Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I own the works of H.P. Lovecraft or Robert W. Chambers.
ACT I - THE UNSPEAKABLE KING
Chapter 3: Harem of the Damned
A chilly wind blew around her as Minako walked through a dead and deserted forest. With no leaves growing on the trees she was easily able to see the night sky above. The sky was like a piece of blue velvet with multiple little holes punched through it with a pin. Those pin holes were in fact the stars, black stars colder than the void and giving off the opposite of light. With such an alien sky above, Minako knew she could not be on Earth.
Minako continued to wander through the forest trying to find some familiar landmark to help her navigate her way back to Frieda's mansion, not that she remembered how she had ended up in the forest in the first place. Eventually the blonde came upon a massive wall made of black stone bricks that seemed to go off infinitely in both directions. In the middle of the wall was an open gate revealing a titanic castle that looked as though it had been not built but rather carved out of an entire mountain. The spires of this castle mountain were twin peaks that went so high to the sky that they actually went behind the yellow moon above. The very sight of the castle made Minako feel infinitely small and filled her with a bottomless dread.
While going into the castle was the last thing Minako wanted to do, she realized there was nowhere else for her to go and reluctantly went through the gate. She wanted desperately to get out of the disquietingly dead forest she had been wandering through, yet at the same time Minako realized that the castle was probably far worse. After passing through the gate, Minako walked straight down a path leading straight through a maze of dead bushes towards the castle's main door. As she passed by all of the neatly cut bushes of dead brown leaves, roses suddenly bloomed from them as she walked by. The roses were not red but of a sickeningly yellow color.
The bad feeling Minako had about venturing into the castle only increased, yet she knew there was nowhere else to go but forward. As Minako came closer to the castle, she saw sights on the grounds that sickened her. At one point she saw a grotesque-looking beetle about the size of her foot, with a white shell bearing four black shapes like ink blots arranged like a face screaming in agony. The beetle was crawling towards her when suddenly a large brown and gray centipede with a human face suddenly burst out of the ground in front of the insect. Minako looked on in disgust as the centipede ate the beetle in three large bites, each one making a sickening crunching noise that made the blonde want to vomit.
When the human-faced centipede finished with its meal, it looked at Minako and screamed at her before quickly scurrying away into the bushes. Minako was grateful the abomination had decided to run away rather than attack her and kept on moving. In another few moments she was inside the castle, where she saw several dead bodies on the floor of the entry hall. All of the corpses suffered from extreme levels of decay, indicating they had been there for quite a long time. Minako immediately realized going into the castle was a mistake.
Just as Minako turned and tried to leave the castle, she heard the sound of an organ playing. The tune she heard was totally chaotic, as if the organist was simply hitting keys at random hoping they would eventually come together as some kind of harmonious song. Against her better judgment, Minako decided to follow the sound deeper into the dark castle. As Minako followed the music, she saw more dead and decaying bodies littered on the floor around her, all of them in various states of decomposition, with the flesh of the oldest having turned a leathery yellow. She didn't know why, but Minako felt as though these desiccated mummies might come back to life at any moment.
The sound of the organ brought Minako to a large set of double doors and instantly stopped the moment she reached them. Minako's heart was now pounding in her chest. She somehow knew what was waiting on the other side of those doors. Just as Minako was about to turn and run, the doors suddenly swung open on their own. On the other side was a cavernous room with a floor polished like a mirror and a single throne atop a set of steps. For some reason Minako couldn't help but walk into the room. As she came closer she saw someone sitting upon the throne…or rather something.
Sitting upon the throne was a figure clad in tarnished silver plate armor, with a strange yellow glyph painted on the armor covering his chest. A tattered yellow mantle hung from his back, and a yellow hood covered most of his head. He wore a thorny black crown atop his head over the hood, and covering the figure's face was a pallid mask made to look like a smiling handsome male face. Minako knew the occupant of the throne far more than she wanted to. The creature was none other than the King in Yellow himself, Hastur the Unspeakable.
Hastur's head was slumped forward as though he were asleep. Minako began to walk slowly and cautiously towards the throne. A more optimistic part of her thought the figure upon the throne was nothing more than a mannequin someone had put up there. Right as Minako got to the steps leading up to the throne however, Hastur's head suddenly jerked up and he was looking down at Minako with eyes that were like the cold black stars of the night sky outside. With one stiff mechanical motion Hastur stood from the throne and pointed an armored finger down at Minako, letting out a horrid screech that sounded like the wind.
Minako shot up in bed screaming, unaware for several moments that someone was shaking her. Eventually the blonde realized she was back in her room at Frieda's mansion, and that Keisuke was looking right at her, his strong hands holding onto her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Keisuke asked with concern.
Minako answered his question by breaking down and sobbing. Keisuke pulled her close and held onto her, gently rocking her and stroking her hair. It was several moments before Minako finally calmed down.
"…dammit, I thought I was done with those damn nightmares," Minako finally spoke. "I saw him again Kei-chan, the King in Yellow. He was just sitting there on a throne in what I guess was his castle."
A look of surprise formed on Keisuke's face. "Mina, this castle…was it filled with dead bodies?"
Minako pulled away and looked at him with shock. "Kei-chan, how did you know?"
"Because I just had the same nightmare. I actually woke up from it just a second before you started screaming."
