OMNIVERSUS

CHAPTER 14: DEADLY ALLIANCE

It has been a few hours since Aang, Steve, and Alex walked in the desert. No matter where they look, there's nothing but sand. There weren't any buildings, settlements, or people. The sky was covered in dark clouds in the distance, meaning the storm was approaching. And what's worse is that the sun was beginning to fall. They didn't have shelter.

"What should we do?" Aang asked curiously.

"There's only one thing we can do of course," Steve answered, as a wooden block appeared in his right hand. "We built a shelter."

"We must use the materials sparingly, Steve. We only have limited resources." Alex reminded him before sighing. "Out of all places we could've been teleported to, it has to be a freaking desert. I hate the desert."

"You and me both." Aang agreed. "What should we do when monsters begin to appear? There are still those giant centipedes out in the desert."

"That is true. We aren't completely safe, but we have no choice." Steve answered. "If they appear, we might as well fight them. You know you'll have to save yourself, kid."

"I-I guess…" Aang agreed reluctantly. "So who's going to watch the night first?"

"Me, but it's best if you have a good night's sleep. You may be chronologically an old man, but you are still a child biologically." Alex suggested. "Me and Steve are going to be the ones watching the night."

"But…" Aang was interrupted by Steve.

"It's best if you do as she says, kid. Alex can be pretty stubborn." Steve warned him to not disobey his partner. "Not even I can counter-argue her."

Alex giggled, "That's because you're not trying."

A few minutes later, the shelter was finished and the night arrived. It was entirely made out of wooden blocks with a mix of cobblestones. There were three beds in each corner while the fourth corner consisted of a furnace and crafting table. Alex and Steve lay on their bed comfortably while Aang found it weird. It's an odd bed, so it's gonna take some time to get used to.

"So… what should we do tomorrow morning?" Aang asked curiously.

"What do you think?" Alex's expression changed after hearing the question. The eventful fight in the morning made her pissed off. There was a monster who was zombifying innocent people. "We're gonna hunt down that woman. She's using people as puppets."

Steve chuckled, "You always have a sense of justice. But yes, kid. We're going to find her. She's too dangerous to be left alive… like Herobrine."

"Who's Herobrine?" Aang asked curiously.

"An anomalous entity that shouldn't exist," Alex answered. "We don't know where he came from, but all we know is that… he was powerful. He attempted to possess Steve, but it failed utterly."

"It was not a good experience," Steve said before sighing. "It's best not to talk about him. We're just grateful that he's gone for good."

"O-Okay…" Aang wondered how powerful this 'Herobrine' is. Judging by his allies' expressions, he must be THAT powerful. He is quite hesitant in facing him.

"Alright then, who's taking the first watch?" Steve asked before stopping Aang who was about to raise his hand. "I'm not letting you, kid. You may be a savior of an entire planet, but you are nonetheless still a kid. You need some proper sleep."

"But-" Aang was about to object, but Steve's determined expression made him change his mind. "Okay… fine."

"I wouldn't mind taking the first watch. I'm not that tired anyway." Alex offered to stay awake. "We'll switch places every four hours."

Steve nodded, "Then that settles. Let's go to sleep, kid."

Steve and Aang eventually went to sleep. The former was grateful that there weren't monsters nearby, otherwise, he'd suffer sleep deprivation even if Alex would take care of them. The latter, on the other hand, was too exhausted to stay awake. The new journey has been quite an eventful day. This new world is too bizarre for all of them to comprehend after all.

"Goodnight, kid," Alex said while taking out her trident and heading outside to watch for a couple of hours. She began to converse with herself to avoid boredom. "Now, who would be foolish enough to attack us?"

Two hours have passed, yet nothing eventful has happened tonight yet. Alex was expecting those centipede monsters to appear any time now, but so far, they have remained quiet. Was it because it was night? Nonetheless, the boredom intensified for Alex. She has two more hours to go before Steve takes the second watch. She began to yawn.

"I wish we had phones or something from the outside world, but alas, our world is in vanilla mode," Alex said while fighting the urge of her sleepiness.

A few minutes have passed, and she is on the brink of closing her eyes. It was a very quiet night, so the boredom within Alex intensified. There was nothing to distract her from keeping awake. There weren't even tumbleweeds that she could count to resist the sleepiness. No matter how she tries, she is going to be asleep soon. She shouldn't have offered to watch the night first.

Suddenly, the wind was roaring which knocked her back to reality. She rubbed her eyes before noticing that something was occurring. She then looked at the sky where a wall of brown air stretched high, as the wind was becoming more violent than before. There was a sandstorm incoming, which wasn't too common but was an unfortunate one. If there was ever an attack tonight, it means that they're unable to escape as the sandstorm is too dangerous to roam around.

"I better get inside fast," Alex said before entering the house.

There was a groan heard outside, which widened Alex's eyes. She looked outside through the window and saw a bunch of familiar mobs moving towards the house slowly while the sandstorm was approaching. These mobs are called Husks, a variant of Zombies that live in deserts. They do not burn in the sunlight and inflict Hunger on their targets for seven seconds.

