Opening File: Jessie Bailey
Jessie Bailey is Clay's younger sister, Mr. Bailey's daughter and former leader of the Black Vipers. She was a member of the Bailey Family. After her brother accepted a special invitation to the Jade Academy all the way in China Jessie, having nursed an inferiority complex towards her brother for being better than her at everything and the favoritism their parents showed him Jessie ran away and formed her own all girl gang known as the Black Vipers. Unfortunately she did not know the name had already been taken by a gang consisting of snake Faunus and Mobians who immediately challenged her. She faced off against their leader, Tassin Ostium and last.
Fortunately he chose not to kill her but inducted her and her gang into his own, merging the two gangs together. Jessie would nurse a grudging respect for Tassin, vowing to one day defeat him and claim leadership over the Black Vipers. However her plans came to a halt when Tassin was captured by Chip Damage and sent to prison ship Iron Heavens. Refusing to take leadership so easily Jessie planned to break Tassin out and then take leadership from him in front of the entire gang. She spent several months tracking the prison ship, hiring anyone she could find to find the prison ship as well as stocking equipment to reach, infiltrate and then escape the ship with her leader. The problem was that the Iron Heavens as P.O.I.N.T. ship was too heavily guarded and she would need more manpower than the Black Vipers could muster.
She then made a desperate move in hiring the criminal group known as the Rebellion and their leader, Chuck Hector. After a successful back job to get as much money as she could Jessie promised Chuck Hector all the money the Vipers had in exchange for helping them rescue their leader. Surprisingly Chuck Hector agreed but it came with another price: the Rebellions would not allow the Vipers or Tassin to leave the ship until Hector had gone through and recruit any potential prisoners that interested him.
A week later the Rebellion and the Black Vipers located the Iron Heavens and made their move.
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Opening File: The Windmill Vandals
The Windmill Vandals are a group of four horse-backed vandals who once plagued the land of Nowhere. Farmer Jiles Galette, who originally built and lived in the Farmhouse two-hundred-and-fifty years ago, constructed the windmill next to the farmhouse, inscribing each blade with magical rune symbols, which when spun by the windmill, kept the vandals at bay. 250 years ago, these 4 vandals built a water wheel while Jiles built a windmill at a time when everyone depended on water wheels. One day, the water dried up and because of that, it made Jiles the only man with a working mill and the vandals did not like it one bit.
So they went after Jiles but luckily, Jiles was able to keep the vandals away from his home by carving 4 magical symbols on the back of the blades, 1 for each fin, it then started the legend that if the windmill stops turning, the vandals will come back to life and get revenge on those who are in possession of the windmill. Legend has it that the Vandals were able to continue existing after death by making a deal with a deity but not one of Viking origin…
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Opening File: Farmer Jiles Galette
The Galette family was the first owner of the farmhouse. He built the windmill for his farm 250 years ago, at a time when everyone else was dependent on water-wheels, built by a horde of Vandals. When the water dried up, Farmer Galette was the only man with a working mill. The Vandals hated him for that.
But Galette kept the vandals at bay by carving magical runes into the blades of his windmill wheel. Legend has it, if the windmill ever stops turning, the Vandals will rise from the dead and seek vengeance on all who possess it. It is unknown how the windmill drives away the Vandals when they are still flesh and blood living human beings. It can be assumed that Farmer Jiles Galette was well-versed in magical arts that he was able to place a protective enchantment on the windmill.
In fact it is even possible that his spirit continues to protect the farmhouse from threats, supernatural and otherwise. When the magical runes spin at a high enough speed, they come together as an abstract portrait of Farmer Jiles Galette himself. This might have been done deliberately, as a warning to the Vandals that his spirit will always be around to protect his farm, even in death, so long as the windmill turns.
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Opening File: Black Beetle
The Black Beetle is an ancient and mystical artifact known as a Shen Gong Wu, created by Grandmaster Dashi thousands of years ago. When this Shen Gong Wu was activated, it coated the user in a heat resistant black body armor and protected the user from extreme heat. It could also take the form of a heat-resistant raft when used to protect more than one person.
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Xxx
"Leadership comes in many forms: honor, privilege and a burden. To become a leader you must be willing to step up, taking responsibility for not just yourself but the people around you. You must always act like you are ready for anything and must always be in the know, always reacting to every new detail and always trying to be two steps ahead of everyone else. No one expects you to be perfect but if you falter you must be ready to accept that when you do, everyone sees your flaws and doubt could start to grow." TOM said as the file closed. "Only when your bonds with everyone are stronger than just being allies will it allow for them to reach out and help pick you back up when you trip. Lean on them for strength, use their feet to stand and take their sword if yours is lost. The one thing you can do to disappoint them in their time of need is giving up."
Xxx
"Where are we?"