"What the hell does all this mean? Does it mean…Hastur is coming back?"
Keisuke pulled Minako close again. "I don't know, but we'll find out. If Hastur really is returning however, I swear that this time I will kill that abomination once and for all."
Keisuke decided to take Minako down to the kitchen for something calming to drink. On their way down, the couple encountered Artemis in the halls and decided they should tell the white feline about their shared dream. A little later in the kitchen as Keisuke started to prepare some soothing tea, Minako told Artemis about the dream.
"…And you say you both had this dream about Hastur?" Artemis asked after Minako finally finished her tale.
Minako nodded. "In a way it wasn't as bad as those dreams I had when I was branded with his Yellow Sign, but…being in that thing's presence again was just…"
Keisuke came over and placed a hand on Minako's shoulder. "Try not to think about it. He can't harm you anymore."
"Still, you both having the same dream is troubling," Artemis pointed out. "And Hilda did warn us that Hastur wasn't finished."
The conversation was soon interrupted by a familiar voice. "Guys?"
The three turned and saw Usagi standing in the doorway of the kitchen with Mamoru and Luna.
"What are you all doing up this late?" Usagi asked as she and the others came in.
"You first," Minako responded.
"Well…earlier I woke up because I had this really scary dream," Usagi began. "And it turned out Mamo-chan had the same dream too."
"We decided to find Luna and tell her about it," Mamoru continued. "After all, the two of us having the same nightmare has to mean something."
"Usagi, Mamoru, what exactly happened in this shared nightmare of yours?" Keisuke asked, looking suspicious.
"For me it started with me walking through this creepy dead forest," Usagi began. "As I walked I came upon this giant castle."
Minako's eyes went wide. "Usagi…did this castle look like it was carved out of a giant mountain?"
Usagi gasped. "Mina-P, how did you know?"
"To get to the castle you had to pass by dead bushes suddenly blooming with yellow roses, correct?" Keisuke asked.
Mamoru nodded. "Yes, and on the way I saw many horrid-looking insects. When I finally got into the castle, I saw the floor littered with dead bodies."
"And then you heard an organ playing, right?" Minako asked.
Usagi nodded. "It was playing this really weird music. I decided to follow it and find out where it was coming from. Eventually I got to these two big doors and the music stopped."
"And then the doors opened to reveal what turned out to be a massive throne room with a floor like a mirror," Mamoru continued. "There was something sitting on the throne that I first thought was a mannequin."
"A mannequin wearing the tarnished armor of a knight, a tattered yellow mantle with a hood, a crown of thorns and a pallid mask, correct?" Keisuke asked.
Mamoru nodded. "I ended up walking closer to the throne to get a better look at it, and right when I got to the first step…"
"Its head tilted up and it looked at me," Usagi continued. "With eyes like black stars colder than anything I've ever felt. Then it stood up and pointed at me, letting out a horrible scream like the wind."
"Wait, all four of you had the same dream?" Luna asked, shocked.
"Well isn't that a funny coincidence," a familiar voice interrupted. Minako and the others looked and saw Yoko standing in the doorway with Hotaru. "Hotaru and I just had the same nightmare too. Guess we also all had the same idea of coming down to the kitchen for something to help us get back to sleep."
"So then all six of you had the same nightmare about Hastur," Artemis observed. "This definitely isn't some weird coincidence."
"Hastur?" Luna repeated with a quirked brow.
"The Old One Mina and I dealt with in England," Artemis explained. "He was a very powerful enemy."
"You weren't able to destroy him?" Mamoru asked.
"No, he merely retreated after I," Keisuke cleared his throat. "Cheated him out of his prize, so to speak."
"What prize was that?" Usagi asked.
"Me," Minako answered. "That's the short version anyway."
Before Usagi could ask anything more, Hilda came into the kitchen through the other door wearing a red bathrobe. "So you're all up. Kinda figured it'd be you six. Lady Freyja wishes to see you all at once."
Minako and the others followed Hilda out into the other hall. The redhead brought them to the very end of the hallway and pressed her hand against the framed painting of a viking warrior resting on a throne that was hanging on the wall. Soon after, the wall slid open to reveal a hidden elevator. Once the nine got in, the elevator closed and descended downward. A few seconds later the elevator came to a stop, opening upon another hallway with gold-colored walls and a polished black tile floor. Hilda led the other eight down the hall to a polished black door at the end bearing the symbol of a large white tree.
The door slid open to reveal a large room not unlike the command center Usagi and her friends had underneath the arcade back home. The rest of the Sailor Valkyries were in the room awaiting their arrival, each of them dressed in their usual sleepwear. Frieda was sitting in a chair wearing nothing but a white robe while the others stood at her side.
"They all had the dream," Hilda reported as she walked over to join her fellow Valkyries. "Not counting Mr. and Mrs. Mouse Breath of course."
"Wait, what did she call us?" Luna asked.
"Let it go," Artemis whispered.
Frieda nodded. "As I expected. Like me, you dreamed of Hastur the Unspeakable. To answer the obvious question on all your minds, the dream is a signal that Hastur is about to make his next move."
"Ugh! Figures we'd be dealing with one of the really bad ones right off the bat," Sandra remarked, cringing.
