A/N: How's it going, guys? It's time for the latest chapter of Ben 10 RWBY once again, and this week, we've got quite the hot one! It's Big Battle Time, and guess what? I've added in a little surprise that I didn't even mention in the "Next Time" segment last week. Hope you get a kick out of it, so let's stop wasting time here, shall we? This is…
Chapter 37: Fight at the Museum
…..
There were times when Ben Tennyson had to ask himself; was the universe actively seeking to give him the worst luck possible? Or was it all just one big coincidence that crap just kept piling on top of him? Either way, this situation he was in now completely sucked. They were in a museum, full of priceless artifacts, and a bunch of technically mindless monsters were surrounding them in a brand-new exhibit set to debut the next day. 'When we get out of this, I gotta see SOME form of fortune teller to see if bad luck just magnetizes to me—WAIT! I was just AT a fortune teller's yesterday! DAMMIT!'
As the frustrating reminder lingered in Ben's head, Vernal took a battle stance, raising her weapons, the Ver Laminae up towards the hulking beasts. "Alright, Tennyson, just what is our plan of attack here?"
"Ugh, easy." Ben groaned as he activated the Omnitrix, quickly pressing on the icon he wanted. In a flash of light, the young man transformed into Four Arms, the Tetramand towering over his teammates as he punched two fists into two palms. "Hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast!"
"…That is NOT a plan." Vernal stated with a quirked brow.
"It's the only one I got for these guys, okay?!" With an exerted grunt, Four Arms rushed forward, reeling back two fists and smashing them into two of the Creepers, who immediately went on the offensive. The Creepers began clawing and slashing at his arms, but the alien just grit his teeth at their attempts to hurt him. "These guys are tough… RAH!" In one swift motion, Four Arms swung his arms in a high arc, bringing the Creepers with him before slamming both of them into the floor, cracking it in several places. "But we're tough too, so have at 'em!"
Yang grinned eagerly and cracked her knuckles, ready to throw down. "You heard Green Boy, let's go—BEN! Behind you!"
"Huh—WOAH!" Four Arms snapped around just in time to see a Creeper come lunging at him, though he thought fast and rolled with it. He grabbed the creature and swiftly threw it over his head… only to realize he threw it right at the rune of Mjolnir. "AH! NO!"
Just as it was about to collide with it, though, a pink mana field suddenly popped up in front of it, and the Creeper ended up smacking into that instead. The rune jostled around on its pedestal a little, but otherwise was fine. Much to everyone's relief, Gwen had saved it just in time. But she was quick to point out the obvious as she shot out mana blasts toward the other Creepers, all while Kevin punched another. "Agh! Could we maybe take this outside first before we start a fight?!"
Nora immediately saluted, her hammer slung over her shoulder. "Oui, mon capitain!" Within seconds, the hyper redhead reeled Magnhild back and rushed over to the Creepers that Four Arms had taken down, the duo just starting to get up. "Hey, big, green and uglies!" The beasts made curious sounds at the shout, but quickly regretted looking up as Nora slammed her hammer straight into both of them, causing them to belt out a cry as they were sent crashing through a nearby window. Nora put her hand above her eyes, trying to see how far she sent them. "Woo! Outta the park!"
"Right there with you, Nora!" Ruby started rushing around the room, sending rose petals flying everywhere as her Semblance kicked into high gear. Then, as quick as a flash, she pulled out Crescent Rose and began spinning toward another Creeper, which was distracted with Kevin. "Kevin, MOVE!" The Osmosian followed her advice and Ruby caught the Creeper in the hook of her scythe, her momentum making it sail straight out of the same window.
Kevin smirked as he watched Ruby's handiwork. "Alright, no more foolin' around." He reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of Gravity Dust crystals, instantly absorbing them into his arms. He smacked his hands together, making the black crystal glow an ethereal purple. "Time to take this outside! GRAH!" With two powerful punches, Kevin sent another pair of Creepers outside… only this time, they were sent flying through a different window.
As this happened, Charmcaster felt her jaw drop, baffled by the power she was feeling radiate off of whatever crystal Kevin had absorbed. "W-What… what IS that?!"
"It's called Dust." Gwen explained. "It's a special mineral from Remnant that comes in a variety of colors and is capable of harnessing several different elemental powers." She sent her rival a knowing smile. "Interested?"
Charmcaster realized she had let her guard down and put on a pout a second later, crossing her arms and turning her head away. "Hmph… maybe."
"Hey! Careful there, hot shot!" Vernal chided at Kevin. "Don't wanna be paying the museum TOO much for all this damage."
"It's alright, I can fix it later." Gwen assured as another Creeper came charging at her. "BEN! Last one!"
"On it!" Four Arms intercepted the Creeper and took it up in all four of his primary appendages, tackling it into the ground as he struck several points on its torso with his fists. With a fifth strike to the gut, which he was certain took the wind out of it, he hefted the creature up again and started spinning, before tossing it straight out the window that Nora put a hole in. "Hah… okay, we're in the clear!"
Gwen lowered the shields surrounding the runes and nodded to him. "Good, NOW you can fight to your heart's content." She went over and picked up the red sheet, putting it back over the rune of Mjolnir. "Let's get out there and take these things out, huh?"
"I'm all for that!" Yang smirked as she took a crouch. "Let's DO this!" With a pump of her fists, Yang shot herself out through the window and out to the streets, with Ruby and Nora following after her. Ren, Vernal and Ilia followed soon after, leaving Gwen and Kevin with Charmcaster in the now very empty-feeling room.
Four Arms was about to jump after them, but paused as he landed on the edge of the window. He sent a serious glare to Charmcaster. "Don't get up to any funny business, got it? We'll be back in a little bit." The sorceress scoffed at him as he leapt out the window, the hero now ready to engage the enemy.
Kevin reached into his Dust pouch and pulled out a red crystal, absorbing it in place of the Gravity Dust. "Alright, time to get serious." He shifted his hands into a hammer and mace and bashed them together, lighting his arms a blaze. "These Creepers won't know what hit 'em." But just as he was about to rush out, he saw Gwen and Charmcaster just… staring at one another. As if both of them knew that either one of them was going to say something. "Uh… Gwen? You comin'?"
Instead of responding to him, however, Gwen took a step forward and crouched down, so that she was eye-level with Charmcaster. "You know… you could help us defeat these things."
"Psh, what, and play hero?" Charmcaster rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. It's obvious that I'm on thin ice with your doofus cousin, anyways. And after all the crap I put you through, how could you possibly—"
"Because I've SEEN the good in you, Charmcaster." Gwen emphasized, cutting her off. "Quite frankly, I don't care what Ben thinks about you. Back in Ledgerdomain when we were making the journey to face down Adwaitia… that was probably the happiest we've ever been with one another." The sorceress' features softened as the memories replayed in her head, recalling the joyful memories herself. "And I know that you want to do the whole "loner" thing, but you know what I think?" She reached out and touched the mana field, hoping to reach out to her. "You want to be with others. I imagine it gets lonely in Ledgerdomain all by yourself, doesn't it?"
"Hmph." Charmcaster scoffed and turned away from the Anodite… though her heart was screaming at her to do the opposite. As much as she hated to admit it… she WAS lonely. VERY lonely. 'I only wish I could actually TRUST someone enough to not feel like this…' With that harrowing thought in her mind, she steeled her resolve and went back to Gwen. "…If I help you, then I want something in return."
"Name it, it's yours."
"I help you, you let me go, no strings attached."
Kevin balked at the notion. "HA! Seriously? You think we're just gonna—oof! Gwen, seriously?!"
After elbowing him in the side, Gwen shot him a disapproving side-eyed look. "Kevin, this is between me and her."
The Osmosian tried to appeal to her better judgment, though. "Gwen, c'mon, you can't be serious! You heard what Ben said! After all we did to set this up and you'd LET her go?"
"Kevin, if she doesn't want our help in… whatever it is she's doing, then I won't disrespect her wishes." Gwen asserted, her attention going back to her rival. "…Granted, Ben probably won't be happy with this, but… I want to show you that you CAN trust me, Hope." The redhead sent her a soft grin. "And maybe someday… we can truly be friends."
The silver-haired girl felt a twinge in her chest, but she was not about to let her emotions get the better of her now. "…If you say so." Charmcaster stood up in her bubble, wearing a serious expression as she made her request. "But I mean it, Gwen. No questions asked, no trying to follow me, I help fight these things off and I walk. …And maybe I'll start to trust you more. Do we have a deal?"
