Welcome back True Believers! Our Multiversal Adventure spearheaded by Kitty Pryde continues with another stop to another dimension! After dropping by to the Age of Apocalypse, Kitty managed to recruit her first dimensional counterpart (which will be referred to as Shadow-Pryde) but Mojo's got a plan of his own and it'll be a matter of time before he brings it to his show.
Now, the ladies (Kitty, Shadow-Pryde, Magik and Sofia) have made it to a world that was only visited once (I'll further elaborate in the end) but might bring a valuable player to the foray. Now, before we jump down, let's check out the reviews!
Timeless Writer: This is just the beginning my friend, you'll see so many different reactions, as well as how different things have been in Kitty's life once she discovers her counterparts.
Ka1zen: Mojo will recruit villains to his fold to fight the "Army of Kitty Prydes", and you'll be finding out very different villains for this one.
young justice 17: There's some friction already due to Yana's opinion of Spider-Man, but she'll come around eventually, just not on this fic.
Wilcard Sparda: I've learned of that version of Kitty (which coincidentally is also created by the Legendary Claremont) but I'll try to see if I can fit her (Maybe replacing one of the chosen ones or find a way to also expand the Spidey fic to fit add up) no promises but I'll work my best!
El-lector327: Ten por seguro que habrá una intensa confrontación al final del camino y gracias por la paciencia!
Cornholio4: As you can see, things are just getting started! Stay tuned for more adventure from our alternate Kitty Prydes!
Done! Enough with the preliminaries! Let's get on it!
Enjoy the reading!
SHADOWCAT: INTO THE KITTY-VERSE
Chapter 4: Crouching Kittens, Hidden Mojo
"I'm sure everybody at home is wondering why this show hasn´t given you any sort of bloodshed yet" Mojo speaks to his audience as once again he stands in front of a wall of television screens "The reason's this… aside of a very uncooperative cast, you have to keep in mind that this is reality TV, unlike the crap the Earthers sell you as 'real' but it's actually more fake than a good-natured Arakkii mutie, we here in HEADSHOT TVTM give you nothing but the best and we do make it up as we go, but do not fret my dear followers, before the end is here, you will see at least one mutant die over here, and MOJO! ALWAYS! DELIVERS!" he shows his wicked grin and then stands on a freezing standing position with his arms wide open as the feed cuts to commercials, immediately changing his grin to a scowl "DOMO!"
"Yes sir?" Major Domo appears nearby the set.
"Give me the reports now! Are those pesky Krakoans watching?" Mojo asks him while Domo checks on his tablet.
"As you requested sir, our signal is no longer reaching Krakoa, however we do have a strong reach on the rest of the Planet Earth" Major Domo explains as he runs his database "We also have gained a lot of reach to the Planet Formerly known as Mars, now called Planet Arakko" he adds, showing Mojo the numbers "And I may say, they are the ones who are practically begging for bloodshed on the, and I quote, 'soft-hearted, squishy-dumb$#%& pieces of crap from Earth'" he tells him, causing Mojo to mockingly wipe a fake tear from his eye.
"Oh Domo! You know what that means, right?" Mojo throws the question "Finally that Apocalypse brute makes a good thing and brings me an audience I can actually please!" he exclaims as he turns to face the wall of screens "For now, keep an eye on my starlets, I want to see at least something juicy before they go down in a blaze" he speaks eager to bring down Kitty and her army in this next stop.
THEN, ON ANOTHER EARTH
In what it looks like a flea market that goes through miles and spreads across the territory, a portal opens near an alleyway, revealing the emergence of the female crew of heroes: Kitty Pryde, her counterpart of Earth-295 and her friends Magik and Wind Dancer.
"Whoa…" Shadow-Pryde mutters, feeling a little dizzy after the trip.
"First time doing the Interdimensional travelling thing?" Sofia asks her while Kitty checks her Webware device.
"You get disoriented the first few trips but trust me, you get used to it very quickly" Magik comments, having more experience in the dimensional trip area "Any ideas on where we are, Katya?"
"According to the Webware, we're on Earth-13116" Kitty replies as she reads the info about their location "A world currently ruled by different factions of martial-arts based 'clans' but ruled over by Emperor… Shang-Chi?" she sounds bewildered after reading his name.