"It's not surprising," Erica remarked. "Aldebaran's proper alignment with this planet's sun won't last for more than two weeks. The King must now be in a hurry to try and claim Midgard, I mean Earth while he can, especially since he's also competing with the other Old Ones right now too."
"Frieda, just who is Hastur?" Usagi asked. "Is he another enemy like Tsathoggua?"
Frieda nodded. "Indeed. Hastur is another of the Great Old Ones like Tsathoggua, one of his brethren. The entity you saw in our shared dream was Hastur's preferred avatar, the King in Yellow."
"Erica just said something about the alignment of the star, Aldebaran," Mamoru recalled. "You're saying Hastur can only act when it's aligned properly?"
"Indeed. Like all of the Old Ones, Hastur is bound by the alignment of the stars. When the stars are not aligned properly, they either fall into a death-like sleep where only their minds are active, as was the case with Tsathoggua, or they are bound from our dimension like in the case of Hastur. Hastur comes from a planet that exists in a dimension that's separate from our own yet also occupies the same space. When the necessary celestial alignment ends, both Hastur and his planet are forced back into their own dimension until the stars and planets come around right again."
"Okay, but how come all of us had this dream about Hastur?" Usagi asked. "I mean I get that it's a warning that he's about to make a move of some kind, but how come it was only you and the six of us?"
"You and Mamoru had the warning dream because the two of you are this planet's future rulers and protectors," Frieda explained. "Minako and Keisuke experienced the dream because they had a close encounter with the fiend. Yoko experienced the dream because she is an Elder God like myself, as well as one of this solar system's protectors. And as she is Yoko's consort, it was only natural for Hotaru to experience the dream as well."
"Okay, so what's our next move?" Yoko asked, her arms crossed. "We know Hastur's coming, so what do we do?"
"For now, we try and determine what he's planning. Erica dear, I want you to start on that immediately,"
"At once, milady," Erica responded before going over to one of the computer terminals in the command center.
"If you like, Artemis and I can help," Luna offered.
Frieda nodded. "Your assistance would be much appreciated."
"Hold on, you said that the alignment that allows Hastur to come to our world only lasts for a little while longer, right?" Usagi asked. "So why don't we just wait for the alignment to end?"
"Because Hastur would do too much damage to your world if left unchecked until then," Grete answered.
"Besides, the alignment won't happen again for another few thousand years, so this is also our one good chance to destroy Hastur once and for all," Hilda added. "That is of course if Sailor Moon can get the job done."
"We're not letting Hastur eat Usagi," Minako declared, hands on her hips.
"No one said anything of the sort," Frieda responded. "However Minako, it is likely Usagi will have to face Hastur in battle personally sooner or later."
"Especially since it's likely Hastur will send his forces after her," Hilda added.
"What do you mean?" Mamoru asked, becoming alarmed.
"Unfortunately, it's possible the other Old Ones sensed Lady Usagi's power when she slew Tsathoggua," Grete explained. "While they would not wish for vengeance, they would still consider Lady Usagi to be a threat to them and try to destroy her first."
"In other words, Usagi has a target on her back," Yoko realized.
Suddenly there was the sound of a loud explosion. Immediately after red lights and sirens began to blare inside the control room.
"What's happening?" Minako asked.
"Someone's attacking the parameter shield," Grete explained. "It activates the instant an enemy is detected near the base."
"Erica, please put the intruder on screen," Frieda requested.
"Already on it, milady," Erica responded as she tapped the key panel of the main control station.
In seconds, the large monitor in the control room showed the image of a woman standing out in the forest. She had chalk-white skin and chestnut brown hair arranged in a braided ponytail hanging halfway down her back. She had on a black low-cut tank top showing her midriff and featuring a large tattered yellow bow on her chest, in the center of which was a gray crystalline brooch resembling a flower. Around her waist was a short tattered yellow skirt with a large equally tattered bow on the back. She also had on a pair of black knee-high high-heeled boots, and a pair of fingerless black gloves that went all the way up to her elbows. Her eyes were pitch-black except for a pair of greenish-gray irises, and on her forehead was a strange yellow glyph.
The moment she saw the woman on the screen, Frieda gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Sailor Eden!"
"She's a Sailor Guardian?" Usagi asked, surprised.
"She was," Grete answered darkly. "Sailor Eden is one of Hastur's brides, corrupted and made into an undead shadow of her former self. She is eternally damned, existing only to serve Hastur's whims."
On the screen, Sailor Eden blew a kiss and a black heart-shaped energy projectile flew from her palm. The projectile grew larger until it struck some sort of invisible barrier and exploded with a white flash.
"The shield's integrity is still holding at eighty-nine percent," Erica reported. "But if this attack keeps up for too much longer…we need to get out there and stop her."
"Is there a quick way out of this place?" Yoko asked.
"The teleport pads over there," Erica answered, motioning with her head at the right side of the room. "I can use them to send any of us close to Eden's location."
Yoko and Hotaru looked at one another and nodded.
Hotaru put her hand to her chest. "Saturn Crystal, Power MAKE-UP!"
In an instant, Hotaru became shrouded in a pillar of purple light. Seconds later the light faded to reveal Hotaru as Sailor Saturn. Meanwhile Yoko raised her right hand in the air before bringing it to her chest while thrusting her left foot forward. In an instant Yoko became shrouded in a blinding pillar of gold light. The light was so intense that most of the others in the room had to cover their eyes.
