Kingdom Hidden in the Clouds
By StraightedgeWingZero
Summary: Shinji didn't know anything regarding his mother's side of the family, in fact, he didn't know anything about her at all. One day he finds an item belonging to his mother and then he discovers she was quite literally not from this world
I own nothing
beta read by Lynell Werewolf
Chapter 20
Deeping Peril
(Moors)
A bright beam of light shot down on an open field in the kingdom of the Moors. From the light emerged Maleficent in all her elegance and grace. The light dissipated, and Maleficent sighed taking in the sight of her beloved forest realm. She spread her wings and took flight at incredible speeds.
Dashing through the crisp, clean air of her realm, she headed descended for a large, walled city known as Berk, located near the edge of a large mountain, h with a large gothic-like castle in the distance. She landed at the entrance with grace. The two elven armored female guards put their fists over their hearts and kneeled.
"Hail Queen Maleficent!" they uttered in unison.
Maleficent merely nodded and walked inside. There, she was greeted by the bustling sight of her people, consisting of female humanoid elves, winged female fairies big and small, and humanoid lion girls all alike. (Wau people from the Tenchi series)
Maleficent made an elegant entrance to the square, prompting her people to stop and bow in admiration.
She surveyed the peaceful climate of her beloved city before shifting her focus to the task at hand. With that in mind, she spread her large wings and took the skies again. Her destination was her large gothic-like castle in the distance. Vastly different from Asario's palace.
Whoosh!
Quickly, she landed in front of the castle with the large palace doors opening on contact. A pale-skinned, dark-haired female wearing a crimson red bodysuit with matching leg wrappings that covered her thighs, she wore no footwear, she had brown gauntlets on her forearms, she had what appeared to be twig-like horns on her head, with matching red gem on her forehead. And she had matching black markings underneath her eyes.
"Welcome back, Queen Maleficent," she said while bowing.
"Thank you, Aradnea. Where's Nitara?" Maleficent asked, walking inside.
"Out in the field, my Lady, investigating rumblings in the Nidara forest. " Aradnea answered
"Recall her back immediately! And prepare Berk's defenses!" Maleficent ordered
"As you wish, my Lady. Is it Dimitrescu again?" Aradnea asked. She got an affirmative nod.
"She is attacking Asario."
"She may target Berk next, so we must be prepared." Maleficent replied, "We will not be caught off guard again."
"Understood, my Lady!" Aradnea replied, leaving to carry out her orders
Maleficent walked briskly to her vast throne room. It wasn't as brightly colored as Princess Peach's throne room or had the golden shine of Asario's palace. It was a dark purple color, the color of almost absolute darkness, with some silver and gold on the walls. A familiar raven bird flew into the room.
"Daiva," Maleficent said.
The bird changed back into a girl and kneeled before her Queen.
"My Queen, I bring dire news," Daiva said.
"Speak."
"The bridge to Asario has been destroyed," Daiva reported, causing Maleficent's eyes to widen.
"What? How was that possible?!" the Queen demanded, walking up the steps to her throne.
"Alcina Dimitrescu, my lady. She led a surprise assault on Asario. Her objective was to destroy the bridge."
"Did Palutena manage to get there in time?" Maleficent asked.
Daiva nodded, "Yes, Milady. She fought Dimitrescu in her demon form, but Dimitrescu retreated."
"I see, so Asario's way of realm travel is closed off, and what of my old enemy?"
"She returned to the Forsaken Forest, but my Lady, there is more dire news regarding the princesses," Davia said, keeping her head low.
"What?" Maleficent demanded, standing up.
"There are whispers that the princesses were once in the Mushroom Realm, in the valley of Bowser, but have been separated. Cia is on Earth, but Elena..."
"Is what Davia? What has befallen my youngest daughter?! OUT WITH IT!" Maleficent roared. Her power shook the castle.
"The f-f-orsaken f-f-forest." Daiva spoke fearfully.
That caused the Moors Queen to freeze in place. Her precious daughter was in that demon monster's domain. Dimitrescu would seize any opportunity to cause Maleficent harm in any way she could. Even going after her children.
"Bring me and Nitara and Rila Now!"
"Yes, my lady!" Davia said. She changed back into a bird.
Maleficent sat back on her throne, her thoughts shifting towards her age-old rival. Aclina Dimitrescu. Once, they were close friends, now bitter enemies. While Aclina wanted dominion over the Moors and its people, Maleficent rose as its protector and ruler. It was hoped that Aclina and Maleficent could reconcile, but she became too power-mad and constantly threatened the safety of all denizens of her realm. After Maleficent became a mother, it was even more so. The last time they did battle was when Aclina kidnapped her daughters. The Moors Queen used her full dark powers that nearly destroyed half the realm. Her musings were cut short when the doors to her throne room opened. And in walked a winged woman, she had short dark hair, with a loose bandana covering one of her eyes, which were yellow.
She had beige skin, wore a small, red jacket, a black swimsuit top, with matching bikini briefs with belt straps around her mid-section with a gold chain, with half a long cloth, covering her shapely rear, she wore beige stockings with short red boots with gray on top. The winged woman approached the throne and kneeled before her Queen.
"Nitara." Maleficent addressed.
"My Queen, I was informed of the situation. When I was at the entrance. Our warriors are being mobilized. Now I've sent Eyatos out with Aero to reinforce the frontline of Berk's defenses." Nitara said.
"Very good. Where is Rila? " Maleficent asked.
"In the healing room, during our scouting of Nidara forest, we fell into an ambush, but she'll be fine in time for the battle," Nitara explained, only for Maleficent to shake her head.
