Ben 10 Porn Story: The Expanded Adventures of Benjamin Tennyson – Chapter 7

I do not own Ben 10, or
any of the characters that have already or will debut in the series.

Note: This project
ignores the events of Race Against Time, Ben 10 Versus
Negative 10. Goodbye and Good Riddance and Ben 10: Alien
Force. I have other plans for Ben, Gwen, Charmcaster, Animo, and
all the others.

Secondary note: For
this project, benwolf is Howlrunner, benmummy is Underwraps, and
benviktor is Boltneck.

You
dont think there are any wolves in this area of the park, do you?

Dean
grinned a little as Penny curled up against him. The ranger that had
warned him about the wolves had inadvertently done him a favor.
Penny was so scared that she stayed huddled up to him. Win-win for
him, and all thanks to that one ranger.

Deans
good mood evaporated when he heard another howl, this one sounding a
little too close for comfort. The macho attitude he had put up
earlier in the day started to dribble away as the howling got closer.
Turning away from the fire they had been sitting in front of, he saw
a massive wolf not five feet away from them. Its eyes were blazing
red, and its fur looked paler than you would expect it to be. As he
watched, the wolf rose up on two legs. Its back legs lengthened and
straightened out, while fingers grew out of its paws. At that point,
Dean and Penny bolted, leaving the shapeshifting monster behind them.

Ben
10

Lost

Ben?
Are you all right?

Gwen
snapped her fingers in front of Bens face. His only response was
to turn his head to look out the window. Hed been doing this for
a couple of days. At first, Gwen thought hed been thinking about
Will, the girl theyd met during the Mech Wrecker incident. But he
hadnt once blushed or smiled while in this state. The only
question was what was he thinking about?

What if
he gets loose again? I mean, if he can control the Omnitrix like
that, whats to stop him from taking me over?

Wait,
this is about Ghostfreak? Look, Ben, we fried him, remember?

Yeah,
but he got back into the Omnitrix before that happened.

No, you
picked up some of his DNA before that happened. Ghostfreak is dead.

Ben shook
his head and resumed staring out the window. Gwen tried to think of
something to say, something to cheer Ben up. Nothing came, so she
got up and went to the front of the Rust Bucket, where Max was
sitting.

No luck
getting him to cheer up?

Yeah.
I think Im actually starting to miss him picking on me. Just
dont ever tell him I said that.

Before
Max could respond, Gwen had gotten out her laptop. Turning it on,
she saw that one of her friends from school was logged on. Before
long they were both talking about what they had been doing over the
summer(although Gwen had to lie about a lot of it). While they were
talking about where they were at the moment, Gwen looked out the
window and saw a billboard that she thought her friend would like to
know about. She sent a picture of the billboard to her friend. The
response surprised her. They exchanged a few more messages, and then
Gwen turned to Max.

Grandpa,
were about five miles behind one of my friends. She wants to know
if we can stop with them and see each other. Can we?

Well,
who is it?

Janet
Young. You know, the girl from my school?

Theres
a campsite a few miles ahead of us. Tell her to wait for us there.

_____________________________________________________________

As soon
as the Rust Bucket parked near the Youngs RV, Gwen burst out of
the door, rushing over to see her friend. Ben slumped out after her,
still thinking dark thoughts about Ghostfreak and the Omnitrix.
Looking over, he saw Gwen lean down to hug an Oriental girl sitting
behind a table. She looked a little familiar, but not much; he
didnt really know any of Gwens friends, and she didnt really
know any of his. Gwen waved to him, and he walked over, wondering to
himself how lazy you had to be to not get up to see a friend. When
he got there, he was suddenly struck with embarrassment and a little
shock. She wasnt lazy, like hed originally thought; she was in
a wheelchair. He suddenly felt really bad about thinking she was
lazy. These thoughts at least put the thoughts about Ghostfreak out
of his mind, although he didnt realize it.

And you
must be Ben. Gwens told me a lot about you.

Janet
stuck out her right hand for Ben to shake. As soon as he touched it,
a shock passed between their hands, causing both of them to jerk back
from each other. Janet rubbed her right hand with her left, which
was wrapped in gauze. Both Tennysons noticed the gauze.

What
happened to your hand?

I . . .
I burned it a couple of days ago. Its nothing, really.

Gwen made
sympathetic noises, but Ben was a little suspicious, even though he
didnt say anything at the time. He looked for Max, and found him
talking with Janets father. Probably not the best time to
interrupt. Besides, what was he going to tell him? Sure, Janet had
lied, but he didnt know what she was lying about. Hed look
stupid. But, before he completely dismissed those thoughts, he heard
a beeping noise from the Omnitrix. Looking down, he saw the dial
change from red to green, the way it did after recharging. The only
problem was, it hadnt been recharging. He hadnt used it for
two days, so it should have still been charged. Something wasnt
right, and he was determined to find out what.

_____________________________________________________________

The sun
had almost completely set. The remains of dinner(Max and Janets
dad had insisted on sharing a meal) had been put away. Ben was
sitting at the picnic bench, watching the Youngs RV. Something
was up with Janet, and he was determined to find out what. As the
last rays of sunlight dipped over the horizon, Gwen yawned heavily.

