Gwen led the group to the part of town where she could sense the Manna. Her powers were leading them to the edge of the city, where there were no buildings, no people, and no life. It was just a barren wasteland of nothingness.
"I sensed her here but...Nothing." Gwen felt the trail going cold. Just like that, there was nothing she could use. "Urgh! She must've masked her manna somehow! It can't just suddenly vanish like that!"
"So, dead-end, huh?" Nightwing looked around, seeing nothing.
"But...for her to block it off, she would still have to be here." Gwen shook her head.
"How can you tell?" Nightwing asked.
"Manna doesn't just up and vanish when someone leaves the scene. it fades away instead. But this one left instantly. So she's still somewhere here. I just don't know where. Urgh!" Gwen groaned, raising her head. "Years later, she's still so tricky!"
"Well, if she's still here, then those disguises you two got could come in handy after all." Ben looked at Raven and Starfire.
"Indeed! This Charmcaster's sudden absence won't be an issue for us if we blend in well!" Starfire spoke.
"Alright, so the plan is to go undercover and try to get to her before she does something worse. Got it. We should split up then." Nightwing suggested. "Cover more ground. I can go with Raven, and you guys can be a pair." He referred to Starfire and Ben.
"Fine by me." Ben shrugged.
"Same here." Raven said.
"We'll cover the east, you go to the west." Nightwing said to Ben, who nodded in response. With that, the two groups split up, Raven and Nightwing headed east while Ben and Starfire went west. Both groups would walk around the city, trying to blend in with the people, but it wasn't that hard for them to do so, especially since they were already wearing disguises that helped them blend in.
"Tch. So I have to get to searching." Wonder Girl crossed her arms while in the air, having watched from below. She rolled her eyes, ready to get into the heat of battle. But alas, the mundane task of searching was the way to go for this. Reluctantly, since she had no way of finding Charmcaster, she would go along with the search.
"You're still here?" Ben said as Wonder Girl descended next to him and Raven. "I thought you'd just leave since you can't find Charmcaster."
"Really? What do you take me for, little man? Some battle-crazed gal?"
"Well, yeah. And my name is Ben." Ben frowned.
"Well, you're right." Wonder Girl didn't even hesitate to admit to it. She was an honest battle-lover, and that much was obvious. "I came here to bring someone down as soon as possible, duh. Dealt with those creatures already and now the one who summoned them is all that's left. And once I bring them down, everyone will know about this."
"Are you just doing this for the glory?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"I'm an Amazonian? Glory's one of our strong suits?" Wonder Girl chuckled. "As Wonder Woman's daughter, it's only natural."
"I don't know about that..." But Gwen was highly judgemental about this daughter thing.
"What? You don't think I'm telling the truth?" Wonder Girl frowned at her, looking rather annoyed that she'd even doubt her.
"Well, I've been a big fan of Wonder Woman's and there's nothing to indicate that she had a daughter or has a daughter. It's been like that for years." Gwen said. She was a huge fan, so she'd know about almost everything.
"Look, I'm not lying. And I'm not some impostor, either. This outfit was made by her, and everything else that I have is a gift from her. I'm the real deal." Wonder Girl said firmly. "I'm not just some random girl wearing her colors, okay? But I guess it's only natural that you'd find it hard to believe. I mean, heroes don't exactly make themselves known before they're heroes."
"Hmmm..." Gwen narrowed her eyes. Much like Ben, she too was a bit irritated by Wonder Girl's disposition.
"Nothing that indicates she's lying." Raven read Wonder Girl's emotions. And there wasn't a lie being told. She was speaking it from the honest heart.
"See? Whoever this is can already tell somehow. Don't know how, but whatever." Wonder Girl showed that smug grin, much to Gwen's chagrin. "Plus, even outside of being her daughter, I can assure you, no ones a bigger fan or her than me." With her arms crossed, she would levitate off the ground. "I'm gonna do some searching on my own since you've lost the trail. Try not to be too late for the action~"
And just like that, Wonder Girl would fly away, leaving the trio behind. Gwen and Ben were obviously not too fond of her, and Raven wasn't quite sure what to think of her just yet. "She's quite arrogant, isn't she?"
"No kidding. Reminds me a bit of Ben 8 years ago." Gwen sighed. "We've got to keep searching. We'll run into her eventually."
"How dangerous is this Charmcaster person anyways? Her magic, I mean?" Raven asked.