"So does that mean we're in China?" Shadow-Pryde asks, having regained her composure while they walk out of the alley.
"I wouldn't say it's China per se" Kitty replies as they walk through the market, catching the attention of all the people as they move along, from the vendors to the clients, all of them with a combination of awe and curiosity "But we do have to locate both the Spire and my counterpart" she adds while the march down the market.
"Honestly, I think we're the ones getting all the attention" Sofia comments, feeling slightly uncomfortable for all the eyes upon her.
"Well, none of us are dressed according to this world" Magik points out that detail, prompting Shadow-Pryde to scoff.
"Of course none of us is" Shadow-Pryde replies with an annoyed tone "Especially Miss Leather Get Up" she points at Magik's attire.
"You're one to talk" Magik fires back at her pointing out that her wardrobe is also made of leather.
"Alright, you two, wrap it up" Kitty tries to calm them down "While I agree that our attires catch a lot of attention, may I remind you that it's not worse than dealing with a giant golden spire" she points out, but before they could leave the market, the place is suddenly ambushed by a group of soldiers wearing green and black attires, prompting the women to take cover from a nearby tent, a move that most of the vendors repeat as well.
Once the soldiers create a perimeter, a female figure marches down the place wearing what resembles a green robe with black details and a few jade stones embedded over it, the woman sports long green hair, green lips and green eyeliner while her face shows a mix of disgust and arrogance.
"I believe you have something that belongs to me" the woman speaks with major arrogance "As I warned every one of you, I demand the half of your earnings if you want to continue operating in these grounds" she tells them, now adding anger to her tone.
"She's stealing them!" Sofia whispers in awe.
"Say the word and I'll gut her" Shadow-Pryde whispers, eager to strike her.
"Pick a number" Magik replies to her comment while also showing her eagerness to attack her.
"Ssshhhh!" Kitty shushes them, needing to hear more out of her.
"Madame Viper" One of the vendors speaks nervously at her, revealing her identity "You have to understand that all of us work for our families and-HGK!" suddenly he is interrupted by one of the soldiers who chokes him with his sword.
"Did I order you to speak?" Viper asks him with disgust in her voice "I want to remember all of you that Emperor Shang-Chi is far away from these lands" she talks to the gathered people "He won't be helping any of you for a long time, so as long as I stand here, all of you shall obey me" she speaks with a menacing tone as she approaches him "And since you dared to defy me…" she then looks at the soldier "Choke him to death and drag his carcass to the plaza for everyone to see" she orders him.
"NO! NO! MADAME PLEASE!" the vendor screams in fear while the soldier drags him away, ready to execute him in front of the vendors and clients just to set the example, and that prompts Kitty and her friends to move.
"Can we do something now?" Sofia asks with visible concern.
"Damn right we will" Kitty replies as she steps out, followed by Magik and Shadow-Pryde.
"Finally" Shadow-Pryde mutters as she unsheathes her claws.
"I'll take care of that one" Magik comments as she firmly holds her Soulsword and rushes towards the soldier, impaling him from behind with her weapon, but unbeknownst to them, the Soulsword does not provoke physical harm, but it does big damage to the enemy's soul, revealed by the scream of pain that the soldier makes before he faints.
"Who dares to interrupt my work!?" Viper angrily exclaims while the rest of the women arrive.
"We dare!" Kitty exclaims, jumping from a platform to connect a dropkick to a couple of soldiers, sending them down to the floor.
Shadow-Pryde dispatches two of the soldiers clashing her claws against their blades but she combines it with her intangibility and manages to avoid being hit and then she strikes at them with swift slashes to their guts.
"Anyone else wants a piece of me!?" Shadow-Pryde exclaims, defying the rivals as she stands ready to fight. Meanwhile, Sofia uses her power to lift two large drapes and throw them at the soldier, creating gusts of wind to envelop them and lift them up, throwing them against one of the tents.
"Sorry about that!" Sofia apologizes to the vendors, turning to watch the rest of the fight unfold with Magik using one of her enchantments to paralyze the soldiers and drop them down through another tent, covering them in trash and broken pieces of ceramic.
"And to think I'm being soft with them" Magik mutters to herself as she looks at Kitty running towards Viper, who looks prepared to attack.