"Crap. This isn't good. There's nowhere to escape." Alex said, as the roaring sandstorm arrived untimely. She grabbed her trident to prepare for an incoming fight. "They're going to break in soon."

Aang yawned before waking up, "What's going on, Ms. Alex?"

"Aang!? You're awake!?" Alex was surprised that Aang was already awake before Steve. "I didn't expect that."

Aang looked outside the window, "So there's a sandstorm… and what are those…?"

Aang has never seen the Husks before. Their appearance is visibly similar to Steve and Alex, though he isn't sure yet. And what's more, is that they're walking towards them slowly. He might've questioned if they're humans that need help, but after a fight with those zombified hawk people earlier, he is cautious about them. They don't look "human" like his two allies.

"Those are Husks. They came from me and Steve's server." Alex answered. "They're zombies that live in the desert."

"Zombies? Just like those hawk people?" Aang questioned before looking back at the mobs. "So that's what a zombie looks like."

"This isn't good! If they manage to reach here, they're going to try breaking it! They're notorious for doing that, and we can't escape due to the sandstorm!" Alex said worriedly before looking at the floor. "We can dig down and create a tunnel, but the problem is that the physics of this world and ours are completely different. The sandstorm might end up blocking the tunnel, causing us to be buried!"

Aang gulped nervously before imagining the horrific scene of being buried alive, "No thanks. I don't want to be buried in the sand. I don't know how to bend them yet, probably never."

"What should we do then!? We can't simply stay here!" Alex asked for a suggestion before sitting down on the floor. "We should've made a base within a cave! It would've been better! Heck, an underground base is even a highly optional place!"

"Then why didn't you-?" Aang was about to ask her before being interrupted.

"We didn't expect that we'd encounter our adversaries here!" Alex answered before standing back up and staring at the Husks who were beginning to walk at their makeshift house. "We gotta wake Steve up now!"

"Mr. Steve!" Aang called out to Steve, who remained sleeping peacefully, much to his confusion.

He then stomped his foot on the ground to summon a boulder underneath the bed, causing a loud thud sound. Steve was awake from the sudden attack immediately.

Steve yawned while panicking, "Huh!? What's going on!?"

"Husks, Steve!" Alex pointed at an army of desert zombies with her trident. "We need to escape!"

"Damn!" Steve exclaimed before grabbing the diamond sword. "We should've built a base within the cave or underground!"

"That's… exactly what she says." Aang was surprised by these two brain cells before snapping back to reality. "Anyway, what should we do? Should we make the run for it? I honestly prefer that over fighting."

"That's the only way, kid!" Alex answered.

As Alex kicked down the door, several Husks began to walk toward them with a growl with a ravenous stomach for their flesh. It was unfortunate when some of them were slain after a trident went through their heads by Alex while others were slashed to death by Steve, unable to react to his incredible movements.

"That was cool." Aang may despise killing and violence, but he can't deny that it wasn't epic. And it's understandable why they have to kill them as they're dangerous and apparently cannibalistic.

As the three of them attempted to escape the Husks, one of the Husks suddenly appeared in front of them after zooming around unexpectedly and attacking Steve. Steve attempted to block the punch, but it went through the diamond sword and made contact with his chest. He was sent flying back into the house.

"Steve!" Aang yelled out in worrisome before assuming a fighting stance.

"What in the-!?" Alex was surprised to see the strength of this particular Husk. She then noticed a particle effect around his body, deducing that he had been strengthened by the potions. "Somebody has given you these effects!"

"Effects? What's that?" Aang asked curiously while in his fighting stance.

"I'll talk to you about it later, as right now we need to take him out quickly!" Alex doesn't have the time to answer the warrior child when this mob is more dangerous than the rest.

Alex took out the shield before delivering quick strikes on the Enhanced Husk with her trident without any break. Unfortunately, the mob dodged her attack swiftly and calmly before parrying the trident. The mob then punched a hole through the shield before delivering a karate kick in Alex's face, sending her flying at the house as well.

"Alex!" Aang was confused to see two warriors taken out so easily by this 'zombie'. He can tell that this mob is very different from others who are still on the way. He then noticed that the potion effects behind the Husk.

Strength II

2:56

Speed II

2:57

Regeneration II

2:56

Jump Boost II

2:56

Instant Damage

2:56

Health Boost

2:57

Gotta Go Fast

2:57

Luck II

2:56

Fire Resistance II

2:56

Absorption II

2:56

Night Vision II

2:57

Haste II

2:56

Resistance II

2:56

Water Breathing

2:57

Slow Falling

2:57

Miyagi Karate

2:56

Techno Power

2:57

Aang was bewildered by what he was seeing. He's wondering if those are powers that this Husk possessed. If so, then that explains why Steve and Alex were easily taken out by this monster. He wondered if he could take this zombie down, especially when his superhuman speed and strength were an annoyance compared to his enemies.