Im
going to bed. Try not to stay up all night.

Ben made
a motion to show that hed heard her. About five minutes after
Gwen went to bed, Ben saw a dark shape come around the Youngs
trailer. Whatever it was, it was big,
with giant wings growing from its back. It lifted off, and Ben was
immediately running through the Omnitrixs selection. He decided
and pressed down on the dial. When the green light faded, he was
Stinkfly, zipping after whatever monster had left the campsite.

As he
soon realized, it was hard to fly after something that stayed as
close to the treetops as this thing did without much light. And it
was even harder to track it from above; without much of a moon,
Stinkfly could barely make out the creature. The only thing he could
see was a slight reflection off the creatures left hand, like it
was wearing a bracelet, or some other kind of jewelry. Still, it was
something to shoot for, and shoot he did.

Hey,
ugly! Think fast!

One or
two of Stinkflys blobs of goo hit, but the creature shot upward
sharply, causing the rest to fall woefully short of the mark.
Whatever this thing was, it was fast.
Stinkfly banked, swiveling his eyes in all directions to find the
mystery monster. This was a lot easier now that it had risen above
him, even with the less-than-stellar lighting conditions. He started
shooting again, aiming for its wings to bring it to ground. The
monster responded by tucking said wings against its body, shooting
straight at Stinkfly. Before he could react, the creature grabbed
his head with its reflective left hand. There was a flash, and all
of a sudden he was Ben again. As he began to fall, he started to
scream. He was still screaming when he hit the first branch and
descended into darkness.

_____________________________________________________________

Gwen!
Wake up!

Gwen sat
up slowly, shaking her head to get the fog out. Max had been shaking
her, and he leaned back a little as she sat up.

Wheres
Ben?

Wha- he
didnt come in last night?

You saw
him last. What was he thinking? Did he say anything?

No. He
was just sitting there, watching Janets RV. I thought he was just
going on about Ghostfreak again. May-

Before
Gwen could finish her thought, there was a knock on the door. Max
opened it and found himself eye-to-eye with Mr. Young. He looked a
little desperate, and more than a little worried. He grabbed Max by
the shirt and literally dragged him out of the Rust Bucket. Gwen
came outside to see Janets dad hoisting a very large and very
inhuman weapon in his hands. Max grabbed one of the same from the
back area of the Rust Bucket; apparently, there was something nasty
in these woods. Max closed up the compartment, and he turned towards
the woods with Mr. Young in tow. Gwen was about to go after them,
but Max turned around and shook his head. With that, he turned
forward again, walking into the woods to try and find Ben and Janet.

_____________________________________________________________

Bens
head was throbbing. He put his hands on either side, feeling like it
would fall off if he didnt hold it on. His eyes opened slowly,
blinking as the light flooded his field of vision. When he could
properly see again, he saw not the interior of the Rust Bucket but
instead trees and grass. Slowly, it came back to him: Janet lying
about her hand being burned, the monster from her RV, Stinkfly
chasing the monster, it grabbing him, and then nothing. Groaning, he
sat up, regretting it immediately. Looking around, he saw another
person lying near him. It took him a moment to recognize it as
Janet. Crawling over, he got a good look at her left hand. It was
encased in some kind of golden glove. He reached out to tap it, but
had his hand batted away as Janet came to.

Unh,
five more minutes.

Are you
all right?

Janet
shrieked at that; obviously, she hadnt been expecting Bens
voice. Her upper body rolled over, dragging her legs with it. Once
shed gotten turned around, she propped herself up on one arm,
using the other to comb blindly through her hair, picking out sticks
that had gotten stuck there.

Where
are we, and why are you
here?

I dont
know. I was following something, and . . . that was you, wasnt
it?

What
was me?

That
flying thing last night. I mean, thats the only way you could
have gotten out here, right?

Ok, I
have no idea what youre talking about, but weve got to find our
way back to the campground. Bend over.

No way!
Find your own way out, if you cant trust me.

You . .
. youre not serious, are you? I cant walk! How else am I
supposed to get out of here?

Ben was
about to walk away when he heard (or at least thought he heard)
Ghostfreaks dry laughter, relishing the chance to abandon Janet to
die in the wilderness. Sighing, he turned around, walking back to
Janet.

_____________________________________________________________

Gwen slid
the Keystone of Bezel into her pocket. It still hadnt really
recharged from Hexs attempt to recreate the Charms, but it
enhanced what little spellcasting talent she had. She didnt think
that Max and Mr. Young could find Ben and Janet before anything
happened to them. Not that they were bad at tracking people down;
she just didnt think it all that likely that anyone could find
them without some kind of clue as to where the kids were.

Sketching
a small circle on the ground, she dropped one of Bens dirty shirts
within the circle. The outline began to glow purple, and Gwen
suddenly knew where Ben was, relative to the campground. Whispering
a few words, she jumped into the trees, running on the branches
towards Ben.