The light soon faded to reveal Yoko clad in a black bodysuit with gold lines running down the sides of the arms and legs and thick gold armor covering the upper half of its torso, which had a large jetpack-like device in the form of a scarab attached to the armor on the back. She also wore elbow-high gold metal gloves and a pair of knee-high gold metal boots. Around her waist was a gold belt with a large blue Egyptian scarab pendant on the buckle, a strange gold gun with a flat top hanging from the right side, and a gold metal rod almost like a flashlight hanging from the left. Covering Yoko's entire head was a gold helmet with large blue compound eyes, a faceplate designed to look like the mandibles of an insect, and on the forehead was a large red Egyptian sun disc.
Minako, Keisuke and Artemis were all stunned after witnessing Yoko's transformation into Khepri. Meanwhile Khepri and Saturn rushed onto two of the circular pads on the left side of the room. Without missing a beat, Erica pressed a button at her controls, and both Saturn and Khepri vanished with a flash of blue light.
"…okay, so Hotaru is dating a Kamen Rider," Minako remarked. "Was anyone ever going to mention that?"
"Mina, we should go out there and assist them," Keisuke suggested. "Besides the Sailor Valkyries, we're the only ones in this room who have dealt with Hastur's brides."
"Right," Minako responded before putting a hand to her chest. "Venus Crystal Power MAKE-UP!"
Minako became enveloped in a pillar of yellow light that faded away seconds later to reveal her as Sailor Venus. At the same time, Keisuke put his fist to his chest and became enshrouded in a pillar of black energy filled with what looked like stars. The pillar that had enshrouded Keisuke faded to reveal him in his alternate identity of Kunzite. He had on a white cape with a dark-blue underside hanging from his back, and wore a black uniform shirt underneath a piece of silvery-white armor that covered his chest. White gloves covered his hands, and he had on long black pants with knee-high armored boots made of the same metal as the armor covering his chest. Hanging from the wide golden belt around his waist was a large sword with an ornate silver handle and black sheath.
Venus and Kunzite rushed onto the pads Saturn and Khepri had used to teleport out of the control room. Erica pressed the button again and the couple vanished from the room with a flash of light.
"Grete, Hilda, I want you both to go and assist them," Frieda ordered. "Sandra, inform the rest of our guests about what's happening."
"On it," the three responded at the same time.
Hilda and Grete quickly transformed into Sailor Brunhilde and Sailor Gunner respectively. Gunnr and Brunhilde got onto the teleport pads and vanished from the room while Sandra headed for the elevator.
"The first battle in what will hopefully be our final war against Hastur has begun," Frieda observed. "And unfortunately it is going to be a very ugly one."
Khepri and Saturn materialized in the forest only a few feet away from where Eden was still attacking the barrier. The undead Sailor Guardian failed to notice their presence.
"Something about her just feels wrong," Saturn quietly observed. "It's the same type of feeling I'd get from one of Tsathoggua's spawn."
Khepri nodded. "She's something that should not exist, at least not anymore. Reasoning with her would be pointless."
"Then we should finish her off quickly."
Khepri nodded again and leapt into the air. As she flew towards Eden, Khepri extended her right leg and the bottom of her boot began to glow gold.
"Breaking Dawn Kick!" Khepri called out as her boot connected with Eden's side.
Eden was knocked to the ground. As soon as the undead Sailor Guardian got up, Saturn rushed at her with her Silence Glaive raised high.
"Silence Glaive Surprise!" Saturn called out as the blade of her weapon glowed purple.
Saturn's glaive cut into Eden's right shoulder and sliced through her torso diagonally as though she were butter. Before Eden's top half could drop to the ground though, it suddenly reconnected to the rest of her body as though nothing had happened.
Eden tilted her head and looked at both Saturn and Khepri with a dreamy look on her face. "Good evening. I'm sorry, but this is a poor time for me to socialize with anyone. I'm here to perform a duty for my husband. Perhaps you could come back another time?"
Unsettled, Saturn took a step back. "I don't know what disturbs me more, the fact my attack did no damage or the fact she's clearly not right in the head."
"Sailor Eden! What is it you are after?" Khepri asked.
"I am here to kill the Silver Maiden," Eden answered simply. "My husband thinks she might be a problem for him later, and I do not wish for anything to cause His Majesty any trouble."
"So she really is here for Usagi!" Saturn realized.
"I owe Sailor Moon far too much to let anything happen to her!" Khepri declared. "Therefore Sailor Eden, I cannot allow you to press on any further!"
Suddenly there was a cry as a large figure charged at Khepri from the surrounding forest. Khepri was forced to jump back in order to avoid the massive blade of the giant double-sided ax that was heading for her. The person holding the ax was an extremely large muscular woman with chalk-white skin. Attached to the black shirt of her Sailor Guardian uniform was a skin-tight black hood, and growing through this hood from the top of her head were eight yellow bone-like spikes that curved upward and were arranged like a crown. In the center of the tattered yellow bow on the woman's chest was a gray crystal brooch in the shape of an inverted diamond, and around her waist above the short tattered yellow skirt she wore was a thick tarnished brass-colored metal belt with a large diamond-shaped crystal buckle. The rest of her outfit consisted of two thick pieces of tarnished brass-colored armor covering her shoulders, a pair of long black gloves ending just short of her elbows, and black knee-high boots. She had pitch-black eyes with grayish-red irises, and in the middle of her forehead was the same strange yellow glyph that Sailor Eden bore.