That was the first thought to come to Gorilla Grodd's mind as soon as he was awakened and climbed out of a pod. Looking around he spotted other members of his Secret Society, all of them having sided with him against Luthor, emerging form their own pods in a giant and almost empty chamber.
Luthor…
Grodd's entire being burned with rage at the mere thought of that little man who not only almost killed him but turned his own powers against him, made him kneel and forced him to admit that Luthor was the superior one. Shaking his mind, Grodd first decided to find out where he was and then get to work on exacting revenge on Luthor later. He got a good look at everyone who had woken up with him and easily recognized almost all of them.
Blockbuster
Copperhead
Fastball
Goldface
Hellgrammite
The Key
Parasite
Rampage
Shade
And Weather Wizard
All of them who sided with him against Luthor and so it was possible that whoever rescued him did the same for them. It couldn't be Luthor; he'd have had them killed for turning against him just as he tried to kill Grodd.
"This isn't the Gate of Destiny…"
That voice came from a face Grodd did not recognize. A clown of some kind, wearing green puffy pants with yellow boots that curled up around the toes, a belt with a yellow heart buckle and a red shirt with gold cufflinks on the sleeves and the Ace of Spades sign on both shoulders. Strapped to his back were four swords with two blue wavy ribbons that extended from the back of his shirt. Finally on his face was a black and white mask with a notch around the eye and a red heart symbol on the white side that covered his head and face except for the orange hair the stretch down the back.
For a second Grodd thought he was looking at the Joker in a new get up.
And the guy in the green and purple goblin costume might as well be his demented brother by the looks of it.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Finally there was some sort of yellow and black stripped robot in the shape of a female looking around with an agitated look on its face. "Who dares bring me here?!"
"I have."
Everyone turned to see a door open, revealing a tall man with black and white stripped hair and a golden gauntlet on his right hand. Flanking him was a young white haired girl dressed in primarily white clothing with a hint of black through them and a woman wearing black and red tinted armor with a red visor covering her face.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, what little of those that are actually here," Van Kleiss started with a grin. "Welcome to my home. You may thank me for saving you from certain death in your home worlds. I am Van Kleiss and I have a proposition for you involving destruction, revenge and world domination."
Xxx
"How dare you?!" The Bagges along with the Pine twins jumped at the sound of Pearl shouting. "How dare you attempt to slander Rose's good name?!"
"It is hardly slander when it is the truth. My creator Stanford Pines encountered you Crystal Gems on a science expedition as he worked to understand the strange phenomena in the small town of Gravity Falls and the existence of strange creatures near Beach City. He set up set up his home Gravity Falls but also made plans to rent a temporary room in Beach City to investigate sightings of creatures reported by local authorities that were claimed to be monstrous but not Grimm. Having a fascination with the unnatural Ford Pines sought to examine and study everything he could find." Armatae explained.
"Yes, we know that. He met Rose and they…spent time together." Pearl trailed off slightly before shaking her head. "Then after Rose visited him one time in Gravity Falls she came back and told us Ford was done. He was not going to come back to Beach City."
"Yes, she would say that." Armatae stated dryly.
"Wait, wait, wait." Double D cut in. "You know them?"
"Not personally. My information comes from Stanford's files. Rose Quartz met Stanford Pines while trailing a Gem that was later labelled corrupted. She was interested in him like all Humans and all things related as her psychological profile suggests."
"Profile?" Amethyst questioned.
"Ford studied you Gems and profiled you. According to his files you are Amethyst, you are carefree, hyperactive and mentally the youngest of the Gems. You carry mischievous streak and are often annoyed by Pearl when she instructs you on focus."
Amethyst chuckled. "Yeah, that's me."
"The next is the fusion Garnet. Stoic most of the time, unable to get an accurate description of her emotional state but is believed to be calm as her Future Vision allows her to predict almost all outcomes around her."
"Hm…" Garnet adjusted her visor. "I thought you were going to say something like that."
"And Pearl, you have an obsession for cleanliness and order, likely stemming from your time as a servant in the courts of the Gem Homeworld. You have a low opinion of Earth and its inhabitants despite fighting a thousand year for its independence and you have poor reaction skills to surprises, especially when you have no comprehension." Armatae finished.
"I do not!" Pearl barked.
"Sounds like it got you pegged." Amethyst snickered a bit. "Hey, Arm dude."
"Armatae."
"Whatever. What was Rose's profile?" Amethyst asked.
"Rose Quartz: considered to be kind, passionate and loving towards all living things." Armatae started.
Pearl smiled a bit. "At least you got that right-"
"However her actions and emotions later showed her to be hypocritical, self-righteous, nosy, stubborn, cowardly and had a pathological penchant for deception."
"WHAT?!"
"She helped Stanford Pines in his work but later attempted to terminate their project which almost ended in Stanford Pines' death." Armatae stated. "She fled and left Stanford in a ruined lab that I had to help repair. She never returned to learn the status of his well-being and thus Ford concluded that she thought she stopped the project all together. Rose Quartz is thus labelled as a dual entity: willing to help at one point but so easily ready to betray for various reasons."