"Brave, bold and different" Viper comments as she grabs a couple of daggers from behind her back "But you haven't met someone like me" she then throws one of her daggers but it phases right through Kitty, startling the villainess after that brief moment, allowing Kitty to strike her with a jumping kick to her jaw that knocks her down.
"Quite the contrary" Kitty replies as she lands "You meet one of them, you've met all of them" she quips while Shadow-Pryde approaches her.
"How about we end this?" Shadow-Pryde unsheathes her claws as she menacingly looks at Viper but Kitty contains her.
"We're not going on a killing spree!" Kitty exclaims as she frowns at her counterpart "You may have an attitude that mixes mine's and Logan's but we're not gonna be killing people, especially in such an open place"
"It's because of that kind of mentality that Crazy #$%&+ over there took over my world" Shadow-Pryde complains, pointing at Magik who keeps fighting Viper's soldiers alongside Sofia, and that moment of distraction is used by Viper who pulls two more daggers off her waist and aims at both Prydes, something that Sofia quickly notices.
"Look Out!" Sofia exclaims, prompting both Prydes to turn and look at Viper who throws her daggers at them. Both quickly manage to go intangible, allowing the daggers to go through them but then they fly towards Magik and Sofia, scratching Magik's right side and Sofia's shoulder.
"Guys!" Kitty exclaims, but that distraction allows Viper to jump behind her and tackle her down, prompting Shadow-Pryde to go for the attack but Viper connects a swift kick that pushes her away.
"Katya!" Magik tries to reach them but she suddenly stumbles, starting to feel feverish and dizzy "B-B-Bozhe Moi…" she mutters as she holds on her Soulsword while Sofia tries to reach her but she then falls on her knees.
"I… I don't feel well…" Sofia mutters as she tries to remain conscious, but both Kitty and Shadow-Pryde realize what happened.
"Those daggers were poisoned…" Shadow-Pryde faces Viper and then looks at Kitty "You still want me to keep her alive?"
"You won't kill her" Kitty replies, determined to make her face defeat instead of downright killing her.
"Well, you better make up your mind" Viper begins to taunt them "Because whether you kill me or not, your friends will be dead in a matter of hours…" she shows a malicious grin. Kitty clenches her fists in anger, boiling due to the growing anger that causes her to rush into the attack with a barrage of punches and kicks but Viper manages to block a couple of hits and punches her to the gut, pushing her away.
"Screw this, I'm gutting her" Shadow-Pryde mutters as she unsheathes her claws and rushes against Viper, but she manages to make a swift move to avoid her claws and hit her in the back of her neck to drop her down, kicking her as she falls to increase the damage.
"You're all pathetic creatures" Viper taunts them with a snobbish tone "But I'm done wasting my time, let's put an end to thi-AGH!" she is then suddenly interrupted by a fireball that struck her in the back, prompting her to turn around and discover a massive purple dragon flying above them but he is suddenly shrinking in size "You…" she mutters as she sees a figure jumping off the dragon, landing in front of her.
"You really believe that the Emperor is unaware of your crimes?" a female voice is heard from the figure, wearing a black and gold attire that resembles the one worn by Shaolin monks, but this one includes a hood, then the woman lowers her hood to reveal her face, a bald woman with a long tail of hair from the back.
"The Emperor's little pet" Viper mutters in anger at the presence of the warrior monk in front of her.
"I have a name!" the woman replies to her comment "I am Pryde, the Cat that Strikes from the Shadows!" she reveals her name as she poses in a fighting stance ready to fight, thus revealing the one Kitty and her friends were looking for.
"Guess didn't take long to find you" Kitty mutters as she tries to stand up while Shadow-Pryde goes to help Magik and Sofia.
"I'm not wasting my time anymore" Viper replies, pulling out a ball to drop it to the floor, revealing to be a smoke-bomb that allows her to escape.
"Damn it!" the local Pryde mutters in anger and then looks at her counterparts "Are you OK?" she asks them, to which Kitty replies with a thumbs-up.
"I'm good, so's my counterpart" Kitty replies but then shows concern when Magik and Sofia look ill and barely responsive "Oh my God, Yana! Sofia!" she rushes towards them with Magik holding on with her Souldsword while Shadow-Pryde holds Sofia by her shoulders.