The alien woman lifted her ax back up. "Two opponents against one is disorder! There must be an even number! No more, no less!"
"Oh! Sailor Omicron is here," Eden observed. "But then I guess she did follow me here, didn't she?"
Right as Sailor Omicron raised her axe towards Khepri, a voice cut through the night air. "Obsidian Lance!"
A pointed ray of black energy filled with what look light stars struck Omicron and knocked her back over to where Sailor Eden still stood. After a moment, the giant woman got back to her feet.
Meanwhile Kunzite rushed up with his sword drawn and stood next to Khepri. "You shouldn't let your guard down around these women. They are extremely powerful."
"Thanks for the help," Khepri responded.
Just then, Venus charged in and stood next to Saturn as Omicron and Eden advanced. The blonde blew a kiss into her hand, causing a heart made of golden energy to appear in her palm.
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Venus called out as she extended her palm.
The heart flew from Venus's hand and circled around her multiplied to form multiple rings. When the hearts had gained enough speed, they finally came together and became a blast of gold electricity that shot across the battlefield and struck both Eden and Omicron, resulting in a massive flash. When the smoke cleared though, both of the undead Sailor Guardians seemed totally unharmed.
Eden looked at Venus with a dreamy smile on her face and tilted her head. "Why hello. Have we met before?"
Venus cringed. "Yeah. You gave me the bridal shower from Hell."
Suddenly eight knives giving off a sickly yellow aura flew through the air towards Venus. Saturn quickly moved in and deflected all of the knives with her Silence Glaive. Walking out of the darkness of the forest was a woman with long and very dark wavy hair and deep purple lips. Her skin was chalk-white like that of Hastur's other two brides, and she had four arms, each with long purple nails on the fingers of her hands, and thick black bracelets on each wrist. She had on a black shirt with a tattered yellow bow on her chest, in the middle of which was a gray crystal brooch in the form of a skull. Like the other two undead Sailor Guardians, the woman also had on a short tattered skirt with a large yellow bow on the back, and a pair of knee-high black boots. The woman's eyes were pitch-black except for purplish-gray irises, and on her forehead was the same yellow glyph that the other two brides of Hastur bore.
The woman crossed all four of her arms and let out a heavy sigh. "How pointless. Don't they know there's no meaning to any of us fighting?"
"Hello Sailor Khali," Eden greeted. "Lovely evening out, isn't it?"
"This fight is still not in order!" Omicron ranted. "Four against three is not proper!"
"Then this is really gonna upset you!" Brunhilde declared as she suddenly charged in with her sword raised. "Victory Arrow!"
A powerful arrow of white light shot from the blade of Brunhilde's sword, forcing the trio of undead Sailor Guardians to jump out of the way. Suddenly Gunnr emerged from a cloud of black mist from behind Khali and slashed at her with a pair of single-handed swords with thin black blades. The blades cut into Khali's flesh, only for it to regenerate instantly.
Khali let out a heavy sigh. "How pointless."
The four-armed woman then threw more daggers at Gunnr, only for the dark-haired Sailor Valkyrie to deflect them. Suddenly bolts of yellow lightning shot down from above and a made cackle filled the air. Khepri and the others looked up, and flying through the air on a pair of transparent butterfly wings was a fairly small woman with chalk-white skin, wavy dark-blue hair that ended just above her shoulders, long pointed ears like those of an elf, and a pair of short antenna growing from the top of her head through her hair. She had on a Sailor Guardian uniform very similar to the other brides of Hastur, and in the middle of the tattered yellow bow on her chest was a gray crystal brooch in the shape of a butterfly. While her mouth was twisted in a made grin, tears streamed down her cheeks from a pair of pitch-black eyes with bluish-gray irises. On the middle of her forehead was the same strange yellow glyph that the other three undead Sailor Guardians bore.
"Another one?" Saturn asked.
Venus nodded. "That's Sailor AlfHime. She's the really crazy one."
"Good! A fight!" Sailor AlfHime spoke as she flew through the air and continued to rain lightning down upon the heroes. "Maybe this time I'll actually die! That would be all I've ever dreamed of!"
"Brunhilde, I'll try and finish off Sailor AlfHime," Gunner decided. "It's the least I can do for Sandra."
Brunhilde clenched her teeth. "Fine. I'll help Lord Khepri and the others deal with the rest of these pitiful creatures."
Down in the control room, Usagi watched the battle unfold on the screen. Gunnr had taken off into the air and had started to attack Sailor AlfHime. Meanwhile Khepri was fighting off Sailor Omicron with Saturn backing her up. This left Venus, Kunzite and Brunhilde to deal with Eden and Khali.
"Sailor Sigrun has alerted the others to what's happening and is on route with them," Erica reported.
"It doesn't seem like any of our team's attacks are doing any real damage," Luna observed. "The wounds of these other Sailor Guardians seem to regenerate almost instantly."
Erica nodded. "Unfortunately the nature of their undead bodies makes them indestructible. All we can hope to do is somehow drive them off."
