happy? Well for starters, I now have more than 200 reviews on this story! Secondly, I have achieved global popularity with my story being read in more than 40 countries! But enough about my accomplishments.
I know a lot of you have been complaining and asking about where the heck Abbey was during the many dream sequences, and I apologize profusely for that. The main reason I did not write a dream for Abbey was because I forgot about it. Sorry.
And for those of you who have been impatiently waiting for some action to begin between Zs'Skayr's cronies and Ben, wait no more!
And yes, I am aware of what happened in the last episode of Ben 10: Omniverse EVEA (so sad)! I'm still keeping Skurd on Ben's wrist until the very end, where he will meet the same happy fate as the show. So be patient!
As always, don't forget to review and comment below. While I simply love the people who have been following me since day one and have reviewed every chapter, it gets a little tiring seeing the same old people review over and over again. Lets get some newbies (and oldies, you keep reviewing :)!
Enjoy!
Abbey blinked her eyes and looked at her surroundings; nothing but ice and snow for as far as the eye could see. Her breath could be seen in the frigid air in front of her, curling from her mouth and nose like smoke from a chimney and eyes were constantly blinking to keep the snowflakes out of them. She did not feel cold in the slightest, but there that chilling feeling that she was not alone, in this world of freezing cold. Abbey took a step forward and found herself wading through ankle deep snow that parted before her with ease as her boots stomped it down. She kept her arms wrapped around her at all times to fight off the freezing cold. After what seemed like hours of walking across a barren frozen tundra, she saw something in the distance.
She quickly picked up her pace, running as fast as one could through deep snow. When she came upon the object, she found it was an abandoned dog sled of sorts, except that the harness where a dog might be was about five times bigger. Abbey quickly concluded that the sled was meant for yaks instead of dogs and began to look across the frozen tundra for such a beast. Or anything for that matter.
She had no idea where she was, stuck out in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold. Unlike most people who might have been stuck in a similar situation, Abbey kept calm. She was used to the cold, coming from a small mountain village high up in the Himalayas, and was used to being in situations like this. She could not count the many times she herself had found herself stranded in the tundra or on the side of a cliff without of a way off. The yeti girl looked around one more time, and her eyes brightened when she was a large, shaggy figure a little ways off. With a bright smile on her face, she jogged after the creature, catching up to it quickly. Or to be more precise, the figure was coming towards her, for some reason getting larger and larger as it got closer. Abbey stopped running and cocked an eyebrow. She had never seen or heard of a yak so big or so tall. She quickly found out way, mainly because it wasn't a yak in the first place.
Towering a good 3 ft over her head was Shocksquatch, staring down at her with blank and emotionless eyes. Abbey raised an eyebrow when a sudden cold wind blew past them, ruffling Shocksquatch's fur as snow piled up his right face. The Gimlinopithecus didn't react and merely pushed past Abbey and back towards the sled. "Hey! Where you think you are going?" Abbey yelled, but the ape-like alien didn't answer. He merely lumbered over to front of the sled and bent down to pick up the harness before strapping it around his chest. He then just stood there, waiting for something. What he was waiting for, Abbey did not know. With a frustrated huff, she turned in the opposite direction and began walking, lowering her head to shield herself from the shrieking winds. She walked across the featureless landscape for what seemed hours, days on end even, without a single change in the barren landscape. Her trail was quickly filled in with new fallen snow, but Abbey did not care if she could not find her way back to the sled or not. While she had made a truce with Ben during Mad Science, she did not particularly like him. She was already having enough trouble with Heath.
The Fire Elemental had done everything in his power to get her to like him, and she had to sadly admit it was working. While she wasn't just ready to jump into his arms and kiss him like a madwoman, she did admire his persistence and humiliation quite a lot. Besides, it was frowned upon in her culture to have an affair with more than one person. Daring a peek into the howling winds, Abbey brought her head up and nearly screamed with anger: she back directly where she had started, at the sled with Shocksquatch still standing and waiting, despite the snow having all but covered the sled and buried him up to his chest. With a frustrated growl of defeat, she dug her way over to the buried sled and quickly pushed the snow aside and climbing onto the end of the sled, waiting for a reaction; all Shocksquatch did was shuffle a little bit, a small amount of snow coming off of his shoulders.