"YOU ARE WRONG! ROSE WAS A GENTLE AND KIND PERSON!" Pearl shouted, stepping towards Double D who stepped back in fear.
Armatae quickly activated its armor mode, shielding its core unit in the armor. "I am an Artificial Intelligence. I am incapable of lying. Gems and Organics are quite similar in the art of deception. Rose Quartz lied and betrayed Stanford Pines and when he confronted her about her secrets…Perhaps this will convince you."
Armatae projected a holographic image, showing Rose in the basement of the Mystery Shack…With her sword and shield out, facing down a man who resembled Stan Pines.
"You lied to me! You lied to everyone! Just to play in your sick fantasy!" The man yelled, holding some sort of advanced ray gun in his hands.
"I was protecting this planet!" Rose retorted, gritting her teeth.
"You were protecting yourself." Ford retorted. "You started the war, you made the deal, you are the one who refused to come clean up until I had to find out the truth myself. How many lives have you destroyed because of your own selfishness? I was just a toy for you, wasn't I?! Just like all the other humans you claimed to love."
"I am selfish?!" Rose growled. "What about your machine? You built it following the instructions of that lunatic!"
"He's my friend." Ford retorted.
"He's a monster!" Rose cried. "He tricked me once…He won't do it again."
"At least he told me his name. What about you, Pin-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" With a loud scream Rose lunged at Ford and the image cut out.
The Crystal Gems were speechless by what they had seen. Armatae then showed the ruins of the lab left behind by the fight, with Ford grunting as he limped over to a nearby bench.
"Stanford Pines made it out of that fight alive, his machine intact even if his lab was in ruins. Rose had fled, believing the machine had been destroyed when Ford called for help." Armatae explained. "Your Rose Quartz left him in the rubble of his lab and never looked back. That is her profile: she shows interest at first but when the object of her interest ceases to amuse her or threatens her in some way she abandons them."
"No…No….NO!" Pearl stepped back, wildly shaking her head. "She was not like that! She was a good person! The most loving person I knew!"
With that Pearl took off out of the house, running to who knows where.
"Pearl!" Garnet called out, sparing a look at Armatae and then running off.
"Yeesh." Amethyst sighed. "Not again…"
"Miss Amethyst." The Armatae armor around Double D vanished. "I must apologize for Armatae. He has no tact when it comes to socializing with others."
I see no reason why you should apologize for me. I was not made for socializing.
Amethyst shrugged. "Whatever dude. Not your fault. Rose is always an issue around Pearl. I better go help find her before something happens."
With that Amethyst followed after Garnet, leaving the humans behind.
Deciding to look around and get her mind off of what just happened Mabel noticed a certain parrot perching on top of the roof of Eustace's truck before she happily pointed him out. "Hey Dipper look it's Nyx's pet birdie Pericles!"
Dipper turned to look while he was about to reply trailed off when he spotted him. "Mabel's that's impos...sible." Suddenly he starting to get a bad feeling recalling how this parrot always seemed off to him, and now this seems to seal the deal. "It is him."
Double D arched an eyebrow. "Pericles?"
"He's the pet parrot of one of our friends from Gravity Falls Nyx." Mabel happily explained before her tone became a bit more subdued. "Though come to think of it, it's been a while since we last her."
Dipper starting to become more suspicious with others nearby noticing as he glared at the bird watching them. Courage even starting to growl a bit at said bird:
"Just like Hoagie. "Dipper muttered to himself then urgently grabbed Mabel by the shoulders. "Mabel think when was the last time you saw Nyx?!"
Mabel started getting a bit nervous at the way her brother's acting. "Um last time, let me think. OH! The last we talked was before that fancy party at Northwest mansion, when I invited her over along with Candy and Grenda, but she never showed up. But I'm sure she's fine, she probably had to visit family or something and that's why Pericles is here."
Pericles's voice suddenly pierced the air with a menacing tone to it. "Not quite Miss Pines, but an amusing theory none the less."
The three along with Courage and the Bagges stopped and stared at the bird.
"Okay, I know I'm old so I might just be hearing things…But did that bird just talk?" Eustace quickly asked.
"Indeed I did, Mr. Bagge." Pericles stated loudly and clearly. "Please forgive my intrusion but dear Nyx wanted to check in on her old friends."
"Nyx?" Dipper and Mabel asked.
"Why yes. She should be appearing in three…two…one." Pericles said with a smile as he counted down.
As soon as he said 'three' a spiral of purple light shot up from the ground, blinding everyone for a second. Emerging from the ground in the center of the light was a beautiful woman with long purple wavy hair and spun around her like it was somehow alive as she floated off the ground and made a dramatic pose.
"Hello Nowhere!" The new Lady of Chaos said loudly with a smile on her face.