"Deal." Gwen agreed, bringing down the bubble and freeing Charmcaster, much to Kevin's chagrin. She took the golem back out of her pocket and handed it to the sorceress with a smile. "Here's your golem back, by the way."
Charmcaster paused, being careful not to smile at the genuinely kind act. She wasn't about to let Gwen have this that easily. "Thank you. Now let's get this over with."
…..
The moment the Creepers were sent flying out into the street, chaos had ensued. Because while things were definitely quiet at that time of night… that didn't mean there weren't any motorists about. Indeed, there were about four cars or so passing by the museum as the Creepers were chucked out of the building, and while none of them actually HIT the vehicles, they startled their drivers enough to make them stop and scream in terror. Even more so when the Creepers got up and roared right into their windshields.
"AAAAAIIIIIEEEE!" came the screams of men, women and even children as they all piled out of their cars immediately, hoping to get away from the beasts as quick as possible. Just as one of the beasts was about to follow after a family, however, a shot rang through the night air and it was blasted in the face, knocking it to the pavement.
"Back off, Butt-Ugly!" Yang taunted as she slammed down to the ground, punching and cracking the blacktop beneath her. Ruby, Nora, Ren, Ilia, Vernal and Four Arms all landed side-by-side with her as she glowered at the Creepers. "Those people aren't on the menu tonight."
Four Arms smirked and slammed all four fists together. "Exactly. But what IS on the menu is a knuckle sandwich for each and every one of ya!"
Nora hefted up her hammer, her wild grin showing that she raring to go. "Couldn't have said it better myself! LET'S FREAKING GO!" She swung Magnhild down so that she could get on top of it, and in a single blast, she was riding the hammer off into battle once again. "GEROMINO!"
Ren sighed and took up Storm Flower, immediately chasing after her. "I'd better go make sure she doesn't destroy the town."
"Good idea." Four Arms agreed. "And remember, don't hurt 'em TOO badly. These ARE still people after all."
Vernal couldn't help but scoff at that. "Tch, that bites. I'm trained to kill, Tennyson, and you're telling me to spare the monsters?" Despite her misgivings, though, the former bandit went rushing into battle. "What HAVE I gotten myself into?"
"W-Wait, Vernal, you'll need back up!" Ilia whipped her Lightning Lash up and it wrapped around a nearby light pole, allowing her to swing right into battle.
"Hey, wait for us!" Ruby shouted as she used her Semblance again, beckoning her sister to follow after her. "C'mon Yang, let's bust these guys!"
Yang once again pumped her fists and shot off after her sister. "Right behind ya, Rubes!"
All three pairs had taken a Creeper of their very own, leaving Four Arms to deal with… at least three. But, that being said, he wasn't all that worried. He'd taken on greater numbers than these in the past… and far LARGER, too. "Alright ya creepy-ass cult-followin' wannabes…" The Tetramand took up another light post and slung it over his shoulder, making a "come at me" motion with his hand. "Let's dance!"
…..
Not too far away, a couple who had evacuated their car were currently being rushed down by a Creeper, the monster closing in on them at rapid speed. It was just about to swipe its claws at the two, when suddenly, from out of nowhere, Nora came crashing into it, swinging her hammer into its side. "HAHA!" WHAM! The Creeper was sent careening into the side of a building, colliding with it so hard that it left an imprint of itself in the wall. Nora spun her hammer around dramatically, striking a heroic pose as she asked the couple; "You two alright?"
"Y-Yes, thank you so much!" the man said as he and his partner bowed their heads in gratitude.
"Good, now get out of here." Nora advised as the Creeper started to lurch up. "Things are about to get ugly." The couple nodded and rushed off, leaving the redhead on her own as the Creeper barreled toward her. …Or at least she was alone for only five seconds. Because just as the beast was about to close in, several Dust rounds started peppering the Creeper in its side, making it shriek in pain and stagger back. Nora smiled and winked to her rescuer. "Thanks for that, Renny! Was hoping you'd follow."
Ren smiled to her and took his place by her side. "Well, why wouldn't I? Feels like the most natural thing for me to do at this point." He shot her a knowing glance. "After all, someone has to make sure you don't go overboard, right?"
Nora gave him a light, playful shove. "Oh, stop, you're exaggerating." But this only made him raise his eyebrow at her even more. "Hey, don't gimme that look. Let's just kick this thing's ass and celebrate like we always do, eh?"
"Hmhm, of course." Ren chortled, lifting his guns up to the beast as it ran at them again. "Distraction maneuver, go!"
"Gotcha!" Nora tossed Magnhild up, making it convert into its grenade launcher form before catching it and taking aim. "Bonzai!" POWPOWPOW! In quick succession, she shot three grenades out at the Creeper, which raised its arms to try and block them. However, much to its surprise, the projectiles actually arced downward toward the street, creating a large explosion that both sent the beat flying AND kicked up a cloud of pink smoke all around it.
The Creeper landed on its shoulder, but quickly rolled onto its feet, keeping its guard up. Unfortunately for it, its eyesight was now hindered by all the thick, pink smog surrounding it. And what made it worse was that it was NOT pleasant to inhale. "HOK-HOK-HOK!" the once-human monster coughed, only to feel a sudden sharp pain in its side. "RAAAAGH!" It recoiled and shot its hand down to its hip, finding that its thick hide had been quickly stabbed into. It didn't leave a big hole, but it was bleeding nonetheless.
As blood went trickling down its thigh, the beast roared out in challenge, hoping to goad out whatever did this. But what it got instead was a barrage of Dust rounds, though the pink smoke obscured their point of origin. The beast staggered back and swiped into the smoke, only to hit nothing. Seconds later, more bullets came, this time from a different direction and hitting its back. Then it happened again, and once more, making the beast's anger grow. And then…
PEW! THNK! "GYAAAAAUUURGH!" The Creeper wailed as a single bullet found its way into its open wound, making it fall to its knees and then completely topple onto its side, clutching its hip in pain.
"Now, Nora!" Ren called out.
The Creeper's eyes snapped up in alert, but it was far too late. Out from the haze came Nora Valkyrie, her hammer once again at the ready as she leapt up and straight over the fallen beast. "Surprise, bitch!" PING! She struck the Creeper's head so hard that it's jaw actually made the pavement crack upon impact. Within seconds, it was out cold, and Nora swung her hammer above her head victoriously. "Haha! You just got BOOPED!"
"I'll say." Ren agreed as the smoke began to dissipate, holstering Storm Flower as he strolled up to his partner. "Great work, Nora. That thing won't be getting up any time soon."
"Aw, thanks Renny!" Nora put her arm around the green ninja and settled her hand against his shoulder. "But you deserve plenty of credit, too! Using the distraction strategy was a really smart idea!"
"Heh… what can I say? The bad guys just keep falling for it." Ren shrugged bashfully.
Nora couldn't help but smirk at that. Ren wasn't much for humor, but she knew a snide remark when she heard it. "Yeah, they're kinda dumb like that."
As that was going on, Vernal and Ilia were quickly closing in on their own Creeper as well, the beast having cornered a woman and her dog that were just walking by. "AAAAAAAAAHHH! Help me! Somebody, please!" she screamed as she held her little pup close to her chest.
"We're on our way!" Ilia assured, leaping into action without hesitation. She whipped her Lightning Lash around the Creeper's neck and gave it a good yank, pulling it away from the woman and falling it to the ground. Ilia landed next to the lady and looked to her over her shoulder. "Are you alright, miss? It didn't hurt you, did it?"
"N-No, I—"
"Good, now I suggest you get out of here." Out the corner of her eye, Ilia saw the beast starting to get up, bringing her guard up in preparation. "It's gonna get ugly."
The woman took a shaky breath before running as fast as her legs would allow. "R-Right, thank you!"
As the Creeper stood, Vernal slid to a halt and raised her Ver Laminae, its slit-shaped barrels already lighting up. "Alright, now that the lady's gone, we can unload on this thing."
Ilia flicked her wrist, making the Lightning Lash charge up with electricity. "Right behind you. Operation: Take Down is a go!"
"A bit on the nose, but I'll take it!" Vernal pulled the triggers on her guns and sent out long, thin beams energy that struck the Creeper in its shoulders, making it groan in pain. However, much to her surprise, the blasts only left the monster's shoulders burnt, and it still stood tall and powerful. "What?! That usually cleaves clean through!"