_____________________________________________________________

So,
what is that thing, anyway?

Ben
stopped for a minute, heaving for air. It didnt matter that Janet
couldnt move her legs. They were still heavy, especially when you
were carrying her through the forest for a few hours (at least, he
thought it had been a
few hours; neither of them was wearing a watch). After he had gotten
his breath back, he started moving again.

You
first.

Why
should I?

Because
I dont need you to get back. Want to try it by yourself?

Janet
swallowed hard. As far as she could tell, Ben was entirely serious
with his threats to leave her to fend for herself. She decided to
humor him, if only to keep on his good side.

Its
called the Shaxras Gauntlet. I found it in the attic when I was
four. I put it on because I thought it looked cool, and it wouldnt
come off. Man, was he mad when he got home and saw it. He taught me
how to cloak it, but that stopped working a few days ago.

And it
does . . .

It lets
me turn into all sorts of creatures. You know, the mythical ones.
This griffin with arms instead of forelegs, a minotaur, bunch of
others. Since I stopped walking . . . you just take that for
granted, but it just feels like I can do anything. Now, what about
yours?

Ben
opened his mouth to tell her when they both heard something howling
nearby. Another howl responded to the first, and then another. Ben
checked the Omnitrix. Still red; this was a new record for
uselessness. Before they could move, Ben and Janet found themselves
surrounded by a pack of wolves. The one directly in front of them
was a massive white wolf. It started forward, arms lengthening as
its muzzle shortened. A slit appeared in its chest, and it reared up
on its hind legs. Ben blinked, and when he did, the fur fell back
like a cloak. Under the cloak was a young woman in a short deerskin
dress. The only thing that connected her with the snarling beast of
a few seconds ago was the pair of bright gold eyes. She walked up to
Ben, tracing unknown patterns on his face with her abnormally long
fingernails. She grinned, a humorless smile that showed far too many
teeth. She moved her face in towards his neck, but stopped at the
sound of a small voice.

No!
Bad dog! Leave them alone!

The
gold-eyed woman jerked her head around. Floating about a foot over
her head was another woman the size of a Barbie doll with a set of
dragonfly wings growing from her back. The wolf-woman made some
noises with her throat; if it was a language, neither Ben nor Janet
understood it, so they sat through the exchange between the two women
wondering what would become of them. Once it ended, the woman on the
ground turned and ran, her form melting back into that of the white
wolf. The flying woman waited until the entire pack had left before
floating down in front of Ben.

Im
Puck. Are you kids lost? Hungry?

Both Ben
and Janet nodded. The little woman rose up a little, trailing little
glints of light as she did.

Then
follow me. My master should be able to accommodate you.

Puck
turned and glided off, with Ben and Janet following right on her
tail.

_____________________________________________________________

By the
time they got to the clearing, the sun had reached its high point and
was in the long process of heading west. Ben was tired, and the site
of the massive tower sitting in a treeless depression was as welcome
a site as any. He looked up at Puck, but was too weary to get the
words out. She read the question in his eyes and answered.

Yeah,
this is my masters retreat. Hes a bit of a recluse, but
friendly enough, I guess. Im just glad he took me in.

What do
you mean, took you in?

Im
an orphan. My parents died while I was still pretty young, and
pixies are superstitious creatures. They thought I was cursed, and
they ran me out of their little kingdom. I thought I was going to
die, but he found me and nursed me back to health. Its a favor I
can never truly repay, but I try anyway. Come on, lets hurry. I
think hes got lunch ready.

As soon
as they crossed the threshold, Ben could smell something. He didnt
know what it was, but it smelled delicious.
As soon as Janet was off his back, he rushed toward the smell.
Before he could find the source of the smell, he ran into a rail-thin
humanoid in dark robes. Backing up, he saw not a face, but an ivory
mask. The eyeholes were filled with a pair of surprised brown eyes.
Ben tried to stutter out an apology, but the robed figure raised his
hand.

Well
met, young one. What is your name?

I-Im
Ben. Ben Tennyson. And this is Janet Young. We-

You
were lost, yes? I saw you hours ago. Im just amazed that it took
Puck so long to find you.

Sorry.
Oberon thinks Im dangerous. I had to outfly a couple of his
soldiers on the way to them.

Very
well. Show them to the dining hall. Make them comfortable, and then
come to my chambers.

Puck
nodded, and then turned down one of the halls with Ben and Janet in
tow.

_____________________________________________________________

Gwen
looked down from the branch on which she was currently sitting.
Below, a pair of wolves walked by, sniffing the ground. They looked
familiar, but she wasnt sure if they were the same ones she had
seen earlier. For all she knew, there were hundreds of wolves
running around this forest. Either way, she had to get around
without getting caught by them. Bracing herself, she leapt for the
next branch.

