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Chapter 24
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Chapter 26
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Chapter 25 - The Foreign Menace

    The group spent the last few months exploring through a good majority of the Underworld. They found great treasures and valuable ore. Of course, they came back to the surface whenever they felt tired. During that time, the house back on the surface was finally given a name: 'Endora Manor.' Envy collected enough hellstone to make a new set of gear for herself and Simon as well. She also got accessories such as a magma stone, a string, and a yoyo counterweight. Sombra made a suit and gun out of the meteorite from the snow biome. She bought a gray zapinator and a celestial magnet from a traveling merchant that passed by, and made herself a diamond robe. Siss retired her pharaoh outfit and made an obsidian outlaw suit from some obsidian she gathered. She also made an imp staff from the hellstone she collected, which summoned a fire breathing imp minion. Spade was able to easily get along with the imp, despite its intimidating looks. Siss even managed to get a vampire frog staff during a blood moon, which summoned a vampire frog minion. Bonnie used all the hellstone she collected to upgrade her handguns into phoenix blasters. Xavier also gave her a quad barrel shotgun. As for Haydn and Simon, they've been hanging out with their relationships more often.

    One morning, William and Bindi were at a golf course that Envy and the others set up in the forest. There, they were practicing Golf.

    “Okay, Bindi,” William said, “Watch and learn.” He then swung his golf club and Bindi watched as the golf ball soared off into the distance.

    "God damn, big bro!" Bindi said.

    "Now remember," William said, "Always…"

    "...Yell fore." They both said.

    "I know. I know." Bindi said as she grabbed her golf club, "I got this." She stood next to her golf ball, positioning her club behind it. "Fore!" She yelled. Bindi then drew back her golf club and swung it, sending the ball far off.

    "Nice shot, Bindi!" William said.

    "Thanks!" Bindi said.

    "Come on, let's get in the cart." William said. They got in their nearby golf cart and drove towards where the ball landed. When they reached their destination, they could see someone standing in front of Bindi's ball. The person looked to be a witch doctor that was half man half lizard with a staff in its left hand.

    "Wait, who is that?" Bindi asked.

    "I don't know." William said.

    "What do we do?" Bindi asked. William hesitated for a moment. He then stepped out of the cart.

    "Stay in the cart." He said. William slowly approached the witch doctor who was still staring down at the ball. "Excuse me, sir," he said, "That’s my sister's ball. Can I please have it back?" As the witch doctor turned around William could see there was something very wrong with him.

    Meanwhile at Endora Manor, Envy and the others were hanging out on the top balcony.

    "So, yeah." Haydn said. “The last thing I remember after jumping into the portal with Pederin was waking up here, during the slime rain.”

    “Dr. Pederin….” Siss said. “....Why does that name sound familiar?”

    “Wait, Haydn,” Envy said, “What was the name of that island again?”

    “Skycloud.” Haydn responded.

    “Not gonna lie, I feel like I’ve heard that name before. I can’t put my finger on it though.” Envy said as she sneakily pulled a piece of gel off from one of the slimes. But before she could put it in her mouth and swallow it, Siss caught her in the act.

    "Envy, stop trying to eat the slimes!" she cried. Envy then threw the gel on the ground and crossed her arms while making a grumpy face. Simon went and put his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed from the forest. Everyone turned and looked in the direction where it came from.

    "That came from the golf course." Simon said as he turned back. Everyone grabbed their gear and hurried over to the golf course. As they ventured through, they eventually found William's golf cart.

    "William's golf cart," Sombra said, "What is it doing abandoned out here?"

    "I don't know." Envy said. "He never leaves his cart behind." Simon examined the front of the cart and found something disturbing.

    "Envy, you might wanna come look at this." He said, concerned. There were red stains splattered all over the hood and windshield; they looked to be still wet. The others saw the red stains and were already starting to feel uneasy.

    "What the hell?" Bonnie said. Envy wiped one of the stains off with her fingers and then sniffed them. She turned around and said,

    "It's blood…" Indeed, the stains were blood. Siss then noticed something shiny on the ground. She picked it up by the handle and revealed a bloody golf club from the taller grass.

    “Something terrible must’ve happened here.” she said.

    “Guys, wait up!” Spade shouted, trying to catch up. Just then, a figure jumped down in front of him. Spade screamed as it roared. He then rushed over to Siss like a missile. The figure turned around. It was the witch doctor.

    “Envy, who is that?” Sombra asked.

    “Why are you asking me?” Envy cried, “I don’t know who that guy is, nor where he came from.”

    “You were the one who first built this place, right?” Sombra said, “You should know almost everyone who has come here.”

    “I do know everyone here, Sombra,” Envy said, “But this guy is brand new. I’ve never seen him anywhere until now.” Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps echoed from behind. The group turned around to find Bindi and William slowly shuffling towards them.

    “Bindi, William, you’re ok!” Siss said in joy. They did not respond, but instead just stood still.

    "Guys?" Envy spoke. Nothing. They just stared at them. As Haydn looked closer, he noticed something strange about the siblings and the witch doctor. They all had bright green eyes. His heart sank as he recognized them.

    "No!.....It can’t be!" he trembled.

    “Haydn, what’s wrong?” Sombra asked. Just then, the witch doctor charged towards Simon like a zombie. Simon swiftly turned around and swung his sunfury at the witch doctor. Everyone looked over as they heard a roar. The witch doctor laid limp in the grass and let out one final groan before collapsing.

    “Simon, you killed him!” Wart cried. Bindi and William furiously snarled at the group before lunging towards them. As Envy turned around and saw the savage golfer, a shadownite hammer was thrown at it from the left. Blood was splattered everywhere as the hammer blasted its way through the body. William fell to the ground in bloody pieces as the hammer returned to Haydn’s hand. Haydn looked over to see Bindi attacking Bonnie. He then charged over and swung one of his hammers at her back. Bindi was knocked over to the side with broken bones. She growled in pain as she tried to move. Haydh then leaped into the air and swung both of his hammers downward. Birds flew away as a loud crunch echoed through the trees. As Bindi took her last breaths, the green glow in her eyes faded away.

    "What did you do?" Siss asked. Haydn stood there in silence. "Haydn?" She said. Bonnie got up.

    "Hey! She's talking to you!" She yelled. "Sombra, do something!"

    "Alright!" Sombra yelled. She walked over to Haydn and knelt beside him. "Babe, are you ok?" Just then, Bindi’s body began to regenerate to its original state. When it was healed, Bindi woke up.

    “Ugh, my head.” she groaned as she sat up. She then noticed Sombra, who had a shocked expression on her face. “Oh hey, Sombra.” she said. Sombra stood in silence. “Why are you staring at me like that?” Sombra then shook her head.

    “Don’t worry about it.” she said.

    “Hm. Must’ve had a bad dream.” Bindi then realized something. “Wait, where’s William!?”

    “Guys, William just rose back to life!” Envy shouted. Bindi quickly rushed over. When she saw her brother, her eyes welled up with tears of joy.

    “William!” she shouted. William looked over and saw Bindi.

    “Bindi?” he said. Bindi then rushed over and tackled him with a hug.

    “You’re ok!” she said. William hugged her back. He then saw Envy and the others staring at him awkwardly.
    “Oh hey! When did you guys get here?” he asked. William’s eyes then widened as he looked down at himself. “Wait, where are my clothes!?” he cried.

    “Here, take this.” Sombra said as she ran over and handed him her flinx fur coat. William quickly put it on.

    “Thanks, Sombra. I really appreciate it.” he said, gratefully.

    “You’re welcome,” Sombra said, “Just make sure you give it back to me when you’re done with it ok?” William nodded.

    “William, what happened here,” Envy asked, “We heard one of y’all scream earlier?”

    “Well I’m glad you asked.” William said. “So, me and Bindi were practicing some swings. When we went to retrieve our balls, there was this half man half lizard person standing in front of Bindi’s ball. I tried talking to him, but when he turned around, he…..”