"They've been poisoned" the local Pryde comments as she looks at their condition "Let me take you to the temple, I can treat them there" she tells them.
"So, we're not having the talk about our mission and stuff?" Shadow-Pryde asks, visibly annoyed by the situation.
"Let her help… then talk…" Magik mutters as she tries to fight off the poison.
"We can't waste much time" the local Pryde comments and then looks at her dragon "Dragon, let's head to the temple" she tells him, prompting her dragon to grow in size to accommodate the new arrivals, jumping aboard to reach the temple and help Magik and Sofia.
A WHILE LATER…
The group flies over the citadel, reaching the faraway area where a five temples stand nearby a giant fortress across the place. In spite of the tense situation she is going through, Kitty cannot help but to be amazed at the sight of such a landscape. The dragon lands on the top of one of the temples, prompting the local Pryde to jump down and help Kitty lower Sofia while Shadow-Pryde does the same with Magik.
"I have to ask… how come you haven't fainted?" Shadow-Pryde asks Magik as they walk away from the dragon who began to shrink again to a much smaller size.
"Being a half demon… has its perks…" Magik mutters, briefly explaining that her demonic nature as Darkchylde is keeping the poison at bay for the time being.
"Follow me" the local Pryde gestures to follow her as they walk inside the temple. She immediately reaches one of the rooms where she searches for a couple of vials which she grabs and keeps close to her vest, then she heads to the kitchen where she prepares a mixture of herbs and spices to prepare a soup "Please take them to the room at the end of the hall, I'll bring the soup right away"
"Thank you" Kitty replies, grateful for the assistance as she helps Sofia while Shadow-Pryde does the same with Magik, leading them to the room at the end where they find a set of beds. Kitty gently lies Sofia down on the bed while Shadow-Pryde helps Magik sit on the other one.
"That #$%&+… caught me off-guard…" Magik angrily mutters, mad at the fact that she got so easily poisoned by one of Viper's daggers. Right then, the local Pryde arrives with two bowls of hot soup.
"These will help you recover from the poison" the local Pryde comments as she serves the bowls "Considering that we acted quickly, you shall recover in a couple of hours, provided that you ingest the entire bowl" she explains as Kitty grabs the bowl and helps Sofia with it.
"So… is this like Chicken Soup…?" Sofia weakly asks as she begins to ingest her soup.
"It's actually vegetables mixed with one of our healing potions" the local Pryde explains "It'll help to accelerate the process but you still have to rest" she adds while Kitty helps Sofia and Magik takes her soup.
"While we appreciate the gesture… we don't have much time…" Magik comments, knowing that time is of the essence in this journey.
"Actually Yana, you need to rest" Kitty replies with a stern tone of voice "Once you're done, we'll talk about it, 'Kay?"
"You sound… like a mom…" Sofia tries to joke, prompting Kitty to scoff a laugh.
"I prefer to be the Cool Aunt" Kitty replies in a reference to her newest influence, May Parker.
"Hate to cut the bubbly moment but we need to face the facts" Shadow-Pryde interjects "I refuse to stay with that thorn on my side" she comments in reference to the previous encounter against Viper.
"Who was she?" Kitty asks her local counterpart.
"I'll give her the story, but you also have to tell me yours" the local Pryde replies, to which Kitty nods in response "Follow me, you can tell your story while your friends rest" she tells them as she begins to leave the room.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
The local Pryde leads her counterparts to a wide training room, full with Chinese iconography, walking down to the center of it where the local Pryde turns to face them with a serious look on her face.
"I managed to see both of you fighting, those daggers went right through you" the local Pryde points out how Viper's daggers missed them due to their intangibility powers, raising her curiosity "How did you master that art?" she asks them, causing both of them to look at her quizzically.
"Master this art?" Shadow-Pryde asks her, sounding slightly confused, but Kitty begins to understand her reasoning.
"I take it that yours is an art" Kitty comments to her local counterpart "I'll explain, out 'Mastery' is not a martial art, is part of our inner power, our mutation if you like to call it" she begins to explain their story "We come from different dimensions, or realms if you want to call them"
"Different realms?" the local Pryde shows greater curiosity upon that revelation "So there are different realms with different versions of people?" she asks, to which Kitty nods.