"No, I need her to go to the forsaken forest. My daughter Elena is there."
"Princess Elena is there?! How?! Did Dimitrescu kidnap her again?!" asked Nitara.
"No, she was transported there by a strange twist of fate, along with a Mushroom kingdom champion, a Gerudo, and two Asarians." the Moors Queen explained.
"Two Asarians? I thought Elysuim forbade travel there for all Asarians."
"Indeed, but one of them is the male Asarian, Elysuim's grandson."
This caused Nitara to gasp in surprise
"The rumors were true!"
"Yes, now he's Alcina's domain with my daughter. I need Rila's knowledge of the Forsaken land and tracking skills to help me get them out."
"Why not ask, Fasha?" Nitara asked. She got a sharp glare in response.
"Excuse my impudence, my Queen, but Fasha is the only one to ever escape the Forsaken Land."
"Yes, after she was maimed and tortured by Alcina for days on end. Fasha was one of my best warriors and oldest friends. And Alcina tortured her to get to me. It was my shortsightedness that led her into Alcina's trap. "
Nitara wasn't with her at the time. But she heard reports of a crashed vessel that carried important cargo that crashed on the planet Sirus. Maleficent, along with Fasha and a contingent of troops went to investigate. There, they fell into an ambush by Dimitrescu's daughters, Banshee and Bela. Maleficent was incapacitated and trapped beneath the ruins of the ship while Fasha was taken.
When she broke free, she went after Alcina in furious anger. They did battle far from the Moors. It wasn't until Dimi was severely injured that Fasha was able to free herself but at a cost. Maleficent was filled with extreme guilt and loathing for herself. Fasha was never the same. Now, she spent her days in isolation, with virtually no contact with anyone. Maleficent checked in on her whenever she could but kept her distance, mainly watching from the skies. Maleficent blamed herself. Fasha was her responsibility, just like all in the realm, and she let her down. Maleficent will forever shoulder that burden.
"She's suffered enough. Now bring me, Fortuna and Rila at once!"
"At once, my Queen!" Nitara said, leaving the room.
"Elena, I'm coming." the dark Queen whispered as she looked out her window.
(Forsaken Land)
The group of Shinji, Ivy, Mercury, Elena, and Black Cat were traveling through the murky swamps far from Dimitrescu's manor. With Elena, her flight ability, although as temporary as it is, was out of the question. If she's seen in the open air, she would be instantly taken out and their position given away, and she would lose her power up, as well as their only advantage.
So they kept low to the ground to avoid any Alpha hunters that might roam nearby. They kept going, although there was no indication of the group nearing the north end or at least halfway.
"Elena?" asked Shinji.
"Yes, Prince?" answered Elena.
"You said you were kidnapped before, but how did that happen?" Shinji asked.
Elena sighed as she reluctantly began her tale.
"Cia and I were little girls. A warrior made of pure darkness snuck into the castle, bypassing our mother's barrier, and scooped us up while we were sleeping. He was at the command of Alcina Dimitrescu, my mother's enemy."
Shinji was shocked to hear this.
"She promised him a new clan if he served her without fail. We managed to slip away when the warrior was hit by a light energy attack from out of nowhere before we could reach her manor."
"Do you know who it was that fired the attack?"
"No, but it was timely. Cia and I managed to escape to the north end, but not before we were intercepted. Luckily, our warriors were there with my mother, and they got us out." Elena finished.
The night was beginning to fall. The group would need to make camp for the night. They found a cave not too far from their current location. Black Cat volunteered to hunt for food, Mercury and Shinji gathered some wood for fire, and Ivy stood guard, watching out for any alpha hunter that might be roaming the area. She had her sword by her side, ready to fight.
Elena took a short flight to get a better vantage point of their surroundings. From what she could tell, they were still a long way from the north end. Fortunately, their group was still a good distance away from Dimitrescu's castle manor. Mercury and Shinji returned from gathering wood, and Cat from collecting fish.
"Mercury." Ivy addressed.
"Yes, Ivy," Mercury replied.
"I wanted to inquire about your fellow champions fighting in the other regions of the Mushroom Kingdom. Did you know how they were fairing?" Ivy asked.
"Mana managed to push back the invaders that infested Mushroom Heights from what I last heard. Ashi was in the dark lands. I do not know what became of the others." Mercury said.
"And the Power Star? Did you leave that unsecured back at Evil-lena's castle?"
"Not exactly. Once released, the Power Star returns to where it came from."
"Peach's castle." Ivy guessed, only for the water guardian to shake her head no.
"Not exactly."
"Then where?"
"It is said to return to the vast ocean of stars from which it was born from."
"I...I... never knew that." Ivy stammered.
"Power stars have some sentience in them, another reason they are so closely guarded other than their immense power," Mercury said.
While their conversation was going on, Black Cat was cooking the fish by the fire. She listened intently, but she was more concerned with Dimitrescu. She had tortured and killed many of her sisters for sport. Now, she was in the heart of her domain. This further complicated her mission. Her thoughts were interrupted when Shinji brought the last of the firewood and set it down to grow the fire, which helped cook the fish more.
"Are you feeling alright, Your Majesty?" asked Black Cat.
"I'm feeling fine, Cat. I just never imagined being in a spooky forest," Shinji replied, looking into the dark forest as night fell.
"If it makes you feel better, neither did I. This is my first time in the Moors, in this dark forest where Dimitrescu rules." Black Cat spoke anxiously, "I've heard nothing but vile things about her. She's tortured the denizens of my realm. Few have faced her, and none have returned. I dread having to face her."