"These things are tough!" Ilia said as she shot forward, lashing her weapon out at the Creeper. It raised its arm to intercept the attack, the Lightning Lash wrapping around it before it suddenly lurched around, bringing Ilia with it. "AAGH!" WHAM! The chameleon girl was slammed into the ground and the Creeper began to approach her… only for Ilia to pull the trigger again. The Creeper was suddenly electrocuted on the spot, stopping it in its tracks. "Vernal, now's your chance!"
The former bandit nodded and threw her Ver Laminae at the Creeper, both blades flying through the air before striking it directly in the face. Vernal ran up, catching her rebounded weapons and jumping into the air to take aim once again. She sailed right over the monster and unleashed a bombardment of blasts into its midsection. And this time, it was hurt much more thanks to the lightning coursing through it.
But then, the Lightning Lash stopped and Ilia pulled her whip back, and that's when the Creeper took its chance. It snapped itself up to try and grab Vernal, only for her to come right down and kick its head, bringing it back down. "Night-night!" The former bandit reared her arms up and brought the blades down upon its head, striking it hard enough to make it bounce against the pavement.
"Hah! Now THAT was awesome." Ilia commended, bringing her Lightning Lash back.
"Thanks, you weren't half bad either." Vernal said with a thumbs up. "Where were you trained to handle that whip?"
"Oh, I-I was trained by the White Fang…"
Vernal snapped her fingers as she recalled that fact. "Oh, yeah, that's right! I forgot you used to be with them… or are you back with them now that they've reformed?"
Ilia shook her head. "No, not really. As much as I support the new Fang's cause, I don't think I'll ever be an active member again…" She glanced down to her weapon a smile came to her lips. "Ever since meeting Ruby and the others, and rebuilding my friendship with Blake… I've discovered that maybe being a Huntress doesn't sound too bad." Ilia's eyes went back to Vernal. "Who knows? Maybe now that your tribe's not around anymore, maybe you could be a Huntress?"
"Ha! Me, a Huntress…" Vernal chuckled before pausing, entertaining the thought much to her own surprise. But then, her lips turned down into a frown. "…That's a laugh."
Ilia grew concerned at the sudden mood shift. "I take it you don't have many good experiences with Huntsmen?"
"…As a former Fang member, you should know that not all Huntsmen good people." Vernal's grip on her weapons tightened as a few certain memories started replaying in her head. "You guys will probably turn out alright, but let's just say there's a reason why I ended up with the Branwen Tribe in the first place. And that's as far as I wanna take that, honestly."
"I understand." Ilia bowed her head. "F-Forget I said anything. Sorry if I made you upset."
Vernal sighed before grinning over to the chameleon girl. "It's alright, really. I'm not mad or anything." She went over and gave Ilia a pat on the shoulder. "Don't beat yourself over it, alright kid—er… I mean, Ilia. Still gotta get used to your names."
Ilia brightened up and chuckled a little at that. "Hehe, it's okay, and thank you."
As all of that was going on, Ruby and Yang were currently running circles around the Creeper they had taken, the sisterly duo leaving it completely confused. From all sides, it was getting bombarded by blasts of Fire Dust and the random scythe slice from Ruby, making it roar in anger and frustration. "What's the matter, big guy?" Yang taunted as she fired off more shot. "We goin' too fast for ya?"
"We can always slow things down for ya… but where's the fun in that?" Ruby smirked before calling to her sister. "Yang! Golden Rose formation!"
"Gotcha, sis!" Yang stuck her arm up and Ruby zipped around to pick her up, using her Semblance to carry her at high speeds. Dual blurs of red and yellow rushed around in midair around the Creeper as more shots were fired at it, only now they were doubled up with both Fire AND Ice dust. With every blast that connected, the hot and cold sensations became more and more pronounced, and the Creeper was sent into sensory overload. In its anger, it lashed out and swiped at the blurs, only for them to erupt into an explosion of yellow and red petals that got in its eyes. "GRAAGH!"
"GRAAGH yourself, big guy!" From out of the petal blizzard, Yang burst out and punched the Creeper straight in the jaw, unloading another round to add more of a kick to it. However, what she didn't expect was for the beast to swing its arm and sock her right in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and sending her straight into a nearby wall. "AUGH!"
"Yang!" Ruby emerged from the storm next, her Silver Eyes concentrated straight on the monster. "You're gonna regret that!"
Surprisingly, the Creeper backed away the moment it saw her eyes shimmer, almost as if it were scared of what laid beyond those orbs. But this would prove to be its undoing as Ruby swung her scythe, striking it right in the head with the butt end of the curved blade. The Creeper staggered back just as Ruby converted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, loading in a new cartridge of Gravity Dust rounds before shooting off four of them. As she expected, each bullet sent it careening back several feet, and before long, it was flat on its back. "Yang, you okay?!"
Right as she said that, Yang's eyes snapped open, now burning red as her sights focused in on the Creeper. "Oh, you betcha! RAAAAHH!" BAM! In one powerful shot, Yang blasted herself toward her adversary, her Aura red-hot and blazing as she closed in. She did a flip and came crashing down into the Creeper, hitting it so hard that the pavement around them upended itself. With a satisfied breath, Yang watched as the Creeper slipped into unconsciousness, all while dusting off her hands. "And that takes care of that."
"Woo! Nice job, sis!" Ruby cheered, offering Yang a high five.
"Ha! Thanks, Rubes, same to you." Yang reciprocated before noticing that the rest of their teammates seemed to be wrapping up their own fights, too. "Heh, well, I think we got at least half of 'em done. Now, what about the other three?"
RRRRAAAAAUUUUUGGGGH!
Both girls gasped and whipped their head around to see Four Arms being set upon by three Creepers, the beasts somehow having found an opening to bring him down to the ground. The girls took up their weapons again immediately, just as they saw Ilia, Vernal, Ren and Nora were sprinting toward the scene as well. "That answers that! C'mon, Ben needs our help!" Ruby said before she and her sister were off as well.
"Right! Hang in there, Green Boy!" Yang hollered.
…..
Four Arms hated to admit it. He took his eye off the ball.
Things had started off relatively well. The Creepers had taken his challenge and, like the suckers they were, charged in as he held onto the light post like an oversized golf club. The very moment they came into range, he reeled it back and yelled; "FORE!" before swinging it forward, slamming the metal pole into them once, twice… and it WOULD have been thrice had the third creeper not caught it. "Mph, should've guessed that not ALL of you would go quietly. GRAH!"
Wrenching his whole body back, the Tetramand swung his makeshift weapon away, and thankfully, the Creeper had kept a hold of it. He slammed it headfirst into a brick wall and then proceeded to hit it over the head again and again with the light post, hammering it down like a nail into a plank of wood. But, as he was doing this, the other two Creepers came lunging back onto the scene with their claws out and their teeth bared, ready to sink them into Four Arms. They landed on his back… but then he instantly fell to his back, crushing them beneath him.
"Ha! Nice try!" Four Arms picked the Creepers up with two hands and began pummeling them with his other two, eliciting pained cries from both. "Sorry to do this, but whoever's inside these things… you made some poor life choices, I'll just say that."
As he kept up his offensive, though, the other Creeper came to its senses and immediately jumped at Four Arms' legs, chop-blocking him and taking his legs out from under him. "Augh!" Four Arms fell to his knees as the Creeper bit into them for good measure, only making him scream louder. "AAGH! Get OFF me!" He tried kicking the monster away, but it was determined and relentless, biting only harder still.
This gave the other Creepers a chance to escape as well, wrenching themselves free so they could bite down hard into Four Arms' hands. "GRAH!" Before he knew it, all three Creepers were on top of him and clawing at him… but even still, he had a plan. His smaller set of arms were still free, so if he could just pull himself up…
"Hang in there, Green Boy!" he suddenly heard his girlfriend call out to him. "We're comin'!"
He saw his team all rushing to his aid, but he quickly put his plan into motion. With a quick pump of his arms, he shot himself up and onto his feet, leaving the others stunned. "Thanks for the thought, guys, but I've got it all under control… RAH!" With a sudden flex of his muscles, Four Arms pushed away all three Creepers, leaving the team in awe.
"Woah… okay, you're WAY too strong." Vernal pointed out. "And I thought that "Ultimate Humungousaur" thing was something else."
"This ain't my first rodeo, ya know." Four Arms pointed out as the Creepers started to converge on one another, roaring in challenge. "Ha! That all you got, freaks? C'mon, I've got more where that… came… from." But the Tetramand trailed off as the three Creepers suddenly did something… VERY unexpected.