    “He?” Envy said.

    “He attacked him,” Bindi said, “I watched it happen. I couldn’t just leave my brother there to die, so I grabbed one of his golf clubs and used it to beat the shit out of the person that was attacking him. When I was able to see him in greater detail at some point, I could tell that he looked like some kind of witch doctor based on what he was wearing. His eyes were also glowing green. I smacked him to death with all my might until I screamed as William, who I thought was dead, bit me on my neck from behind. Before I blacked out, I saw his face, and he had the same green eyes as the witch doctor. Eventually, I woke up and found you guys here.”

    “I actually bit you-” William asked before screaming and pointing at something he saw in the background. The others quickly turned around and found the witch doctor standing on his feet with his hand to his forehead.

    “Ughh,” the witch doctor groaned, “Where am I?”

    “Don’t worry, I’ll get him.” Bonnie shouted as she cocked her phoenix blasters.

    “Wait, hold your fire!” Envy yelled. The witch doctor looked up and noticed the group.

    “Who are you?” the witch doctor asked.

    “Hey, he’s talking normally.” Wart said.

    “Yeah, he no longer sounds zombie-like.” Simon added on.

    “I'm gonna try and talk to him.” Envy said before clearing her throat. “Hi there. I’m Envy, and these are my friends…”

    “...U’wa…” the witch doctor introduced himself. "How did I get here?"

    "Sorry. I wish I could answer that question, but I really don't know." Envy said. "...Do you remember anything that happened before you got here?"

    "Well, before blacking out, I remember being bitten by this bat with green eyes," U'wa explained, "Whatever it was, it did not look like a regular bat."

    "Green eyes?" Sombra said, concerned. As U’wa looked at Sombra, a sense of recognition came to him.

    “Hey, you look familiar,” he said, “Haven’t we met before?”

    “Huh?” Sombra said in confusion. A memory then came back to her. “...Yeah, we did! Hi.” she said after.

    “Hello, again.” U’wa said back, “It’s Sombra, right?” Sombra nodded yes in response.

    “Wait, Sombra, you know this guy?” Bonnie asked. Sombra sighed

    “I’ve got some explaining to do, don’t I?” Later, Sombra explained everything to them when they returned to Endora Manor. “A few months ago, I discovered a jungle biome that was not far from the Crimson. So one day, I decided to go check it out and not long after, I fell down a hole that led to this massive cavern system. I couldn’t find a way out, so I proceeded forth and ran into things such as giant bugs, spiked slimes, hungry bats, and even man-eating plants. Deeper below, I found this strange looking temple. I tried to enter, but the door to it was locked. Not far from it was a house, and that was how I met U’wa. He let me stay with him for the next several days, until I decided to explore further west. I asked him if he wanted to come with me, he chose to stay. And the rest is a long story.”

    “U’wa, do you know anything about that temple?” Envy asked.

    “Yes,” U’wa answered, “In fact, that temple is home to a race known as the lihzahrd tribe. I know that because I used to live there.”

    “Wait, you’re one of them?!” Wart cried.

    “Obviously,” U’wa said, “You really couldn’t tell by my tail?”

    “Ohhh…..”

    “As I was saying,” U’wa continued, “My tribe built this temple ages ago before the end of the war between Light and Dark."

    "How did you know that happened?" Envy asked. U'wa sighed.

    "We may look primitive, but we’re actually smarter than you think.” He then paused for a moment, “...How did you even know about it?”

    “We read it in a book once.” Envy answered.

    “I see,” U’wa said, “In order to prevent intruders from entering, we sealed off the entrance with a locked door. We also made keys for each of us in case we ever decide to leave the temple. And that’s pretty much all I can tell you about the temple for now."

    "Now Haydn," Sombra said, "I noticed you were freaked out earlier when William and Bindi attacked us. What was the matter?" Just before Haydn could answer, Calista burst into the room.

    "Darkrune Defenders," she announced, "I have sensed the presence of a foreign form of infection spreading in the jungle!"

    “What did you say?!” Haydn cried. Later in the day, Envy and the others crusaded past the Crimson and into the jungle that was farther east. The group was surrounded by vines and mud everywhere.

    “This can’t be the same infection you fought before. Right, babe?” Sombra asked.

    “It has to be,” Haydn said “Those eyes. I swear I’ve seen them before. If he’s really still alive, then…”

    “Hey, don’t worry, buddy,” Bonnie said, “We’ll find whoever this guy is and kick his ass.”

    “Calista mentioned something about a foreign infection,” Simon said, “What does she mean by that?”

    “Simon, have you not been listening?” Haydn asked, “This infection we’re dealing with is manmade.” Envy slashed away at the vines to reveal an opening. Everyone froze as they stared at the vast open rainforest. Bonnie whistled in amazement.

    “Hm, this place doesn’t look very infected to MEEEE!” Envy said as a jungle bat then flew right into her face. She screamed and fell into the foliage below as she tried to get the bat off of her.

    “Envy!” Simon screamed. He then dove down after her.

    “Simon, wait!” Sombra cried.

    “Wait for me!” Bonnie said as she jumped down.

    “Bonnie!” Haydn yelled. He then groaned and jumped down. Sombra followed along. Siss and Spade stood in silence for a brief moment before looking at each other and shrugging. They then jumped down into the foliage below. Eventually, Bonnie landed in a dark, lush, cave-like area. Haydn and Sombra landed behind her.

    “Oh hey.” Bonnie said. Siss and Spade landed soon after.

    “Wooo! Talk about a fall!” Siss said as she stood up on her feet. Spade then screamed as he saw something land right next to him. The others jerked as they heard him. On the ground, there was a dead bat burning into ash. They then looked up and saw Simon and Envy floating down from above. Envy groaned as she held her snout.

    "Envy, what happened?" Sombra asked.

    "Well, some random ass bat came and bit me on the nose." Envy said. Simon landed beside her.

    "How bad does it hurt?" He asked.

    "It- Ow!" Envy yelped, "It's fine."

    "At least it wasn't one of those infected monsters. Right, Haydn?" Bonnie said.

    "Yeah," Haydn replied, “And besides, if that bat was infected, it would come back to life all cured. Then Envy would eventually become infected as well, since it can be transferred through bites. or other means of attack.”

    "Like what, Haydn?" Envy asked.

    "You know. Stingers and-" Just then, something hit the ground next to Haydn’s foot. He then looked up and saw a giant hornet with tumorous growths and green glowing eyes. He quickly threw his shadownite hammer and everyone watched as it split straight through the hornet. As the hornet fell to the ground, it began to swell up. "Everyone, take cover!" Haydn cried. The hornet then exploded into a corrosive green liquid as everyone ran to safety. When it was safe, they took a closer look at the creature. "Ok, now that was an infected creature. I saw the green eyes." Haydn said.

    "What is that liquid?" Spade asked as he looked closer at the green liquid splattered everywhere.

    "Don’t touch that, that acid's deadly!" Haydn yelled.

    "A-acid?" Spade stuttered. Just then, the hornet rose back up as its body regenerated. It gave the group one final stare before flying away. Simon then heard something.

    "Hey, do you guys hear that?" Simon asked.

    "Hear what?" Bonnie asked.

    "Uhh…guys…" Envy said as she spotted something to the right. A green light glowed from a nearby tunnel while the sounds of thumping echoed from it. As the group marched through the tunnel, they could see tumorous vine-like growths pulsing on the walls and green cracks glowing everywhere. The odor of sulfuric acid lingered in the air as well.

    "This was definitely not here before." Sombra said. The tunnel eventually led to a massive underground cave system with even more of the same infected walls.

    "My God," Haydn said, "It must be throughout all the caves!"

    "Well good thing we didn't forget this." Envy said as she pulled out a bag of purification powder. Bonnie then shot her phoenix blasters at an incoming infected hornet.