"Look at it this way, aside from the Asian features, you sorta resemble us" Shadow-Pryde explains in her own way.
"Not to mention that you also have your own dragon companion" Kitty points out the presence of the dragon "I have one too, his name is Lockheed".
"So wait, if you're here, then you must be here for a task or journey of sorts" the local Kitty comments.
"Yes" Kitty replies, now showing more seriousness "We're in a constant battle against a creature called Mojo, a man who attacks realms for the sick entertainment of his people" she explains, using terms that should feel more familiar to her counterpart "We're searching for help to bring down golden spires that connect him through several realms" that last part causes the local Pryde to gasp.
"Golden Spires… you mean like a Giant Golden Structure?" the local Pryde asks them "Emperor Shang-Chi travelled with a few of his finest warriors to investigate about a golden structure that emerged at the outskirts of the kingdom" she explains.
"Well, if he intends to wreck it, I'm afraid I have some bad news" Shadow-Pryde responds to her comment nonchalantly "Can't destroy that thing from the outside, probably disable it but that's it" she adds.
"But there is a way to destroy it for good, but for that we must go to the source of the power that fuels it" Kitty explains it to her "For that, I'm recruiting warriors like you"
"You mean, Masters of the Intangible Fist?" the local Pryde asks her.
"Exactly that" Kitty replies "Although I don't know why you call it like that" she quickly adds "But yes, your help would add another notch to our plan" she hopes that her counterpart agrees, letting her ponder about the decision.
"It does sound like a dangerous journey, and from what you're telling me, it could help Emperor Shang-Chi's mission" she ponders the possibilities "But I cannot leave the realm open to another attack from Viper and her army… I cannot leave the people in danger as long as she remains a threat" she shows concern, but Shadow-Pryde rolls her eyes and scoffs.
"She ain't helping, we're wasting time, let's go" Shadow-Pryde replies, visibly annoyed but Kitty intervenes.
"Hey! Hey! Listen!" Kitty calls her out "We're not turning our backs to the people who needs help" she scolds her tougher counterpart and then looks at the local one "How about a compromise? We help you with the fight against Viper and you can help us out, deal?" she poses the question, prompting the local Pryde to ponder about it but after a few seconds, she agrees to it.
"Very well, you have my word that I'll help you in exchange for your assistance" the local Pryde replies, grateful for their help "Fortunately, I know where we can find her" she reveals how they can bring the fight to Viper "It's not the first time I've dealt with Viper's poison and there's only one place where its ingredients grow" she explains.
"If you knew where to find her, how come you haven't attacked before?" Shadow-Pryde asks, annoyed by that fact.
"Because the Emperor haven't found a way to defeat Viper's 'Wicked Hundred', her deadliest warriors" the local Pryde explains, giving Kitty an idea about how to handle it.
"Well, how about three 'Masters of the Intangible Fist'?" Kitty reveals her idea, considering that three intangible fighters highly trained in combat would make the difference against Viper's army.
"Then we have a fighting chance!" the local Pryde exclaims while Shadow-Pryde rolls her eyes.
"Ugh, my #$%&+#% kingdom for a #$%&+#% cigarette" Shadow-Pryde mutters to herself as the group prepares their plan, leaving Magik and Sofia to rest as they recover of the poisoning.
THEN, AT VIPER'S FORTRESS
Viper hated to retreat, but she was left with no choice after facing one of the Emperor's warriors, let alone one of his fiercest Masters. While she could easily unleash her 'Wicked Hundred' against the population, she would rather save them for the Emperor himself. And yet, she still finds annoying the fact that the new arrivals brought a challenge to her, and being on the Emperor's side does not favor her at all.
"That little brat is a thorn on my side" Viper mutters as she stands on the top of the highest tower in her fortress, a large structure comprised of black rocks wrapped in dark green vegetation, ranging from vines to spiky bushes in the surroundings "I must find a way to end her and clear my path to the throne…" she muses, keeping in her mind her goal of taking over Shang-Chi's throne and rule over the realm, but the sound of approaching footsteps echoes in the room interrupting her thoughts.
"Mistress" the voice of one of her foot soldiers is heard "The sentries in the faraway tower report that a dragon is approaching the fortress" he warns her, meaning that her rival is coming to fight her.