"There's some kind of numbers underneath the effects, which means there's a time limit to these powers," Aang said, preparing to unleash an elemental move. "I just have to last nearly three minutes before I can escape with Steve and Alex."

Without any warning, the Enhanced Husk ran toward Aang as if he teleported due to the combination of Speed II and Gotta Go Fast effects. Aang formed an earthly dome around instinctively before the zombie's punch could connect. He then reinforced the dome with thicker rocks.

By combining Strength II and Haste II effects, the Enhanced Husk punched the dome repeatedly to the point he had multiple arms from everyone's perspective. The dome was beginning to be destroyed at a faster rate before Aang could even repair it. He decided that the best way to escape was digging down.

When the dome was destroyed in mere seconds, the Enhanced Husk saw the hole where Aang dug down. He turned around to see the young man emerge a few meters away from him. He ran toward him in anime-like speed, but was flung off from his tracks when a sudden gust of air hit him. He doesn't receive any damage from the fall thanks to the Slow Falling effect.

Aang decided to fight offensively as it was too risky to play defense. He almost died earlier. Whoever gave this monster those powerful effects must be insane like Azula. He had two choices now. He either has to wait until the three minutes on the effects are up or find a way to take the mob down.

"I don't know!" Aang isn't sure which of the choices are effective. He'll decide as the fight goes on. For now, he has to hold off on his own. He doesn't want to use his Avatar State too soon as this monster might find a way to incapacitate him, just as Azula did to him.

The Enhanced Husk groaned before getting back energetically. He ran toward him at an anime-like speed once again. After he sensed an incoming invisible attack, he jumped in the air immediately to dodge it. He then attempted to strike Aang with a stomp, but his prey dodged it in time.

"Airbending and Earthbending don't work on you anymore, huh." Aang decided to switch to the other two elemental bendings.

Aang unleashed several flame attacks on the Husk aggressively, but it proved to be useless against him. He was tanking all the attacks and it didn't seem to affect him. It was due to the Fire Resistance II effect, which grants him immunity to flames. He appeared in front of Aang in a blink of an eye before attempting to punch through his chest.

Aang summoned a wall of water from the ground before turning it into ice, as the Enhanced Husk punched through the ice instead, almost landing on his face. He was fortunate to gather water underneath the sandy ground earlier. He thought there would never be water in the desert, but glad he was wrong. He would've been a goner otherwise.

Aang then summoned two rock pillars off the ground to launch the Enhanced Husk flying while he was flabbergasted by the ice. He then used the remaining water to form a bubble around his head in an attempt to drown him. He heard from Steve that the zombies from his world could drown, though they would transform into a different species. It doesn't matter if it means those effects somehow were off after being drowned.

"I hate killing. It goes against the monks' way." Aang said sadly to the Enhanced Husk. "So please forgive m-"

Aang was baffled to see that the Enhanced Husk wasn't taking any damage from drowning. He then remembered that the mob had a Water Breathing effect on him, meaning he couldn't drown for now. When the desert zombie launched himself toward Aang using Jump Boost II, Aang formed an earthly dome immediately.

It was too late, however, as the Enhanced Husk broke through the dome and had Aang by the throat. He slammed Aang on the ground before delivering a stomp on his face, which Aang was too slow to dodge. He then forced Aang to stand up before delivering karate moves on him using Miyagi Karate, such as Choku Zuki (Straight Punch), Oi Zuki (Front Lunch Punch), Mae Geri (Front Kick), Yoko Geri (Side Kick), and many more before ending it with Mawashi Geri (Roundhouse Kick) while holding back some of his strength.

Aang was battered and bloodied from the consecutive deadly attacks. His ears were ringing and on the brink of losing consciousness. He unleashed air-bending and earthbending moves on the mob, slicing off his limbs and stabbing him through the stomach, but it was ineffective as the Husk simply regenerated his limbs as well as instantly healed the wound on the stomach thanks to Regeneration II and Instant Damage.

The Enhanced Husk took out a Netherrite Sword from his back to slice off Aang's neck who was kneeling on the ground, but he turned around immediately to deflect a flying trident that aimed for him directly. He also sliced off multiple arrows in pieces. All thanks to the Techno Power effect. It seems that Steve and Alex regained their consciousness and killed his mindless brethren before they were devoured.

"Get away from the kid!" Steve warned the Enhanced Husk while aiming an Arrow of Healing at him.

The Enhanced Husk zoomed in front of Steve, attempting to slice off his head, but Alex blocked the attack in time though it was incredibly painful. Alex attempted to pierce the zombie's chest, but the attack was parried before launching across the desert with a punch to her face.

Steve took out a stone sword to slice off the Husk's head while it was distracted, but it turned around at supersonic speed and blocked the attack. The Enhanced Husk proceeded to lift Steve in the air, as the air was beginning to leave his body.

Aang's vision became slightly clear when he saw his friend dying from the Enhanced Husk. The undead adversary was too powerful for him to fight in his normal state. He must activate it to level the playing field.