    "Whew! You're welcome."

    “Stay cautious, everyone,” Haydn said, “Like I said, this infection is very dangerous. So if we stay together, we’ll be-” Siss then screamed as she saw an infected man eater grow behind her. When she jumped back, all of them then fell into the green abyss. Spade froze in fear as he stared at the man eater.

    “Umm….I’m just gonna…” he trembled before flying down the cave. Later, the group found a strange tunnel that was outside of the infected area. A twilight fog sparkled in the air.

    “What the heck is this, Sombra?” Simon said in curiosity.

    “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before.” At the end of the tunnel, they reached an open room with gem trees everywhere. Everyone marveled at the beautiful gem forest.

    “Whoa! Look at that!” Spade shouted as he pointed at something glowing past the gem trees. It was a huge pond filled with a strange iridescent liquid. The group then approached the mysterious pond.

    “Ooo! It’s so sparkly!” Siss said in amazement.

    “What the hell even is that stuff?” Bonnie asked.

    “I told you. I don’t know” Sombra answered.

    “Hey look, a slime.” Haydn said as he pointed to a slime that was hopping towards the pond. As the slime jumped into the liquid, something strange began to happen to it. Shortly after, it transformed into an iridescent rainbow slime. The others were shocked as they watched. The slime then swam back to shore and hopped away with its new look. “Did you guys see that?!” Haydn cried,

    “Rainbow…slimes?!” Siss squealed.

    “Man, if only I brought Wart to see this.” Simon said.

    “Speaking of Wart, why did you leave him back at home?” Envy asked.

    “Well, I didn’t know what we were up against, so I didn’t want him to get hurt.”

    “Hey, look at me,” Envy said, “I came along with you, and have I gotten hurt by this new infection yet? No.” Simon chuckled and then sighed. As he stared at the shimmering pond, he didn’t notice himself slowly holding Envy’s hand. Envy noticed however. She then laid her head on his shoulder, blushing. Just then, Simon froze as heard something echoing from the other side of the cave. “Simon?” Envy said as she noticed his reaction.

    “Shh.” he shushed. As his sculk sensors clicked, he could make out the vibrations of footsteps approaching. He then turned around and quietly yelled, “Guys, hide! Somebody’s coming!” The group obeyed and quickly hid behind some of the nearby gem trees. As they peaked out from behind, they could see the silhouette of a man approaching the pond. Following behind him were more of the infected mutated creatures.

    “Who is that?” Envy asked.

    “I’m not sure.” Envy then slowly walked closer.

    “Envy, what are you doing!?” Bonnie whispered.

    “I want to see if I can get a better look at them.” she answered. Bonnie put her hand to her face.

    “She’s gonna get us killed. I swear!” The others then followed Envy. When they got closer, they could see that the man was scooping up samples of the liquid into jars. At the same time, he held out some strange flip phone and started speaking into it.

    “Log Date: Day 157

    I have just come across a strange iridescent liquid in the underground jungle. From the looks of it, it looks nothing like water. But whatever it is, I’m going to take it back to my temporal abode for further study. Out of all the things I found in this world so far, this is the most interesting discovery. Earlier in the day, I was able to rebuild more of my fallen army. Thank god I still had some of those spare samples of Prototype 223 on me. A.K.A, the Serpent’s Bidding…” Both Haydn and Siss felt butterflies in their stomachs as they heard that last sentence. That was when Sombra noticed that all the infected creatures that were standing behind the man had the number, 223 glowing on certain parts of their bodies. "Before I even arrived here," the man continued, "Everything was going according to my plan back where I came from. Until that wannabe shadow king and his little band of friends came and f**ked it all up!" He then angrily punched one of the nearby gem trees. When he calmed down a bit, he spoke again. "At least I'm still alive. As for the hammer throwing maniac that brought me here, I don’t even know if he's alive or dead, or if he's even here at all. I swear though. If he is alive, I will find him, and I will kill him for what he did to me! If only Prototype 221 was still with me, I would've blown his ass up!" The man then sighed. "221, if you're listening to this, or if you're here right now, I still miss you. Please come home to daddy…" The man paused for a moment before speaking again. "Ahem! Anyways, I will do whatever it takes to find my way back. Even if it's the last thing I'll ever do.

    This is Dr. Ulysses V. Pederin, signing out." As the man closed his flip phone and stood up, the light from the pond revealed a man with black skin, a horrifying mouth, and toxic green eyes. There was also the imprint of a hammer on his face. Haydn froze as he saw the face of the mad scientist. Just then, Spade looked up and noticed an infected hornet that was staring at him from above. He then screamed and accidentally flew towards Dr. Pederin. He fell to the ground as he bumped into him. Dr. Pederin pulled out a giant syringe needle filled with a green liquid and pointed it at Spade. Spade quivered in fear as he stared at the long sharp point. Dr. Pederin then stood down. "What have we here?" he said, curiously.

    "Pl-please don't kill me…" Spade said in fright. A loud screech echoed through the room as the infected hornet was dragged down by a long tongue.

    "Who's there?" Dr. Pederin yelled. Envy then stepped out from behind the tree.

    "Hi…" Dr. Pederin then noticed he was talking to a girl.

    "Oh. Um," he stuttered before clearing his throat, "Salutations, Madame. Forgive me for yelling at you."

    “It’s fine, I guess.” Envy replied.

    "Allow me to introduce myself," Dr. Pederin said, "I am Dr. Ulysses V. Pederin, Supreme Scientist."

    "I'm Envy, and can I please have my friend back?" Dr. Pederin then looked at Spade to see him still paralyzed in fear.

    "Oh. Why of course." He said. Envy then gently picked up Spade. "Mind if you take off your helmet for a moment please? My apologies, I just want to see what you look like." Dr. Pederin said soon after.

    "Oh, sure thing." Envy then took off her helmet, revealing her face.

    "My, you look absolutely lovely." Dr. Pederin said. Envy blushed in response. As Dr. Pederin examined her face, he then noticed the glowing darkrunes dancing across her horns.

    "Is something wrong?" Envy asked.

    "Those runes on your horns. What are they?" Pederin asked.

    "Oh, the darkrunes? Yeah I was born with them."

    "Darkrunes, eh?" Pederin asked, "Well let me ask you this. Do you happen to recall a man by the name of Lord Drax?" Envy’s smile then faded away as soon as he said that. "I was told a dragon with those same runes led to his downfall."

    "N…no…" Envy lied, "Do you know him or something?"

    "Why yes," Pederin said, "Though I thought he was pretty annoying at times."

    "I think I'm going to head out. Nice meeting you and all." Envy tried to leave, but was blocked by a line of infected hornets.

    "I don't think so," Dr. Pederin said, "You know, he’s just as he described you. A weak, unskilled child. A child who couldn't even protect her own friends."

    "Stop."

    "A child who couldn't protect her people."

    "Shut up."

    "A child….w h o c o u l d n ' t e v e n
p r o t e c t h e r o w n m o t h e r ." Envy then welled up with tears and pulled out her volcano greatsword.

    "What do you know about my mom!?"

    "Now now," Dr. Pederin said, "Before we get a little too hasty, I just want to let you know, I'm not the one responsible for this crime."

    "Liar! Who are you!?" Envy yelled in absolute agony.

    "Pederin!" A voice yelled in the background. That was when Dr. Pederin was knocked back by a shadownite hammer. As Dr. Pederin looked up, he saw Haydn tear his way through the line of infected hornets.

    "Yyyyooooooouuuuuuuu!" He growled. The others joined Haydn.

    "Get away from my love, you creep!" Simon yelled.

    "I beg your pardon. You made even more annoying friends, Parker?!" Dr. Pederin asked.

    "That’s right." Haydn answered.

    "A girlfriend too!" Sombra said as she teleported next to Haydn.

    “A girlfriend? Don’t make me cringe.” Dr. Pederin said. “Speaking of cringe, what happened to that blue sussy baka suit of yours?”