"Oh for love yak! MUSH!" she roared, her voice nearly drowned out by the freezing breeze. Shocksquatch instantly reacted, roaring and pounding his chest like a gorilla before shooting off like a rocket, pumping his mighty arms as he jogged across the tundra. Abbey was surprised to say the least and hung on for dear life as Shocksquatch moved faster than she had ever thought possible. They raced across the frigid land, features actually beginning to take form before Abbey's eyes, as if they were awoken by Abbey and Shocksquatch's presence; snow drifts began to form around her as ancient and tall mountains sprung up in the distance, their snow capped peaks piercing the sky like needles. Lone and frail pine trees nearly bent in half from all the weight of the snow grew quickly from the snow covered ground, and the raging blizzard seemed to lessen slightly.
Abbey gasped as they suddenly soared right over an opening canyon, gripping the sled even tighter as Shocksquatch began to run on all four limbs, never breaking his stride as he continued to run. Abbey watched, stupefied, as towering ice walls began to form around them, shaking and rumbling as they were pushed upwards by an invisible force. She jumped slightly when the dog sled sudden began to run up a flight of stairs carved out ice and hung on tightly when the sled began to swerve across a slippery floor. They ran up another flight of stairs as the ice groaned and cracked itself into beautiful patterns for her, transforming itself into some sort of building. Shocksquatch took a hard right, as if he had a lay out of the entire building wired into his mind before the place was even built. Abbey gave an involuntary scream when the sled came to a sudden stop and flew over the sled, smacking hard into Shocksquatch's still form.
"Look what you do to Abbey!" she cried as Shocksquatch turned around and reached out with a gentle hand to help her up. Abbey pushed aside and picked herself up as Shocksquatch silently unhooked himself from the dog sled, which magically disappeared in a swirl of snowflakes. Abbey blinked and turned around when she heard a sort of whistling sound, nearly jumping with surprise when she saw Arctiguana and Big Chill in front of her, their backs turned to her as they blew icy vapor from their mouths and built up the building's walls and ceilings. Once those were done, they turned in unison to the wall in front of them and blew hard, a large, icy throne forming before Abbey's eyes. Once the throne was complete, the frigid aliens turned to look at her with blank eyes as Shocksquatch stopped over to them, his face showing no emotion. All three aliens faced Abbey and were suddenly engulfed in a bright green light, all three of them changing back into Ben. Abbey nearly shouted with rage before all three Ben's suddenly morphed into one. Abbey blinked and watched as Ben then stooped down and bowed before her, his head resting on his knee.
"My Queen," he said suddenly. Abbey soon found herself turning a bright shade of pink. Sure, she had heard many similar things from Heath, but she knew he was only saying the first that came to his mind. And for some reason, Ben's words meant more to her than Heath's. As if summoned by her thoughts, Heath suddenly appeared in a flurry of snowflakes and walked over next to Ben, taking a similar posturing and bowing before Abbey, who was now turning a dark shade of red. Both boys then stood up in unison and each took one of her hands, gently leading her towards the throne and sitting her down, each kissing her hand lightly before taking positions on either side of her like guards.
"This is life," Abbey sighed, sitting back in throne . . . .
"Abbey! Abbey! Wake up!" Frankie's voice cried lightly. With a yawn, Abbey cracked open an eye and sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. "What Abbey miss?" she asked sleepily.
"Ben and Clawdeen are gonna race around the tomb!" Frankie exclaimed excitedly. "C'mon!" she said excitedly, racing out of Cleo's empty bedroom. Abbey yawned again and slowly got up, slowly following Frankie's excited calls out of Cleo's room out to the grand balcony that overlooked the estate. As the guys and ghouls whooped and cheered for their favorite racer, Ben and Clawdeen were limbering up below, as well as talking trash to each other.
"You sure you want to be doing this?" Ben asked, cracking his back.
"Of course I do," Clawdeen growled. "I ain't gonna pass up any chance ta whoop your sorry butt."
"Famous last words," Ben grinned as Spectra swooped down to towards them and up to Ben, pecking him on the cheek. "Good luck," she said before moving back and positioning herself in between them and pulling out a checkered flag from behind her back. "First one to run three times around the house wins. On your marks!"
"Get ready to eat my dust," Ben chuckled as he turned on the Omnitrix.
"Get set!"
"I'm eating my own dust, thank you very much," Clawdeen purred.
"GO!"