For a
second, she thought she wasnt going to make it. Even with the
Keystone, she saw herself coming up short, crashing into the ground
right in front of the wolves. In actuality, she almost overshot the
branch she was headed for, which would have be just as disastrous as
shorting it. Grabbing the branch to keep herself from falling, she
felt her palms get shredded by the bark, and had to bite her lip to
keep from moaning. Steadying herself, she watched the wolves turn
from the tree and start walking to the north. The same direction
that Ben had been going, if her spell was working properly. Might
as well follow them, if theyre going the same way,
she thought, and then leapt for the next branch.

_____________________________________________________________

Ben
looked down the hallway, wondering where it led. Neither Puck nor
her nameless master had said he couldnt explore, and he was more
than a little curious. Plus, this place seemed bigger on the inside
than it looked on the outside. A lot
bigger. It didnt surprise him nearly as much as it would have a
few months ago at this point, nothing
really seemed impossible to him but it did surprise him a little.
As he walked down this particular hallway, he spotted a glint
traveling above him.

At first,
he thought it was Puck, and he waved at it. As it got closer, he saw
that, while a pixie, this one was a male. He was wearing what looked
like bark armor, and had a miniature sword strapped to his waist.
Weird. Didnt Puck say she was the only
pixie here? Ben followed the pixie as far as
he could, but lost it when it slipped through the slits of a grate in
the floor. Ben almost gave up until he heard the familiar beeping of
the Omnitrix recharging. Finally.

The only
question was what alien to use to infiltrate the lower levels of the
tower? Gray Matter could probably get through the small slits on the
grate more easily that anything else, but he didnt have any
offensive power in case he ran into trouble. ThunderVolt, on the
other hand, would have no problem fighting off anything he ran into,
but would have a harder time getting through the grate in the first
place. But neither of them had any kind of night vision; the area
under the grate was pretty dark.

Ben
stared down the grate. In all honesty, there was only one alien in
the Omnitrix that could get down the grate and
be able to fight some of the nasty things that might be lurking under
there. The only problem was, if he used Ghostfreak, would he be able
to control what was essentially the dark corner of his mind? Or
would he just release the one enemy he was truly afraid of back into
the world, ready to wreak havoc? Closing his eyes, he activated the
Omnitrix, twisting the dial around. Whichever alien came out, he
would use. And pray that it didnt blow up in his face.

As soon
as he pushed the dial back into the Omnitrix, he felt his physical
body drift away like smoke on the water. He held up his arms and
found himself staring at a set of abnormally long claws. That
confirmed it; he was Ghostfreak for the first time in a very long
time. Fortunately, he wasnt in sunlight; the last thing he wanted
right now was to fry because of what was essentially dumb luck.
Willing himself insubstantial, he passed through the grate and into
the lower levels of the tower.

As he
glided down the hallways, Ghostfreak realized that he had excellent
night vision. There werent even torches down here, just the
occasional pixie floating around, but he could see as clearly as if
there was a sun lighting the place. As he went deeper, with the
darkness growing, he felt something coursing through whatever passed
for veins for this form. Thats right. The
darker it gets, the stronger he I
get. Soon, he was in what had to be
catacombs. Up ahead, he saw Puck encircled by the aura of light she
gave off. She was flying down the hall, staying level with her
masters shoulder. Ben slid in closer, willing himself invisible
in case either of them thought to turn around. When he got close
enough to hear them, he could tell that at least one of them was
angry.

-and
the Wolf Pack. I deserve at least that much for getting all that
magical crap you have hoarded in here.

The
Wolf Pack wasnt part of the bargain. You get control of Oberon
and his kingdom. Nothing more.

Oh, Im
sorry. I must have forgotten who keeps bringing in artifacts and
sacrifices. Tell me, when was the last time you brought something
in? Oh, thats right, I
did! Ive done all the work, and youre telling me that I dont
get some kind of bonus? Fine. Good luck getting all those magic
weapons back once I take the-ulk!

Or, I
could snap your arrogant little neck right here and now. Im sure
I could find another of you little winged rats willing to help. Am I
understood?

Puck
nodded, and her master let go of her neck. She hovered there for a
few seconds, sucking in air and rubbing her neck. He began walking
again, and then stopped and turned around.

Well,
well. It looks like curiosity is a family trait, little Ben. Shame,
really. I was a little fond of you.

Ghostfreak
fired a blast of purple energy at the Master. He raised a hand, and
the energy sank into his palm, firing back out a second later,
catching Ghostfreak in the chest. Rolling with the impact,
Ghostfreak slid into the floor, rushed through it, and came up with a
fierce uppercut. The Master fell backwards, and his mask popped off.

Without
his mask, the Master looked hideous. His skin was gray and rotten.
Bones showed through in at least three different places, not counting
the teeth one could see through the hole in his right cheek. For the
first time, Ghostfreak got a good look at the Masters hands. They
too were decayed, and the skin on the fingers stopped about an inch
short of covering the bones. Stunned, Ghostfreak wasnt able to
react when the Master shot forward, slapping his hand against the
dial attached to Ghostfreaks left shoulder. There was a flash of
red light, and Ben dropped to the ground. Without Ghostfreaks
night vision, he could only see the faint glow Puck gave off. The
Master was pretty much invisible to his point of view. Something
grabbed his shirt, dragging him down the hallway.