    “I got tired of that suit,” Haydn said, “So, I sold it. I even got a pretty good amount of money out of it.”

    “Good for you, I guess.”

    “So, you’re the mad scientist behind this infection.” Bonnie said.

    “Ah yes, I see my adversary has told y’all everything between us.” Dr. Pederin said. Spade then flew from Envy’s arm and behind Siss’s shoulder.

    “What are you doing to Envy? Why are you upsetting her?” Sombra asked.

    “Young lady, I know what happened that night at Drax’s mansion." Dr. Pederin said. "I would assume you were one of those friends that were with her. If I remember correctly, one was an enderman, a skeleton, and some humanoid, explosive creature. Hm, almost reminds me of something or someone that I truly valued."

    "What are you talking about?" Haydn asked.

    "Oh nothing."

    "Look, I don't know what you're up to, but I'm going to end it. For my friends. For Just-Kon. For the world!" Suddenly, the infected creatures restrained the group, including Haydn.

    "Oh Haydn. Just how exactly are you going to do that?" Dr. Pederin said as he walked up to him.

    “What is he gonna do to us?~” Spade cried.

    "Oh y’all? I may have some questions to ask later.” Dr. Pederin stated as he turned back to Haydn, who was struggling to break free. “As for you however, well it should be obvious…” Dr. Pederin then takes out his massive syringe which held a toxic green liquid in it, “I'm gonna have to kill you." Just as he was about to stab the needle through Haydn’s chest, Sombra teleported behind him and shot her space gun at his back. Dr. Pederin's mouth split open into two mandibles as he yelled. The others then broke free from the infected creatures' grasp. Haydn swung his shadownite hammer and sent Pederin flying through the air. As he landed, he then made a run for it down a tunnel.

    "Haydn, he's getting away!" Envy cried.

    "After him!" He yelled. With that, the group chased after Dr. Pederin. Eventually, they lost track of him. "Crap! Where did he go?" Haydn asked.

    "Damn, he's good!" Bonnie said. As the group took a breather, Spade noticed something nearby.

    "Hey, Siss. What's that over there?" He asked.

    "Huh?" Siss then noticed the object too. "What the?" She then said. There, hiding under all of the foliage was a giant beehive. The others then turned as they noticed the massive hive.

    "Holy moly?!" Bonnie cried

    "Is that a beehive?!" Envy asked.

    "Mother of God!" Simon marveled.

    "Maybe Pederin hid in there?" Sombra thought.

    “I doubt it, but I guess we can take a look.” Haydn said. As they approached the hive, they could hear buzzing echoing from the inside.

    "Ok, how the heck do we even get into this thing?" Bonnie asked.

    "I don't know," Envy said, "I don't see an opening anywhere-"

    "There’s one!" Simon then called out. The opening was a huge hole.

    "Nevermind." When the group looked on the inside, they were shocked to find themselves standing in front of a pool of honey.

    "Whoa, is that honey!" Haydn cried.

    "Holy shit, that's a lot!" Sombra said after.

    "You could probably swim in that if you want to." Siss said.

    "I bet you could," Envy said, " Especially if you’re craving for a sweet….tasty…….succulent lick~" Her face started glowing pink.

    "Umm Envy, you know your man is standing right next to you, right?" Sombra said. Envy then noticed Simon staring at her with an awkward look on his face. Everyone fell silent. Just then, Bonnie noticed something at the end of the hive. There was a huge larva twitching and moving around in some kind of egg. Standing in front of it however, was Dr. Pederin.

    "Hey, there he is!" She shouted.

    “Shit!” Dr. Pederin said as he turned around. With no other idea, he took out a rock and threw it against the hive wall. Bees then came and swarmed the group. They all screamed as they tried to swat them away. Bonnie however, was not affected by them. She then aimed her phoenix blaster at him, but missed as a bee flew right into her eye socket. The bullet instead hit the larva. The hive then fell silent as the bees flew away.

    “Is everyone ok?” Envy asked.

    “Ow! I think one got my ass!” Sombra said. Bonnie bang her skull until the bee popped out and flew away.

    “Stupid bee!” she said, angrily.

    “You fool! Look at what you did!” Dr. Pederin yelled. They all noticed the destroyed larva. Just then, a loud buzzing noise echoed from above.

    “What was that?” Sombra asked.

    “Bonnie, what did you do?” Haydn asked. When Spade looked up at the dark ceiling, he gasped in horror. When the others looked up, they saw a giant bee emerge from the darkness.

    “What the hell?!” Bonnie cried.

    “What is that!!” Siss asked.

    “I think it’s the queen!” Envy said. The Queen Bee gazed down at her destroyed larva and then at Pederin, who was still standing by it. She then let out a loud screech before diving towards him. Dr. Pederin quickly dropped to the ground as the royal bee zoomed past him. The Queen Bee stopped and turned around to see him still alive. Dr. Pederin put his fingers to his lips and whistled very loud. Suddenly, infected hornets broke through the hive walls and attacked the Queen Bee. The Queen Bee then fell into the pool of honey below as the hornets swarmed her.

    “Babe!” Sombra suddenly cried. Dr. Pederin was escaping through a nearby hole.

    “Guys, Pederin!” Haydn shouted. They then chased after him. As they reached the exit, they saw Dr. Pederin jump across a ledge. Envy zoomed towards him and tackled him. The others caught up with her.

    “Got you now, you monster!” she said.

    “Nice work, Envy.” Haydn said. Dr. Pederin struggled to break free from Envy’s arms, but was unsuccessful.

    “Unhand me, this instant!” he demanded.

    “You’re not going anywhere.” Simon said.

    “Yeah, you’re dead meat, bum.” Bonnie said, threateningly, as she cracked her knuckles.

    “Guys, wait,” Envy said, “I don’t think we should kill him yet.” Dr. Pederin perked up as he heard.

    “What?!” Bonnie said.

    “Envy, are you nuts!” Haydn cried, “He’s too dangerous to be alive.”

    “Yeah? Well he knows some stuff that I want to know about.” Envy said, “We have to keep him for interrogation.”

    “A very foolish decision you’re making, little girl,” Dr. Pederin said, “Keep in mind, I have an army.”

    “Will you shut up?”

    “I’m sorry guys, I’ve got a confession," Siss said, "I agree with Envy." Just then, something blasted its way through the wall behind them. Everyone fell to the ground. Envy regained her composure and realized that Dr. Pederin was gone again. She looked up and saw him riding on the Queen Bee, but with green glowing eyes.

    "You haven't seen the last of me, fools!" He said before soaring through the cave ceiling and up to the surface.

    "Dammit!" Envy screamed.

    "Well, f**k!" Bonnie said.

    "Dammit! We were so close!" Haydn said. There was a moment of silence.

    "It's OK, babe," Sombra said, "At least we now know who is responsible for this."

    "Yeah, I guess so. We'll get him next time."

    "Let’s go home." Sombra said.

    "Count me in." Bonnie said.

    "Me too," Envy said, "I think I need to cool down after all of that." Just then Spade picked up something he found on the ground.

    "Hey guys, look what I found." He said.

    "Spade, what are you holding?" Siss asked.

    "Hold on a second." Envy said as she snatched the object from Spade. It was a jar filled with the mysterious iridescent liquid from before. "Spade, how did you get this?"

    "Oh, I just found it on the ground." He answered.

    "Wait, I know what that is," Haydn said, "That one of the samples of that liquid that Pederin collected. He must've dropped it before he escaped."

    "I still don’t get what this liquid is though." Simon said.

    "Maybe Andrew knows." Siss said.

    “Yeah, he can probably help identify it.” Bonnie said.

    "Right then," Envy said, "We need to get back to Endora Manor, pronto!" With that, everyone pulled out their magic mirrors and disappeared.