Dipper gaped in shock. "It can't be...Nyx?!"
Nyx suddenly whirled around pointing her finger at him. "Ding, ding, ding! Give the boy a prize!"
"That's really you, Nyx?!" Mabel gaped. "But you look so grown up and so hot!"
"Why thank you, Mabel!" Nyx said happily and bowed gratefully to the Pines girl. "And you are as cute as ever."
"Are you from the future?! Oooh, do I find true love?" Mabel gasped than shouted gleefully.
"Yes actually." Nyx answered with a straight look on her face.
Mabel pumped her fists in the air. "I knew it!"
Nyx then showed an amused smirk. "Your happily married to one Gideon Gleeful," Mabel's happy look suddenly crashed and burned, her skin turning a mixture of sickly green and pale. "And working as Pacifica's personal maid."
Mabel fell to her knees and shouted out to the air. "NOOOOOOOOO!"
Nyx started to laugh as Pericles fluttered over, rolling his eyes with a dark amused chuckle. "Ah, it's good to see that you haven't lost your sense of humor mistress."
"Thank you Pericles." Nyx said, wiping a tear before turning her attention to the Pines Twins and others gathered. "But no while I may or may not have done a bit of time traveling, I haven't come from the future, and you don't marry Gideon."
"Oh thank Glob!" Mabel gasped in pure relief.
Dipper was still very wary, suspicious, and worried of Nyx though. "What happened to you?"
Nyx with an amused smirk on her face waved her finger. "Ah, ah, ah what's the fun if I give you all the answers upfront?"
"Quite true, and besides aren't you someone who enjoys unraveling a good mystery?" Pericles asked rhetorically.
"See I'm only here to pop in for a quick visit, have some fun, and give Nowhere a helping chaotic touch." Nyx groaned while leaning back with right hand on her face and left arm stretch out. "I mean look at this place! It's just so dull, boring, and dead! I knew as soon as I saw it I had to something!"
With that Nyx's right hand began to glow with purple energy.
"So what better fitting way to give a place as dead as this some long overdue excitement, than," She thrust out her hand, sending a magical blast toward the windmill. "By raising the dead!"
The energy blast collided with the wind mill, destroying it instantly. That seemed to cause an immediate effect as the afternoon sky slowly turned red…
"FYI, this might be the point where things stop being kid friendly." Nyx said before she disappeared in a flash of purple light along with Pericles. "Good luck, Pine twins!"
As soon as she vanished a black mist emerged from the remains of the wind mill.
"Oh dear." Muriel put down her cup of tea.
"This is where they get ya." Eustace said, not even blinking to the madness happening in front of him.
Xxx
"This is your forge?"
Anna and Elsa were surprised by the Uno basement, seeing the exercise equipment and machining tools. There was a lathe, a workbench, several cabinets, a dumbbell on racks, a punching bag and a chin up bar. There was also a couch and few chairs with a large TV on the other end along with a mini-fridge for storing drinks and snacks.
Abby smiled at her Pearl's question. "Yep. We're training to be Hunters so we have to know how to build and maintain our weapons."
That's right.
Their weapons that they had been working on.
Well, they had finished the designs and extensively studied on what to do to build them. They even took machine class in school to get a better understanding of the tools in addition to combat class. So they were mostly ready on begin constructing their own weapons. Even though they had to wait to be thirteen to start taking weapons training they were still allowed to study on the construction of their weapons.
As essential as Huntsmen were to the world the Child's Soldier Act forbade children under the age of thirteen to be trained how to fight and potentially kill. Families were allowed to give their children a head start and teach them at home but they would not receive formal training until they turned thirteen. It was mostly done to appease overprotective parents who wanted to push the age limit up but there had to be compromises in a world where monsters rampaged frequently.
"We've been planning on designing these weapons ourselves." Nigel said as he showed the Pearls the schematics for his and Abby's weapons.
Nigel's weapon resembled a classic rapier with a built in projectile weapon located at the hilt with an unconventional double bar design that was shown when the weapon was in pistol mode. The projectile weapon was built into the outer bar and when the blade was retracted it resembled a hand held futuristic pistol and when in blade mode the outer bar combined with the inner bar to resemble a complete circular hilt. It could take in Dust canisters for ammo and could channel Nigel's Frost Fire through the blaster or even into the blade. Nigel named his weapon Equilibrium.
Abby's weapon was also a sword but a little more complicated. It resembled a broadsword in a sheath at first with the hilt resembling the end of a candy cane. The middle of the sheath showed a white and red striped interior like the hilt but when the sheath was removed it resembled a katana colored white and red like a real candy cane. The broadsword sheath could function as a blunt weapon compared to its sleeker and sharper counterpart, allowing Abby to use dual weapons in a fight.
The hilt of the weapon was also designed as a grappling hook, able to fire a long cord and attach itself to any surface with enough force. Abby named her weapon Sugar Rush, befitting her status as the Candy Elemental and her sweet tooth.