Shinji could miss the fear the Gerudo's voice, although he was still unclear of her motives for being here other than bringing him back to Asario. Speaking of which, he thought back to Sage's Sword, which he still had thankfully. He still didn't know how he could lift it with such ease when it looked heavy. So many questions ran through Shinji's mind.
"Princess Elena," Ivy said as she floated down to the cave entrance.
"What did you see?" asked Mercury.
"We are still quite far from the Northern end, but we're also a good distance away from Alcina's heavily guarded castle. That's the good news." Elena reported, walking back in.
"Hmm, then we must keep on this path." Ivy said, "Do what we can to avoid a confrontation with Dimitrescu."
"I have no doubt she's watching."
Everyone nodded in agreement at that. They gathered around the fire, ate cautiously, and quietly voted on who would take the first watch. Mercury was the first to volunteer, followed by Ivy and then Black Cat. Mercury activated her visor to scan for anything in the area at the cave's entrance while the rest lay down to get some rest. Shinji laid down on his side after removing the staff and keeping the white sword near him.
"Recover the white sword, unite the artifacts." Elysuim's voice echoed in Shinji's head.
"I've got to get the sword back to Asario." thought Shinji, looking at the white sword beside him.
His thoughts were cut short when a pair of slim arms wrapped around him, and felt a pair of breasts press against him.
"Huh, what?" Shinji yelped.
"I'm sorry if I startled you, Prince Shinji, but I thought I'd try to keep you warm here in this cold cave," Elena softly spoke as she wrapped her short cape around him.
"Y-You don't have t-to." Shinji stuttered.
"Oh, but I must. I do not wish for you to get sick before we have a chance to leave this horrid place," Elena said.
Elena inched closer, almost cuddling with the boy. Ivy noticed this with a twinge of jealousy going through her. Silently praying to Alaria that she will have her moment with her Prince. But for now, his safety and survival were her main priority. Ivy took a spot closest to Shinji, in a sitting position, her back against the cave wall, keeping her sword next to her.
Ivy might have spent her days guarding Elysium while she slept in the relatively safety of the castle, but her mind and skill were still sharp and on constant alert for any dangers. Black Cat lay down next to the fire, not saying anything, lying flat on her back and crossing her arms.
"If by some chance we get near Dimitrescu's manor, I might be able to snag a travel stone. If she has one." Cat thought.
Nothing else was said as the group drifted off into slumber. Save for Mercury, who still had her visor active, scanning for enemies in the dark forest. Little did she know, a hooded figure cloaked in gray hiding darkness, holding what seemed to be a wooden female puppet dressed in a dirty white dress watched the group silently.
"New playmates." a voice whispered, but it wasn't said by the puppeteer
"Now the game can begin."
(Earth Europe)
The group consisting of Cia, Kitana(who turned invisible) Orchid, Kasumi, and Rei traveled through a small but deserted town. Much to their fortune, they haven't encountered anyone yet, but it seemed like early morning while it was still raining, so no one would be awake. The group took refuge in an abandoned hut. Orchid and Kasumi(Still having her tanooki ears and tail) took clothes hanging off clotheslines as a means of blending in.
Cia opted to remain in her sundress. As did Rei, who retained her super strength and stamina but lost her ice power. Rei looked to the rainy outside. Her thoughts were on the NERV branch here. They most likely had a wide surveillance grid in one of the other cities. If they were to spot her, they would report her location back to NERV in Japan. She couldn't allow that to happen.
"Mortal, " a voice spoke, causing Rei to look around.
Out of thin air, Kitana appeared next to the first child, startling her.
"Kitana, wasn't it?" Rei inquired.
"Yes, you mask your emotions well, but upon looking closely, I can tell something is troubling you," Kitana said, seeing the girl tense just a bit.
"The NERV branch, here. If they discover our location, more specifically my location, they'll report it to the branch back in Japan and mostly likely force me back there against my will." Rei explained.
"Ah, I see, Lord Shinji explained to me what this NERV is. They force children such as yourself and Prince Shinji to battle "Angels" inside the Evangelion mechs."
"That is correct."
"If it is as you both say, we must take great care that you not be discovered. NERV is unaware of our presence here, which gives us an advantage."
"Agreed, Twilight Dweller, but we still have a more pressing problem, like how to return to the realms." Cia said, "We were separated from Prince Shinji and my sister. We don't know if they're still back in the mushroom or still in the valley of Bowser."
"Yes. And something must have happened in Asario if we can't call for the bridge. Palutena would not order it sealed off unless it was for a dire reason." Orchid said, looking out another window.
"What could have happened? Impa would- hm Kasumi." Orchid stopped short, seeing her friend's eyes narrow as she looked to the outside.
"I sense we're being watched," warned Kasumi.
That quickly put everyone on edge.
"Can you see by who?" asked Rei. She got a shake of the head in the negative.
"No, they are masking their presence quite well,"
"Could they be other Twilight Dwellers?" Cia asked.
"Could they, Kitana?" Orchid asked.
"It's possible because my people are employed to be assassins, saboteurs, spies, and guards outside of -"
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
Any further conversation was interrupted by the loud sounds of large moving vehicles on the outside. Orchid, Kasumi, Cia, and Kitana all peered out the window out of curiosity and became amazed.
"Fascinating," Cia said.
"Yes."
"They do not have transport ground vehicles on your worlds?" Rei asked the off-worlders. They all shook their heads no.
"The bridge that connects Asario serves as the main source of transport for supplies and necessities as well as supply ships," Kasumi explained.
"The same for us in our realm," Cia added.
The massive vehicles had passed by after a few short minutes, going north. Then Kasumi noticed a cloaked figure watching their position, and the figure suddenly vanished.