_____________________________________________________________

Ben hit
the ground rolling, stopping only when he hit a wall. The noise of a
door slamming came from behind him. He turned around (at least, he
thought he did) but saw nothing in the darkness. The Omnitrix let
off a bit of a red glow, but it didnt do anything to help him see.
He started feeling around. Slowly, crawling around his cell, he
found something soft wrapped in cloth. He began running his hand up
it, trying to figure out what it was. He was still clueless when
something grabbed his wrist, causing him to scream.

Shut
up! Im not going to hurt you!

Ben
pulled his arm out of his cellmates hand. Whoever it was, he
thought the voice sounded like a girl, which automatically qualified
his cellmate as she. Still scared, he decided to get to know her a
little.

Who are
you? I mean, your voice sounds kind of familiar, but it could just
be coincidence.

Im
nobody you know. Im in here because Kol-Karah doesnt like
loaning things out.

Kol-Karah?

Thats
his name. The undead guy in the mask, I mean. You didnt know?

I got
here by accident. I was lost in the woods, and whats-her-name-

Puck.
Do me a favor. If you get out of here and I dont, rip her wings
off or something like that. Backstabbing, conniving coward, thats
what she is.

What
did you mean when you said that thing about him loaning out stuff?

He has
this book in his library. I need it to do this ritual, and he has
the only known copy left in existence. I got into the library, and I
almost had the book when that little winged traitor brought him in.
Ive been stuck down here for I dont know how long, and Im
starting to think Ill be here forever.

Dont
think like that. I think I can figure a way out eventually.

But deep
down, he knew that it was a long shot. Kol-Karah could shut down the
Omnitrix, just like Vilgax could, and hed never fairly beaten
Vilgax. Kol-Karah would be even more difficult, given all the powers
his magic could grant him. Silently, he prayed that someone would
show up and save him.

_____________________________________________________________

Gwen
shifted her weight, grabbing for the next handhold. Shed found
the tower, but something had told her to avoid the door. Sliding her
fingers into the next handhold, she reached up and got a hand on her
target a windowsill about halfway up the tower. Levering herself
up with her hands, she slid over the sill and into the tower.

As she
lay there, trying to recharge after the climb, she gave the room a
look-around. Scattered throughout the dusty room were a variety of
items. Belts hung on the leg of an overturned table, while a few
cloaks lay bundled on the chair next to the table. Staffs were
propped up against one of the walls, and a large amount of jewelry
was scattered on the floor. Curiosity got the better of her, and she
grabbed one of the rings lying by her hands.

A shock
ran through her system, and Gwen suddenly found that she knew
what the ring did. Pushing herself up, she grabbed another ring.
The same sensation passed through her body. Eager to test this new
power, she grabbed one of the cloaks. This was followed by a number
of amulets, a golden belt, two wooden wands, something that looked
like a golems finger, and several other items. By the time she
was done, she had amassed what amounted to a small arsenal. She was
about to sort through it when something bumped her leg.

Gwen
jumped a foot in the air, biting her lip to keep herself from
screaming. Once she landed, she whipped around, hoping that shed
imagined the touch, praying that it wasnt some kind of guardian
left here to safeguard the magic items in the room. At first, she
didnt see anything. When she felt the same bump, she looked down.
Sitting there was a beat-up brown backpack with a pair of buttons
sewn near the top. She recognized it immediately. It was the
backpack Charmcaster stored her magic stones in. Gwen kneeled in
front of it, and it jumped at her again.

What?
Do you want to come with me? Is that it?

The bag
jumped at her again. Gwen took that as a yes, and slid the
straps of the backpack around the belt. Clasping the belt around her
waist, she slid the wands and finger into little slots on the side of
the belt. The amulets were placed on little hooks on the back of the
belt. A pair of bracers clamped over her forearms. A pair of
fingerless gloves slid onto her hands, and rings slid onto several of
her fingers. Sliding one last item over her neck, Gwen threw the
cloak shed grabbed over her shoulders, pinning it in place with a
petrified eye. Grabbing the staff shed picked up, she opened the
door and walked out, ready for anything.

_____________________________________________________________

Ben
leaned against the wall. He and his cellmate had just stopped
talking after a while, and they were staying on opposite sides of the
cell. Ben looked at the Omnitrix. It had recharged, but he didnt
think he could just leave his mystery roommate here. Idly, he began
running through his aliens in his head. Ghostfreak was the only one
he could think of that could
get out; nothing else had any real ability to see in the dark. Sure,
Wildmutt could sense his way around, but he wasnt strong enough to
tear his way through whatever kind of door there was keeping them in.
Nothing else could really work, each lacking some ability or another
that would be useful for getting him and his cellmate out.

Ben?
Is that you?

Ben
whipped his head around to where he had heard Gwens voice from.
At first, he thought it was one of Kol-Karahs tricks. But
Kol-Karahs never heard Gwen before. Has he?

Is that
you, Gwen?

Of
course its me. Whats the matter, cant you see me?