As he activated the Avatar State, his eyes and Air Nomad tattoos began to glow while levitating in the air. All the four elements then gathered around him. He glared at the monster who harmed his new friends. He cannot let this slide.

"You!" Aang called out with multiple echoey voices overlapping with his in a calm tone. "Get off of him!"

The Enhanced Husk felt goosebumps running throughout his entire body, causing Steve to drop. This shouldn't be possible as he's an undead, so feelings are not something he has. Then, what is this intimidation he felt upon witnessing the terrifying state of his prey?

"This is my first and final warning! Get… lost!" Aang warned the monster.

The Enhanced Husk refused to run away, as he had been tasked by his benefactor to take these three Warriors down. He jumped in the air, combining it with Speed II and Gotta Go Fast, to appear in front of Aang faster. He then attempted to slash Aang, but the surrounding elements caused him to knock back on the ground instantly, causing a large crater in the process.

The Enhanced Husk groaned in pain, realizing his entire body was all messed up just from one simple knockback. Regeneration II and Instant Damage healed his body immediately.

"Begone!" Aang yelled.

Aang unleashed several boulders at the Enhanced Husk at an incredible speed, but the mob dodged it albeit barely. His right leg was then sliced by blades of wind before being struck by a boulder. When his right leg regenerated, his left leg and right arm were frozen after making contact with water which turned to ice. He was then crushed on the ground by five earthly pillars before being confined inside an iceberg.

It took a few seconds for the Enhanced Husk to break free from the iceberg. His apparent effects aren't effective on the child anymore. And he only has a minute left of his special abilities. He has to escape, otherwise, he'll be executed. He doesn't stand a chance against this child anymore.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Aang asked.

Unfortunately, Aang was aware of his plan. He confined both of the Husk's legs the moment he started running, resulting in separating from them as a result. He then pinned both of his arms with giant ice spikes. He then surrounded the mob with a ring of fire. He then intensified the fire with air.

"It is almost three minutes." Aang has been keeping up with the time ever since he saw the time limit of each effect. "You have nowhere left to go now."

The Enhanced Husk groaned and growled, as all the effects hit 0:00 meaning that he became a normal Husk. He doesn't have the strength or the speed to escape from his confinement. He can feel the heat of the flames while screaming in pain from the loss of his legs as well as the ice spikes on his arms. He was powerless and stuck.

"I don't want to kill you, so please tell me who sent you," Aang asked sincerely, as a certain past self disagreed with that statement.

The Husk responded with a growl. Unlike his brethren, he has some form of intelligence thanks to the experiments of his benefactor. He wasn't given a vocal speech to avoid leaking their identity. It doesn't matter to him, as he is forever grateful to them for making his life meaningful until the end.

Steve groaned, "It won't talk, Aang. We should finish him off."

"Yeah. Unlike other Husks, this one seems to be smarter than the rest." Alex said. "Which means whoever sent him is directly targeting us. He cannot be allowed to report back."

"…I am not a killer, Steve, Alex. I am a monk." Aang said before deactivating his Avatar State while looking away. "But… you may do it. I don't want to look at him."

Steve sighed and nodded, "Very well then."

When Steve picked up the Netherrite Sword on the ground, he raised his arm to kill the Husk painlessly. All of a sudden, a potion landed in front of them and produced smoke which blocked their vision. When the smoke was cleared, the Husk disappeared, leaving only the legs.

"Where did he go!?" Aang asked worriedly.

"I don't know. Someone must've rescued him." Steve said. "Whoever that is, that woman isn't our only enemy."

"This is worrying," Alex said before looking at the ever-growing group of Husks in the distance. "We better go before they catch up with us. We'll think about it once we've found a safe spot."

Aang and Steve nodded, "Agreed."

Back in the pyramid, Arthur Morgan and Connor found an empty room filled with cobwebs and barrels. They instructed the young boy, Ezran, and the baby dragon, Zym, to enter before they closed it off. They hoped that nobody would find them, at least not so soon.

"Alright, pal. What did yer say? Alternate realities?" Arthur asked curiously while sitting down on a barrel. "What is that mumbo jumbo?"

"Yeah." Ezran was curious as well.

"I assume you guys haven't heard of the Multiverse Theory, right?" Connor asked, as Arthur, Ezran, and Zym shook their heads. "It's a theory about the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The different universes within the multiverse are called parallel universes, other universes. alternate universes, or many worlds."

Arthur blinked multiple times in confusion, "What the hell are ya' saying!?"

Connor sighed, "Essentially, it means there is more than one universe. Each of the universes has different 'stories', I guess. I came from a world where androids roam the world in 2038. The young boy and dragon came from a world where magic is real. And you, Mr. Morgan, came from a world where it's still in the Wild West Era. 1899, you say?"

"Yeah… no, I'm still confused with all this nonsense stuff." Arthur felt he was too old for this nonsensical theory.