Description
Chapter 24
www.deviantart.com/kingofskycl…

Chapter 26
www.deviantart.com/kingofskycl…

Chapter 25 - The Foreign Menace

    The group spent the last few months exploring through a good majority of the Underworld. They found great treasures and valuable ore. Of course, they came back to the surface whenever they felt tired. During that time, the house back on the surface was finally given a name: 'Endora Manor.' Envy collected enough hellstone to make a new set of gear for herself and Simon as well. She also got accessories such as a magma stone, a string, and a yoyo counterweight. Sombra made a suit and gun out of the meteorite from the snow biome. She bought a gray zapinator and a celestial magnet from a traveling merchant that passed by, and made herself a diamond robe. Siss retired her pharaoh outfit and made an obsidian outlaw suit from some obsidian she gathered. She also made an imp staff from the hellstone she collected, which summoned a fire breathing imp minion. Spade was able to easily get along with the imp, despite its intimidating looks. Siss even managed to get a vampire frog staff during a blood moon, which summoned a vampire frog minion. Bonnie used all the hellstone she collected to upgrade her handguns into phoenix blasters. Xavier also gave her a quad barrel shotgun. As for Haydn and Simon, they've been hanging out with their relationships more often.

    One morning, William and Bindi were at a golf course that Envy and the others set up in the forest. There, they were practicing Golf.

    “Okay, Bindi,” William said, “Watch and learn.” He then swung his golf club and Bindi watched as the golf ball soared off into the distance.

    "God damn, big bro!" Bindi said.

    "Now remember," William said, "Always…"

    "...Yell fore." They both said.

    "I know. I know." Bindi said as she grabbed her golf club, "I got this." She stood next to her golf ball, positioning her club behind it. "Fore!" She yelled. Bindi then drew back her golf club and swung it, sending the ball far off.

    "Nice shot, Bindi!" William said.

    "Thanks!" Bindi said.

    "Come on, let's get in the cart." William said. They got in their nearby golf cart and drove towards where the ball landed. When they reached their destination, they could see someone standing in front of Bindi's ball. The person looked to be a witch doctor that was half man half lizard with a staff in its left hand.

    "Wait, who is that?" Bindi asked.

    "I don't know." William said.

    "What do we do?" Bindi asked. William hesitated for a moment. He then stepped out of the cart.

    "Stay in the cart." He said. William slowly approached the witch doctor who was still staring down at the ball. "Excuse me, sir," he said, "That’s my sister's ball. Can I please have it back?" As the witch doctor turned around William could see there was something very wrong with him.

    Meanwhile at Endora Manor, Envy and the others were hanging out on the top balcony.

    "So, yeah." Haydn said. “The last thing I remember after jumping into the portal with Pederin was waking up here, during the slime rain.”

    “Dr. Pederin….” Siss said. “....Why does that name sound familiar?”

    “Wait, Haydn,” Envy said, “What was the name of that island again?”

    “Skycloud.” Haydn responded.

    “Not gonna lie, I feel like I’ve heard that name before. I can’t put my finger on it though.” Envy said as she sneakily pulled a piece of gel off from one of the slimes. But before she could put it in her mouth and swallow it, Siss caught her in the act.

    "Envy, stop trying to eat the slimes!" she cried. Envy then threw the gel on the ground and crossed her arms while making a grumpy face. Simon went and put his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed from the forest. Everyone turned and looked in the direction where it came from.

    "That came from the golf course." Simon said as he turned back. Everyone grabbed their gear and hurried over to the golf course. As they ventured through, they eventually found William's golf cart.

    "William's golf cart," Sombra said, "What is it doing abandoned out here?"

    "I don't know." Envy said. "He never leaves his cart behind." Simon examined the front of the cart and found something disturbing.

    "Envy, you might wanna come look at this." He said, concerned. There were red stains splattered all over the hood and windshield; they looked to be still wet. The others saw the red stains and were already starting to feel uneasy.

    "What the hell?" Bonnie said. Envy wiped one of the stains off with her fingers and then sniffed them. She turned around and said,

    "It's blood…" Indeed, the stains were blood. Siss then noticed something shiny on the ground. She picked it up by the handle and revealed a bloody golf club from the taller grass.

    “Something terrible must’ve happened here.” she said.

    “Guys, wait up!” Spade shouted, trying to catch up. Just then, a figure jumped down in front of him. Spade screamed as it roared. He then rushed over to Siss like a missile. The figure turned around. It was the witch doctor.

    “Envy, who is that?” Sombra asked.

    “Why are you asking me?” Envy cried, “I don’t know who that guy is, nor where he came from.”

    “You were the one who first built this place, right?” Sombra said, “You should know almost everyone who has come here.”

    “I do know everyone here, Sombra,” Envy said, “But this guy is brand new. I’ve never seen him anywhere until now.” Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps echoed from behind. The group turned around to find Bindi and William slowly shuffling towards them.

    “Bindi, William, you’re ok!” Siss said in joy. They did not respond, but instead just stood still.

    "Guys?" Envy spoke. Nothing. They just stared at them. As Haydn looked closer, he noticed something strange about the siblings and the witch doctor. They all had bright green eyes. His heart sank as he recognized them.

    "No!.....It can’t be!" he trembled.

    “Haydn, what’s wrong?” Sombra asked. Just then, the witch doctor charged towards Simon like a zombie. Simon swiftly turned around and swung his sunfury at the witch doctor. Everyone looked over as they heard a roar. The witch doctor laid limp in the grass and let out one final groan before collapsing.

    “Simon, you killed him!” Wart cried. Bindi and William furiously snarled at the group before lunging towards them. As Envy turned around and saw the savage golfer, a shadownite hammer was thrown at it from the left. Blood was splattered everywhere as the hammer blasted its way through the body. William fell to the ground in bloody pieces as the hammer returned to Haydn’s hand. Haydn looked over to see Bindi attacking Bonnie. He then charged over and swung one of his hammers at her back. Bindi was knocked over to the side with broken bones. She growled in pain as she tried to move. Haydh then leaped into the air and swung both of his hammers downward. Birds flew away as a loud crunch echoed through the trees. As Bindi took her last breaths, the green glow in her eyes faded away.

    "What did you do?" Siss asked. Haydn stood there in silence. "Haydn?" She said. Bonnie got up.

    "Hey! She's talking to you!" She yelled. "Sombra, do something!"

    "Alright!" Sombra yelled. She walked over to Haydn and knelt beside him. "Babe, are you ok?" Just then, Bindi’s body began to regenerate to its original state. When it was healed, Bindi woke up.

    “Ugh, my head.” she groaned as she sat up. She then noticed Sombra, who had a shocked expression on her face. “Oh hey, Sombra.” she said. Sombra stood in silence. “Why are you staring at me like that?” Sombra then shook her head.

    “Don’t worry about it.” she said.

    “Hm. Must’ve had a bad dream.” Bindi then realized something. “Wait, where’s William!?”

    “Guys, William just rose back to life!” Envy shouted. Bindi quickly rushed over. When she saw her brother, her eyes welled up with tears of joy.

    “William!” she shouted. William looked over and saw Bindi.

    “Bindi?” he said. Bindi then rushed over and tackled him with a hug.

    “You’re ok!” she said. William hugged her back. He then saw Envy and the others staring at him awkwardly.
    “Oh hey! When did you guys get here?” he asked. William’s eyes then widened as he looked down at himself. “Wait, where are my clothes!?” he cried.

    “Here, take this.” Sombra said as she ran over and handed him her flinx fur coat. William quickly put it on.

    “Thanks, Sombra. I really appreciate it.” he said, gratefully.

    “You’re welcome,” Sombra said, “Just make sure you give it back to me when you’re done with it ok?” William nodded.

    “William, what happened here,” Envy asked, “We heard one of y’all scream earlier?”