They all reared their heads back before CRASHING them all together at once, where they actually merged all into one head with a mass of eyes and mouths mashed together. The team collectively gasped, and some even shrieked as the frankly grotesque scene continued. The Creepers' bodies all began to morph and reshape around one another, creating one big torso with SIX pectoral muscles, a slew of abdominal muscles all mashed together, and what's more, they kept the same number of arms and legs, meaning that its pelvis was now one big mess of limbs. Before long, its face had finally figured itself out, with all six eyes now above one another… while its three mouths were arranged in the same way, too.
Even worse still is that it actually GREW to about eighteen feet, combining all of their respective heights into one. And all while this happened, they Creepers' bodies were making an… oddly familiar sound that Ruby couldn't help but notice. 'Where have I heard that sound before?' she thought through her ever-growing fear.
Once it was done, what stood before them could only be called an afront to God itself; a being with three mouths and three sets of eyes, a mish-mash of muscular structure and a muddle of arms and legs that somehow could still stand on all six feet. The beast opened all three orifices and roared at the heroes, making the blood drain from their faces. Four Arms could only bring himself to say one thing in this situation;
"…I know you guys probably won't get this, but… Ed, your story's getting weird!"
"Who's Ed?" Ilia asked.
"My point exactly. Now SCATTER!" The team did as they were told and leapt away from the beast as it brought one of its mighty hands down, punching the pavement where they once stood. Four Arms quickly took advantage of this and jumped at the hand, grasping it with all four hands and yanking as hard as he could. But, much to his shock, HE was actually pulled up from the ground and slammed back down by the beast, planting him beneath its palm. "Ugh… hey… that was NOT part of the plan!"
Vernal blasted the Creeper's hand with her Ver Laminae, making it back off of Four Arms for the time being. "Oh, so whatever happened to "hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast", eh?"
"Well, I didn't exactly expect them to pull THIS crap, now did I?!"
Yang quickly got in between the two, holding her hands up to separate them. "Guys, STOP! Now's not the time to be arguing! We—LOOK OUT!" Yang grabbed Vernal and shoved her out of the way as one of the Creeper's feet slammed down near them, with Four Arms just barely able to get out of the way.
Nora, however, wouldn't be intimidated so easily. "Hey! I ain't 'fraid of no Tri-Creeper! Let's take that thing down!"
"Yeah, right there with ya, Nora!" Ruby agreed as she and the Valkyrie practically rode into battle on their weapons, launching themselves up at the beast's malformed head. "Let's see how you like THIS, big n' ugly! GYAAAH!" Ruby and Nora concurrently swung their weapons at the Tri-Creeper's head, with Ruby slicing a good way down its cheek while Nora clocked it in the side of the head with an explosive hammer strike. The two girls landed behind the monster and spun around to see their handiwork.
…And were quickly left flabbergasted at what happened next. The Tri-Creeper turned toward them, showing its sliced cheek and a new burn mark on its other one. But, in just a few seconds, a blue glow came from both cheeks and the wounds were healed in an instant. Nora's jaw fell to the asphalt. "WHAT?! Since when can they do THAT?!"
'There's that noise again.' Ruby noted, having heard it while the Tri-Creeper healed itself. "I-I don't know! Maybe now that they're all together, they have enough power between them to heal their wounds?"
"Well, that's one theory." Ren agreed, all while the Tri-Creeper continued to set upon them. "But right now, I think we should be focused on staying alive instead of guessing!"
"Alright then, any plans on HOW we're gonna stay alive?!" Ilia retorted.
Four Arms rushed back in and held up two hands to the group. "Yeah… kinda! You all stay back for now." He clenched all four fists and went into a crouch. "I'll bring this thing to all six of its knees. RAH!" The hero sprang forth with a mighty leap, much to the dismay of his allies.
Yang reached out and shouted; "BEN! Hold on, you don't know what that thing can—"
GYYAAAAARGH! Before she could finish, the Tri-Creeper reached out with one of its large hands and grabbed Four Arms by the head, the Tetramand reaching up to take hold of the large hand. "AUGH! Is THAT how you wanna play this?!" Four Arms swung his legs up and wrapped them around its arm, pulling himself out of its grasp. He swung himself up and launched himself at its ugly face. "Then I'm happy to—ACK!"
But of course, the beast had MORE than one arm. Using two more, it caught Four Arms and started to tightly squeeze down on him, all while sinking its claws into his flesh. The Tetramand cry out in agony before then being smashed straight into the ground, and from there, the Tri-Creeper started using its claws to slash into him repeatedly. "AAAGHAAAGH!"
"Ben, NO!" Yang and the others rushed forward to help, only for Vernal to block their path.
"Yang, stop! It's too dangerous!" Vernal advised, glancing over her shoulder in concern. "Why do you think Ben told us to stay back?!"
But the blonde was quick to argue with her. "Well we can't just sit here and watch him suffer! We need a plan!"
"Oh, I have one." Everyone did a double take at the new voice that entered the conversation, especially since it was one that they weren't expecting. The Tri-Creeper craned its massive head around to see Gwen, Kevin, and most surprising of all, Charmcaster all standing behind it. …Or in Charmcaster's case, floating behind it. "Though I guess I should say WE have one." She glanced in Gwen's direction. "Right?"
The Anodite lit her hands up, ready to put their strategy into motion. "Oh, you bet. Ready?" Charmcaster nodded to her and before long, both ladies were floating up high into the air, their hands glowing with ethereal energy. "Kevin, get it off of Ben!"
Kevin charged in with his hands already shifted into blazing weapons, the Osmosian knowing full well what to do. "On it! Hey, Butt Ugly! Ya might wanna get a refund on that facial!" The Tri-Creeper roared at Kevin before bringing one of its hands down to crush him, only for it to suddenly get stabbed through the palm with a blazing hot Dust crystal blade. "Now GET OFFA MY FRIEND!" The beast cried out as it desperately started healing itself, but then Kevin rushed in and smashed his hammer hand against one of its legs, making it topple over and off of Four Arms. "You're set!"
"Then let's do it." Charmcaster reached out and put her hand over Gwen's, and simultaneously, they shouted; "Contineo!" From their palms, a huge wave of energy blasted out and enveloped the writhing abomination, creating a large force field of magical energy around it. The Tri-Creeper noticed it immediately, and once it healed its wounds, it began bashing its hands and feet against the barrier, hoping to break through.
Gwen took a breath as she and Charmcaster landed. "Hah… there, that ought to hold it."
"But not for long." Charmcaster warned as the Tri-Creeper roared furiously. "The rate it's going, it'll break through the spell in probably a few minutes, so we need to—"
"GWEN!" The sorceress was cut off by Four Arms' deep bellow, the two ladies and Kevin snapped their heads toward him as he closed in. And it was obvious that the Tetramand was not happy. His clothes were all in tatters and his body covered in cuts, and he pointed at Charmcaster as all four eyes glared at his cousin. "What the hell is SHE doing out of her bubble?!"
Before the redhead could answer, Charmcaster did it for her. "Psh, helping save your ass, obviously." Quickly, Four Arms' scowl went straight to her, but she just brushed it off. "Please, Tennyson, you think I'm afraid of you? I've seen creatures that are SEVERAL times more frightening than your aliens."
"Maybe, but you probably SHOULD be scared of me." Four Arms asserted. "You might have Gwen's sympathies, but if you think that I'm just gonna trust you—"
"I don't expect you to trust me." Charmcaster retorted. "I just expect my end of the bargain to be upheld. I help, I walk, that's that."
And the Tetramand immediately snapped back to his cousin. "GWEN?!"
But Gwen wasn't about to back down. "Ben, we NEED help in this situation. Especially with something like THAT." She pointed at the Tri-Creeper, which only seemed to double its efforts in trying to break out. "We needed time to make a plan, and that's what we've got now. Charmcaster and I are equally experienced in magic, so it only made sense to team up."
Four Arms facepalmed at that. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. You KNOW that she has vital information and you PROMISED her she could leave in exchange for her help."
"If she won't tell us, then we can figure it out on our own." Gwen resolved, shifting her eyes over to the silver-haired young woman. "We may not know what's going on here, but I think we've at least got some clues and hints just by what's on display in there."
"Hah, good luck trying to put the pieces together without me, Gwenny." Charmcaster shook her head before sending her own glare at Four Arms. "But that's all beside the point. I'm here, I'm ready to help, so let's make a plan."
Four Arms' lips curled into a snarl, his fists clenching in ire. However, a soft touch brought him out of his rage for a minute. He whipped his head back around and saw Yang, the Blonde Brawler's gaze filled with sympathy for her boyfriend. "Ben, I know this must be super frustrating. Trust me, I get it. But right now, THAT thing needs to be taken out and we can use all the help we can get." She held one of his hands, soothingly rubbing the back of it to help calm him. "Please, just this once."