"Isn't there any way to reason with them?" Usagi asked.
"Sadly, there is not," Frieda answered as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Their minds are irreparably damaged by Hastur's corruption. They are trapped in a living hell as servants of that abomination's will. All we can do is fight them and hope to somehow destroy them. Killing them is the greatest mercy we can hope to give."
Usagi's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Frieda, let me go out there and fight too. I can't let this go on any longer."
Frieda looked at her for a moment and nodded. "Very well. Your power brought forth a miracle once before. I must have faith that it can happen again."
XXX
Khepri's right first glowed with a golden light as it headed for Sailor Omicron's jaw. "Breaking Dawn Punch!"
The attack was a powerful uppercut that knocked Omicron right off her feet. Saturn moved in and clued the side of Omicron's head with the blunt end of her glaive. After a moment though, Omicron rose back to her feet and took a swing at Saturn with her ax, forcing the smaller Sailor Guardian to leap back.
"This is gonna go on all night!" Saturn exclaimed. "They just keep coming!"
"I will kill one of you and bring order to this fight!" Omicron declared as she swung her ax at Khepri.
Suddenly another voice cut through the night air. "Stop!"
The entire battle froze as everyone looked and saw Usagi had appeared on the scene as Eternal Sailor Moon. Mamoru was standing by her side as Tuxedo Mask.
"You four have ruined a peaceful and beautiful night and brought suffering to my friends!" Sailor Moon declared as she did her trademark pose. "In the name of the Moon…I have no choice but to punish you!"
"Ah! The Silver Maiden has appeared!" Eden realized. "We must destroy her at once!"
All four of Hastur's brides forgot about their opponents and rushed for Sailor Moon. At the same time, Sailor Moon raised her staff towards them.
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Therapy Kiss!" Sailor Moon called out.
A powerful silvery light burst from the end of Sailor Moon's staff and enveloped all four of undead Sailor Guardians. Each of the four was vaporized in an instant. When the light died away, the brooches of Hastur's brides remained floating in the air.
Gunnr touched down on the ground. "All that's left is their Sailor Crystals. Truly an impressive attack."
Brunhilde crossed her arms. "Their bodies will only regenerate in a few seconds. All Sailor Moon did was give us all a chance to catch our breath."
What happened next however was not at all what Brunhilde had predicted. Instead the Sailor Crystals began to shimmer and change color. Eden's crystal had changed to a lush green, while Omicron's crystal had become a vibrant red. Khali's crystal had turned to a deep purple, while AlfHime's crystal had turned a brilliant sapphire blue. Both Brunhilde and Gunnr were stunned.
"Impossible!" Brunhilde. "The corruption from their Sailor Crystals has been removed!"
By this time Sailor Sigrun arrived on the scene, with Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Pluto following a step behind. The remaining Inners and Shitennou arrived only seconds later.
"What in the name of Odin happened here?" Sigrun asked.
"Somehow, Sailor Moon has purified the Sailor Crystals of Hastur's brides," Gunnr explained. "She has freed them from their undead existence."
"But…that shouldn't even be possible," Brunhilde declared.
"I just wished to turn them back to the way they were," Sailor Moon explained, smiling. "After all, they're Sailor Guardians too. It didn't work out quite how I would've liked though."
Khepri stepped forward and walked over to the four crystals. She chanted something in a language that sounded Egyptian as she waved her hands over the four crystals. Suddenly four beams of gold light shot from the disc on her forehead and struck the four crystals. The crystals became encased in transparent scarabs and flew up into the night sky.
Saturn watched the light of the scarabs fade into the sky as she came over to stand next to Khepri. "What did you do?"
"I made it so they can be properly reborn," Khepri explained. "They probably won't come back quite as the same people they once were, but eventually they will return."
Suddenly Sigrun fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face. Gunnr immediately rushed over and helped her up.
"I'm okay Gunnr," Sigrun assured her. "Just…a little overwhelmed. I never thought Alfie could be saved."
"You mean Sailor AlfHime?" Tuxedo Mask asked. "Were the two of you friends?"
"Yeah, we were close," Sigrun confirmed as she wiped away her tears. "In fact she was my first crush. Never had the nerve to make a move on her though, probably because she was an old friend. Maybe if I had, Hastur wouldn't have gotten his hooks into her."
Meanwhile Jupiter went over to whisper with Venus. "Hey, who's the guy in the armor?"
"Oh, that's Hotaru's girlfriend," Venus whispered back. "Apparently she's a Kamen Rider. It seems Usagi forgot to mention that little bit of information."
Jupiter raised an eyebrow. "What the hell happened over in Paris?"
Suddenly an unfamiliar voice cut through the air. "The audacity!"
Everyone turned towards the source of the voice. Standing before the group was a man who only stood at about five feet, though he would've been taller if he weren't hunched forward. His arms were incredibly slender and long for his body, ending in unusually big hands that looked more like they belonged on some sort of ape. He was dressed in a tattered brown and black Victorian costume, complete with a ruffled shirt that had once been white but had yellowed with age. The outfit looked as though it had been taken off of a dead body.
The most disturbing feature of this man though was his face. His head was topped by somewhat long and incredibly wild black hair. His nose was quite small, while his mouth was unusually big and wide, showing off a set of crooked yellow teeth. A black eye patch covered his right eye, while his left eye was strangely large and seemed to almost bulge from its socket. More disturbing than all of that though was the man's skin, which seemed to be as gray as the skin of a corpse, yet also had a sort of greenish tint to it.