"Very. I remember the times we encountered Charmcaster 8 summers ago. Ben and I were only 10. And we've had a long history. When it comes to her magic, I've got a pretty good understanding and I got better as time went on. But Charmcaster was always a problem. She's always been the type to look for power, like many bad guys we've run into. But she was always the trickiest person to face." Gwen explained. "But I know her magic. We're going to have to be careful if she's really here. We've got no idea of what she can do with it now. If she's anything like how she was before, she's probably even worse now. She's not someone to take lightly."
Charmcaster was still at the warehouse, creating more and more creatures. She had finished creating the Magical Bear and Tigers, as well as a few more Magical Cats. She had a massive army of Magical Creatures and she was ready to send them out.
But this time, they would take on another action. One that Charmcaster aimed to accomplish. Of course, they would still be hostile but only possible under her influence. Listening to her orders was still a work in progress.
"Listen good. I need you to find as many people as you can and infect them with your magic. Well, it's my magic technically, but whatever. Then and only then, can this experiment really get somewhere." Charmcaster said to the Magical Creatures that were being influenced. "When you do that, come back to me and show me your progress. This Magical Extension Spell is promising and it'll get me the spot I deserve."
"What? Are you still unable to perfect it, daughter of Hex?" A voice spoke to her from the warehouse. And right to Charmcaster's left, a portal would open. She sneered at the portal as a certain someone was emerging from it. Someone who to was of magical specialties. A man that can only be described as a Sorceror most Cunning.
Felix Faust.
He had come from the portal, his body emerging from it before it vanished. And his eyes were on Charmcaster. "If I'm not mistaken, it seems to me that you're having a bit of trouble with that spell." He smirked, taunting her.
"What? Like you're having any luck with it?" She pointed the staff at Felix Faust.
"Oh, but I am not the one who was assigned to work on it." Felix smirked with that smug face of his. "You're the supposed 'Prodigy' they've been talking about, being the daughter of Hex and all. But I see that you rely on an influence spell to even get them to do anything."
"They should be listening to my every command naturally..." The Daughter of Hex turned around, lowering her head before raising it once more. "I don't know why...I should be done by now with this test. My position in the Sorceror's Circle should be right now of all times!"
"And yet, it's not. If you want..." Felix would grin, twiddling his fingers together. "Perhaps I could give you some assistance, if you are having too much trouble."
"Beat it, Faust!" But Charmcaster denied, zapping the floor next to him with a small bolt of magic, making him flinch a bit. "I don't need your help, or anyone's. Especially not you. I'll figure this out on my own and return to the Circle accomplished."
"Hm. If you say so, Charmcaster." Felix would bow his head, a portal re-emerging behind him. And as he did, that smile on his face turned into a devious one as he backed away into the portal, leaving the area and leaving Charmcaster alone with her Magical Creatures.
She groaned and turned back to the creatures, ready to give them the orders. "Go on. You know what to do. Find as many people as possible and infect them. But only when I want you to via my own mind. Don't just go attacking everyone. Get outta here."
The creatures would then vanish, disappearing in a puff of magical smoke, leaving the warehouse. And once again, she was alone. Alone with her thoughts. She looked at the ground, her hands on her head as she thought about her current situation.
"I felt one of them get mad all of a sudden..." She referred to the cat that transformed into a tiger the second it saw Ben. "For that to happen...it must've seen someone familiar. But it can't be? Can it?"
Nightwing, still being his regular Dick Grayson self, was moving through the crowds of people with Starfire as they were trying to find the mysterious Charmcaster, who was apparently a powerful sorceress. The two were still in their superhero outfits, which were a mix of spandex, metal, and leather. They didn't have any disguises on, as they didn't need to worry about their identities being compromised since they weren't exactly known in the city. "So, do you have any idea where this Charmcaster could be hiding?" Nightwing asked.
"No, I do not. But I am certain we will find her soon!" Starfire said cheerfully.
"If she's still around…then she'll be too suspicious of us. We're going to have to blend in, Starfire. That means not being too obvious." Nightwing told her.
"Ah, yes! Of course! It is like blending in with the foliage! Like the Zornians do!" Starfire nodded.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever works. Just try and look less alien, Starfire."
"Yes! Of course!" She said and began to try and blend in, acting like a regular civilian. But it was still rather awkward since her alien nature was still rather present. "This is difficult...but I will make it work! These clothes do make me feel rather different after all!"
"Well...just keep looking for that woman. She's not too hard to find." Nightwing said.