Clawdeen raced forward, easily putting distance between herself and Ben, who merely smiled and slapped the activation button on the Omnitrix, letting the green light washing over him and changing his DNA. His fingers hardened into sharpened blades as a long, whip-like tail sprouted from the base of his spine and stretched out a couple feet. His toes ripped out of his shoes and melted into four claws, two in front, two in back. The ball of his heel crunched forward, moving under his foot bones and becoming perfectly round and smooth, suddenly separating itself from his foot and held there by his curved toes. Ben felt his skull stretch back into a sharp point and his legs bent backwards. A pointy, black helmet with a slide down mask materialized on his head and a tight, black and green body suit appeared on himself, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his chest, completing his transformation.
"Clawdeen is the toast, no?" Abbey asked Jane, who sadly nodded as XLR8 gave a cocky grin and shot off after Clawdeen in a black and blue blur. The ghouls and guys hung onto the railing as the force of the Kinceleran's speed pounded, bending all the hedges and pruned trees across the grounds to his will.
"Hahahaha, sucker!" Clawdeen cried gleefully as she rounded the corner of the house.
"Think again, Clawdeen!" XLR8 cried happily as he zoomed past her, Skurd barely hanging on with his tiny, green tentacles. Clawdeen gasped and then gritted her teeth, moving her legs as fast as possible as XLR8 disappeared in a cloud of dust. She began to wildly look around for something, anything that might remind her of the full moon. If she could just find that boost, she just might be able to beat Ben at his own game, at least tie with him if it wasn't enough. She was approaching Cleo's Taydenite statue. The Queen Bee had ordered her servants to set up a row of small spotlights to light up her glorious statue's face so she could always see herself clearly, even in broad daylight. Clawdeen's eyes widened as she looked up at the statue, her face lit up with several bright circles.
"AAAAAA-RRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Clawdeen howled happily. She felt like she had just drunk a hundred gallons of coffee with a thousand lumps of sugar in it! She felt like she could run forever, and she put the skill to good use. She shot off like a rocket after XLR8, coming upon him and the finish line as they began the second lap. The Kinceleran glanced behind him and gasped, gunning his wheels to go even faster. Clawdeen grinned maliciously as she caught up to him, a confident look on her face. "Feeling tired?" she asked.
"Never!" XLR8 cried. "I could run eternity!" he added, just as the Omnitrix timed out and changed him back. He tumbled to the ground in a cloud of dust and groaned as Clawdeen laughed and sped ahead. "You had to jinx yourself, didn't you?" Skurd asked.
"Shut it," Ben grumbled, getting up from the ground and turning on the Omnitrix. "C'mon, give me Fasttrack! XLR8! Jetray! Clockwork! Somebody useful!" he cried as he slapped down on the watch face and let the green light wash over him. He felt himself taller and much more muscled as gray colored fur sprouted all over his body. His face bulged forward into a pointed muzzle, lined with sharp canine teeth as a black nose formed on the end. Organs sloshed around inside him and bones crunched and ground together as he felt said muzzle split into four ways and his fingers become longer and tipped with razor sharp claws that could easily slice through most objects. His toes melted into two, large talons as a third sprouted from his heel and a long, furry tail grew from the base of his spine. A mane of fur rose from the back of his neck as spikes rose from his elbows and shoulders. A green and black suit appeared on his body with green wrists bans and a collar around his neck with the Omnitrix symbol on it.
"Blitzwolfer? Seriously!?" the Loboan growled. With a heavy sigh, he got down on all fours and dashed after Clawdeen, catching up to her as they both crossed the finish line and began the second lap. By now, Clawdeen was getting a little winded and had begun to slow down a little. That is, until she a loud, hollow yell behind her that blew her skirt up. She quickly thrust it back down and glared at an approaching Blitzwolfer. "Howl you doin', Clawdeen?" he growled as he passed her, oblivious to the werewolf's red face and bared teeth. With renewed vigor, Clawdeen raced after him, choosing to run on all fours like him to hopefully gain an advantage over him. They crossed the finish line at the same time and began the third lap, the cheers and cries of their friends from above egging them on.
"Ooh, this is going to be close!" Draculaura cried with anticipation.
"So, they're both wolves now, right?" Frankie asked, slightly confused.
"Si, it would appear so." Skelita noted.