"We're being watched," Kasumi said, alerting everyone.
"By who? Who else could know we're here?" Cia asked.
"Is it Evil-Lena? Inferno's forces?" Orchid questioned.
"Inferno?" Rei asked.
"Our present location may be compromised. We will need to move." Kitana said
"Right, Kitana, head out first."
The twilight dweller nodded and slipped out the other side. Orchid and Kasumi readied their respective weaponry, while Cia whispered to Rei to stay close while she nodded. Cautiously, the group stepped out of their temporary refuge, but before they could take another step...
SHING SHINK!
A blade was thrown across their way, hitting the building, and five figures appeared in a puff of smoke. The group readied themselves, and as it cleared, in front of them stood young women in their mid and late twenties, all dressed in form-fitting revealing latex bodysuits, with matching gloves and long thigh-high and knee-high boots. (The Saints from hitman)
They were armed with knives, guns, and blades, and the odd thing is they each had headpieces underneath their hoods. The Asarians, the Princess, and the Twilight Dweller steadied themselves sans Rei, who couldn't fight despite retaining her super strength. The presumed leader, an African American woman stepped forward and snickered.
"You're certainly an odd-looking bunch. Didn't you know? The circus left town a week ago." she chuckled.
"Identify yourselves!" Orchid demanded.
"Check you out the stones on that one, Lasandra!" spoke another one that sounded southern.
"These fashion rejects got some nerve." said a girl with an American accent.
"We won't ask twice!"
"You don't know who we are? Can you believe this, Lasandra?"
" The name is Lasandra," the black woman, now identified as Lasandra, spoke.
"I'm Heather, the sexy one." the American said, wearing the revealing bodysuit.
"I'm Lousia Cain." spoke one wearing a full-on suit with high-heel pumps
"I'm Boo." said the one holding a blade spoke
"And I'm Jennifer, and I'm gonna beat your asses senseless." an Assassin with a scar on her face spoke.
"And we are the Saints." Lasandra declared, "And we've been paid dumb money to put your tramp asses in the ground!"
"Except for that one. The blue-haired one." Boo said, pointing at Rei.
Orchid, Kasumi, Cia, and Kitana turned to Rei, who nervously stepped back.
"The higher-ups want her alive. To take her back to Japan. The rest we can kill."
"Goody!" Jennifer smirked.
"Step back, Rei. We will handle these women," Kitana said as she readied herself for combat.
"But... I..."
"Just go! Without your power-up, you'd only be an easy target!" Cia said, powering up her hands with magic.
Rei momentarily forgot about losing her ice power. Although she still had her enhanced strength thanks to the power-up mushroom, it would likely be of little use in this battle. Having little choice, the blue-haired girl nodded and ran.
"She won't get far. Ladies, pick your preference!" Lasandra ordered.
"I'll take the one in the green," Heather said, leering at Orchid.
"I'll take the one in tacky blue. Hate the ninja outfit, honey, but love the hair." Louisa quipped, referring to Kasumi.
"That leaves the masked one for me," Jennifer said as she glared at Kitana.
"Looks like It's just you and me then, little princess." Lasandra said, pointing at Cia.
"Boo, go after the kid, but do not kill her. Rough her up if you have to."
"Understood." Boo said in a monotone voice. She immediately went after Rei.
Lasandra focused her attention on Cia.
"You are correct about one thing. I am a Princess. A Princess of the Moors! Cia declared as her magic flared up.
"Ha, well, today must be my lucky day. It's not often I get to kill me a princess." Lasandra laughed cocking her rifle
"You think you could handle me?" asked Orchid, swinging her Tonfas at Heather, who took out two large knives from her boots.
"I'm gonna enjoy craving you up." Heather shot back.
"You may try."
Kitana narrowed her eyes at her opponent and opened her fans. Jennifer chuckled
"You're bringing fans to a gunfight? This ain't no damn dancing contest!" Jennifer laughed
"I do not dance. " Kitana shot back.
Both groups faced off one combatant, waiting to make the first move. Kitana vanished much to Jennifer's shock, and then Orchid charged at Heather striking fast and hard, Lasandra fired off her AK-47 at Cia who manifested a shield to protect her from bullets.
RATTAATTA
"Whoa, that's unexpected." Lasandra said ceasing fire
Before she could fire again, Cia waved her hand and took her weapon away.
"Your weapons are useless against my power," Cia said
"I don't always need weapons!"
Lasandra took out a couple of smoke pellets from her boot and tossed them on the ground.
BOOM PUFF
A thick layer of smoke covered the space between Cia and Lasandra. The princess remained on guard. Lasandra pulled out a knife from her boot and charged at the princess from behind, only for Cia to sense it and use her magic to freeze Lasandra in place,
"Not good enough," Cia snarked. She was almost insulted that this human tried such a tactic.
"Damn, girl! Just what the hell are you?!" the African American woman grunted, still frozen.
The smoke cleared quickly, and Jennifer grappled with Kitana, trying to outmatch the twilight in strength. She glanced at her leader, who was frozen in place.
"I am your opponent." Kitana reminded her, "Your focus should be on me."
"Oh, I'm quite good at multi-tasking! Like this!"
Jennifer suddenly tripped Kitana, taking her arm and tossing her directly into Cia, breaking whatever spell was cast on Lasandra.
"Didn't need your help." Lasandra snapped.
"You're welcome bitch." Jennifer quipped back.
"Apologies, Princess Cia, that one surprised me," Kitana said as she and Cia got up.
"Yes, these humans seem to be full of surprises. " Cia replied.
"We may have a better chance if we worked together," Kitana suggested. Cia nodded to the suggestion.