    “Well I’m glad you asked.” William said. “So, me and Bindi were practicing some swings. When we went to retrieve our balls, there was this half man half lizard person standing in front of Bindi’s ball. I tried talking to him, but when he turned around, he…..”

    “He?” Envy said.

    “He attacked him,” Bindi said, “I watched it happen. I couldn’t just leave my brother there to die, so I grabbed one of his golf clubs and used it to beat the shit out of the person that was attacking him. When I was able to see him in greater detail at some point, I could tell that he looked like some kind of witch doctor based on what he was wearing. His eyes were also glowing green. I smacked him to death with all my might until I screamed as William, who I thought was dead, bit me on my neck from behind. Before I blacked out, I saw his face, and he had the same green eyes as the witch doctor. Eventually, I woke up and found you guys here.”

    “I actually bit you-” William asked before screaming and pointing at something he saw in the background. The others quickly turned around and found the witch doctor standing on his feet with his hand to his forehead.

    “Ughh,” the witch doctor groaned, “Where am I?”

    “Don’t worry, I’ll get him.” Bonnie shouted as she cocked her phoenix blasters.

    “Wait, hold your fire!” Envy yelled. The witch doctor looked up and noticed the group.

    “Who are you?” the witch doctor asked.

    “Hey, he’s talking normally.” Wart said.

    “Yeah, he no longer sounds zombie-like.” Simon added on.

    “I'm gonna try and talk to him.” Envy said before clearing her throat. “Hi there. I’m Envy, and these are my friends…”

    “...U’wa…” the witch doctor introduced himself. "How did I get here?"

    "Sorry. I wish I could answer that question, but I really don't know." Envy said. "...Do you remember anything that happened before you got here?"

    "Well, before blacking out, I remember being bitten by this bat with green eyes," U'wa explained, "Whatever it was, it did not look like a regular bat."

    "Green eyes?" Sombra said, concerned. As U’wa looked at Sombra, a sense of recognition came to him.

    “Hey, you look familiar,” he said, “Haven’t we met before?”

    “Huh?” Sombra said in confusion. A memory then came back to her. “...Yeah, we did! Hi.” she said after.

    “Hello, again.” U’wa said back, “It’s Sombra, right?” Sombra nodded yes in response.

    “Wait, Sombra, you know this guy?” Bonnie asked. Sombra sighed

    “I’ve got some explaining to do, don’t I?” Later, Sombra explained everything to them when they returned to Endora Manor. “A few months ago, I discovered a jungle biome that was not far from the Crimson. So one day, I decided to go check it out and not long after, I fell down a hole that led to this massive cavern system. I couldn’t find a way out, so I proceeded forth and ran into things such as giant bugs, spiked slimes, hungry bats, and even man-eating plants. Deeper below, I found this strange looking temple. I tried to enter, but the door to it was locked. Not far from it was a house, and that was how I met U’wa. He let me stay with him for the next several days, until I decided to explore further west. I asked him if he wanted to come with me, he chose to stay. And the rest is a long story.”

    “U’wa, do you know anything about that temple?” Envy asked.

    “Yes,” U’wa answered, “In fact, that temple is home to a race known as the lihzahrd tribe. I know that because I used to live there.”

    “Wait, you’re one of them?!” Wart cried.

    “Obviously,” U’wa said, “You really couldn’t tell by my tail?”

    “Ohhh…..”

    “As I was saying,” U’wa continued, “My tribe built this temple ages ago before the end of the war between Light and Dark."

    "How did you know that happened?" Envy asked. U'wa sighed.

    "We may look primitive, but we’re actually smarter than you think.” He then paused for a moment, “...How did you even know about it?”

    “We read it in a book once.” Envy answered.

    “I see,” U’wa said, “In order to prevent intruders from entering, we sealed off the entrance with a locked door. We also made keys for each of us in case we ever decide to leave the temple. And that’s pretty much all I can tell you about the temple for now."

    "Now Haydn," Sombra said, "I noticed you were freaked out earlier when William and Bindi attacked us. What was the matter?" Just before Haydn could answer, Calista burst into the room.

    "Darkrune Defenders," she announced, "I have sensed the presence of a foreign form of infection spreading in the jungle!"

    “What did you say?!” Haydn cried. Later in the day, Envy and the others crusaded past the Crimson and into the jungle that was farther east. The group was surrounded by vines and mud everywhere.

    “This can’t be the same infection you fought before. Right, babe?” Sombra asked.

    “It has to be,” Haydn said “Those eyes. I swear I’ve seen them before. If he’s really still alive, then…”

    “Hey, don’t worry, buddy,” Bonnie said, “We’ll find whoever this guy is and kick his ass.”

    “Calista mentioned something about a foreign infection,” Simon said, “What does she mean by that?”

    “Simon, have you not been listening?” Haydn asked, “This infection we’re dealing with is manmade.” Envy slashed away at the vines to reveal an opening. Everyone froze as they stared at the vast open rainforest. Bonnie whistled in amazement.

    “Hm, this place doesn’t look very infected to MEEEE!” Envy said as a jungle bat then flew right into her face. She screamed and fell into the foliage below as she tried to get the bat off of her.

    “Envy!” Simon screamed. He then dove down after her.

    “Simon, wait!” Sombra cried.

    “Wait for me!” Bonnie said as she jumped down.

    “Bonnie!” Haydn yelled. He then groaned and jumped down. Sombra followed along. Siss and Spade stood in silence for a brief moment before looking at each other and shrugging. They then jumped down into the foliage below. Eventually, Bonnie landed in a dark, lush, cave-like area. Haydn and Sombra landed behind her.

    “Oh hey.” Bonnie said. Siss and Spade landed soon after.

    “Wooo! Talk about a fall!” Siss said as she stood up on her feet. Spade then screamed as he saw something land right next to him. The others jerked as they heard him. On the ground, there was a dead bat burning into ash. They then looked up and saw Simon and Envy floating down from above. Envy groaned as she held her snout.

    "Envy, what happened?" Sombra asked.

    "Well, some random ass bat came and bit me on the nose." Envy said. Simon landed beside her.

    "How bad does it hurt?" He asked.

    "It- Ow!" Envy yelped, "It's fine."

    "At least it wasn't one of those infected monsters. Right, Haydn?" Bonnie said.

    "Yeah," Haydn replied, “And besides, if that bat was infected, it would come back to life all cured. Then Envy would eventually become infected as well, since it can be transferred through bites. or other means of attack.”

    "Like what, Haydn?" Envy asked.

    "You know. Stingers and-" Just then, something hit the ground next to Haydn’s foot. He then looked up and saw a giant hornet with tumorous growths and green glowing eyes. He quickly threw his shadownite hammer and everyone watched as it split straight through the hornet. As the hornet fell to the ground, it began to swell up. "Everyone, take cover!" Haydn cried. The hornet then exploded into a corrosive green liquid as everyone ran to safety. When it was safe, they took a closer look at the creature. "Ok, now that was an infected creature. I saw the green eyes." Haydn said.

    "What is that liquid?" Spade asked as he looked closer at the green liquid splattered everywhere.

    "Don’t touch that, that acid's deadly!" Haydn yelled.

    "A-acid?" Spade stuttered. Just then, the hornet rose back up as its body regenerated. It gave the group one final stare before flying away. Simon then heard something.

    "Hey, do you guys hear that?" Simon asked.

    "Hear what?" Bonnie asked.

    "Uhh…guys…" Envy said as she spotted something to the right. A green light glowed from a nearby tunnel while the sounds of thumping echoed from it. As the group marched through the tunnel, they could see tumorous vine-like growths pulsing on the walls and green cracks glowing everywhere. The odor of sulfuric acid lingered in the air as well.

    "This was definitely not here before." Sombra said. The tunnel eventually led to a massive underground cave system with even more of the same infected walls.

    "My God," Haydn said, "It must be throughout all the caves!"

    "Well good thing we didn't forget this." Envy said as she pulled out a bag of purification powder. Bonnie then shot her phoenix blasters at an incoming infected hornet.