"Is that so?" Viper poses the question, sounding both surprised and yet intrigued "Seems that my troubles will end sooner than I thought" she mutters to herself "And if she brings along those mysterious women who were there at the market…" right then the idea comes to her mind "Clear the Throne Room, I want to be ready for my visitors" she gives the order to her guard but then she adds another one "And have my 'Wicked Hundred' to stand by" she tells him as she shows her malicious grin, revealing her plan to welcome her rivals.
After taking a few minutes to leave her tower and reach the Throne Room, Viper sits in her throne, calmly waiting for the arrival of her enemies; and as expected, the dragon arrives to the front courtyard, landing in the clear area and shrinking down just as the trio of Kitty Prydes gets off.
"I… did not expected to find the place clear at our arrival" the local Pryde comments as she looks around the place.
"It's damn obvious why" Shadow-Pryde comments as the group walks towards the main throne room, feeling that they have walked into a trap.
"This has 'Trap' written all over" Kitty adds to her counterpart's words as they reach the place, finding Viper right at the end of the wide room "And there she is, hopefully with a monologue ready" she adds with sarcasm in her voice.
"I'm genuinely impressed that you decided to venture into my grounds and fight me" Viper speaks with her snobbish tone "And yes, there's no need to lie to you, you walked right where I wanted you to be" she adds with her malicious grin.
"If you have the belief that you will succeed, then I challenge you one on one!" the local Pryde issues her challenge "Fight me so you can stand down and face your sentence against the Emperor" she defies him, yet Shadow-Pryde scoffs at that comment.
"So young and she's going Yenta" Shadow-Pryde mocks her counterpart, prompting Kitty to glare at her.
"Interesting proposal…" Viper replies "which I accept!" she adds with growing arrogance "Provided that the three of you defeat my finest warriors" right then she snaps her fingers, causing a massive green cloud emerge from above, showing various silhouettes that suddenly drop around the three women, revealing large, muscular fighters clad in black and green armors wielding assorted weapons, from spears to blades and chains "Behold! My Wicked Hundred!" she introduces her finest warriors, one hundred figures surrounding the three women.
Kitty and her counterparts look at the scene with a mix of concern, determination and a hint of amusement in Shadow-Pryde's case, yet they all look ready to put up a fight and bring them down to face Viper once and for all.
"Alright ladies, let's show them why we're Shadowcats" Kitty rallies her counterparts as she jumps for the first hit, dodging the blade of one of the soldiers only to phase her hand through its chest, pulling out what it looks like a black goo substance "Oh #$%& what the Hell!?" she exclaims in disgust, prompting Viper to laugh.
"You thought my 'Wicked Hundred' were mere soldiers?" Viper taunts them as she looks at her army jumping to attack them, surrounding them in a close quarter to leave them barely any room to move "They are the vilest creatures in this realm and beyond them! You won't find any other of its kind! DESTROY THEM!" she orders them, but that revelation gives Shadow-Pryde the motivation she needed to unsheathe her claws and slash her way cutting down two of them.
"You heard the woman, these are evil creatures" Shadow-Pryde points out that fact "That means…"
"No Holding Back" the local Pryde nods in agreement "The Emperor always taught us to never use the path of Death, but there can be a few exceptions" she then uses her palms and kicks to strike down a couple of her rivals, breaking their bones and kicking their blades to send them flying against another of the Wicked Soldiers, impaling it in the chest.
"It's No Holds Barred, ladies!" Kitty exclaims while she jumps and grabs one of the soldiers' spears to phase it through three soldiers, swinging around to take down a couple more, phasing through them to force them to attack each other.
The three women were making their best by combining their combat expertise with their phasing powers, severely reducing the numbers of the infamous 'Wicked Hundred' much to Viper's chagrin. Kitty grabs one of the broadswords and swings it cutting the leg of one of the soldiers, releasing more of the black goo down them, and then she jumps to slash another one.
Shadow-Pryde feels more and more into her element, slashing her way through the enemy soldiers, gutting them and cutting limb by limb, even giving her counterparts a sense on intimidation. Viper on her part, she is becoming less and less amused by how the numbers of her army are dwindling, her infamous crew of deadly warriors are being defeated by a trio of insolent brats in her eyes.