Clawdeen was panting and breathing hard as she rounded the corner with Blitzwolfer on her heels. Her face was red, and it wasn't just from exhaustion. With a very handsome werewolf-like alien next to her, she couldn't help but glance at him every couple of seconds, just to look at him and admire his features. She knew it was would only be a couple of years before she would look similar to that, and if she was going to turn as beautiful as he was handsome, one could say she was more than ready to grow up. The two stayed almost even as they rounded another corner of the house and passed Cleo's statue, rounding the third corner of the tomb and then the fourth, making an all out mad dash for the finish line where Spectra stood with her iCoffin, ready for the photo finish. Gritting his fangs, Blitzwolfer dug his claws into the ground and raced forward, pumping his legs faster and faster, pushing himself to the limit as Clawdeen scrambled for footing. Her boots provided excellent friction, but her filed nails did not. With a grunt she forced herself back up on her legs and rushed forward, both them seemingly crossing the finish line at the same time.
"Who won?" Blitzwolfer growled, panting heavily with his tongue lolled out of his mouth.
Spectra didn't answer for a few seconds, squinting her eyes to look closer at the picture. After a few minor edits, she was able to see the picture clear enough. By then, everyone on the balcony had come down to the front entrance, Ghoulia and Slow Mo being the last ones out. "The winner is . . . . Clawdeen by a nose!" Spectra announced. The ghouls all burst in applause and whistles and cheers, Clawdeen looking happier than she had ever felt before. Blitzwolfer stood off to the side, a small smile on his face as he watched Clawdeen celebrate. He was about to walk over and congratulate her when a sound met his sensitive ears.
Without warning, the Loboan howled and raced towards the guys and ghouls, grabbing Jane and Jinafire in his large claws and throwing them onto his back without explanation before clearing the tall wall that surrounded Cleo's home in a single bound and running off towards the woods. The others just stood there dumb found.
"Is he upset that you won?" Robecca wondered.
"If he is, he sure is a sore loser," Clawdeen huffed.
"If he was sad, then why did he take Jane and Jinafire like that?" Draculaura wondered.
"I dunno, but we better find out, and quick! No telling what goes on in Ben's head when he's in alien form." said Clawd warily. The guys and ghouls then raced after Ben, most of them opting to run through the gate and then head into the woods; Spectra followed from above, hoping that her boyfriend wasn't getting into trouble again.
"Ben! Explain yourself!" Jinafire demanded, holding on for dear life as Blitzwolfer ran through the woods. Jane was silently screaming as she held on tight, her eyes filled with fright and fear.
"Venus is in trouble!" Blitzwolfer yelled, jumping over a log and swerving around a tree. "Is that a good enough explanation for ya?"
"But why would Venus come out here? And why did you take us with you?" asked Jinafire.
"Why Venus is out here, I have no idea. I picked you for your fighting skills, and I picked Jane because I figured she might be able to help out somehow."
"You mean by fighting someone?" Jane asked warily.
"If can. You don't have to, but maybe try and get Venus out of there if necessary." Blitzwolfer told her. "I just hope we get there in time."
Venus's head was spinning. She had a huge head ache that felt like someone was using her head as a bass drum. Holding her head with a hand, she walked through the Dark Forest, not intimidated by the glaring red eyes from the hollows in the trees or the thorn brambles hidden amongst the few beautiful flowers. Whenever she was having a hard time or needed to get away from the smog and bustle of the city, she would always go for a walk in the Dark Forest and head towards her special place. It was a place that no one but her knew about, not even Jane Boolittle knew about it. She called it Eden's Gateway, and it was aptly named; hundreds of rare, beautiful, and exotic plants grew in the special clearing, found nowhere else in the world. Once she entered between two large cliff sides, she could smell the intoxicating smell of the flowers that seemed to magically clear up her head ache. A babbling, sparkling creek ran through the small clearing, rainbow colored trout swimming about below the surface.
With a heavenly sigh, she sat down on a log and crossed her legs, meditating and sniffing the rare plants that made their home there. As she meditated, the ground around her suddenly burst into bloom, beautiful flowers of every color appearing. Sweet birdsong filled the air as she sat, there clearing her chaotic mind of all issues. After a while, Venus came to the conclusion that all of her issues were caused by one person: Ben Tennyson. Sure, she had appreciated his small rescue from Toralei, but he had caused her so much pain. She had been locked away in the catacombs for so long, that she was barely able to drag herself back out. If it hadn't been for Jane Boolittle, who had been exploring the maze of tunnels at the time, she would have surely perished and shriveled up into nothing if she hadn't gotten some sunlight.