    "Whew! You're welcome."

    “Stay cautious, everyone,” Haydn said, “Like I said, this infection is very dangerous. So if we stay together, we’ll be-” Siss then screamed as she saw an infected man eater grow behind her. When she jumped back, all of them then fell into the green abyss. Spade froze in fear as he stared at the man eater.

    “Umm….I’m just gonna…” he trembled before flying down the cave. Later, the group found a strange tunnel that was outside of the infected area. A twilight fog sparkled in the air.

    “What the heck is this, Sombra?” Simon said in curiosity.

    “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before.” At the end of the tunnel, they reached an open room with gem trees everywhere. Everyone marveled at the beautiful gem forest.

    “Whoa! Look at that!” Spade shouted as he pointed at something glowing past the gem trees. It was a huge pond filled with a strange iridescent liquid. The group then approached the mysterious pond.

    “Ooo! It’s so sparkly!” Siss said in amazement.

    “What the hell even is that stuff?” Bonnie asked.

    “I told you. I don’t know” Sombra answered.

    “Hey look, a slime.” Haydn said as he pointed to a slime that was hopping towards the pond. As the slime jumped into the liquid, something strange began to happen to it. Shortly after, it transformed into an iridescent rainbow slime. The others were shocked as they watched. The slime then swam back to shore and hopped away with its new look. “Did you guys see that?!” Haydn cried,

    “Rainbow…slimes?!” Siss squealed.

    “Man, if only I brought Wart to see this.” Simon said.

    “Speaking of Wart, why did you leave him back at home?” Envy asked.

    “Well, I didn’t know what we were up against, so I didn’t want him to get hurt.”

    “Hey, look at me,” Envy said, “I came along with you, and have I gotten hurt by this new infection yet? No.” Simon chuckled and then sighed. As he stared at the shimmering pond, he didn’t notice himself slowly holding Envy’s hand. Envy noticed however. She then laid her head on his shoulder, blushing. Just then, Simon froze as heard something echoing from the other side of the cave. “Simon?” Envy said as she noticed his reaction.

    “Shh.” he shushed. As his sculk sensors clicked, he could make out the vibrations of footsteps approaching. He then turned around and quietly yelled, “Guys, hide! Somebody’s coming!” The group obeyed and quickly hid behind some of the nearby gem trees. As they peaked out from behind, they could see the silhouette of a man approaching the pond. Following behind him were more of the infected mutated creatures.

    “Who is that?” Envy asked.

    “I’m not sure.” Envy then slowly walked closer.

    “Envy, what are you doing!?” Bonnie whispered.

    “I want to see if I can get a better look at them.” she answered. Bonnie put her hand to her face.

    “She’s gonna get us killed. I swear!” The others then followed Envy. When they got closer, they could see that the man was scooping up samples of the liquid into jars. At the same time, he held out some strange flip phone and started speaking into it.

    “Log Date: Day 157

    I have just come across a strange iridescent liquid in the underground jungle. From the looks of it, it looks nothing like water. But whatever it is, I’m going to take it back to my temporal abode for further study. Out of all the things I found in this world so far, this is the most interesting discovery. Earlier in the day, I was able to rebuild more of my fallen army. Thank god I still had some of those spare samples of Prototype 223 on me. A.K.A, the Serpent’s Bidding…” Both Haydn and Siss felt butterflies in their stomachs as they heard that last sentence. That was when Sombra noticed that all the infected creatures that were standing behind the man had the number, 223 glowing on certain parts of their bodies. "Before I even arrived here," the man continued, "Everything was going according to my plan back where I came from. Until that wannabe shadow king and his little band of friends came and f**ked it all up!" He then angrily punched one of the nearby gem trees. When he calmed down a bit, he spoke again. "At least I'm still alive. As for the hammer throwing maniac that brought me here, I don’t even know if he's alive or dead, or if he's even here at all. I swear though. If he is alive, I will find him, and I will kill him for what he did to me! If only Prototype 221 was still with me, I would've blown his ass up!" The man then sighed. "221, if you're listening to this, or if you're here right now, I still miss you. Please come home to daddy…" The man paused for a moment before speaking again. "Ahem! Anyways, I will do whatever it takes to find my way back. Even if it's the last thing I'll ever do.

    This is Dr. Ulysses V. Pederin, signing out." As the man closed his flip phone and stood up, the light from the pond revealed a man with black skin, a horrifying mouth, and toxic green eyes. There was also the imprint of a hammer on his face. Haydn froze as he saw the face of the mad scientist. Just then, Spade looked up and noticed an infected hornet that was staring at him from above. He then screamed and accidentally flew towards Dr. Pederin. He fell to the ground as he bumped into him. Dr. Pederin pulled out a giant syringe needle filled with a green liquid and pointed it at Spade. Spade quivered in fear as he stared at the long sharp point. Dr. Pederin then stood down. "What have we here?" he said, curiously.

    "Pl-please don't kill me…" Spade said in fright. A loud screech echoed through the room as the infected hornet was dragged down by a long tongue.

    "Who's there?" Dr. Pederin yelled. Envy then stepped out from behind the tree.

    "Hi…" Dr. Pederin then noticed he was talking to a girl.

    "Oh. Um," he stuttered before clearing his throat, "Salutations, Madame. Forgive me for yelling at you."

    “It’s fine, I guess.” Envy replied.

    "Allow me to introduce myself," Dr. Pederin said, "I am Dr. Ulysses V. Pederin, Supreme Scientist."

    "I'm Envy, and can I please have my friend back?" Dr. Pederin then looked at Spade to see him still paralyzed in fear.

    "Oh. Why of course." He said. Envy then gently picked up Spade. "Mind if you take off your helmet for a moment please? My apologies, I just want to see what you look like." Dr. Pederin said soon after.

    "Oh, sure thing." Envy then took off her helmet, revealing her face.

    "My, you look absolutely lovely." Dr. Pederin said. Envy blushed in response. As Dr. Pederin examined her face, he then noticed the glowing darkrunes dancing across her horns.

    "Is something wrong?" Envy asked.

    "Those runes on your horns. What are they?" Pederin asked.

    "Oh, the darkrunes? Yeah I was born with them."

    "Darkrunes, eh?" Pederin asked, "Well let me ask you this. Do you happen to recall a man by the name of Lord Drax?" Envy’s smile then faded away as soon as he said that. "I was told a dragon with those same runes led to his downfall."

    "N…no…" Envy lied, "Do you know him or something?"

    "Why yes," Pederin said, "Though I thought he was pretty annoying at times."

    "I think I'm going to head out. Nice meeting you and all." Envy tried to leave, but was blocked by a line of infected hornets.

    "I don't think so," Dr. Pederin said, "You know, he’s just as he described you. A weak, unskilled child. A child who couldn't even protect her own friends."

    "Stop."

    "A child who couldn't protect her people."

    "Shut up."

    "A child….w h o c o u l d n ' t e v e n
p r o t e c t h e r o w n m o t h e r ." Envy then welled up with tears and pulled out her volcano greatsword.

    "What do you know about my mom!?"

    "Now now," Dr. Pederin said, "Before we get a little too hasty, I just want to let you know, I'm not the one responsible for this crime."

    "Liar! Who are you!?" Envy yelled in absolute agony.

    "Pederin!" A voice yelled in the background. That was when Dr. Pederin was knocked back by a shadownite hammer. As Dr. Pederin looked up, he saw Haydn tear his way through the line of infected hornets.

    "Yyyyooooooouuuuuuuu!" He growled. The others joined Haydn.

    "Get away from my love, you creep!" Simon yelled.

    "I beg your pardon. You made even more annoying friends, Parker?!" Dr. Pederin asked.

    "That’s right." Haydn answered.

    "A girlfriend too!" Sombra said as she teleported next to Haydn.