No, he
cant see you. Its pitch-black down here.

Oh.
Close your eyes for a second, both of you.

Ben
closed his eyes, and then opened them to find the area blazing with
light. The light was emanating from the left hand of a hooded
figure. The figure pulled its hood off, revealing his cousins
face. Ben rushed forward and found that they were not in a cell, as
he had thought, but in a small space built onto the corner of the
hallway. He grabbed Gwen in a bear hug, and was only interrupted by
someone clearing their throat behind him. He turned around and was
more than a little shocked at what he saw.

Her
silver hair wasnt pulled back in a ponytail like it usually was,
and her jacket had been replaced with a purple tank top, but she was
still recognizable as Charmcaster. She was sitting about five feet
from where Ben had been prior to the lights coming on. The only
other difference from her normal look was a leather collar inscribed
with silver runes on her neck. Gwen walked over to her and reached
for the collar. As soon as she touched it, her hand convulsed, and
she drew it back sharply.

You
think I didnt try that? Ive been down here for . . . whats
today?

Ben told
her.

Two
weeks! You think that it never crossed my mind to just take the
thing off? Its keyed to keep magic-users from taking it off, plus
drain their powers.

Ben
walked over and touched the collar. Nothing happened. He ran his
finger over to the catch, and then stopped.

Ill
let you out, but you have to make me a promise. Promise that youll
help us stop Kol-Karah, no matter what hes doing. And no killing
or maiming.

What?
No! Ill help you, but you cant stop me from paying that little
weasel Puck back.

Promise,
or well leave you here for Kol-Karah to play with. All or
nothing.

Fine,
Ill leave off Puck. Now take this thing off me.

Ben undid
the catch and removed the collar from Charmcasters neck. She
stood up, rubbing her neck; Ben saw the red circle of chafed skin
where the collar had been. Dropping her hands from her neck, she
held one out to Gwen.

Give me
my bag.

I dont
think it wants to go with you anymore.

Bull.
Hand it ov-ow!

Shed
been reaching for the bag, and it bit her with its zipper/mouth. She
pulled her hand back, sucking at the tip of her index finger.

Sorry,
but I guess-

Dont
care. Keep it. Ungrateful little monster.

With
that, she turned and started to walk away. Ben and Gwen looked at
each other, and then followed her down the hallway.

_____________________________________________________________

Gwen
heaved the grate covering the downstairs area aside while Charmcaster
watched in amazement. When her right hand came back, she saw
immediately why Gwen had pulled that off: the Keystone of Bezel was
attached to the back of the glove she was wearing. For a second, she
thought about trying to steal it, but pushed that thought into the
back of her head. If she could get the book she was looking for, she
wouldnt need the Keystone. And for right now, teaming up with the
Tennysons was her best shot at getting it.

So,
where should we look first? I mean, someones got to know what
Kol-Karahs doing with all these artifacts. Either of you hear
anything?

While
me and Janet were eating, Puck said something about fungus. I
thought she had some kind of athletes foot or something, but I
could be wrong.

Fungus?
Are you serious?

Yeah,
but I didnt think it meant anything. Does it?

I cant
think of any reason, but-

Youre
sure she said fungus?

Yeah.
Is it important?

Oh,
man. Weve got to stop him, and fast.

Why?
What does it have to-?

A
couple of hundred years ago, the Lords of the Abyss sealed one of
their number in the Bleak Wastes for attempted deicide. Iriix, the
Lady of Fungus. Shes about the only being powerful enough to
release Kol-Karah from his tower when he busts her free. Weve got
to find the conjuration room before he frees her, or hes going to
suck the planet dry of magic. I think its this way.

Gwen and
Ben took off in the direction Charmcaster had pointed. Before long,
they came to a large, thick door. Charmcaster put her hands on it
and muttered a few words. The doors practically blew off the hinges,
and the three of them were looking into a very big room. Most of the
walls were covered in runes and summoning circles. The exception was
directly across from them; it looked like a window into a landscape
both Tennysons recognized immediately: the Null Void. Charmcaster
sucked in a breath sharply, and the little gasping noise alerted the
rooms occupants to their presence immediately.

Kol-Karah
and Puck looked up immediately, and their movement revealed something
lying on the ground between them. It took a few seconds for Ben to
recognize that something as Janet. She looked a little bleary, and
Bens first thought was that she had been drugged. A fury burst
into him, and he activated the Omnitrix, not even looking at what he
was going to turn into. There was a flash of green light, and he
found himself swathed in blue-black fur. Charmcaster looked over and
said, Cool.

Ben,
get Janet out of here! Charmcaster and Ill take care of
Kol-Karah. Go!

Howlrunner
rushed forward, unleashing a concussive roar that blew Kol-Karah and
Puck into the wall. With them out of the way, he grabbed Janet,
carrying her to the doorway they had entered through. She pushed
herself up on her arms, groaning. He got an idea. If the Omnitrix
was working again . . .

Janet,
use the Gauntlet! We need backup!