"Anyways, we won't be working on them until after we get back from Moanna." Nigel said as he put the schematics away and helped Abby clean up. "We figured we'd show you two around and help you get used to things around here. I know it's a lot different from Homeworld."
Elsa seemed to be surprised and had a little trouble understanding it all. "My Ele…Nigel, can you perhaps teach me how to…help?"
Nigel stared for a moment but offered a small smile. "Sure. I guess Pearls aren't taught machinery."
"We are not but we are made to be fast learners for the sake of those we are assigned to." Elsa answered.
"Well, first we need to find that book on Aura Integrated Mechanics for Beginners." Nigel said, turning to the book pile.
"You mean For Dummies." Abby said with a smirk. "Because all know that's what they are really for."
"Dummies?" Anna questioned.
"Earthling joke." Nigel rolled his eyes as he found the book. "The joke is that as a beginner you have no clue what you doing and thus you consult the manual. The official designation is beginner but everyone thinks-"
"Dummy." Abby snickered. "Because they cram so much into those books you feel like one reading it."
The two Pearls shared a glance as Nigel stifled a chuckle while Abby snickered.
Earthlings could be so strange.
Good strange, yes.
But still strange.
Xxx
"Lost them and my money." Eddy grumbled as he kicked a can down an empty alley. "What does a guy have to do to keep his money?"
He looked at his hand, stretching it out for a moment before turning it back to normal.
"What is wrong with me?! I never asked for this!" Eddy shouted. "Why can't this all just go away?!"
He ran out of the alley, down the road, coming up on a train track. He only stopped because he heard a train coming. He watched as the train sped down the tracks, curiously stopping and a green light shine through its windows. The door on the car in front of Eddy opened and the sign above it said 'Peach Creek'.
Eddy just stared for a moment before shrugging. "Fine, I'm going home. About time if you ask me."
He stepped onto the train and there was a flash of green light, followed by a surprised scream from right behind him.
Xxx
"What is happening to her?"
"I am not entirely sure. All I can say is that her body temperature has decreased alarmingly and rapidly."
Danielle was shivering in her bed, wearing a plain white yukata and had several blankets wrapped around her to try and keep her warm. Kuki and Mushi were both at her side, taking her temperature and trying to keep her warm while Genki spoke with the family doctor outside her room.
"That's all?" Genki frowned.
"If these were regular causes I could identify the problem easily but unfortunately Danielle-san is anything but regular." The doctor glanced inside at the shivering girl. "I took an Aura scan and as far as I can tell, the cold is manifestation from the center of her Aura, her very soul."
"So this is her powers at work." Genki closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
It shouldn't be surprising. This is what she she had feared for some time. Danielle's powers were growing and evolving so this must be a new power manifesting itself.
"It appears so." The doctor nodded. "We have studied the blood samples you provided us while she was unconscious when you found her. The ectoplasm is a power substance, generating powerful energy unlike anything we have seen outside of Dust."
"Perhaps Dust is what we need to help warm her." Genki said, watching as the poor girl snuggled as best as she could into her covers to try and stay warm.
It was even more heartbreaking as ice started to form on the bed, causing the Sanban sisters to panic.
"Get me some Fire Dust and have them placed next to her. Maybe they can help." Genki spoke as she headed down the hallway. "I have some calls to make."
Xxx
"Careful with the female. She's quite feisty."
Argost sounded quite pleased with himself as the Kumari guards shoved Doc and Drew into their cell. As if to prove his point Drew charged at him, only for the Kumari guards to shock her with their electric staffs.
"And so tragically predictable." Argost said as Drew stumbled back into Doc's arms and left as the guards closed the doors.
"If that filthy maniac has done anything to our boys…" Drew trailed off, watching her husband sniff the vines in the cell. "That scorpion Faunus went after them."
"I know." Doc took a deep breath. "We just need to get out of here as quick as possible."
He stopped when noticed the vines start to move slightly and held up a scanner.
"What are you-" Drew asked before her husband quickled sushed her. "Did you just-"
"Shh!" Doc shushed her again and whispered. "We're not alone."
He held up a scanner, showing Drew that a life form was present in the cell. Something was moving through the vines.
Was it a spy?
Or…
"Your children are safe."
Both Saturdays jumped as voice whispered in their ears. From the vines came a series strange glowing lights, almost resembling fireflies. The lights surrounded the two and suddenly they were shown a vision…
The scorpion Faunus chasing after Zak and Fiskerton, only to be stopped and knocked out of the airship. They witnessed this vision from the person's own point of view.
Drew gasped as she stepped back. "This…this mystical feeling…"
Doc rubbed his head. "An advanced of ESP, able to share memories with other people."