"So are you saying that the three of us… don't come from Xadia?" Ezran asked curiously.

"Xadia. Is that your world's name? How beautiful." Connor complimented the name. "Me and Arthur are inhabitants of Earth. A different one instead."

"Look. I don't understand what this whole 'multiverse' thing is goin' on, but we need to find a way out of here." Arthur snapped back to the real topic at hand. "And how the hell are we goin' get out of here? This place is like a damn maze."

"Well, Zym can probably sniff out the way," Ezran suggested a plan by using the baby dragon to escape the pyramid. "He ain't Bait, but he should be able to."

"Do dragons have sensitive smell as dogs in your world?" Connor asked curiously. "I am not familiar with their physiology and biology."

"Eh, I'm not entirely sure," Ezran answered before petting Zym. "But it doesn't hurt to try."

Zym responded with a cute sound.

"Well, might as well give it a try." Arthur unsheathed his Cattleman Revolver in preparation.

Conner nodded while taking out his handgun, "Agreed. It is unwise to stay here. There might be other surviving Warriors who will find this area."

"Other surviving Warriors?" Ezran asked curiously.

"Whatever that brought us to this godforsaken place, they call those who can fight 'Warriors'. I overheard that mummy saying it." Arthur answered. "And those who cannot fight and are innocent folks who got dragged into this mess are 'Residents'."

"Warriors? Residents? I guess I'm the last one. I can't really fight." Ezran said sadly. "So there will be more Warriors? Didn't that crazy woman kill everyone?"

"Well, as you can see with the opponents we faced earlier, some of them have been reanimated." Connor reminded him. "It means that they've been brought back to the dead to do that mummy's bidding."

"Sounds horrible." Ezran sympathized with those Warriors who were forced to obey that crazy woman, even though some of them may kill him without hesitation.

"Shh… I hear something." Arthur ordered everyone, as he heard footsteps outside the room.

Arthur opened the door slightly to take a peek. He saw a weird old lady whose appearance was all… squares. The old lady was carrying another square person whose appearance resembled a decaying corpse. He doesn't understand what is going on with this world, but something tells him they bring trouble. They just went past the door.

"The coast is clear, I think." Arthur opened the door quietly.

When all four of them exited the room, they heard a chatter in the distance. Out of curiosity, they decided to follow the voice. It's better to know if these people are friends or foes rather than recklessly following the maze with a baby dragon guiding the way. The latter is the last option.

They arrived in the room where the source of the conversation came from. All of them looked at the people quietly. And their reactions were mixed with awe and confusion.

"Witch, how could your prize experiment be defeated by mere… humans?" A young man with a deceptive tone. "I thought your potions were formidable, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

A young man who has an Asian appearance with long black hair wearing Outworld garments. He wields the Tekko-Kagi Claws in compensation for close-quarter combat due to his inexperience with sorcery. He was a former huckster whose fate and destiny were changed thanks to his deceptive counterpart from another timeline. His name is Shang Tsung, a deceptive sorcerer.

"The two who are presumably from my universe were easy to be taken out, but that damn bald kid was different!" The old lady defended herself. "He was not to be taken lightly! He is a threat!"

The old lady is a witch who has mastery over potions from Minecraft. She was the fiercest opponent of the five stick figures who she encountered in her realm. She attempted to enslave them, but was defeated by an overpowered pig which inspired her to create her abomination. She is the Witch, a deceptive and skilled apothecarist.

"Just like how you took it lightly on… a couple of stick figures as you said?" Shang Tsung made fun of him for losing to mere weaklings. "Save your excuses. Your failure to eradicate them may anger Ahmanet, the Ruler of New Egypt. She is much more powerful than you and I combined as of now."

"She may well have already known about your failure already, witch." A white-skinned Outworlder spoke up. "I hope you have better excuses than some child."

The white-skinned man was a sorcerer like Shang Tsung. They formed the Deadly Alliance together after supposedly being saved from his cruel fate and destiny. He has mastery over his sorcery to the point he can travel to the Netherrealm. His name is Quan Chi.

"I would love for you to face him off… if you can." The Witch dared Quan Chi to fight the child while preparing a potion in her hand.

Quan Chi's hands were covered in soul magic, "I suggest you keep your anger down."

Suddenly, everyone went quiet when a familiar 'superhero' entered the room from the other side. Everyone knew him as Black Noir, the undead superhero and the current co-leader of Princess Ahmanet's world domination. They fell into silence due to his sudden appearance, meaning it was not excellent news.

"What's the matter, Noir? Does the princess know of the witch's failure?" Shang Tsung asked teasingly, much to the Witch's frustration.

Black Noir simply nodded in response.

"Does the Ruler require our presence? Or just the witch?" Shang Tsung asked curiously while smirking in amusement.

"Ruler?" Ezran asked Connor quietly.

"There are eight continents in this world from what I've heard. I am not entirely sure if the source is reliable." Connor answered. "And each continent has Rulers, a supposedly more powerful Warrior than the rest."