"…Agh, crap baskets." The hero groaned in defeat, placing his other three hands on his hips as he stood up straight, making sure that he was looking down at Charmcaster. "Fine, I'll go along with Gwen's promise. …BUT!" He pointed at her again for emphasis. "I see any funny business at all, and you're going straight to the Null Void. Understand?"
Charmcaster merely shrugged. "Well, alright. Not sure what that's supposed to do since I can get back to Ledgerdomain from ANYWHERE, but I'll respect your wishes."
"I… hate that you're right about that." Four Arms bemoaned. "Alright, Hot Topic Scarlet Witch, any ideas?"
Kevin snickered at that while Charmcaster soured at the hero's remark. "Okay, one; this here?" She gestured to her dress. "THIS is much more expensive than any of those stores' product. Secondly… give me a minute."
The young woman stepped closer to the force field, not even flinching at the Tri-Creeper as it kept up its assault. Rather, she closed her eyes and silently chanted some sort of spell before her eyes snapped open again, now completely glossed over in a glowing white light. The team was taken aback, but after a few moments of simply staring at the fused monster, Charmcaster's eyes went back to normal, and she wore an intrigued expression. "Okay, so that's interesting…"
"What is?" Ruby asked.
"That thing… or those things, rather, they didn't completely fuse together." Charmcaster pointed up to the Tri-Creeper's oversized head. "See how big its head is? It has to be like that because there's three brains inside of it."
Nora and many others winced at that. "Okay, so other than being utterly gross, what does that mean?"
"It means that if that thing fused together like that, then it's possible to make them un-fuse just as easily." Charmcaster concluded. "My guess is that those three brains each run a set of body parts, to if we overwhelm this thing both physically and mentally, we might cause it to come apart."
Vernal nodded in approval. "Hm, not a bad plan. We've got tons of moving targets, so that shouldn't be an issue."
Ilia folded her arms over her chest. "But how do we take it down?! If you hadn't noticed, that thing brought Four Arms down with no problem." BAM! "AH!" The group gasped as the Tri-Creeper's latest hit made the shield reverberate, and a visible crack was formed on it.
"I don't know how we're gonna do it, but we might wanna figure it out fast." Kevin noted.
Four Arms lowered his head in thought… only for an idea to immediately spring forth to him. "Well… maybe REGULAR Four Arms isn't strong enough." He smirked as he reached up to his chest and began rotating the Omnitrix. "So how about we try…" SMACK! The Tetramand hit the faceplate and its four anchors popped out, and from there, he started to transform once again.
As the green energy spread out from his chest, his main color changed from red to a deep blue, with his clothes now just entirely gone. Instead, his chest was fully bear, exposing his muscular pecs and abdomen as his body started to grow more and more. As the energy traveled out, though, that's where some major changes started to be seen. For one… a pair of arms just up and disappeared, with his main arms now growing to an obscene length. They now practically reached down to his feet, and were covered with dark blue armor plating for the most part. There were several spikes on his shoulder plates and his hands were glowing bright blue, almost as if they were coursing with powerful energy.
His lower half was also a bit more muscular AND heavily armored, though his legs were now a bit disproportionate to his arms. The blue skin on his feet was left exposed as an extra toe grew out of his ankle, giving him four toes total. As for his head, it changed pretty dramatically, with a huge chin with a pair of dark blue spikes growing out of each side of his jaw line. His forehead was now much more pronounced with dark blue ridges forming between both pairs of eyes, giving them a bit more durability as a result. By the end of his transformation, the newly evolved Tetramand was almost the same size as the Tri-Creeper itself, and he slammed his foot to the ground as he reared back his head, roaring his name to the heavens;
"ULTIMATE FOUR ARMS!"
The team were left slack jawed fore a few moments, but quickly were brought out of it by the sheer amazement of the new form before them. "HAHAHA! Holy crap!" Yang guffawed. "He's BIG!"
"He's BLUE!" Nora exclaimed.
"He… only has two arms." Ruby noticed, which took everyone off guard as well, including Four Arms himself.
The Evolved Tetramand rose his new arms up curiously, somewhat baffled by this. Mainly because… he still felt like he had multiple hands. "W-Wait, what? But… that's impossible. I still FEEL like I have four hands! …Or is it six hands?"
"Wait… Ben, are you telling me you HAVEN'T used Ultimate Four Arms before?" Gwen asked with a skeptical brow raised. The hero glanced off to the side awkwardly, making his cousin deadpan at him. "Did you use ANY Ultimates other than the seven Kevin and I saw?"
BOOM! But before either of them could wonder about that any further, the Tri-Creeper bashed its whole body against the shield, making it crack even further. "No time to think about the little things!" Charmcaster chided. "Focus on fighting THAT thing now and we'll worry about the other stuff later!"
Ultimate Four Arms was perturbed by Charmcaster telling him what to do, but at the same time, she was right. "Yeah, gotcha. Alright, team, let's focus up! I've got at least ten minutes with this form, so let's make it count! We ready?!" The hero got a collective "YEAH!" in response. "Then let's FREAKING GO!"
At his word, the team scattered off in several directions, just as the Tri-Creeper broke through the force field. Ruby, Yang and Nora went one way while Vernal, Ren and Ilia went the opposite, with Gwen, Kevin and Charmcaster going right down the middle. All of them started their attack off strong, with the first three firing upon the Tri-Creeper from its right side. The beast bellowed at the two sisters and redheaded Valkyrie as they fired upon it, only to then feel even more blasts and bullets peppering it from its other side. And then, a really nasty shock got its full attention and it spun around toward Ren, Vernal and Ilia… only for its now exposed rear to be set upon by even MORE attacks. Kevin swiped his sword arm at the fused monster's leg, making it buckle and cry out while Gwen and Charmcaster unloaded a combined attack;
"Adficio Potentia!" Gwen extended her hands out and sent out multiple mana whips out at the Tri-Creeper, effectively holding it in place. "Now, Charmcaster!"
"ERADICO!" The sorceress thrust her arms forward and sent out streams of energy from her hands, which exploded upon contact with the Tri-Creeper. It wailed in agony as it continued to be pelted with more and more ranged attacks, all while, inside its three brains, it was wracked with indecision.
Logically, the ones who were rattling it with explosives were the most dangerous ones, but then again, it perceived the six others as much weaker, so rationally, they could be taken out faster. But still, there were MORE of the weaker ones, so what would stop them from ganging up on it and taking it down. The beast whipped its head around from group to group, trying to make the choice of who it should go for first. …But in the end, all it ended up with was a headache that was three times worse than a normal one. It didn't help that Kevin had just climbed up its back and hit it in the back of the head either. GYAAAAARRGH!
The Tri-Creeper started rolling away, trying to get out of the line of fire before Kevin shouted to his best friend; "Dude, you're up!"
"Way ahead of ya!" Ultimate Four Arms charged forth into battle, blowing past the two magic users as they halted their explosive onslaught. The big, blue alien closed in on the Tri-Creeper, which seemed thankful to have a little reprieve. 'Won't be like that for long, though!' With that thought, Ultimate Four Arms leapt at the fused monster… only to fall over in midair, much to his surprise. "Agh! What the—" THWAK! "AUGH!"
A strong backhand by the Tri-Creeper made Ultimate Four Arms tumble a bit, but he quickly got back to his feet, shaking off the hit as his opponent stood back up. "Alright, lesson learned; can't jump anymore." He slammed his fists together and popped some muscles in his neck. "Looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way! GRAH!" The Evolved Tetramand barreled forward, putting his bulky upper body entirely into it as he raised both of his glowing fists.
Thankfully, the Tri-Creeper was still being pelted with bullets and energy attacks from all sides thanks to Yang and the others, who cheered the hero on from their positions. "C'mon, Green Boy! Give that thing all you've got!" But the beast itself had other plans in mind. It raised all six of its arms and actually spun away from Ultimate Four Arms, roaring at the teens who were firing upon it. It'd had enough.
"Oh crud, fall back!" Ruby exclaimed, and everyone was quick to follow her lead. They got out of there just as the six fists came crashing down, the Tri-Creeper roaring angrily at them.
"Hey!" The Tri-Creeper spun itself around… just in time to see Ultimate Four Arms come and punch it in the face, making it stumble away. "Pick on someone your own size!" He charged in yet again, but the beast was able to steady itself, bracing four of its legs against the ground to get some extra leverage on the Evolved Tetramand. It caught the next round of punches using all six of its own arms, and then quickly wrenched Four Arms back down to the ground.