"One-Eyed Pete!" Kunzite identified with a look of rage and disgust.
"I take it you know him?" Nephrite deduced.
"He's one of Hastur's heralds here on Earth," Brunhilde explained. "Funny. I thought Hastur did away with you after our last encounter."
Pete smiled and shook his head. "Fortunately His Majesty still deems me an invaluable servant. He needs me to help execute his fallback plan to annex this world, as his original plan has failed."
Venus stepped forward. "I've got news for you, you undead freak! We're not going to let your king have this planet! This world is the future sight of the Moon Kingdom, so you can just take a hike!"
"Hah! As if a Sailor Guardian slut like you could stop His Majesty!"
Outraged, Kunzite raised his sword as the blade gave off a black night-like energy. "Darkest Night's End!"
With one swing of his arm, a powerful blade of star-filled energy traveled over the ground towards Pete. One-Eyed Pete managed to jump out of the attack's path, but only a split second too late for the blade to cut off the undead artist's right forearm.
"Now really! That was just uncalled for!" Pete complained as he picked up his severed arm and reattached it to his body.
"I will not have you insult my beloved, you revolting ghoul!" Kunzite shot back.
"Well no better term fits her after the way she spurred His Majesty's advances," Pete responded as he moved the fingers of his reattached hand to make sure everything still worked. He then glared at Khepri. "And you! Who the devil are you?"
"I am a child of the sun! The warrior of light and reincarnation!" Khepri answered as she did a dramatic pose. "Solar Knight Khepri!"
"She's one of the Elder Gods, by the way," Sigrun chimed in. "You've bitten off more than you can chew today."
Pete scowled. "I wouldn't be too cocky if I were you. This is only the first act. You may have won today, but this performance can only end one way, with His Majesty's domination of your world as its rightful god!"
"I won't let that happen!" Sailor Moon declared. "If your king wants to try and take this world, I will fight with everything I have to protect it!"
"So, you are the one who slew Tsathoggua," Pete observed. "On behalf of His Majesty I thank you for your service. Thanks to you, He has one less rival to contend with. I can also see that dealing with you will require much stronger and more calculated measures. After all, I wish not to needlessly sacrifice more of His Majesty's brides. Mark my words however, Sailor Moon. Your kingdom will fall before it ever has a chance to rise!"
Before anyone could stop him, One-Eyed Pete vanished with a cloud of noxious yellow smoke. The only sound that could be heard afterward was the chirping of the forest's crickets.
Brunhilde let out a shuddering sigh. "We should return to the control room. I'm certain Lady Freyja will want to discuss what has just happened."
The others all nodded and began to head back to the house. Venus hung back for a moment though, glancing at where One-Eyed Pete had been standing.
After noticing Venus wasn't following, Kunzite came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Venus nodded. "Seeing One-Eyed Pete again definitely made me cringe, and I didn't like having to fight Hastur's twisted brides, but otherwise I'm fine. By the way, thanks for defending my honor earlier."
Kunzite pulled Venus into a hug. "Next time I'll cut off more than just that fiend's arm."
Upon reaching the mansion, Usagi and the others changed back to their civilian forms and went back down to the control room. Luna, Artemis and Erica were still present of course. Frieda meanwhile was now sitting upon a throne-like chair that had apparently risen up out of the center of the room. Hilda, Sandra and Grete went over to the blonde. Erica got up from her seat at the controls and came over as well.
"Usagi, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for freeing those four former brides of Hastur from their cursed existence," Frieda spoke. "Sailor Eden was an old friend of both Hilda and myself. And Sailor AlfHime was the protector of one of the worlds at the very edge of our home system. I never dreamed they could ever be restored. Your power is truly miraculous."
"I just did what I could," Usagi responded.
Frieda nodded. "And Yoko, I must thank you as well. Because of your power, those four souls can start new lives."
"It was the least I could do for them," Yoko told her. "There's one thing I'd like to ask though. Those marks on the foreheads of those four Sailor Guardians, they were the same mark Hastur had on his armor in that dream vision Hotaru and I had before all of this."
"The mark is called the Yellow Sign," Grete explained. "It is essentially Hastur's personal crest. All of his brides become branded with that mark."
"Why are you inquiring about the Yellow Sign?" Erica asked as she adjusted her glasses.
"Well…let's just say I think I may have seen it somewhere before tonight," Yoko answered.
Hotaru gave Yoko a look that indicated she wanted to know more, but Yoko shook her head slightly. Now was apparently not the time to go into the matter further.
"There is something I want to know more about," Mamoru spoke. "How is it that Hastur corrupted those four Sailor Guardians? And why did you call those four his brides."
"Because that's what they were," Minako answered darkly. "Hastur normally takes over a planet by corrupting its Sailor Guardian."
"But how does corrupting a planet's Sailor Guardian help him take it over?" Usagi asked.
"As you know Usagi, Sailor Guardians are beings born alongside a planet to serve as its protector," Frieda explained. "Because of this, there is a certain connection between a Sailor Guardian and her mother's world. Hastur exploits this connection by making a world's Sailor Guardian into one of his brides, and his corruption spreads from the Sailor Guardian to the world she protects like a cancer."