"I heard that whoever defeats the Rulers and crumbles their empire, we can get out of this mess," Arthur added. "I'm not too sure on that one. It sounds too good to be true."

Black Noir pointed at the Witch, signaling her to follow him.

Shang Tsung chuckled, "It seems that you have been summoned, Witch. I do hope we continue our cooperation if you survive her wrath."

The Witch grumbled in annoyance before following Noir, "You will one day eat your tongue, sorcerer!"

"If that day may come, you won't be there to see it." Shang Tsung rebutted before staring back at the unconscious Husk. "Now for a serious topic, who is formidable enough to take out an intelligent Husk with numerous abilities? Not even I can take him down so easily."

"Whoever it is, we must be prepared. This realm is filled with dangerous opponents like the mummy." Quan Chi suggested preparing against future Warriors. "We don't know how powerful they are."

"If they are powerful, they are ripe for the picking." Shang Tsung said.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a sneeze outside of the room.

"Shh! Zym!" Ezran covered Zym's nose who still wanted to sneeze.

Connor looked to see Shang Tsung and Quan Chi preparing to unleash a magic beam, "Danger! We need to run!"

The four of them ran away from the room immediately before powerful magic beams could hit them. They run around everywhere recklessly to avoid being caught by those two minions. They entered a bigger room where gold was stored, which means the Ruler of New Egypt was filthy rich for no reason.

When they attempted to escape as there was no way out, the wall closed off the entrance with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi standing near it.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Shang Tsung was curious to see these unknown Warriors. "Three Earthrealmers… and a dragon. Son of Onaga, I presume?"

"Uh… no? He's not the son of whoever that is!" Ezran corrected him. "And I'm not an Earthrealmer! I am Xadian!"

"Sharp tongue for a young boy." Shang Tsung complimented him with a hint of sarcasm. "I suppose you two are of Earthrealm then? And you're both Warriors as well."

"I suppose. What do yer what?" Arthur asked while preparing to lift his revolver.

"What we want is to turn you in to the Mummy. If we don't, then we become undead like those other Warriors." Quan Chi answered. "You will surrender. Resist, then you will die."

"Yeah, that ain't happenin'." Arthur refused the offer before throwing an already ignited dynamite in front of them.

Shang Tsung and Quan Chi attempted to stop the dynamite and throw it back at them, but it exploded in front of them before they could do so. They were launched into the wall, causing a few cracks from it.

Shang Tsung groaned while his injuries began to heal due to soul magic, "That was unexpected, Earthrealmer. You successfully tricked me, but now you must pay for it!"

"Com'ere then, punk!" Arthur accepted the challenge.

Meanwhile, Connor was dodging all the soul magic blasts from Quan Chi reflexively while firing his gun simultaneously. Both of them were dodging each other's attacks until they eventually stopped and walked around in circles.

"Your reflexes are impressive, but sooner or later you will fall." Quan Chi complimented him.

"I can tell by my diagnosis that you aren't experienced in close-quarter combat." Connor pointed out. "I, on the other hand, was designed for this purpose."

FIGHT!

Quan Chi fires a skull of green magical energy at his opponent, but Connor dodges it and lands the first hit with a roundhouse kick. Connor fired his gun at close quarters, and Quan Chi suffered minor damage before healing himself. He then executed consecutive combo moves with gun-fu before delivering a spinning attack, which knocked him to the ground.

Connor attempted to deliver a stomp on his opponent, but Quan Chi teleports high, avoiding the stomp, and reappears above him, stomping him numerous times. He then summoned a portal beneath Connor, which transported him in the air, before he proceeded to demolish him by spamming consecutively with soul magic.

When Connor landed back on the ground, his bare plastic white skin was shown due to the amount of damage he had taken. His nose was bleeding blue blood as well. He may be programmed with martial arts knowledge, but against someone who can wield actual magic.

Quan Chi laughed wickedly, "Thank you for your soul."

Quan Chi attempted to steal Connor's soul to strengthen himself, but then he realized something. There wasn't any soul emerging from his opponent's body. It was unusual. He then saw the plastic-white appearance and blue blood.

"You are not human." Quan Chi was bewildered to see someone like him. "Who are you? What are you?"

Connor grunted before getting back up, "My name is Connor. I was an android sent by Cyberlife."

Connor aimed his handgun at Quan Chi, but the enemy disappeared from his sight. When Quan Chi appeared on his right side, he activated his Preconstruct ability to determine a better outcome. There were three choices that he could take.

First Option: He could take on Quan Chi in close-quarter combat, but there was risk displayed. [WOULD BE IMMOBILIZED BY MAGIC]

Second Option: He stepped back to gain some space but there was also a risk displayed. [THIRIUM WOULD BE TARGETED]

Third Option: He waits a little bit for Quan Chi to send magic and incapacitate him. This option has a higher chance of success. [TARGET WOULD BE INCAPACITATED]

As he literally snapped back to the real world, Quan Chi fully appeared and sent two soul magic beams at him. He dodged with a forward roll before executing a gun-fu, targeting his most vital parts while delivering painful physical attacks.