After a long and excruciating period, the number of enemy fighters has been reduced to a mere dozen, but Kitty and her counterparts are beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion, having spent that fair amount of time slaying the Wicked Hundred.
"Would you look at that?" Kitty pants as she looks at Viper "I think our Mean Ol' Lady is pissed at us" she comments with sarcasm in her voice.
"Her 'Wicked Hundred' ended up being nothing but an exaggeration" the local Pryde comments while Shadow-Pryde finishes gutting another of the soldiers.
"I must admit… This has been quite a fun day" Shadow-Pryde comments and then looks at Viper "And once we're done here, we're coming for you" she points at her, prompting Viper to scowl at them.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? KILL THEM!" Viper screams in anger, ordering her remaining 'Wicked' soldiers to rush towards them, but just as they get closer, a ring appears above them and two familiar figures emerge out of it, releasing a gust of wind that pushes them away.
"What the…?" Kitty asks until she realizes who they are "Yana!? Sofia!?"
"You really thought we were gonna miss this?" Magik poses the question "And in case you were wondering, yes, that soup made wonders but we weren't gonna waste hours waiting for you, so I used one of the many trick Doc Strange taught me to accelerate the process" she comments, recalling the learnings she took from the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Strange.
"Those are the most dangerous ones?" Sofia asks but then turns to look at the fallen ones and an idea comes to mind "I got a plan, you with me, Illyana?"
"Let's go for it" Magik replies as she holds her Soulsword "We'll take care of these ones, you go for the last one" she tells her friends, prompting Kitty to nod in response. Viper looks at the group with hate, frustrated at how her poison failed to take effect and then she runs off her throne to leave and make an escape, prompting Kitty and her counterparts to follow her.
As they left, Sofia uses her power to lift the remains of a few of the soldiers, throwing them at the standing ones to distract them, allowing Magik to run and connect a few slashes with her Soulsword, adding further damage thanks to its magical properties. What started as a dozen of deadly creatures clad in armors, now ended up being nothing but the last remains of a tale that was made to scare people, but Illyana Rasputina, Sofia Mantega and the three Kitty Prydes are not ordinary people.
"We done here?" Sofia poses the question, to which Magik nods in response.
"Da, let's go and take care of the others while Katya and the other ones go after that #$%&+" Magik replies, holding on her Soulsword as they both leave the room.
RIGHT THEN, OUTSIDE THE THRONE ROOM
Viper tried to make her escape, now that her 'Wicked Hundred' are nothing more than dead things, she has lost her edge, but she refuses to be incarcerated, to which she runs to the top of her high tower, reaching it to contemplate her options to avoid her fate.
"This wasn't supposed to be happening!" Viper exclaims in visible anger "Why!? Why have I failed!?" she looks at her horizon, only to be startled by the sudden appearance of a giant purple dragon with the three Kitty Prydes aboard.
"You missed us?" Kitty taunts her while the local Pryde jumps towards the tower to face Viper.
"Your reign of darkness has ended" the local Pryde stands in guard against her "Surrender and you shall face trial, accept the consequences of defying Emperor Shang-Chi" she tries to corner her but Viper jumps up to the ledge, threatening with jumping down.
"I will never accept defeat, child" Viper spews her anger at her while the dragon files around the tower, allowing the other two Prydes to jump down and face her while the dragon sets in case that she jumps "You truly believe that I would allow myself to be captured?" she looks at how the other two slowly approach them while she pulls out a couple of spheres "I am not afraid of death, I embrace it, as it should be…" then she shows her wicked grin "And I won't give Shang-Chi the satisfaction of claiming victory, he may keep his realm, but he'll never cage me!" right then Viper throws one of the spheres, being another smoke bomb that distracts them long enough for her to jump down the tower, to the shock of the women up there.
"NO!" the local Pryde exclaims while the dragon flies in an attempt to catch her, but Viper throws the second smoke bomb to its face to cover his sight, causing him to miss her as she fades down the mist that envelops the bottom of the fortress.
"Dammit!" Shadow-Pryde exclaims in anger "If she wanted to die so bad, might as well given her that gift myself" she comments while Kitty tries to comfort her counterpart.