The fireflies ceased hovering around them, coming together into a corner of the cell. They watched as the vines moved with the flies, forming into the outline of a woman. The light of the flies faded, revealing a woman in a cloak and hood with antlers sticking out, staring at them with green slit eyes.
Drew's eyes widened in recognition. "It's you…From that night. You saved our boys from the predator."
Doc stepped forward, facing the woman. "Do you know Tsul Kalu?"
The woman remained silent.
"Legend has it that the great hunter Tsul Kalu took a human woman as his lover, showered her with gifts and the night his child was born took her with him to the home he made for them. The woman was never seen by her mother or her village again but the legend remained." Doc said slowly. "That night, you reacted to the Claw, the Hand of Tsul Kalu in a way that is similar to only one other person. Are you the child of Tsul Kalu?"
"I do not answer to that name." The woman finally spoke. "I watch you, I watch as you seek out us Cryptids, sacred animals with a greater bond to nature. I see you collect them. Why? Why do you humans seek to collect them?"
"We don't collect them, we protect them." Drew stated. "We know other humans collect them for greed. We want to keep them safe."
"By keeping them in your home." The woman stated stoically. "You watch them, you judge their actions, you study them. Why? What is your ultimate goal for them?"
"For knowledge." Doc answered. "We are scientists. We seek knowledge for the sake of using knowledge to better ourselves and protect those who do not understand what Cryptids really are."
The woman tilted her head. "And what are they to you?"
"Animals, living breathing creatures that are special. Creatures that deserve the same living privalges as all life." Doc answered truthfully and with conviction in his voice. "Is that you are following us? It's not about the Hand of Tsul Kalu or my son?"
"Your son…why can he speak with the Cryptids?" The woman asked. "Only one other being has ever been able to do that."
"We…we don't know." Drew answered. "What do you want with him?"
"I want to know why he can speak with us." The woman answered and repeated her previous statement. "Only one other being has ever been able to do that."
"Who?" Doc asked.
"…The one you and your enemy seek." The woman narrowed her eyes.
"The one we..." Doc's eyes widened. "You are talking about Kur."
"Why do you seek Kur?" The woman asked.
"To stop Argost from finding Kur and using it to wreak havoc and destruction." Drew answered. "Can you help us?"
"You have alreafy made the first mistake. By even following these clues you risk unleashing Kur back on the world." The woman spoke. "Kur was both destroyer to Humans and protector to the Cryptids under his rule. He cannot be contained or tamed. I will end your search now."
With that the woman stepped back into the wall, her form twisting as it changed back into vines and fireflies that vanished into the wall.
"Well that isn't ominous." Drew muttered. "What's she going to do?"
"I believe she is going after Argost." Doc answered. "And so are we."
Xxx
Despite the warnings of the newly named Huntress Wizard Zak wasted no time flying down to the Kumari city with the help of Zon.
"Thanks girl." Zak whispered once they were on the very edge of the city. "Now I need you to go back up to the airship and get-"
"Cannonbaaall!" Fiskerton shouted as he jumped down from the airship with Komodo in his arms.
SPLASH!
The splash they made got both Zak and Zon both wet and spitting out water as the two Cryptids crawled out.
"So much for stealth." Zak sighed before feeling something grab him from behind.
Fiskerton jumped out of the water and onto the person who had grabbed Zak, pinning them to the ground.
"Unhand me!" It was a Kumari, appearing to be around the same age as Zak. "I am the King of Kumari Kandam!"
Zak and Fiskerton glanced at each other.
"I'd do as the kid says."
Both looked up, watching as a man emerged from the shadows. The man stood around 6'4 tall, wearing white pants, black shoes, a blue armored vest with a blue under long sleeve shirt, blue gloves with glowing blue serrated blades on his knuckles, white hair with sideburns, razor sharp shark-like teeth, three girls on both sides of his neck and he was carrying a five foot long wood and Dust carved shark toothed Koa club chainsaw. This man was a Faunus, a shark Faunus to be precise.
"You only get one chance to get off of him." The man said, revving up his club/chainsaw.
"It's all right, Tiburon." The boy said, pulling out an amulet. "This will prove who I am."
"…Wow, Fisk." Zak said with a smile. "I don't know how we're going to argue with a necklace. Hey, remember that glitter pen I had that made me Emperor of Venus."
Fiskerton mumbled and nodded.
"We can help you find your parents, if you're done joking like an idiot." The boy said.
That seemed to convince Zak. "Yeah, we're good." He offered his hand and the boy accepted.
Xxx
"They arrived two weeks ago."
Zak had followed the prince named Ulraj and the Faunus named Tiburon up to a balcony overlooking the main palace, allowing them to see Argost and Munya in the throne room.
"Argost told the king, my father that he'd come to warn us. The surface men had found our city again. It was too late. My father was wounded terribly in the assault." Ulraj explained, struggling to remain stoic as he recounted the tragedy. "Argost took control and with his knowledge of the enemy Kumari Kandam won the day. But while our people celebrated their good fortune…I caught the eyes of Argost and I knew. Fortune had nothing to do with it. Argost had planned all of this."