That was when she heard the voices. That, and she heard a sudden scream for help. No one else would have been able to hear the scream unless they were related to plants somehow, as the tiny scream of agony came from a rare flower being stepped on from behind her. She turned on the log to see a large, burly werewolf with a white cap and black shirt and a bandaged covered mummy in black and red robes. "You girly, are coming with us." the werewolf growled.
"The master commands it!" the mummy moaned. The werewolf glared at him before stalking closer to Venus, an anger expression on his face. "Now, are you going to come with us willingly, or will I have to hurt you?" Crüjo asked.
"The master wanted her in one piece!" Kuphulu complained.
"It does not mean I can not have some fun," the Loboan grinned, cracking his knuckles. He suddenly leaped forward and tackled Venus, knocking her into the creek as he landed on the other side. Kuphuli dipped his bandages into the water and wrapped them around Venus, pulling her out and throwing her against a tree. Venus groaned as she slid down the trunk, barely able to roll out of the way as Crüjo attempted to pound her into the ground.
With fear and anger in her eyes, Venus quickly got up form the ground and clapped her hands, raising them up into the air as thorny vines and shoots grew up from the ground. The vines and shoots wrapped themselves around each other, intertwining themselves together into crude legs and arms, large bulbs sprouting from between the arms and into heads. The plant creatures growled and jabbered as Venus jabbed a finger at Crüjo and Kuphulu. The gremlins, no taller than Venus's waist, rushed forward, raking their thorn tipped fingers as they attacked the two monster aliens, biting and clawing at their fur and bandages mercilessly. Despite their best efforts, the little gremlins were quickly dismembered, snapped in two between Crüjo's jaws or ripped apart by Kuphulu's bandages; the last gremlin was squished under Crüjo's foot, and the two criminals edged closer and closer to Venus, annoyance written on their faces. Venus began to back away, out of ideas on how to possibly defend herself.
"Mother Nature, if you can hear me, please help!" she begged, stumbling over a rock and landing on her back, scrambling backwards as the two monster aliens edged closer and closer.
"Leave her alone, you Halloween Rejects!" a gruff voice yelled. The two aliens glanced to their left to be struck in the gut by a multicolored fist seemingly made out of blocks. Venus turned to look at her savior, surprised to see that it seemed to look like a gorilla made entirely out of red, yellow, and blue LEGO bricks. Her face turned a paler shade of green when she saw the Omnitrix symbol on its chest, knowing full well what that meant. There was a sudden sound that sounded like a hundred LEGO bricks clatterung together, and the figure began to shift and shape before her very eyes, its arms forming into twin gun barrels as a sort of backpack appeared on its back. Two colorful blocks fired out of the twin barrels and at the cronies, Kuphulu dodging it as Crüjo was struck in the face. Bloxx continued to shoot his Bloox Lobbers as Kuphulu made his way to him and thrusted his fingers into the barrels of the guns, effectively jamming them and rendering them useless. It was then that the Thep Khufan was struck in the head by Jinafire's outstretched foot. The young dragon had attacked from above and truck Kuphulu in the face, using it as a spring board to bounce back and flip through the air, landing in a fighting pose next to Bloxx.
"Nice dismount," the Segmentasapien noted.
"Thank you. Shall we dispose of these villains?"
"Lets."
Crüjo came charging at them, and they barely made it out of the way before it turned around and repeated the attack, slamming into Jinafire a tree and pummeling her body with his might fists. Bloxx stretched out his arms to try and pry the Loboan off of his friend (ghoulfriend maybe), but a set of thick bandages wrapped themselves around Bloxx's arms, preventing them from stretching and growing. Bloxx struggled with his bonds, but Kuphulu was stronger, managing to pin Bloxx's mighty arms to his sides and wrap him up like a Christmas present. "Jane!" Bloxx cried out.
The monster girl suddenly fell out of a tree and landed on the ground in a completely unorthodox style and landing on her back. "Oww," she moaned, quickly getting to her feet and striking the best fighting pose she could. Kuphulu merely laughed at her. "You think you have the capability to defeat me? You insult me," he cackled. Jane ran forward as he gloated and punched him as hard she could in the jaw, dazing him and causing him to lose his grip on Bloxx, just as the Omnitrix timed out and changed the Segmentasapien back into Ben.