    “A girlfriend? Don’t make me cringe.” Dr. Pederin said. “Speaking of cringe, what happened to that blue sussy baka suit of yours?”

    “I got tired of that suit,” Haydn said, “So, I sold it. I even got a pretty good amount of money out of it.”

    “Good for you, I guess.”

    “So, you’re the mad scientist behind this infection.” Bonnie said.

    “Ah yes, I see my adversary has told y’all everything between us.” Dr. Pederin said. Spade then flew from Envy’s arm and behind Siss’s shoulder.

    “What are you doing to Envy? Why are you upsetting her?” Sombra asked.

    “Young lady, I know what happened that night at Drax’s mansion." Dr. Pederin said. "I would assume you were one of those friends that were with her. If I remember correctly, one was an enderman, a skeleton, and some humanoid, explosive creature. Hm, almost reminds me of something or someone that I truly valued."

    "What are you talking about?" Haydn asked.

    "Oh nothing."

    "Look, I don't know what you're up to, but I'm going to end it. For my friends. For Just-Kon. For the world!" Suddenly, the infected creatures restrained the group, including Haydn.

    "Oh Haydn. Just how exactly are you going to do that?" Dr. Pederin said as he walked up to him.

    “What is he gonna do to us?~” Spade cried.

    "Oh y’all? I may have some questions to ask later.” Dr. Pederin stated as he turned back to Haydn, who was struggling to break free. “As for you however, well it should be obvious…” Dr. Pederin then takes out his massive syringe which held a toxic green liquid in it, “I'm gonna have to kill you." Just as he was about to stab the needle through Haydn’s chest, Sombra teleported behind him and shot her space gun at his back. Dr. Pederin's mouth split open into two mandibles as he yelled. The others then broke free from the infected creatures' grasp. Haydn swung his shadownite hammer and sent Pederin flying through the air. As he landed, he then made a run for it down a tunnel.

    "Haydn, he's getting away!" Envy cried.

    "After him!" He yelled. With that, the group chased after Dr. Pederin. Eventually, they lost track of him. "Crap! Where did he go?" Haydn asked.

    "Damn, he's good!" Bonnie said. As the group took a breather, Spade noticed something nearby.

    "Hey, Siss. What's that over there?" He asked.

    "Huh?" Siss then noticed the object too. "What the?" She then said. There, hiding under all of the foliage was a giant beehive. The others then turned as they noticed the massive hive.

    "Holy moly?!" Bonnie cried

    "Is that a beehive?!" Envy asked.

    "Mother of God!" Simon marveled.

    "Maybe Pederin hid in there?" Sombra thought.

    “I doubt it, but I guess we can take a look.” Haydn said. As they approached the hive, they could hear buzzing echoing from the inside.

    "Ok, how the heck do we even get into this thing?" Bonnie asked.

    "I don't know," Envy said, "I don't see an opening anywhere-"

    "There’s one!" Simon then called out. The opening was a huge hole.

    "Nevermind." When the group looked on the inside, they were shocked to find themselves standing in front of a pool of honey.

    "Whoa, is that honey!" Haydn cried.

    "Holy shit, that's a lot!" Sombra said after.

    "You could probably swim in that if you want to." Siss said.

    "I bet you could," Envy said, " Especially if you’re craving for a sweet….tasty…….succulent lick~" Her face started glowing pink.

    "Umm Envy, you know your man is standing right next to you, right?" Sombra said. Envy then noticed Simon staring at her with an awkward look on his face. Everyone fell silent. Just then, Bonnie noticed something at the end of the hive. There was a huge larva twitching and moving around in some kind of egg. Standing in front of it however, was Dr. Pederin.

    "Hey, there he is!" She shouted.

    “Shit!” Dr. Pederin said as he turned around. With no other idea, he took out a rock and threw it against the hive wall. Bees then came and swarmed the group. They all screamed as they tried to swat them away. Bonnie however, was not affected by them. She then aimed her phoenix blaster at him, but missed as a bee flew right into her eye socket. The bullet instead hit the larva. The hive then fell silent as the bees flew away.

    “Is everyone ok?” Envy asked.

    “Ow! I think one got my ass!” Sombra said. Bonnie bang her skull until the bee popped out and flew away.

    “Stupid bee!” she said, angrily.

    “You fool! Look at what you did!” Dr. Pederin yelled. They all noticed the destroyed larva. Just then, a loud buzzing noise echoed from above.

    “What was that?” Sombra asked.

    “Bonnie, what did you do?” Haydn asked. When Spade looked up at the dark ceiling, he gasped in horror. When the others looked up, they saw a giant bee emerge from the darkness.

    “What the hell?!” Bonnie cried.

    “What is that!!” Siss asked.

    “I think it’s the queen!” Envy said. The Queen Bee gazed down at her destroyed larva and then at Pederin, who was still standing by it. She then let out a loud screech before diving towards him. Dr. Pederin quickly dropped to the ground as the royal bee zoomed past him. The Queen Bee stopped and turned around to see him still alive. Dr. Pederin put his fingers to his lips and whistled very loud. Suddenly, infected hornets broke through the hive walls and attacked the Queen Bee. The Queen Bee then fell into the pool of honey below as the hornets swarmed her.

    “Babe!” Sombra suddenly cried. Dr. Pederin was escaping through a nearby hole.

    “Guys, Pederin!” Haydn shouted. They then chased after him. As they reached the exit, they saw Dr. Pederin jump across a ledge. Envy zoomed towards him and tackled him. The others caught up with her.

    “Got you now, you monster!” she said.

    “Nice work, Envy.” Haydn said. Dr. Pederin struggled to break free from Envy’s arms, but was unsuccessful.

    “Unhand me, this instant!” he demanded.

    “You’re not going anywhere.” Simon said.

    “Yeah, you’re dead meat, bum.” Bonnie said, threateningly, as she cracked her knuckles.

    “Guys, wait,” Envy said, “I don’t think we should kill him yet.” Dr. Pederin perked up as he heard.

    “What?!” Bonnie said.

    “Envy, are you nuts!” Haydn cried, “He’s too dangerous to be alive.”

    “Yeah? Well he knows some stuff that I want to know about.” Envy said, “We have to keep him for interrogation.”

    “A very foolish decision you’re making, little girl,” Dr. Pederin said, “Keep in mind, I have an army.”

    “Will you shut up?”

    “I’m sorry guys, I’ve got a confession," Siss said, "I agree with Envy." Just then, something blasted its way through the wall behind them. Everyone fell to the ground. Envy regained her composure and realized that Dr. Pederin was gone again. She looked up and saw him riding on the Queen Bee, but with green glowing eyes.

    "You haven't seen the last of me, fools!" He said before soaring through the cave ceiling and up to the surface.

    "Dammit!" Envy screamed.

    "Well, f**k!" Bonnie said.

    "Dammit! We were so close!" Haydn said. There was a moment of silence.

    "It's OK, babe," Sombra said, "At least we now know who is responsible for this."

    "Yeah, I guess so. We'll get him next time."

    "Let’s go home." Sombra said.

    "Count me in." Bonnie said.

    "Me too," Envy said, "I think I need to cool down after all of that." Just then Spade picked up something he found on the ground.

    "Hey guys, look what I found." He said.

    "Spade, what are you holding?" Siss asked.

    "Hold on a second." Envy said as she snatched the object from Spade. It was a jar filled with the mysterious iridescent liquid from before. "Spade, how did you get this?"

    "Oh, I just found it on the ground." He answered.

    "Wait, I know what that is," Haydn said, "That one of the samples of that liquid that Pederin collected. He must've dropped it before he escaped."

    "I still don’t get what this liquid is though." Simon said.

    "Maybe Andrew knows." Siss said.

    “Yeah, he can probably help identify it.” Bonnie said.

    "Right then," Envy said, "We need to get back to Endora Manor, pronto!" With that, everyone pulled out their magic mirrors and disappeared.