Janet
closed her eyes and began to glow slightly. She began strobing, and
in each flash became something else, something inhuman. When she
finished, she had become a Minotaur easily a foot taller than
Howlrunner. He took a moment to be very impressed. They turned
around but Gwen and Charmcaster had Kol-Karah and Pucks attention
all to themselves. Just then, Howlrunner noticed someone standing on
the other side of the window to the Null Void. Three
familiar-looking teenaged girls walked slowly towards the wall,
flanking a construct of mold and fungi. As he watched, they slipped
out of the wall and into the room. Rushing forward, he took a swing
at the construct, which he assumed to be Iriix. His massive paw
stopped partway through its swing, halted painfully by one of the
girls sharp kick to his wrist.

Ow!
That hurt!

Before he
could retaliate, another of the girls, this one covered in tattoos of
dragons, leapt forward, shooting a blast of energy at him. Dodging,
he opened the four pieces of his jaws, unleashing a concussive roar,
blasting the dragon girl across the room. While he was so occupied,
Janet came charging over, catching the other two girls over her horns
and smashing them into the wall. Howlrunner turned to attack Iriix,
but she had vanished from his view. Oh man,
please dont be gone.

_____________________________________________________________

Gwen
threw her right hand forward, and a bolt of blue fire shot towards
Kol-Karah, who threw it to the side an instant before it would have
hit him. Raising his staff (a wooden shaft topped with a crystal
that was constantly glowing), he uttered an ancient word, one that
hadnt been heard in thousands of years. Almost immediately, a
hole opened in the air just below the ceiling, and flame and ash
began raining down in the room. It was a good strategy for him; he
couldnt feel the pain of the burning ash, and any damage to his
body could be repaired once he took care of the intruders.

Gwen made
a gesture with her hands, augmented by a few powerful words of her
own, and the hole closed. She didnt know how she did it, but
right now she felt like she could do anything with the sheer power
running through her veins. Raising the staff shed taken from
Kol-Karahs storeroom (hers looked like a rather long spinal column
topped with the skull of a large raven), she mentally activated it.
A stream of energy burst from the mouth of the skull and hit
Kol-Karah on his left arm before continuing forward to the wall.

When
the energy faded away, she saw that the area of the wall her energy
blast had hit looked like it had been eroded away. The clatter of
objects hitting the floor brought her attention back to Kol-Karah.
His left arm was gone, reduced to bones scattered on the ground next
to him. He looked at his side for a moment, as though he was trying
to figure out what happened to his arm. He looked at Gwens staff,
and nodded to himself.

The
Necromancers Staff, of course. Useful, but a bit limited in its
application. Now, burn!

A gout of
black fire shot from Kol-Karahs staff. Gwen reacted
instinctively, throwing the cloak she was wearing in front of her
with her right hand. As the indestructible hide hid her from view,
she reached into the mouth of Charmcasters former bag, grabbing a
few of the little stones kept in there. When the moment felt right,
she threw the cloak back, releasing the stones. They flew at her
undead adversary, exploding in his face. One of them caught him in
the neck, destroying a small charm he wore there and leaving a large
divot on his upper chest. The force of the explosion threw him
backwards into the wall. It took him a little bit to get back up,
and he started to waver back and forth, leaning on his staff for
support. Leaping forward, Gwen readied another spell, hoping to
drive Kol-Karah out of the room in hopes that his ritual would fall
apart without him in the room.

_____________________________________________________________

Howlrunner
was swamped. The trio of girls were a pain. Sure, he could have
handled the martial artist, but factoring in the one shooting the
energy blasts made it a little hard. And the third one, who seemed
to have an endless supply of throwing knives, made it even more
difficult, even with Janet trying to run that one down. Spinning, he
unleashed another sonic roar, blasting the two he was fighting
halfway across the room. With them temporarily out of his hair, he
turned on the fungal construct, which grinned at him. Rushing
forward, he knocked her into the air in a cloud of spores. She
raised her hand once she landed on the ground, and Howlrunner dropped
to his knees as something tore through his body painfully. Janet
came over, but he waved her off.

Spores
. . . hurts . . .

Iriix
laughed heartily as Howlrunner writhed on the ground. He tried to
cough out the spores, but it wasnt working; they had taken solid
root and were busy spreading throughout his body. His vision had
started to turn black, while Iriixs laughter began to fade away.
As he sunk into the blackness, he heard a voice, loud and clear,
declare a single word.

Stop.

Iriixs
laughter halted immediately. Howlrunners vision began returning
to normal, and he found that his chest no longer hurt. Pushing
himself up, he saw that himself, Janet, Gwen and Charmcaster were the
only ones capable of movement. Kol-Karah was standing with his arm
outstretched, a bolt of energy forming on his palm. Puck was
hovering in midair, eternally twisting out of the way of
Charmcasters last spell. Iriixs cadre of female servants had
frozen in place around Janet, who was trying to extract herself from
between them. The only other occupant of the room was an oversized
raven that had perched on one of the windowsills.