"Thanks, Jane!" Ben called out as Jane tussled with Kuphulu. He then turned toward the Omnitrix and cycled through his aliens before finding the one that he needed. He slapped the activation button and let the green light wash over him, changing his DNA at the molecular structure. His skin turned a dark green, patches of it turning bright green as it became soft and stretchable. The feeling of bones vanished all together to instead be replaced by some sort of woody structure that acted as a skeleton. His legs began to twitch violently until they each split in two, becoming long tendrils that would let him skitter and stalk amongst the ground. Two fleshy mounds appeared on either side of Ben's head, pulsing and swelling until they became Venus Flytrap-like flaps with pointed teeth at the ends. His arms became long and rubbery, long fingers forming on each end with fleshy thorns appearing on his elbows, knees, shoulders, and chest. His head retained a similar shape as his eyes molded together into one. A row of spikes formed on his head as a green belt with the Omnitrix on it appeared on his waist, completing the transformation.
"Cha! Wildvine!" he cheered, pumping his fist.
"Get on with it, dear boy! Save the girl!" Skurd yelled from his stomach. Wildvine nodded and stretched out an arm, anchoring it around a tree and pulling it taunt. He pulled back to be sure and gave a little jump, the tension in his rope-like arm pulling him forward to body slap into Kuphulu, sending both him and Jane flying. While he was dazed, Wildvine loosened his grip on the tree and jumped into the air, pulling all his stalk-like legs together to quickly burrow beneath the ground. He popped up next to Kuphulu and punched him in the gut, disappearing into the dirt before the mummy could hit him. He reappeared behind him and jabbed him in the back with another fist.
Meanwhile, Jinafire had managed to release Crüjo's grip on her with a quick jet of flame. As the Loboan tried to put out the fire that was currently eating away at his hat, Jinafire punched him in the face and gave a swift kick to his gut, releasing his grip on her. Jinafire then proceeded to use the tree as a springboard and leap at Crüjo, ramming her head into his chest and kneeing him in his gut as he fell to the ground, defeated.
Jane groaned and picked herself out of the berry bush she had landed in, which happened to be next to a stunned Venus. "Are you alright?" she asked the plant monster. Venus merely nodded and watched the fight between Kuphulu and Wildvine, amazed that someone who had a knack for destroying things could also be so delicate; the Florauna was daintily jumping and moving about with ease, deliberately avoiding the rare and endangered plants that Venus protected. Venus felt touched at this, and actually winced when both Wildvine and Kuphulu took a dive into the deep creek. Moments later, Kuphulu came flying out, striking a tree and sliding to the ground, defeated. Following him was a Piscciss Volann, with a smug and toothy grin on his face. In a flash of green light, the aquatic alien disappeared to be replaced by Ben. Venus watched as he walked up to Crüjo, anger in his green eyes. She had to admit, she was very impressed; he had come to her rescue when she was sure no one would, and had done it out of the selflessness of his heart. He had deliberately avoided the plants and flowers she had worked so hard to grow and knew he was not about to let the two criminals destroy her and her hard work.
"Take a hike, Fuzzball," Ben frowned. Ben quickly accessed the Omnitrix and slapped the activation button, the green light washing over him as he began to change. His skin went from being soft and warm to hot and hard as concrete. Rocky bumps formed on his wrists and shins. His shoulders became broad and massive, so large that he had no neck at all; his face face was stuck right in the middle. His mouth became wider and almost forever stuck in a toothy grin. His fingers swelled in size, and Ben could feel a slight tingling sensation at the tips. He felt a strange feeling as his guts all move upward into his chest as a swirling, hot magma center filled their space. His toes melted into one smooth, rounded foot. A pair of black shorts with green stripes appeared on him as the Omnitrix suddenly appeared on his forehead, completing the transformation. A now very angry Gravattack stood in the clearing, towering over all who was there.
The Galilean raised his hands, green, wavering disks appearing in front of his hands. Crüjo and Kuphulu were slowly lifted into the air. When the Thep Khufan realized what was happening, he stretched out his bandages and hooked them around a rock, but Gravattack's orbit was too strong. Venus, Jane, and Jinafire all had to hang on tightly to trunks and tree branches just to avoid getting pulled into his orbit, but they didn't feel the least bit sorry for the two cronies. Around and around they flew, yelping as they spun around. After what seemed forever, when they had gathered up enough speed, Gravattack quickly raised his hands and cut out the orbit, sending both of them across the horizon and out of sight. A green flash of light later, and the Galilean was gone, to be replaced by Ben. He walked over to Venus and pulled her up with a hand. "You alright?" he asked.