But here, the hero knew exactly what to do. "Oh no, ya don't!" Ultimate Four Arms grabbed the Tri-Creeper by two of its arms, and the second he touched them, a hissing sound could be heard as smoke wafted up from his palms. The creature shrieked painfully, the feeling of burned taking it off guard and allowing Four Arms to pull it down as well. From there, he straddled the Tri-Creeper and started pummeling away, with each punch leaving a fist-shaped singe mark on its body.
However, the monster wasn't done. It brought four of its legs up and kicked Ultimate Four Arms off of it, sending him careening back into a nearby building. It stood back up… only to be stunned at the sight of the Evolved Tetramand looking none the worse for wear. His new armored form had protected him, even as he lay in a pile of rubble. "Hah… okay, you're tough…" He thrust his arm up to point at the creature. "But you're stupid if ya think THIS is gonna stop—" Click-click! "…me?"
Suddenly, four pieces of Four Arms' armored plating shifted up on his lower arm, revealing what appeared to be dark, empty spaces. But then, much to everyone's shock, the openings began to burst out with powerful blue flames, and from there, Ultimate Four Arms' entire forearm LAUNCHED off of his elbow, his huge fist rocketing at the Tri-Creeper before socking it right in the jaw, accentuated by a powerful energy burst that came from his fist.
"…Am I just seeing things," Ren pointed as the Tri-Creeper fell, "or was that a—"
"ROCKET PUNCH!" Nora shouted in glee.
"Okay, I'll admit, THAT was freaking cool." Vernal declared with a fist pump. "Go get 'em, Tennyson!"
Four Arms himself was a bit stunned himself, but at the same time, he couldn't deny how AWESOME this was. At that moment, he also felt his other two hands a bit better, leading him to peer down at his elbow… where two very small, vestigial hands were poking out of the armor plating. "Huh, so that's where those were…" Just then, instinct began to settle in to the new Ultimate's head and he extended his stubby hands, which started to glow faintly.
In actuality, it was a faint telepathic signal to the ejected fist, which immediately rocketed back and reattached to his arm. The big fist had lost its glow, but was slowly starting to come back after reattachment. Ultimate Four Arms balled his fist back up and smirked wildly. "Oh, this is gonna be fun. HYAH!"
He bolted forward while shooting his other fist out, catching the Tri-Creeper just as it was about to stand up. Only this time, the flying hand was open and actually slammed itself into the beast's neck, pinning it back down to the ground before Ultimate Four Arms called it back. He was about to pounce onto the fused creature, but Four Arms quickly found himself kicked away yet again, the Tri-Creeper now just a mass of flailing limbs as it thrashed about in its anger.
"Hmph! Okay then…" Four Arms glanced down to his right fist, which had just finished recharging. His left one was still good to go, and that's when a new idea struck him. 'Double fists… twice the power of the explosion.' It was a sound idea, but he needed a way to approach the thing without getting smacked away again. He studied his arms for a second before trailing his four eyes skyward. 'I wonder…'
The Ultimate Alien pointed his fists straight up to the sky as their rockets activated, though he made sure to keep his fists attached. "Alright, time to try something CRAZYYYY!" Just as he thought, the rockets were powerful enough to lift him straight up into the air, much to the rest of the team's amazement.
"…Gwen, your cousin always comes up with some of the wildest ideas." Charmcaster murmured.
"Yeah, I know." Gwen smirked knowingly. "Go get 'em, Ben."
High in the sky, Ultimate Four Arms had reached what he deemed to be a suitable peak before changing his course. His strength allowed him to thrust his arms down abruptly and start rocketing him back to the earth below… and right toward the Tri-Creeper. The beast was just starting to get up once more… when it saw the Evolved Tetramand careening down at it. "WATCH THE BIRDIE!"
KER-THWAM!
Ultimate Four Arms crashed himself fists-first into the Tri-Creeper and the two slammed straight into the ground below. And then…
BOOOOOOMM!
The team had to brace themselves as a blue dome of explosive energy enveloped both the hero and the Tri-Creeper, the flash of the explosion blinding them all momentarily. Once the light died down and the smoke cleared, however, the team were greeted by a very welcomed sight. Ultimate Four Arms stood atop the Tri-Creeper… or rather, the three Creepers that formed the Tri-Creeper. The explosion was powerful enough to separate the trio, much to everyone's relief.
"Ha! Now that's what I call an explosive finish!" Ultimate Four Arms quipped before he reached up and touched the Omnitrix, bringing him out of his evolved state. Four Arms then transformed back into Ben in a flash of green light, just in time to intercept an incoming hug and kiss from his girlfriend. "AH! Haha! So I take it you enjoyed all that?"
"You'd better believe it!" Yang gave her boyfriend another peck on the cheek. "Ben, that has to be your coolest Ultimate EVER!"
Nora quickly added her own two cents as well. "Yeah! I mean, you know me, I'm a Humungousaur fan myself, but Ult. Four Arms is DEFINITELY up there with him!" She shot her arms up and started punching, mimicking what Ben did before. "You were all like, POW! And it was a like "GYAAAAH"! And then you went SHOOM and then came down with a KA-BLAM!" After taking a few breaths, Nora crossed her arms and gave a final nod. "Yep, you were just like that."
The gang couldn't help but smile and shake their heads at Nora's usual antics. "Heh, I guess that's a pretty accurate description. But I gotta agree. Ult. Four Arms might be a new fave of mine."
"Which thankfully you got a hang of pretty quickly." Gwen pointed out. "Isn't the Omnitrix supposed to feed you info on the transformations you have?"
"Yeah, but sometimes it takes a while depending on the transformation, at least from what I've experienced." Ben noted. "It could come quick to me like Crashhopper from the other day… or like Ball Weevil and some others, it takes me a bit to figure things out." He craned his head down to the Creepers, which thankfully, all seemed to be transforming back into their original human forms. "But we can talk about that later. Right now, we gotta take these people in, get them help, and—AH!"
But before any of them could do a thing, a small, red portal suddenly popped into existence from out of nowhere and shot across the team's path, swallowing up one of the former Creepers in an instant. And from there, several more portals did the same thing, taking away each person one by one. "W-Wait! No—NO!" Ruby shot forward with her Semblance, hoping to grab hold to at least one of the people before they disappeared. Unfortunately, the portal proved to be faster and made the last person vanish, leading Ruby to tumble to the road in shock. "AGH! Darn it! Not this AGAIN!"
Just then, a soft chortle could be heard from a adjacent alley way, leading everyone to spin to the darkened backstreet. Slowly but surely, a short figure appeared, and as they stepped into the light, the team recognized who it was. Before them stood the hunchbacked woman, her pale complexion only just barely visible in the streetlight. "Hmhmhm, impressive. VERY impressive…"
"You… you're with the Collective!" Ben strode forward with Gwen and Kevin by his side, with the rest of the team taking aim with their weapons. "What're you doing here?! Why'd you attack the museum?" the hero demanded.
"And where did you send those people?" Gwen added.
"Oh, don't worry about them." The woman waved with her thin, almost boney hand. "They'll be well taken care of until they are given permission to transform again and take up our great cause." Her smile increased into a smirk. "But I'm afraid you misunderstand. The Creepers were sent to attack you, not the museum. We've been… keeping an eye on you, and we felt that this opportunity would be too good to waste."
Kevin transformed his hand into a massive mace, which was still lite aflame. "We want answers, NOW! Who are you people, and what the hell even IS your mission?!"
The woman raised her hand to the Osmosian, rebuffing his question. "All in good time. The Exalted One is nearly ready to put our operations into motion. Everything shall be ready… soon."
"WHO is the Exalted One?!" Yang shouted. "Does he even EXIST?! Because at this point, I think the phrase "pics or it didn't happen" applies here!"
The woman remained silent on the matter as another portal opened up behind her, and she walked into it backwards as she continued smiling at them. "Don't worry… you'll be meeting HIM eventually, as well." The team all surged forward to try and stop her… only for the portal to close the moment she entered it, leaving them all irritated once more.
"AGH! You've gotta be kidding me!" Vernal bemoaned. "Girl spouts a bunch of cryptic BS and then bails? What the hell is her deal?"
Ren shook his head dejectedly. "I wish we knew. But it's obvious that the Collective must be ready to make their next big move… wherever they are."
Ilia pursed her lips, folding her arms over her chest in thought. "Would really help if we knew WHEN that big move will be coming, though."