"Hastur basically forces Sailor Guardians into marrying him," Minako continued. "It's what he tried to do to me in England."
"Once that abomination has had his way with a Sailor Guardian, the world she protects falls and she becomes a pitiful shadow of her former self," Hilda added with a look of loathing and disgust. "You saw what Eden and the others were like. They were driven completely insane."
"And unfortunately, those four were but a small part of Hastur's harem," Grete added. "He's conquered hundreds of other worlds in this manner."
"Wait, so does this mean all of us are in danger?" Haruka asked as she put an arm around Michiru.
"Well the fact is none of you would make suitable brides for Hastur," Frieda explained. "At least not any longer."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Michiru asked.
"Apparently, Hastur can only corrupt virgin Sailor Guardians," Rei answered, her face slightly red. "Grete mentioned this Hastur to Jun and I during our mission with her."
Frieda nodded. "It's one of the main reasons why I had the Shitennou revived, to protect the Sailor Guardians of this system's Inner Worlds. As it is now, the Sailor Guardians of this solar system are safe from Hastur's advances."
"But wait! Frieda, what about you and the other Sailor Valkyries?" Usagi asked. "Aren't you guys vulnerable to Hastur?"
There was an awkward silence in the room in response to Usagi's question. After a few moments though, all five of the Sailor Valkyries burst into laughter to varying degrees. Sandra laughed so hard she ended up rolling on the floor. Usagi was totally baffled by the Valkyries' response to her innocent question, while everyone else in the room sweat dropped. It was a few minutes before Frieda and her four comrades finally composed themselves.
"Oh wow!" Sandra declared as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I needed that. You are too funny Lady Usagi."
"You guys didn't answer my question," Usagi pointed out, confused. "Aren't you vulnerable to Hastur?"
Here the Sailor Valkyries paused. Meanwhile everyone else in the room besides Usagi either sighed, shook their heads or rolled their eyes.
"Wait, is she serious right now?" Hilda asked.
"Unfortunately," Rei answered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Frieda chuckled as she came over and placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "You really are just the cutest. I knew I would simply adore you."
Erica cleared her throat. "Getting back to the matter at hand, since Hastur can no longer use his regular method of conquering a planet to take Earth, he's obviously opting for some sort of backup plan. We need to figure out what that plan is."
"One other thing," Haruka interjected. "Hastur clearly wants to kill Usagi because he sees her as a threat. That's what this whole attack tonight was about."
"Very true," Frieda agreed. "Until we can figure out what Hastur's next move is, it would be foolish to allow Usagi to go blindly into battle against him. Erica, I want you to start trying to figure out what Hastur is planning. The rest of us should return to bed. It has been a long night."
With their little informal meeting adjourned, Usagi and the others nodded and began to head for the door. In the next few short minutes the three couples who had come down to the command center traveled back up to the elevator and parted when they got off to go to their respective rooms.
"Some peaceful vacation this is turning out to be," Minako sarcastically remarked as Keisuke closed the door to their room behind them.
"Indeed." Keisuke responded. "Well, we should probably do as Frieda suggested and rest."
"Are you kidding? I am way too wired to get any sleep."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
After a moment, Minako smirked and began to unbutton her nightgown. "Well, there is one thing I think could really help."
The blonde then let the nightgown drop the floor around her feet, revealing her totally naked body. Keisuke's breath was taken away by the sight of Minako's nude form, and a noticeable bulge had formed in the crotch of his pants.
"Kei-chan, I need you right now," Minako spoke as she came over and began to unbutton his shirt. "I need to feel you and for you to help me forget about that horrible monster for at least a little while."
Keisuke said nothing and simply looked deeply into Minako's blue eyes. He quickly removed his shirt and pulled Minako into a strong embrace as he kissed her. Minako moaned into Keisuke's mouth as she felt his muscular body envelope her bare skin. When they finally parted for air, Minako got onto the bed on all fours and grabbed onto the headboard, looking back at Keisuke expectantly. Keisuke quickly removed his pants, freeing his rock hard erection from its fabric prison.
The silver-haired former general got onto the bed on his knees behind Minako. He took hold of the blonde's hips and shoved his rod into her entrance, causing her to throw her head forward and let out a deep moan as Keisuke began to pound her from behind. Gradually Keisuke increased his pace, causing Minako's knuckles to whiten as she tightened her grip on the headboard. The legs of the bed creaked beneath them and Minako's breasts bounced more and more as Keisuke quickened his movements. Eventually Keisuke grabbed onto Minako's right leg and pulled it straight back, allowing him to penetrate the blonde even deeper.
Minako was now holding onto the bed for dear life as the bed rocked beneath them. Eventually she felt her inner walls tightening around Keisuke's pulsating rod. Then in one blissful moment the two of them climaxed and Minako saw white spots in her eyes as Keisuke's seed exploded into her womb. Soon after, Keisuke withdrew and Minako collapsed onto the bed in a sweaty heap, smiling as she caught her breath. Keisuke soon collapsed onto the bed next to Minako and wrapped an arm around her.
Keisuke kissed Minako on the forehead and pulled the blanket over them both. The two of them at last drifted off into an untroubled sleep for the rest of the night.
Please review and let me know what you think.