Venu gulped nervously, trying to avoid direct contact with his amazing green eyes that looked like the very thing of nature. This boy had selflessly saved her and her sanctuary without concern for his own safety. Venus knew she had swallow her pride and at least thank him. She knew he was incredibly sorry for what happened on Halloween, but was she ready to forgive him for betraying her? For hiding behind a dozen different masks so she wouldn't know his true identity? Venus glanced up at those green eyes again, and knew the answer.
"No. I'm not alright," she said quietly. Ben's face grew worried, until Venus suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him forward, pulling him into a deep kiss. After a few moments of shock, Ben mentally smiled and returned the kiss, deepening it even more. The two stayed that way for what seemed forever, nothing but them existing in Venus's refuge. Eventually, they broke apart when they needed air, smiles on both of their faces. "Now, I am fine," Venus laughed. They both turned at the sound of giggling to see all their friends watching them with mixed expressions. All the guys, Spectra, Ghoulia, and Lagoona were all smiling and giving Ben a thumbs up while Jane, Gigi, Skelita, and Jinafire watched with knowing smiles on their faces. Cleo, Abbey, Clawdeen, and Frankie stared at them with wide eyes as Draculaura squealed with glee and began to rapidly send a text on her iCoffin.
"Geez, talk about privacy issues," Ben smiled as Venus turned a deep shade of pink.
Zs'Skayr was displeased. No, "displeased" was not the right word for it. "Displeased" would have been putting it lightly. The Ectonurite was absolutely furious and engulfed with rage. "How is it possible that neither of you two dolts were able to capture the girl!?" he rasped, glaring at a frightened Crüjo and Kuphulu. "W-w-we b-beg for your forgiveness, m-my Lord!" Kuphulu stammered, incredibly intimidated by his boss's single, glaring eye and unbelievably sharp scythe. The Econurite began to pace the floor in front of them, floating back and forth with his hands behind his back with his scythe in hand. "I do not give forgiveness out to just anybody, Kuphulu," he growled. "But because you amuse me for the moment, I shall spare you both. For now." he added, as both his henchman gulped. Zs'Skayr was not someone to be trifled with, and if one were to disappoint him one to many times, one could never be sure what he would do.
"Now come," he said. "Dr. Viktor has nearly completed the device." The Ectonurite floated off through the trees without another word, raking his claws across the trunk of a tree as he passed by. Crüjo and Kuphulu shared a nervous glance before following their master through the woods without speaking. They went on for about a quarter of an hour, staying to the shadows as they walked; one could be sure who was lurking in the forest. They finally came to the hollow shell of an empty warehouse. Zs'Skayr fazed through the rusted side, forcing his lackey's use the door. The inside of the warehouse was empty for the most part, save for the many stacks of rotting crates and an old crane that was mounted from the railing of an ancient catwalk. The center of the room had cleared, where a large sort of device had been built. In a classic weapon fashion, the huge device was a large ray-like weapon of sorts. It's creator was currently grumbling to himself as he worked on a stubborn piece of his creation, a hatch on the clunky device lifted up so he could work inside.
"Dr. Viktor," Zs'Skayr breathed.
The Transylian jolted, hitting his head on the inside of the machine and cursing profusely. The large alien then slowly drew his head out of his machinery and rubbed his sore skull, bowing slightly to his master. "Yes, master?" he asked with a weary voice, mostly because he had thumped his skull.
"How is the weapon coming along?"
"The weapon is coming along smoothly, master," Dr. Viktor answered in a thick German accent. "However, I will still a few more parts and a large enough power source in order for it to function correctly. The use of Corrodium makes things . . . . temperamental." Zs'Skayr sighed and tapped his bony chin with a claw, thinking. "Hmmm. I may know where to get what you seek. I will however, be joining these two simpletons when I send them to gather them, as they can not seem to complete a single task I give them."
"And Ben Tennyson?" Dr. Viktor asked.
"We will deal him soon enough." Zs'Skayr chuckled darkly.