"I know it's not the result we expected, and I doubt that woman could survive such a fall, but we worked hard to put an end to her nightmare…" Kitty tries to comfort her "You forced her hand and led her to make a desperate decision, the Emperor would surely understand that" she talks to her, to which the local Pryde nods in agreement.
"I know" the local Pryde mutters "Thank you for your help" she kindly smiles at Kitty and then look at the horizon, reflecting on the fact that in spite of the result of the fight, people can be free of Viper's extortions and the Emperor has one less concern to worry about.
MINUTES LATER, BACK AT THE TEMPLE
Once the battle ended, the group reunited to leave the fortress with the remaining guards and thugs having surrendered after hearing of Viper's downfall. Afterwards, the group flew back to the temple where the local Pryde decided to write down a message in a scroll to be sent to the Emperor who is facing the challenge of Mojo's Golden Spire.
"You know? I have to ask" Shadow-Pryde looks at Magik and Sofia "How'd you manage to find us since we didn't give you guys the location?" she poses the very important question about how they reached Viper's fortress.
"Simple" Magik replies as she shows her Soulsword "Anybody who wields the Soulsword has a part of its soul attuned to it, Katya once did it, thus it can find her if needed" she explains, recalling how one time, back in her Excalibur days, Kitty wielded the Soulsword.
"Dragon, you must send this message to the Emperor, let him know that I'll be safe and I shall return soon" the local Pryde gives her dragon the scroll, prompting him to fly away to deliver it. Afterwards, she walks towards the group of heroes, bowing in front of Kitty "It has been an honor to fight alongside you, and I thank you for your assistance in this matter" she then looks at them "You fulfilled your word, and I shall fulfill my part, so count me in for this journey" she lets them know that she is willing to join the fight against Mojo, prompting Kitty to extend her hand, which the local Pryde shakes in response.
"Welcome to the Army of Prydes" Kitty replies, now giving the official name of their crew.
"Now that's an improvement" Sofia jokes, remembering the long name Kitty gave to the crew when they recruited Shadow-Pryde. Right then, Kitty activates her device and the portal opens to the astonishment of the local Pryde "On to the next stop!" she exclaims as the group jumps through the portal, heading to their next destination.
THEN, AT MOJOVERSE
In a large dark room, a cloud appears from the top causing a female figure to drop down. The woman writhes in pain and groans as she tries to stand up, looking at the dim lights around the room.
"Where am I? Have I fallen to Hell?" Viper throws the question, wondering if she has indeed died from that fall.
"Nyet" a thick Russian accent is heard and a metallic man steps out of the shadows "We're just pawns of this world's ruler" the Age of Apocalypse Colossus talks to her "You were brought back from certain death to be part of something greater" he tells her, indirectly letting her know that Mojo has chosen her as well to be part of his crew, thus both sides gained new pieces on this journey.
Alright folks, once again, let's go by parts…
Fair warning, you have witnessed another delay, meaning that things are still a bit hectic, meaning that both of my stories will face long periods of time between updates, so it's fair that you have to know about that, but once again I give you the guarantee that I will finish the story, even if it takes me the rest of the year.
On a side note, it seems that the X-Books will go through some overhauling for next year, Hellions is ending as well as Marauders (and maybe Excalibur) and it seems that Marauders will have a new creative team. I'm glad that Kitty's finally away from Duggan's hands. The little I've read from Steve Orlando's not bad so I'll take it as an improvement for Kitty.
Now, back to our story, you have met our second recruit! This version of Kitty (Known as "Kitten" but I'll go with "Pryde" or as we'll refer to her from this point forward "Kung-Fu Kitty") first appeared in the Master of Kung-Fu miniseries tied-in to the Secret Wars event (a.k.a. Hickman's crazy Space-Time-Dimensional Clusterf**k for Marvel's soft reboot) where she was one of Shang-Chi's apprentices. He eventually won a tournament to become that realm's Emperor, so it makes sense that he remained as that after the Multiverse got rebuilt.
The new incorporation is that Earth's version of Viper, a new villain that also joins Mojo's crew, and might as well bring a whole new level of danger in the endgame. The next stop will be another previously seen alternate future, one where a mutant became president but everything went down from there. I'll see you next time!
NEXT CHAPTER: ANOTHER GRIM FUTURE REVISITED!