"Don't worry, we WILL be ready for them whenever they do." Ben reinforced, taking center stage as he reassured his teammates. "Those guys might have us stumped on them for the most part right now, but once they take that first move, we'll get on top of 'em the moment we hear of it." He shifted his gaze up to the museum's shattered windows, sighing at the sight. "Let's just be glad that they didn't destroy the museum or anything. Those runes are nice and—wait, CHARMCASTER!"
Gwen gasped and spun around… just in time to see the silver-haired sorceress stepping through a portal. "Charmcaster, hold on! Wait!"
The young woman turned back to the Anodite, her features emotionless, but her eyes telling the redhead to not come after her. "We had a deal, Gwen. We're done here." she stated as the portal closed around her.
"Hope, wait!" Before the vortex could shut completely, Gwen could swear that she saw a twinge of sentiment come across Charmcaster's face, but the portal ultimately closed before she could confirm that. Saddened and disheartened, Gwen fell to her knees, giving a heavy sigh of her own. "…Goodbye."
Ben went over and kneeled down next to his cousin, a bit of frustration being heard in his voice. "You know, while I don't exactly support your decision on making that deal with her… I think you might have just gotten through to Charmcaster a little bit today." He offered Gwen a smile and placed an arm over her shoulders. "Don't give up, Gwen. As much as Charmcaster annoys me, I do think she's capable of being reasoned with."
"…You think she and I could be friends, Ben?" Gwen muttered.
"Absolutely."
The redhead took a deep breath and put on a determined grin, giving her cousin a nod. "Alright, I won't give up, then. Whatever it is Charmcaster's doing, I WILL find out what it is and I WILL help her." She glanced off to the side and added; "Whether she likes it or not…"
Ruby came up to her as well, helping her up to her feet. "That's the spirit! Friends don't let friends do dangerous stuff on their own, after all!" At that moment, though, Ruby let out a surprise yawn that took even herself off guard. "Haaaah—oh! Hehe… I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought."
From there, Ilia and Yang both let out their own yawns as well. "Yeah, I'm beat, honestly." Yang agreed. "Let's head back home."
However, without even making it ten feet into the parking lot where their rides were… the group suddenly heard sirens off in the distance, and then, something interesting caught everyone's eye. High above over some buildings in the distance, they all witnessed what they were pretty sure was some sort of being with stretchy limbs bounding over the buildings, doing feats of acrobatics that were both impressive and almost impossible. All the while, this stretchy figure was being pursued by someone else, who was just running across the rooftops normally.
"Uh… this isn't just the sleep deprivation, right?" Ilia asked. "Everyone's seeing the same thing?"
"Pretty sure. Hold on." Kevin ran right to his car and opened the trunk, pulling out a pair of high-tech binoculars. He brought them up and set his gaze out to the buildings, where he was met with a bizarre sight. "Huh… it's a purple chick in a parka. And she's carrying a containment canister on her back made for somethin' heavy duty."
Despite his tiredness, Ben was suddenly on high alert. "Red flag, MAJOR red flag."
"And who's chasing her down?" Vernal pressed further.
"Hold on, hold on, it's… oh, shoot! It's Rook!" Kevin exclaimed.
Nora shot up between Kevin and the binoculars, making him jump back with a gasp as she grabbed them from his hands. "Lemme see that!" The hammer-wielding girl peeked into the binoculars, and sure enough, she saw the Revonnahgander racing after the stretchy girl. "Huh! Well, whaddya know! It IS him!"
At that point, Ben's brow furrowed, intrigued at just what was going on. "Hm, alright, this all sounds VERY fishy. Might be worth looking into."
"We'll come with!" Ruby offered. "We're always up for—HAAAAaaaahh…" She was cut off by her own yawn, however, and her eyes started drooping a little. "Like I said, we're in this all the… way…"
"Yeah, no, you guys are pooped." Ben asserted, seeing just how exhausted some of his friends were. "Thanks for the offer, Ruby, but I'll be fine for just a little bit while I help Rook out. This shouldn't take long."
"Are you sure, Ben?" Yang asked in concern. "After all, you JUST got done using Ultimate Four Arms."
But, with a confident grin, Ben held up the Omnitrix, showing that it still glowed green. "It's alright, Yang. I only went Ultimate for a few minutes, so I should still have a little juice left." He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be there and back home before you know it. Promise."
Yang pursed her lips, reluctant to let him go without her. But given how confident he seemed to be about this, she smiled back and gave him a nod. "Hah, alright, if you say so. But, uh… who's gonna drive us home, anyway?"
"I will." Gwen offered. "I've driven Ben's car before, and it shouldn't be TOO much of a detour from my place."
"Thanks, Gwen." Ben bowed his head graciously. "You can drive my car back to your place and I'll pick it up there. I'll see you all later, 'kay?" The group acknowledged their leader before loading up into their respective rides, pulling out of the parking lot soon after. Ben popped a few muscles in his neck and went straight to the Omnitrix soon after. "Hah, a hero's work is never done, it seems." He found his chosen alien and pressed down on the Omnitrix's core, transforming into… "Crashhopper!" With a pump of his legs, the insectoid alien hopped out into the night and onto the roof tops, pursuing the unknown figure intently. "With any luck, I'll wrap this up before midnight!"
…..
Several minutes later, back at Gwen's house, the Anodite had just returned from dropping Ruby, Yang and Vernal off back at her cousin's place, letting out a small yawn as she entered her room. Jaune, Pyrrha and her parents had already hit the hay, but she did get a short hello from Kenny and Winter when she came in, the happy couple watching a movie. Ren and Nora had silently gone to their room and she went straight to hers, ready to unite with her bed for about eight hours.
After taking a quick shower and changing into her pajamas, she sauntered over to her bed and went to tuck herself in. …But then she realized something odd; her mattress seemed oddly sunken in when she sat on it. Gwen blinked and opened her eyes up wide as she looked beside her… only to be met with something… or someone she didn't expect. That being… Charmcaster. In HER room. "Ugh, finally. I've been here for like, ten minutes and only NOW you notice me?"
"AAAA—MMPH!"
The sorceress had immediately clamped her hand over the redhead's mouth, shushing her before she could make too much noise. "SSH! Let's not wake the entire house, huh? I'd rather NOT have a ton of people with weapons on top of us right now!"
Gwen jerked her head away and shot up to her feet, taking a combat stance as her hands started to glow. "Ch-Charmcaster! W-What're you doing here?! I thought you—"
"Left? Yes, I did." Charmcaster stood up as well, rubbing her arm sheepishly. "At least… I did at first. But… I felt it only right to say thank you."
"Thank you?" Gwen lowered her hands, tilting her head curiously. "Thank you for what?"
"For upholding your end of the bargain… and…" The silver-haired girl craned her head down as her cheeks flushed slightly pink. "For remembering my name. I… I-I didn't think that you of all people would think to remember my real name."
Gwen was taken aback by her words, to say the least. "…Of course, I remembered your name." She approached Charmcaster and placed a hand to her shoulder. "I mean, how could I forget it? It's such a pretty name."
"Psh, okay, NOW you're just kissing up." Charmcaster rolled her eyes and sat back down on Gwen's bed, lounging about on it for good measure. "But seriously, thank you. It… means a lot that someone cares enough to remember it."
"Hm, you're welcome." Gwen returned. "But I do mean it, you have such a pretty name, Hope." Her face twisted in annoyance at the thought of a certain someone not caring in the least to remember it. "It's amazing how that shithead, Michael, never cared to remember it at all."
Charmcaster was stunned at first, but let out a hearty laugh soon after. "HA! Gwenny, NOW you're speaking my language." She rolled onto her stomach and sent a knowing gaze at her rival. "And lemme just say, I LIKE it when you talk dirty…"
It was Gwen's turn for an eyeroll as she laughed, too. "Haha, well, I only talk like that about people who REALLY piss me off."
"Ooh, am I on that list then?"
Gwen sat down on her bed and laid down, making sure she was eye-to-eye with Charmcaster. "If you were, I'd probably be swearing up a storm AND would've kicked you out of my room by now." She cracked a grin and shook her head. "But you know that's not the case. Not after our time in Ledgerdomain."
"Hah… what exactly do you want, Gwen, a true confession?" Charmcaster sat up with a sigh. "Alright, I admit it… I don't exactly hate you anymore." She turned to the redhead as she sat up as well. "But I'm still reluctant to say you're a friend since… well, you surround yourself with people who really don't trust me."