"I agree, and afterward, you can tell me of your relationship too-"
BANG, BANG, BANG!
Kitana whipped out her steel fans, using them as a shield, and charged at Jennifer. Meanwhile, Cia took to the air, again shocking Lasandra.
"They're not paying me enough for the bullshit!" Lasandra snapped.
Meanwhile, Orchid and Heather were mixing it up, Orchid having already disarmed Heather and fought with her bare hands. Heather was shockingly able to keep up with Orchid in hand-to-hand combat, matching the woman move for move, strike for strike, eventually landing a hit on the Asarian.
WHACK!
"How do you like that?" Heather taunted, seeing Orchid touch her cut cheek.
"You ...actually... hit me!" a stunned Orchid growled.
With that, Orchid's attacks became more feral, like a wild animal released from its cage. Heather barely blocked her attacks, with Orchid landing a spin kick, knocking her down.
"Hguh!" Heather grunted, "I don't remember the last time someone hit me. You just might be a challenge after all."
Orchid was increasing the ferocity of her attacks, putting Heather on the defensive. Heather had fought all her life. Whether in the streets, in the ring, or inside a jail cell, never once was she put on the defensive. The way Orchid moved was fluid and smooth, while Heather had the style of a boxer/brawler. Heather managed to land a few decent shots to the upper body, and Orchid countered with some swift roundhouse kicks, staggering Heather. In response, Heather rushed at Orchid, hitting her with a shoulder tackle and then hitting the Asarian woman with a jab and uppercut, sending her to the ground.
"Hugh," Orchid grunted.
"Have you had enough?" Heather taunted.
But to Heather's shock, Orchid laughed as she got right back up.
"Oh no, I've barely begun to fight!" Orchid replied as a golden fiery aura engulfed her body.
"What the hell?"
Orchid charged again, this time using more speed and acrobatics, hitting Heather with a flying kick and sending her staggering back. She dashed at her, striking with forearms and elbows. Heather tried to retaliate, but Orchid increased her flurry of attacks with high kicks, ending off with a handstand spinning kick, knocking Heather out.
"That was exhilarating! Been a while since I've had a decent one-on-one fight. " Orchid said.
Orchid could see everyone else still fighting their respective adversaries. She also remembered their mortal ally was powerless and being chased right now. With that in mind, Orchid followed Rei's trail.
Meanwhile, Kasumi was toying with her opponent, matching her move for move. Lousia was growing frustrated, missing every punch. Granted, she wasn't as adept at hand-to-hand combat as her cohorts, as she was more weapons-oriented.
Kasumi noticed the frustration from her opponent and smirked, knowing she had her. She then went on the offensive, landing a high snap kick that sent Lousia flying. Lousia growled as she got back up, but Kasumi remained on the attack, quickly striking her with a forward punch and a high knee. Lousia gave herself a reprieve when he tossed dirt in her eye.
"Gah!" Kasumi cried.
"Let's see how-"
Gargh!
Lousia was cut off with a summersalt kick to the face, sending her to the ground. Kasumi wiped the dirt from her eye.
"I admit I should have seen that coming. Not bad." Kasumi said.
Louisa attempted to take down Kasumi and land punches, but Kasumi kicked her off.
"It is apparent to me you have had minimal training. In any case, I'm going to end this now." Kasumi said with a heavy sigh.
Honestly, she was hoping for a bigger challenge, but she ended up with a weakling. Asarians live for the challenge of battle. She had hoped for a worthy opponent but instead found herself a weakling, not even worth killing. Kasumi vanished in a puff of smoke and nailed Lousia's multiple snap kicks, ending the fight with a spin kick.
"Ghg! Lousia groaned as she lost consciousness.
"Why do I get the weak ones?" Kasumi sighed.
Meanwhile, Cia and Kitana were just about done toying with Lasandra and Jessica, who had used up the last of their ammunition and were just fighting Kitana's blade to fan.
"You're quite good. You remind me of a warrior I consider a sister. You fight almost similarly." Kitana complimented, clashing her fan with Jennifer's knife.
"Been fighting all my life. In a cruel world such as this, I've learned you have to fight. Every day is a battle." Jennifer replied, breaking the deadlock.
Jennifer went for an upward slash, only for Kitana to block with an elbow, then hit a side scorpion kick to the back, then hit another kick, then took out her second fan and moved them both in a fast motion, levitating Jennifer in the air(Fan lift). She noticed Cia was levitating her opponent close to her and got an idea. As if she was reading the Twilight Dweller's mind, the Princess of Moors nodded.
"Well, I've had my fun, but now it's time to end this!" Cia exclaimed.
Lasandra growled at this indignant brat. She killed kids before when she was younger, but Lasandra took pride in putting down mouthy brats. However, this unnatural petulant brat worked her last nerve. She took out two glocks hidden in her boot, aimed, and fired. Cia levitated her through the air.
"Wah!" Lasandra screamed as she was tossed horizontally.
Kitana moved Jennifer into position and tossed her high in the air, causing Lasandra and Jennifer to collide and caused them to crash into the ground.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
Both women were unconscious on the ground, their threat neutralized.
"To answer your unfinished question, Princess, I am Prince Shinji's servant. I have dedicated my life to him," Kitana answered.
"His servant?!" she repeated.
"Yes, I am. We must make haste! They've gone after the mortal girl."
"Oh right, we will help her!" Cia declared. She was the first to take off into the air.
(With Rei)
Rei was running through a deserted village as fast as she could, not feeling the least bit winded, running away from two of the saints that currently gave chase. This was unfamiliar territory. She didn't know where to hide.