Zak looked to Argost, watching as him and Munya conversed with the cat Mobian and that scorpion Faunus. "I'm sorry."
"Within days, he was preparing the city for war, already calling himself king. He allied us with a group called the Satyra who were more than happy to help. I would destroy them myself if I had the power, but with no plan, no army…All I have is Tiburon, my mentor in the art of combat and my own weapon." Ulraj held out a small rod that extended into a trident. "We are brave but too few to properly stand a chance."
"Maybe not…But maybe with a few extra weapons." Zak smiled as he got an idea.
Xxx
BANG!
Tassin and the other criminals spun around at the sound of Erika firing a warning shot at the ceiling. "Huntssssmen!"
Erika aimed her pistol at Tassin. "You get one chance. Let him go and go back to your cells."
Tassin snarled and then grinned. "Oooh….Nothing better than a woman in charge. What do you think boyssss?"
The thugs slowly advanced on Erika and her teammates, holding up rifles they had taken from the dead troopers.
"They ssssay….No." Tassin snapped his fingers.
And with that the thugs all pulled the trigger on their guns.
"Black Beetle!"
North stepped out in front of Ross and Erika, summoning black body armor around his body that protected him from the bullets and allowed him to act as a Mobian shield for his teammates. The armor resembled a black beetle, hence the name of the item North had used. Tassin raised his hand, ordering the thugs to stop firing. North stood perfectly still, the armor still activated in case they tried to fire again.
"Okay…" Tassin flexed his neck. "The fun way it issss. Kill them."
(Breathe (1997) by Prodigy Starts)
The first two thugs charged at North but despite wearing the armor, his movements were as quick and precise as ever as ever, dodging a spinning kick and grabbing the first thug. He threw him into the wall and kicked the second thug in the chest, causing him to fly past the Vipers and crash into the door on the other end. A thug holding a crow bar swung at North but Erika jumped in, blocking with her sword and kicked him in the chest. As the remaining five moved to attack Erika and North Ross found himself facing Tassin who quickly jumped over the two and stood between them and Ross.
"Time for a ssssnack." Tassin said with a grin.
"Don't you know the lion is the king of the jungle?" Ross asked, pulling out both swords.
He immediately started slashing at the mob boss but Tassin was too fast and agile as he dashed at Ross. Using his Semblance Ross was able to predict Tassin's attack and spun out of the way. Ross tried stabbing from behind but Tassin ducked, launching an upper kick that forced the lion Faunus. Composing himself Ross went on the attack but Tassin continued to dodge and then counter attack, suffering only a few shallow cuts as he acted like his animal representation, slipping in between the strikes and dodging while attacking when he saw an opening.
All the while Tassin was chuckling. "Seriously? Is thisssss the best you got?"
"You know?" Ross asked as he blocked a strike from one of Tassin's clawed hands. "It's guys like you and the rest of the Satyra that give us Faunus a bad name. Acting all creepy to everyone like it's a horror show."
"Horror?" Tassin snarled, his grin now gone. "Horror isssss looking into the eyessssss of a monsssssster, knowing you are about to die…and then being forced to live. Horror issssss waking up every day to ssssssee your own race of people being disssssscriminated against and killed just becaussssse they look different and because of that having to lie, ssssssteal, and cheat just to ssssssurvive until their hateful accusations become nothing but reality. Horror isssss what issss in the eyessssss of your partnersssss when they look at you…and in the criessss of your enemies when your ssssshadow engulfs them." Tassin then knocked Ross back with a kick. "Don't talk to me about fear, fool. I AM FEAR!"
Tassin threw a punch at Ross who blocked and slashed with a reverse axe kick. The two exchanged blows, blocking and counterattacking one another. Ross's combat abilities allowed him to keep up with Tassin's snake like fighting style. Tassin unleashed a flurry of punches that Ross hastily blocked, his Foresight Semblance allowing him to accurately predict and counter the snake Faunus' moves.
BANG!
Tassin had to duck as a shot was fired from behind. Spinning around, he saw his men were all lying on the ground around Erika and North who barely had a scratch on them. Erika aimed and fired her pistol, forcing Tassin to dodge. He jumped onto the wall and quickly climbed up, slipping into an air vent with one loud hiss.
(Breathe (1997) by Prodigy Ends)
"That's a little creepy." Erika said as she and North regrouped with Ross.
"Yeah…" Ross trailed off before getting back on the main objective. "That doctor. You saw where they took him?"
Xxx
"Now I'm sure we can come to an arrangement of some kind."
Jesse Bailey said nothing as the doctor was strapped down onto the operating tail. The man was panicking a bit now.
"Make sure it's nice and tight." Belle instructed. "But the boss give him some room to struggle. It's always a bit better when they struggle."