He was moving so fast that the enemy was unable to react to his moves. Finally, he ended the fight by repeatedly punching his face and stomping on it until Quan Chi was knocked unconscious.

CONNOR WINS

Connor stood back and regained his calm posture. He fixed his necktie like a gentleman before putting his handgun back on the holster. He then turned to Ezran who was in awe of the entire fight.

"Are you alright, Ezran?" Connor asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine. That was awesome!" Ezran expressed his enthusiasm for the fight. "If only Callum could see it!"

Meanwhile, Arthur was sent flying toward them after receiving a soul blast. He groaned in pain due to his annoying age and the fact he was getting used to being healthy again. He had tuberculosis not long ago, so he adapted his sickness into a suitable fighting style. The fact he's healthy again like he was before takes time to get used to again.

Arthur groaned before standing back up, "Alright, he's an annoying son of a b*tch."

"Are you alright, Arthur? Do you need assistance?" Connor asked worriedly.

Arthur shook his head, "No thanks, partner. You handled your problem, I'll handle mine. Besides, you need to tend to yer wound."

Shang Tsung chuckled while in a relaxed posture, "It is unwise to face me alone, Earthrealmer. Even Liu Kang considered me a threat to the realms just because of my existence alone."

Arthur grumbled before wielding the Cattleman Revolver in his right hand while the Double Action Shotgun in his left hand, "I was holding back, young lad. I just came back from the dead. And you'll find out why I'm dangerous."

FIGHT!

Arthur fired his shotgun first, but Shang Tsung dodged it and unleashed a soul blast at him. He dodged the attack, but soon found Shang Tsung in front of him. His adversary attacked his legs and the side of his stomach with the claws, landing a first hit on him. He delivered a slap in the face with his revolver before firing it, which shot him in the shoulder.

Arthur fired all of the bullets at Shang Tsung continuously until they ran out, which was a hassle as he needed to reload them while facing an enemy.

Shang Tsung dodged most of the bullets albeit some still hit him, which infuriated him. When he saw that the Earthrealmer was reloading two of his firearms, he took this opportunity to unleash a skull-shaped flame beam at him, which was highly effective. He then prepared to pierce the Earthrealmer's chest with his claws to deliver a poisonous effect.

Arthur, on the other hand, blocked the piercing attack with a Hunting Knife. He pushed Shang Tsung before delivering a devastating right blow to the face, which caused Shang Tsung to knock on the ground in an instant.

Shang Tsung groaned in pain while massaging his jaw from the unexpected strength, "My, my, you're quite strong. Not even my formidable foes can take me down so easily."

"There's more of that where it came from if you do not stay down," Arthur warned before pulling out a Bolt Action Rifle, and aiming it at Shang Tsung's face.

Shang Tsung laughed in amusement, "If you think you won already, then you're more delusional than I thought."

When Shang Tsung got back up immediately, he stole some of Arthur Morgan's stole and morphed into him. Everyone in the room was confused by the sudden transformation, especially Arthur who never expected this to happen.

"Well, whaddya know? Your memories are full of interesting stuff, Arthur Morgan." Shang Tsung said in his opponent's voice while smirking wickedly. "An evil man who doesn't have any remorse like me… but then you change once diagnosed with tuberculosis? You then became… heroic. You then died on a cliff with a sunrise shining on your face. You are very interesting and amusing, but unfortunately, a pathetic and wasted life you had."

Arthur gripped his Bolt Action Rifle tightly in pure anger, "Don't you ever read my memories again, you damn son of a b*tch!"

"Hmm… I wonder who is…" Shang Tsung peeked through the memories again, uncaring about the invasion of privacy. "…Mary Linton? An ex-fiancee, I assume?"

Arthur aimed the rifle at Shang Tsung immediately, "Yer damn bastard!"

Shang Tsung took out the Bolt Action Rifle as well before the two of them fired at each other. Neither of them was dodging the attack, as they equally received the bullets albeit not in a critical spot. It was then Shang Tsung decided to move and took out a Cattleman Revolver for faster attacks.

Upon seeing what Shang Tsung was planning, he dodged the bullets though he still received some of them, causing him to bleed out. He took out his bow and aimed at Shang Tsung's head, but his arms and legs were perfectly targeted. He deduced that Shang Tsung discovered his Dead Eye ability, which was infuriating.

"Your skills and strength are indeed impressive, Mr. Morgan." Shang Tsung complimented him while twirling the revolver. "But you rely on toys while I rely on magic. You are a few years away from defeating me."

Arthur breathed heavily while lifting his bow and drawing the string painfully, "And you're still too green for a marksman!"

Arthur released the bowstring, and the arrow flew to Shang Tsung's head. His opponent, however, caught it before his face was hit. He had a smug look on his face.

Shang Tsung scoffed, "Did you really think such primitive weapons can harm m-?"