"I'm a little disappointed. I hoped you'd make this interesting." Boo's voice echoed behind Rei.
Rei quickly turned around only to see no one, to find herself in an empty lot. Her breathing became erratic as she looked around, seeing no one.
WHACK!
"Argh!"
Rei was suddenly struck from the side and knocked to the ground. And out of nowhere stood Boo, with a smirk on her face.
"Don't know why the bosses want you alive, but as long as I get paid, I hope they don't mind me roughing you up," Boo said
"Who hired you? Was it SEELE? Keele? Did he know I was here?" Rei asked.
Boo pursed her lips in amusement.
"It is not my place to tell. My mission is to bring you back to our employers. Now, we can do it the easy way or the hard way. Please choose the hard way, hmm."
"I will not comply," replied Rei as she stood up to her feet.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Boo roughly grabbed the first child by the arm, only for Rei to push her back with surprising strength, causing Boo to eat dirt.
"My strength is still..." Rei gasped.
"That was unexpected and a little embarrassing. Now I'm gonna hurt you badly."
WACK!
PUNCH
PUNCH!
"Ugh!"
"Ugh"
"Ugh!"
Rei was hit in the face and the stomach from three different angles, bringing her down to her knees, coughing.
"Aw, what's the matter, the little doll broken already?" Boo mocked, then kicked Rei in the chin, sending her back a bit.
"That's what I've always hated about dolls! They tend to break easily."
The First Child was silently wishing she still had her power up as she groaned in pain, making it to her hands and knees. Rei looked anywhere for any object she used as a weapon to defend herself. But Boo stomped her back, but Boo merely sighed in disappointment and picked up the girl by the back of her dress.
"Not as fun as I hoped, but still, I got a job to do."
SWISS
A sharp metal object blew past Boo, forcing her to drop Rei. The object came flying back at the person who threw it, which happened to be Kitana.
"Release her!" the Twilight Dweller demanded.
"So you survived Heather, eh? That's unexpected." Boo commented.
"Release the mortal girl, now!" Kitana demanded again.
"Alright," Boo complied, dropping the First Child.
Boo took a fighting stance opposite Kitana.
"You took down, Heather, let's see how you fair against-"
Kitana took the offensive first, hitting a flick kick, sending Boo flying toward the wall and interrupting her mid-sentence.
"You talk too much," Kitana said.
Before Boo could get up, she was levitated in the air with a purple energy
"Whoa! What the hell!" the young girl screamed
Boo was sent flying through the air courtesy of Princess Cia and tossed far away, landing in a nearby lake.
SPLASH
"That's one more nuisance out of the way," Cia said, appearing in the alley.
"Are you alright, Rei?" asked Kitana as she helped the girl up.
"I'll be fine, Ms. Kitana. We need to rejoin the others." Rei replied. She winced in pain.
Before they could move, Kitana's senses went off as the winds kicked up, and a cloaked figure suddenly stood before the trio, appearing in a cloud of smoke.
"Who in the realms are you?!" Cia demanded.
"Get behind us, Rei." Kitana ushered while pushing the girl behind her.
"So the frail human has failed." the cloaked figure spoke softly with a near-seductive voice.
The figure undid their cloak, revealing themselves to be an attractive woman with pale flawless skin, a buxom chest, long midnight black hair, a dark strapless dress, matching long gloves with crimson red lines all across, and high-heeled boots.
"A twilight Dweller and a Moors Princess, a long way from home, aren't you?" the woman inquired.
"I will not ask again, who are you?!" Cia demanded.
"Pushy, aren't you? Just like your mother, I am Lust, a servant of the great Lord Inferno." Lust introduced.
Cia gasped.
"Inferno lives?!" Kitana gasped, "It was said that Elysium defeated him centuries ago!"
"Who is Inferno?" Rei asked.
"A demon god who was intent on subjugating the realms through fire. He was only stopped by the combined efforts of my mother, Queen Elysium, and the Gerudo Chieftain." Cia explained.
"I knew the humans were too weak for this task. I shall do what they could not." Lust smirked sadistically.
"Princess, I will deal with her! Take Rei and rejoin the others!" Kitana said, readying her fans.
"But I..." Cia started to say.
"This woman is a servant of Inferno. She's far too dangerous. Go now!"
Cia saw no alternative, so she reluctantly nodded.
"Hold onto me, Rei!" Cia said as she grabbed hold of her.
"Kitana, you are forbidden to die. Prince Shinji would be sad if he lost his servant! do not make him sad." Cia stated.
"I have no plans of dying today, not until I see him. " Kitana replied.
"His servant?" Rei whispered as she was being lifted into the air.
Lust cracked her fingers, and they suddenly elongated into sharp claws.
"From one Twilight Dweller to another. It's a shame you don't serve Inferno. The advantages it has are quite good." Lust chuckled, poised to attack.
"You are Twilight Dweller?"
Yes! Now, let us begin!"
Lust charged straight forward and clashed with Kitana's fan, pushing her back. Kitana rolled out of the way of a strike, countering with a pretty kick, then hitting a fan strike only for Lust to block it and then vanish.
"What? Argh!"
Kitana screamed out in pain as she was slashed from the back.
"Ha Ha," Lust laughed as she appeared from behind Kitana
Kitana shrugged it off, got into a stance, and extended her fans outward. She focused her energy, creating a vortex of wind channeling it through her Fans.
Lust came from her blind spot, but Kitana dodged and struck her in the gut, then tossed her fan like a boomerang, striking Lust in the back of the head. But the woman shook it off and grinned.