The
raven flapped its wings, coming down to the floor. As it descended,
its skin and feathers began to crawl. Its legs elongated and lost
their scales. Its beak began to shrink, leaving lips in its place.
Its wings shifted backwards, joining together on its back while arms
emerged from its shoulders. By the time it reached the ground, it
had ceased being a bird, and was now a copper-skinned man wearing
black pants and a cloak made of black feathers. Walking through the
room, he smiled a little to himself.

I see I
have arrived at just the right moment. You look like you could use
some help.

Gwen and
Charmcaster didnt look like they appreciated the mans comment,
but Ben and Janet both nodded eagerly. The man looked at them, and
then waved his hand, forcing both of them into their normal bodies.
Ben lunged forward to catch Janet before she hit the ground. The man
walked over to the two spellcasters and looked them over. His smile
broadened a little when he saw the array of artifacts Gwen was
wearing.

So,
someone finally took some of the items he was hoarding. I was
wondering when that would happen. In any case, I suppose its you
four I should thank for distracting Iriix and Kol-Karah. And as
usual, I have to clean up their mess. First things first . . .

The man
touched Kol-Karah, and the undead mages spell finished forming,
only to fizzle at a glance from the mystery man. The look on the
lichs face turned as horrified as it could get, and he immediately
dropped to one knee, bowing his head to the floor.

Oh
Great Trickster, forgive me my-

Get up
and face your final rest like the man you once were. You have failed
at your duties for the last time. You have interfered with the
natural order of this land, enslaving the skinchangers and the fey
kingdoms, and are to be punished accordingly. Begone.

And with
that simple word, Kol-Karah dissolved to dust, leaving the rotted
robe and staff behind. The dust floated in the air for a moment
before the wind took it away, scattering his remains to the four
corners of the earth. The Great Trickster (as Kol-Karah had called
him; there was really no other way to identify him) walked over to
the cluster of girls that had been fighting Ben and Janet. He
touched each one on the forehead. At his touch, they started moving
again, seeming a little confused by the location changes most of the
people had made in a seeming instant.

You
three are released from your service to the former Lady of Fungus.
Go, and never bother this place again.

The three
of them nodded and took off, leaving the summoning room in a hurry.
The Great Trickster looked Iriix up and down, and then clapped his
hands. At the sound of the impact, Iriix simply disappeared, leaving
no trace of her behind. This left only Puck to be judged by him.
Delicately, he plucked Puck from the air, holding her by her legs.
At his touch, she started moving again, trying to twist away from the
attack she last remembered. When that didnt work, she looked up
into the eyes of the man holding her. Everyone saw her look of
horror when she realized that her master and the demon she had helped
summon were gone without a trace. The Trickster paused for a moment,
trying to decide Pucks fate, when Gwen spoke up.

Why
dont you just put her in there?

She
pointed to the wall with the view of the Null Void. Ben shuddered,
remembering the brief time he had spent there; even without Vilgax
and Kevin chasing him around, it was a horrible place to be.
Apparently, Puck felt the same way.

No!
Dont put me in there, please no! Im sorry, I wont do it
again, I promise! Ill do anything, I swear, anything just dont
put me in there, no!

The Great
Trickster walked over to the wall, carefully dodging the summoning
circles drawn over the floor. When he got to the wall, he slapped
his hand palm-first against the wall, shoving Puck through. When he
removed his hand, the four of them could see Puck flitting around,
trying to force herself back into their world. As he walked back
from the wall, the Great Trickster waved his hands in different
directions. At first, none of the understood why he was doing it,
until Charmcaster pointed at the floor. Each wave of his hands lined
up with the disappearance of the summoning circles, until he got to
the last on sitting in the center of the room. When he waved his
hands over it, the floor cracked, spreading quickly to the walls. He
looked at the foursome still remaining and pointed to the door.

The
tower is collapsing. Leave immediately if you value your lives.

Gwen and
Ben rushed out the door, Ben carrying Janet over his shoulders.
Charmcaster bolted out the door, looked both ways, and then turned
down the hallway in the opposite direction of Ben and Gwen, desperate
to find the book she needed before the whole place came crashing
down.

_____________________________________________________________

What
are we going to tell them? I mean, even for us, this sounds pretty
unbelievable.

Were
going to tell them the truth. Both of them knew about Kol-Karah, or
at least that there was something
dangerous lurking in the woods. I mean, they wouldnt have brought
out weapons that big just to ward off wolves or bears, right?

Well,
my dad wouldnt. Your grandfather might. I mean, he is getting
old. He might not have thought he could handle the woods without
o-hey!

Ben
realized only too late that Janet had a pretty good grip when she
dragged him to the ground when he let go of her legs. Gwen turned
around to see the two of them struggling back up and shook her head.

You
guys should really stop doing that. Its not funny. Now, look,
were almost there. Follow my lead.

Gwen
walked off towards the location that her spell had provided her. Ben
and Janet managed to get upright again, and were about to start off
when they noticed a glint of gold off to the right. Both of them
looked and found themselves staring at the white wolf they had
encountered earlier. While they looked, it winked at them, and then
turned and ran off. Ben was right. No one was going to believe
this.