The heavy oak doors slammed shut heavily as Charmcaster walked through them and collapsed on the sofa, exhausted. After a day of searching for a job, finally finding one at the Coffin Bean and also finding that Ben worked there, and speaking with Headless Headmistress Bloodgood, she was beyond tired. On the bright side, after a word from Ben and a promise to take responsibility for her, Charmcaster was an official member of the student body of Monster High. Starting tomorrow, she would have the exact same schedule as Ben before she would get her own, and she was more than equal to start repairing bridges with the student body. She yawned and was about to head upstairs to the bedroom she was given to take nap when she heard a sound coming from the other room. To her ears it sounded something like a sickening slurping sound. Fearing that the house had been infested with some kind of slimy monster pest, she ordered for an orb of mana to come to her hand. With it poised and ready to throw down at any unsuspecting critter, she silently stalked into the next room on tiptoe. Her breath quickening, she decided to get it over with and jumped into the next room, ready to kill something.
Instead, she found Ben and Venus McFlytrap making out on the couch in front of a muted movie. The young couple broke away when they noticed Charmcaster, both of their faces turning pink. "Um, hi Charmcaster," Ben said sheepishly. Charmcaster grinned maliciously and let the ball of energy dissipate, leaning against the door frame. "Does Spectra know about this?" she asked smugly.
"Yeah, about that. Turns out quite a few monsters have more than one "mate", so to speak," Ben explained, saying the word with air quotes.
"Really? Meh," Charmcaster shurgged, walking towards them and flopping down on the couch between them, to which Venus was a little disappointed. "So, you're not worried about the sudden appearance of two of Zs'Skayr's lackeys in a completely different dimension?" she asked. Ben sighed and sat back. The thought had been bugging him, itching at the back of his mind like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away. "Of course I'm worried. I just don't have any idea what they're up to," said Ben. "Besides, waiting for the villain to strike first before beating the tar out of them is more my style. My detective skills are not exactly something to talk about," he admitted. "So, how'd the day go?" Ben asked, trying to change the subject.
"Pretty well, actually. Sure, I have to spend a week in detention, but I was expecting something like," Charmcaster sighed.
"So you're in?" Ben asked. Charmcaster merely smiled and suddenly hugged Ben, much to Ben and Venus's shock. Charmcaster was uncharacteristically sobbing lightly on Ben's shoulder as he slowly reached his hands up to return the hug. She was more than happy, getting a second chance at life to make things right and better than before. And it was all thanks to him. "Thank you," she cried. "Thank you for giving me a second chance."
"You're welcome," Ben smiled, and even Venus had to smile lightly. She now had another reason to like her new boyfriend. He was kind and compassionate, at least when his loved ones were not in imminent danger. Charmcaster then released Ben with a smile on her face as she left the room to head up to her own. Ben watched her go before returning to Venus.
"Where were we?" she asked with a sexy smile on her lips.
Nefera groaned and slowly blinked her eyes. How long had she been out? She moaned again and slowly sat up, holding her pounding head. The last thing she remembered seeing was some horrific, monstrous, abomination of unimaginable horror and fear. The events of the past day and a half suddenly came back to her, everything from the mysterious mummy in her room to the horrifying face that had sent her into oblivion. She then began to tremble again at the sheer memory of the face until another memory came back to her; a comforting, warm feeling that she wanted to feel more of for some reason. She had never felt the feeling before, but she wanted more of it. What was that feeling anyway?
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't the fear and respect she usually got from her underlings. She knew she wasn't well liked by a lot of monsters, most finding her either repulsive and rude, or fearsome and someone to avoid. But this feeling, it was different. It was warm and touching . . . . almost as if it came from someone that actually . . . . cared. Confused, Nefera shook her head to clear her thoughts and got up from her bed, heading to her own private bathroom.
Perhaps a nice, long, hot shower would clear things up.
And that's the end!
One more chapter, and things will get crazy! The main plot line with the main villain will appear, and this story will be kicked into overdrive.
What's up with Nefera? Is she having a change of heart? How will Charmcaster's first day of school go? And what is the favor that Ben owes Gigi? Is Toralei up to something? All these questions and more will be answered next chapter. And Venus finally forgives Ben! That's good.
And I hope all of you waiting for Clawdeen and Blitzwolfer are satisfied. If not, Blitzwolfer will appear again before things get hectic. And Whampire, of course, will be in the thick of things. And yes, for those of you wishing for it, Twyla will appear next chapter, guarantee.
As always, review and comment below, and if you have any suggestions for this story or its sequel, feel free to PM me. I promise I won't bite. And if your wonderful idea doesn't get into the story, go ahead and make your own! I'd love to see what you guys and gals come up with.
Hasta Luego!