"Have you had enough?" Kitana questioned
"Rahh!" Lust roared, charging at Kitana to strike her with her claws, only for her to vanish.
"Using my trick, eh?"
"Wrong." the Twilight Dweller replied. Her voice echoed as if multiple voices spoke in unison.
Lust found herself surrounded by multiple copies of Kitana in a circle(A/N I know Kitana doesn't have that ability in the game. Just bear with me)
"If you were one of us, you would know this technique," Kitana said, poised to attack.
"Alright,"
The woman in black watched each Kitana copy carefully. From the corner of her left eye, she saw a shadow move out of sync with the rest. Lust struck the one that moved, only for it to disappear.
"Wha?! Gack!"
Lust felt steel cut her dress and flesh but then retaliated with a three-prong slash, hitting in the upper body and thighs twice.
"Argh!"
"It has been a long time since I've seen that trick. Let me guess, Rose herself trained you." Lust said.
"I... yes. You knew Rose?" Kitana asked.
"I trained her." the woman in black revealed.
Lusts shot her elongated sharp-bladed fingers at Kitana again, who raised her fans to block. Kitana rolled through and landed a jump kick to the face, then hit a fan stab followed by doubled fan strikes, knocking her opponent down and defeating her.
"I find that difficult to believe. Rose herself wouldn't have fallen this easily!" Kitana refuted.
"You're right, she wouldn't... if she weren't serving as a distraction." Lust revealed with a sadistic grin.
The Twilight Dweller's eyes widened, and she went off to rejoin her companions.
"Run, Kitana, run. It might be far too late for your companions. Hmhm..." Lust chuckled.
(Back at the Moors Shinji's group hideout.)
The whole group had fallen fast asleep mere hours after eating, Black Cat took a second watch a couple of hours ago and fell asleep next to the entrance with her arms folded. Ivy lay close to her Prince and Princess and Elena mainly to keep him warm with her body, spooning him. Mercury sat with both knees up, resting her head on them. It was then that something small started to creep its way from within the cave,
CRINKLE, CRACKLE!
The sounds put Ivy's senses on alert as she kept her eyes closed. The source of the sound was moving closer to where the trio of Shinji, Elena, and Ivy were sleeping, it inched closer and closer until,
SNIK!
CRUNCH!
The noises woke Mercury and Cat. They looked to see their Asarian companion stabbing something with her gauntlet claws above both Shinji and Elena. Getting a good look, it was some kind of wooden doll.
"What is this?" Ivy asked, raising her claws to get a closer look.
"It's a puppet of sorts, but how did it get in here?" inquired Mercury in a whispering tone. She did not want to wake Shinji and Elena.
"Gerudo! Weren't you watching the entrance?!"
"I fell-" Cat started to say.
"This didn't come from outside," Mercury interjected. She activated her visor and scanned deeper into the cave.
"Then where?"
"Mm, what's the noise?" Shinji asked, waking up groggily. He hadn't realized how close Ivy's breast was to his face.
CLACK, CLACK, CLACK!
The clacking sounds echoed throughout the cave. Elena started to stir herself at the noise before waking up.
"What's going on?" she asked.
CLACK, CLACK!
Something or something was coming from the rear of the cave. Mini shadows started to take shape. Elena's eyes widened in fear and realization.
"We have to leave now!" Elena exclaimed as she got up.
The shadows and clacking noise grew louder and closer. The group didn't give a second thought. They fled the cave immediately. Shinji quickly grabbed the sage's sword, and its bright white light stopped the shadows, causing them to recede.
"The light from the sword is affecting them. " Shinji said, swinging the sword again.
Shinji swung rapidly, sending the darkness back while backing up with the others.
"Prince Shinji!" Mercury cried.
"Just go! I'll hold them off!" Shinji yelled as he swung again.
As they made it out, the same living darkness was outside surrounding them. A cloaked figure holding a wooden doll wearing a wedding dress emerged front and center. Elena quickly recognized her.
"It is you, Donna Beneviento!" Elena spat venomously.
"We...meet..again ..princess Elena..shall ..we play?" the doll spoke quietly eerily.
"What is this creature?" Black Cat asked.
"A mutant under Dimitrescu," Elena answered with obvious disgust in her voice.
"We are surrounded," Ivy observed.
"Any ideas?" asked Black Cat.
"Simple: We fight!" Ivy began to attack with her chain sword and started by cutting the darkness, slicing through what was revealed to be a wooden puppet insect.
Mercury used her water blasts in rapid fire, and Black Cat powered her aura and clawed a lot of them away.
Elena summoned barriers to deflect as many as she could, keeping her eyes focused on Donna, the source of this darkness. Then she realized one person from the group was missing.
"Where is Prince Shinji?!" Elena asked.
"Back in the cave! He was holding these things back while we made our way out." Mercury answered.
"We must- Ugh!"
Elena's sentence was cut off when the living darkness began to consume her, beginning from her ankles to her waist. The same was beginning to happen to the others as they, too, were being consumed.
"Princess Elena!" Mercury cried, being consumed from the waist up.
"Ugh, Arg!" Black Cat grunted as she was being consumed.
"Grrr! I will not lose!" Ivy growled. Her sword charged up her sword with fiery energy.
Seeing this, the woman holding the puppet raised her hand, commanding the mass to increase the grip on Ivy, smothering her flames.
"We...shall take our ... playmates ...back home now." the puppet whispered.
The cloaked woman raised her hand again. The darkness began to shift, and the winds kicked up, as Ivy, Black Cat, Elena, and Mercury were swallowed wh, along with Donna Beneviento slowly leaving backward.
"Urgh! Urgh!" Shinji grunted and came out from the cave, still swinging against the living darkness.