They should have gotten out of this place a while ago but Tassin had other plans.
Specifically for a certain doctor that had been working here.
"Now then, why don't we relax and wait for the boss to show up?" Belle asked as she sat down and picked up a magazine. "He'll love to give you a…going away present before we leave."
Xxx
"And that my new friends is what is believed to have happened to you."
Grodd and his fellow villains, the Green Goblin, Vexus and Piedmon were silent as they digested what they had been told.
For Grodd it was learning that Luthor had tried to revive Brainiac using Talia and ended up reviving the alien god known as Darkseid instead, leading to the destruction of his headquarters and the death of all but a few the remaining secret society. The Justice League fought back and Luthor and Darkseid were seemingly killed which did give Grodd a bit of satisfaction.
If only he could have killed that miserable human himself.
For Piedmon it was learning that the creator of him and the other Dark Masters had been destroyed somehow by those Digidestined brats.
For Vexus she wasn't much better off as she had been left stranded on an asteroid after she had been overthrown by XJ-9 and her own daughter.
For the Green Goblin his only comfort was that Spider-Man had lost the woman he loved.
"So then why have you brought us here?" Grodd asked the question on everyone's minds.
"Well, I thought that was simple. I myself am building my own little…organization. The benfits of being able to observe entire dimensions and find new members is simply too great to ignore. Imagine being able to gather the most imaginative and most…brilliant members of the same occupation as all of us, working together." Van Kleiss proposed. "I am sure all of you can see the benefits of my idea."
"Oh, we can." Piedmon grinned as he pulled out a sword. "But who says you should be in charge? Me, working for a human? I may have a sick sense of humor but even I know a bad joke when I see it."
"As much I am grateful to you for saving us, I don't take orders from a human." Grodd stated as a matter of fact. "When it comes down to it, only the weak serve the strong and no human can ever outmatch me."
"Except for Luthor." Copperhead muttered.
"Yeah, we already made a mistake partnering with Luthor and monkey boy here." Shade said, gesturing to Grodd who glared at him.
"Excuse me?" The hyper intelligent ape snarled.
"Don't act so surprised, Grodd. You think we joined you because we thought you were a better leader?" Shade asked.
"Yeah." Goldface agreed. "We only helped you to get rid of Luthor and you couldn't even do that right."
"You tried to turn us all into apes. Not exactly world domination plan of the year." Weather Wizard agreed. "We were better off working for ourselves."
"Yeah. Do I look like the furry animal kind?" Copperhead asked rhetorically.
"Really?" Van Kleiss sighed. "Does it really have to be this way? I would think you would all be grateful to be alive."
"Don't worry. I'll take that into consideration." Piedmon grinned. "I'll make it nice and quick."
"If you insist." Van Kleiss glanced to the white haired girl next to him. "Bell, if you wouldn't mind?"
"Yes, Papa." Bell nodded and stepped forward.
"A girl?" Piedmon threw his head back and laughed. "You send a little girl to fight me? Now I know you are making a bad joke." He stood over Bell and crouched down, looking her in the eyes. "Aww…Did I hurt your feelings, little girl? Do you want a lollipop to cheer you up? Or do you want to get some ice cream later-GAH!"
Bell simply smiled as she moved with lightning speed and buried her fist into Piedmon's abdomen and then followed up with an uppercut to the face. She then ended with a spinning kick that sent the Mega level Digimon crashing into the wall.
"Whoa." Copperhead gulped, seeing a little girl that might be as strong as Superman. "It's really not fair."
Piedmon got up, growling angrily at Bell. "Why you little-"
"Now, now she is still a child. Try to mind your manners." Van Kleiss interrupted with a grin. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this but I usually come prepared. So why not let me demonstrate why going against me is a bad idea? Valerie, my dear, care to step in?"
Valerie stepped forward, cracking her fists and her neck.
Xxx
"Finally, we're back."
Miss Spell and Phan-Tone stopped at the sign saying 'Welcome to Gravity Falls'.
"I just hope we're not too late."
"About that…"
Both heroes stiffened and readied themselves as Blind Ivan stepped out of the shadows with a menacing grin on his face.
"I'm afraid here is where the both of you will be meeting your end at the ends of the great one's most powerful disciple." Ivan said as his eyes morphed to resemble Bill Cipher's.
Miss Spell and Phan-Tone prepared themselves to face the final member of the Blind Eye Society.
Xxx
He could feel it now…
The windmill had been destroyed.
His acolytes had been freed.
Whispering across the black void he gave them their orders. 'Find the woman. Bring her to the sacrificial chamber. Do not allow anyone to get in your way.'
Finally he would have her.
Finally he would break her.
Xxx
I forgot to mention in the last chapter but Tassin, Oceanica and now Tiburon are OCs from Roth Prime's MisEdventures of RWBY and Ed, Edd, 'n Eddy that I have been given permission to use.