Suddenly, an explosion occurred on his face. The sudden burst of explosion forced him to morph back to his real self. Half of his face was also burned, as he groaned in excruciating pain. The arrow wasn't an ordinary one. It was an explosive arrow.

Shang Tsung gritted his teeth in frustration and annoyance while his burnt face began to heal thanks to soul magic, "How dare y-!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't finish his sentence when Arthur stomped on his head in pure anger. He was then picked up and pinned against the wall. He then proceeded to be beaten up aggressively and painfully to the point his face was beyond recognizable. His entire body was ringing with cries of pain. His soul magic couldn't keep up in healing him.

"I told you. You'll know how dangerous I am!" Arthur reminded him before delivering the final blow, knocking the inexperienced sorcerer unconscious.

ARTHUR WINS

Connor and Ezran rushed toward Arthur while Zym was on the latter's back. Connor scanned the cowboy's body for fatal damages. Fortunately, none of his vital parts were damaged in any way, but he was bleeding a lot.

"I must apply a tourniquet on your arms and legs, Mr. Morgan," Connor said before removing his grey jacket and ripped it in half to cover the wounds to prevent further bleeding. "Ezran, will you rip off the sleeves so I can apply a tourniquet on his arms?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure!" Ezran is glad to be helpful. He signalled Zym to rip two sleeves off of him albeit with care. "Here you go!"

After a few minutes, the arms and legs of Arthur were applied with a temporary tourniquet successfully. The only issue was his injuries all over his body. They need to find a doctor soon, otherwise, he's going to die soon.

Connor lifted Arthur over his shoulder to help him stand up, "Are you okay, Mr. Morgan?"

Arthur coughed while groaning in pain, "I'll be fine. It wouldn't be the first time I suffered like this."

All of them left the room immediately by heading to a different room that was opened recently. They exit with reluctance, as they have no choice. While Connor is helping Arthur to walk, Ezran and Zym are carrying his weapons that were dropped on the ground. It is going to be difficult to escape this pyramid.

Meanwhile, Princess Ahmanet was watching the spectacle unfold through her crystal ball. She cannot believe that the Warriors who challenged her are still alive. And now, she has to deal with the Warriors that escaped from her genocide. She agreed to have minions to conquer other continents, but if they were incompetent and liable, then she needed to find better ones.

"Please give me a chance, princess!" The Witch begged for her life while there was a knife on her long nose, pinned down on the ground by Black Noir. "I won't disappoint you!"

"I hope you won't." Princess Ahmanet said, as her crystal ball shifted to different locations. "There is currently a war brewing in the Viridescent Area, Darkaris' Purgatory, and Undead Territory. I don't want to have one on my own."

Black Noir released the Witch, unsheathing his knife before standing still awaiting his master's orders.

"Witch, you will create a potion that will make me powerful for a limited time. And it better last than three minutes. That's your assignment for your failure in killing those Warriors." Princess Ahmanet gave her an assignment. "Do you understand?"

The Witch nodded repeatedly, "Yes, ma'am!"

Princess Ahmanet then turned her attention to Black Noir, "You, take some of the undead and kill those trespassers. There shall be no one to interrupt my plans."

Black Noir nodded before leaving the room, followed by the Witch who couldn't stand in the presence of the Mummy anymore.

Princess Ahmanet stared back at her crystal ball, "There shall be no one to threaten my rule. I shall win this game. And my god will return to the world once again."

CHAPTER 14 ENDED

Characters:

Husk - Husks are hostile mobs in Minecraft. They are a variant of a zombie that spawns in deserts. They function similar to zombies, except they do not burn in sunlight and inflict Hunger with their unarmed attacks.

Enhanced Husk - A Husk from Minecraft that has gained intelligence after experimentation by The Witch. He is made to combat powerful Warriors using potions. They are much more powerful and faster than usual Husks, even without the Potion of Strength II and Potion of Speed II.

The Witch - The Witch is a hostile mob in Minecraft as well as one of the antagonists in Alan Becker's Animation vs. Minecraft series. After her defeat by the five stick figures, she was transported to Battle World where she almost became one of Princess Ahmanet's genocide. She was instead allowed to live in return for aiding her conquest of Battle World. She has had no choice since then.

Shang Tsung - Shang Tsung is one of the major antagonists of the Mortal Kombat franchise, but this particular version of Shang Tsung is from Mortal Kombat 1. After he found a mysterious island after his escape, he was transported to Battle World. He fought against Princess Ahmanet after being targeted by her, and unfortunately lost due to her power as a Ruler. He "swore" obedience toward her until he'll find a way to take that power.

Quan Chi - Quan Chi is one of the major antagonists of the Mortal Kombat franchise, but this particular version of Quan Chi is from Mortal Kombat 1. After his escape from Lei Chi prison in Outworld, he was transported to Battle World where several Warriors were massacred. He and Shang Tsung attempted to fight the Ruler, but failed miserably. He swore a temporary obedience toward her until he'll find a way to escape.