As soon as Shinji made it out, he watched helplessly as his group vanished.
"NO!" Shinji cried.
"Come... and ...play with us the prince of Asario..." the doll's voice echoed as the cloaked woman vanished
"Damn it!"
"Elena, Ivy, Cat Mercury... No..." Shinji whispered, finding himself all alone in the dark forest.
"I have to do something! I have to save them, but which way do I go?"
As if responding to his question, his amulet began to glow. (A/N I changed Shinji's amulet to the Emperor Key from Zexal). It levitated and pointed in the direction that the cloaked woman vanished. Shinji strapped the sword to his back and walked in that direction and saw tracks leading north. There was no other recourse but to follow it. With every step Shinji took, the dead trees all around became denser. He tried to tread carefully, but he nicked himself on some sharp branches, his tunic sleeves ripping.
RIP!
RIP!
RIP!
The Prince winced in pain but ignored it and carried on through, saving Elena and the others on his mind. Weaving through large trees and stones with a large white sword tied to his back was no easy task. Although it was light as a feather to him, it made Shinji an easy target to identify in the dark., as well as the glowing amulet.
"This is beginning to feel like that American horror movie, where the stupid teenager gets ambushed by the masked serial killer and then goes on to kill the others at the campground." Shinji mused, still moving through the forest.
The ground shook, and a living plant came out right in front of Shinji and chopped at Shinji, who jumped back.
"CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP!"
Taking out his staff, Shinji thrust forward, but the plant monster chomped at him, nearly getting his tunic. Shinji moved to the side and thrust at the stem, killing instantly.
"It's good thing plants aren't like that back on Earth." Shinji sighed.
Shinji continued on the path, hearing growling and snarling noises nearby,
"I'd better not go that way."
"Wise choice," a voice said from out of nowhere.
"Huh, who's there?!"
"Shhh, not so loud! The hunters will hear you."
More than startled, Shinji took out his staff and looked from side to side, backing up near a tree.
WHOOSH!
A large figure landed in front of Shinji. She stood at 7 feet, towering over him. She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail, light brown skin, and sharp claws, and she wore an outfit that resembled a wrestler(A/NThink Jade Cargill) with her tail waging out, with bands on her wrist bow on her right wrist, and was barefoot. She had green eyes and gave a fanged, fiendish grin to Shinji briefly as she noticed the item hanging around his neck. She was a humanoid puma, from what the boy gathered.
"I'm impressed! Very few have made it this far without being chopped into itty bitty pieces." the woman said.
"Who are you?" asked Shinji while keeping his staff raised. He pointed at the woman.
"I go by the name Pumyra." the woman replied.
Pumyra circled Shinji like prey while he kept up his staff, giving him a brief sniff.
"So her scent is on you after all," Pumyra said.
"Who's?"
"I thought I was tracking one of those bratty Princesses. To my surprise, I find you. A male, no less, the first one here since the calamity, but either way. Alcina will reward me for this."
Before Shinji could react, Pumyra fired a dart from her wrist, hitting Shinji on the shoulder.
"Argh!" Shinji groaned. He suddenly felt weak.
His vision started getting blurry as Pumyra smirked evilly. Shinji, with what little strength he had, charged at the woman only to get kicked in the face, rendering him fully unconscious.
"Good night, sweet Prince." the woman uttered, dragging him away.
(Inside the castle)
Elena started to regain consciousness slowly. While hearing voices, she felt her wrist chained to the ground. Looking around, she was in a familiar fancy living area. She moved her arms only to confirm what she suspected. Elena was on her knees and chained to the carpet.
"Our honored guest has awoken." a voice said.
Looking up, she saw three cloaked mutant deformed women, a redhead, a blonde, and a raven-haired woman, as they stood near her.
"Hello Elena, it has been some time," spoke Bela.
"Bela Cassandra and Daniela," said Elena "Is this how you treat your guests?"
"Can we kill her now, Bela? Let me kill her for Banshee!" exclaimed Cassandra.
"Calm yourself, Cassandra. Elena didn't kill her. The Gerudo did, and she will pay with her life."
"She's right, Cassandra! We have to wait for Mother to return home. I'm sure she'll be very pleased, especially since we have the Gerudo, the Mushroom Kingdom champion, and an Asarian in our home," said Daniela
"Don't forget, the Asarian male, how did he manage to slip from Donna's grasp?"
"I don't know, but mother will be displeased if-"
"If what, Bela?" another voice echoing throughout the castle
Suddenly, a nine-foot-tall woman wearing a white dress with black gloves. She had pale white skin, yellowish eyes, dark hair, and dark lipstick and stepped gracefully into the room.
"Alcina." Elena hissed quietly
"Hello, Mother!" the three girls greeted.
"Hello, my darlings. I see we have one of our guests. What of the others?"
End chapter
End notes: I know it's been a while, What can I say, I'm supposed to be working/adopting new stories, but something inside compels me to work on my OG stories as well. A part of me can't stand leaving something unfinished. Anyway, this is chapter 20 of Kingdom Hidden in the Clouds. Now Shinji's entourage is in Dimistreu castle. And like the game Village Shinji has to find the others and escape without losing a limb. Rei also has her adventure will she find freedom or be dragged back to NERV?, Lust from FMA is one of many warriors sent by Inferno, and the normal women I used were the saints from the Hitman game. Some John Wick High table stuff. Next chapter, Shinji meets Alcina, Black Cat makes her move, and Maleficent gets assistance from an old friend. Big thanks to Lynall werewolf I'm sorry that I kept him waiting and all of you waiting. Read and review and Stay Prime