"Then I'll just have to whittle Ben and Kevin down until they do." Gwen asserted, putting a hand to Charmcaster's shoulder. "And once you meet the team… under better circumstances, I'm sure they'll like you too. I meant what I said back at the museum, Hope, I have a feeling that you really don't want to be alone."
Charmcaster felt a big mixture of emotions at her words, though for the most part, she was happy that the young Anodite trusted and liked her so much. But, while those happy thoughts were prominent, she had to remind herself that now wasn't a good time for something like this. "…You're right. I don't want to be alone." The sorceress stood up and hugged her arms around herself worriedly. "But unfortunately, it's dangerous for me to be around anyone right now. Especially given who's following me."
Gwen immediately became concerned by that. "Okay, I know I promised that I wouldn't ask any questions, but… how dangerous IS this self-imposed mission you're on, Hope?"
"Very. Like I said, the fate of the world lies in the balance. I can't afford to fail."
"Then please, let us help you in SOME way." Gwen stood and stepped in front of Charmcaster, taking her by the shoulders. "You don't have to handle this all by yourself. Ben might've been pushy about it back at the museum, but—"
But Charmcaster's hands shot up and grasped Gwen's arms, not tightly, but firm enough to get her point across. "Gwen, don't you GET it?! I'm trying to PROTECT you here! I'm trying to protect EVERYONE close to me by doing this on my own. You, my uncle… is it sad that I'm trying to think up more examples?"
Gwen's heart sank at those words. "You are in desperate need of a hug. But… Hex doesn't even know you're doing this?"
Charmcaster shook her head. "No, and it's best it be kept that way. He's started a new life, you know. Reformed, gave up villainy… I think he's even taken up a teaching job somewhere."
"Huh, good for him." Gwen's expression grew stern as she locked eyes with Charmcaster once more. "But I'm serious, Charmcaster. You don't have to be alone in this." She saw the silver-haired girl crane her head down, screwing her eyes shut so she couldn't peer into her soul. "…Okay, tell you what?" Gwen offered a smile, getting Charmcaster's attention back. "Why don't I help you with whatever you're doing discreetly? It's obvious that you're searching for certain runes, so just tell me what kind I should be searching for and I'll contact you if I ever come across them?"
"You… you'd seriously do that for me?"
"Of course. What're friends for, am I right?"
Charmcaster paused at that. Admittedly… she could use more friends. In fact, she WANTED friends for a long time. 'I suppose now's as good a time as any to start.' With another sigh, Charmcaster returned Gwen's smile and nodded to her. "Hah, alright Gwen, you've won me over. I'll let you help me."
"YES!" Gwen spun around and thrust her arms into the air, much to Charmcaster's surprise. She stopped spinning and placed her hands on her shoulders yet again. "Hope, you won't regret this, I promise you."
"Hmhm, we'll see." Charmcaster chuckled before waving her hand, casting a spell that created a light-based image of a certain powerful rune. "You're familiar with this, right? The Alpha Rune?"
Gwen's brows rose in surprise. "Well yeah, of course. How could I forget?"
"Good. Be on the lookout for runes that are similar to it."
And that was when Gwen's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Wait… you're searching for runes like the Alpha Rune? But… I-I thought the Alpha Run was supposed to control ALL types of magic. The only one of its kind."
"So did I, up until a few months ago." Charmcaster swiped away the image of the Alpha Rune. "But I've been doing some research, and… if what I've learned is true, there could be at least eight others that are related to it, and all of them hold the key to stopping the destruction of the world as we know it."
"Eight others?" Gwen repeated, astonished by the revelation. "But… so many of those runes…" She and Charmcaster shared an understanding gaze, and the Anodite steeled herself. "Okay, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them. …So, what kind of world-ending scenario are we talking about here?"
"I can't be certain, but if what I've sensed through Ledgerdomain is anything to take into account, the groundwork has already been laid. Whatever this is, it could be powerful enough to even rock the foundation of the magical realm itself." She faced her new cohort again and grabbed her hand. "Gwen, please, don't tell your team about this, at least not yet. This has to stay between you and me for now, okay? This is a magic-related problem, so it's up to us to try and fix it."
Gwen pondered on that for a moment before stating; "We WILL have to tell them eventually, though, you know that."
"Of course, I do." Charmcaster affirmed. "Otherwise, Tennyson would never let me hear the end of it. But for now, this stays between us, okay?"
A breath escaped the Anodite's lips as she nodded her head. She was reluctant, yes, but at the same time, she wanted to earn Charmcaster's trust. And this was probably her best bet. "Okay. I trust your judgement on this, Hope." Just then, she leaned in and enveloped the older girl in a hug, much to the latter's shock. "Just… be sure to stay safe out there."
There was a brief moment where Charmcaster had no idea what to do. She hadn't been hugged like this in a LONG time, and she was admittedly having trouble processing it. Slowly but surely, though, she brought her hands in and placed them on Gwen's back, returning the hug. "I… thank you, Gwen. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"No problem at all." Gwen pulled away and gave Charmcaster a wink. "Now I think you should head out, before anyone catches us in here."
"Hm, right." With a wave of her hand, Charmcaster opened a portal out, giving Gwen one last nod of approval. "Well, let's do our best to save the world, huh?"
Gwen gave her a thumbs up right back. "Yeah, together." That little bit of reassurance made Charmcaster beam happily, and with one last goodbye wave, she stepped through the portal and disappeared, leaving Gwen alone with her thoughts. And at the moment, as she jumped back and sprawled onto her bed, she could only think of one thing;
'SUCCESS!'
…..
A/N: And there you have it! Charmcaster did indeed lend her assistance to the team to help them fight off the Creepers… which exhibited a new, very grotesque power in this chapter, didn't they? That said, if the familiar sound that Ruby heard is anything to go by, then we might be getting closer to finding out exactly what they are… But, more to the point, it seems that Charmcaster has started to let down her guard a bit and has brought Gwen into the fold of her mission to save the world… along with letting her in on the revelation that there could potentially be EIGHT other runes that are of similar power to the Alpha Rune! Definitely quite a shock, to be sure, but just HOW could there possibly be eight more of such a powerful artifact? Well, we'll just have to wait and see for those answers in the future, now won't we?
Of course, this chapter was practically one big fight scene, with everyone getting their shots in on all of the Creepers, as expected. But that being said… you guys know what you all want me to talk about, don't you? That's right, people, we have a BRAND-NEW ULTIMATE ALIEN! ULTIMATE FOUR ARMS! I'll admit, I've been wanting to introduce my own takes on how some Ultimates could be if they had debuted in the series, and surprisingly, my own take on Ult. Four Arms was actually relatively easy to come up with!
Of course, I would be lying if I said I didn't take at least SOME inspiration from O.R. Ash's own Ultimate Four Arms concept that he presented over on the Ink Tank. Mainly though, it's down to aesthetics, like the general facial structure, the body shape, the fact that he's blue, and the that he only has two HUGE arms. But really, that's all the inspiration I gleaned from that, and for his powers, I kind of went in the opposite direction of what he did.
Rather than having muscle regeneration and being able to grow limbs out of any part of his body, instead, my Ult. Four Arms is a lot more durable, with armor plating practically everywhere on his four primary limbs. As a result of this, and the fact that he's just a LOT bigger, Ult. Four Arms loses a bit of maneuverability, mainly his ability to jump really high. Plus, as mentioned, he also lost a pair of arms… technically. He still has four hands, but they're now all in two limbs, with a pair of bigger hands sliding over them.
But let's talk about those hands shall we? For indeed, Ultimate Four Arms' new power is… EXPLOSIVE ROCKET PUNCH! Indeed, these detachable arms actually store powerful energy that's generated inside of Four Arms' body and then pumped into them via the four smaller hands, which can actually utilize a bit of telepathic power to bring the hands back after they launch. Also, a lot of the energy is stored in the fist itself, which uses it to not just rocket forward, but also explode upon contact if Four Arms wishes. In addition to this, Four Arms can also keep himself connected to his fists and he can use them to fly… but only limitedly. In reality, Ult. Four Arms is even more awkward in the air than he is on the ground. That said, I hope you like my concept of Ultimate Four Arms here, and don't worry, we'll be seeing him again in the future.
But for now, NEXT TIME! We catch up with Ben as he joins Rook in chasing down this new thief on the scene. But are they as dangerous as the two Plumbers THINK they are? Or is there something bigger going on down in Undertown that warrants an investigation? Next time; Hot Stretch! Thanks for reading, everyone, and I'll catch you all again next week! And of course, as always, stay safe out there!