"I will do my best!" She said with a smile.
Somewhere around the city, with the people walking around, within an alleyway, a pinkish glow would radiate from the shadows, two eyes glowing from it. And afterwards, one of the people would suddenly be snatched up. "!" He gasped as he was suddenly grabbed by a hand from the alleyway, pulled in before a scream was heard. After that, however, there was silence.
A Magical Bear was in the alleyway, having infected this person with Charmcaster's own magic. This was Charmcaster's plan at work. Infecting as many people as possible with her magic to see how far she can extend it.
As for the victim, he was unable to scream, his mouth covered by the Magical Bear as he was being filled with the very magic that was in this bear, his eyes beginning to glow yellow as well. And when this happened, it was felt by Charmcaster herself.
Within the warehouse, her eyes would glow as she would suddenly see through the eyes of this captured man, seeing the scene of the Magical Bear in the alleyway. Her own eyes would even glow pink as she was beginning to see through the eyes of another. The extension was working. And she would begin to smile, knowing that her extension of her magic was working. With this, she would begin to feel the same power that she had felt when she first made her first creature and sent it out into the city.
"I can see it...My magic...It's starting to work. Just a little more..." Charmcaster grinned, seeing through this man's eyes. But she wasn't satisfied with that. If she wanted to get anywhere, she would have to go bigger. "Oh, this is great...Makes spying a lot more easier. Let's see how far this goes."
With the man being infected and connected to Charmcaster's magic and vision, his mind was also effected as well. He was surging with magical energy, causing him to think differently, being under Charmcaster's influence.
Thus, he walked out of the alleyway, still having those glowing pink eyes while now having pink cracks across his face, the only indication of him being under Charmcaster's influence. And as he did, he would start infecting others that he'd bump into.
This would spread, infecting others with the same magic, giving them the same pink glowing eyes and pink cracks. This was an experiment of her's in action. Infecting others with her magic to extend her own. She was curious to see how far she could take it. How many she could infect and how much power she could gain in the process. And it was working.
As more and more people got infected with the same magic, they'd start spreading the magic, infecting others as well. It was like a virus that spread from person to person, giving them the same pink glowing eyes and pink cracks. Soon, a large group of people was under Charmcaster's influence, being a group of people walking down the street. They all had the same look on their faces, all looking rather mindless but also rather menacing.
"Hey!" But then, with one of the people infected moving around in another alleyway, someone called out to him. Someone who was able to see the weirdness in his face.
That being Wonder Girl.
She stood at the end of the alleyway, looking right at the infected man, seeing something off about his face. "Your face is the same color as those creatures I took down. You're not one of them, are you?" She said, narrowing her eyes
"..." The man didn't say anything, he only walked forward. His movements were slow and sluggish, but he still moved towards her. He had the same glowing pink eyes and the same pink cracks across his face.
"So she's the one who took them down. Okay, I see." Charmcaster spoke, spotting Wonder Girl for the first time. "And here I thought it'd be someone familiar. Whatever. I'll make her next in line. Get her!"
The man would suddenly open his mouth, letting out a strange cry as he would run at surprisingly great speeds, approaching Wonder Girl at an alarming speed.
And Wonder Girl would just chuckle. "That's all?" She smirked. "Come on then. I'm waiting." Wonder Girl was unfazed by the man's movements and his approach. When the man got closer, he would try to strike Wonder Girl, attempting to punch her.
But the punch missed, and the man's fist slammed into the ground, causing a massive dent in the pavement. And Wonder Girl would dodge the punch with ease. She was unharmed, and she would chuckle. "Nice try. My turn." She said as she would then punch the man's chest, sending him flying backwards and hitting the wall of the alleyway with great force. He was knocked out and left in the alleyway, but not unconscious.
The magic seemed to have improved his durability.
"Ooooh! That was so nice!" Charmcaster spoke, feeling that power through her own vision and the man's connection. "This is only the beginning. I'm not done with her yet. Go on. Infect her."
"!" The man's eyes would widen as his body would suddenly be surrounded by a pinkish aura. And as he stood there, his body would start to crack and break apart.
Wonder Girl quickly noticed this, taking a step back and readying herself for battle. But the pink cracks were getting bigger, and soon, they'd start moving along his entire body, turning him into a statue. "What the?!" She gasped and took a step back, looking at the statue in surprise. It was a statue of himself, made entirely out of pink crystal. Wonder Girl was surprised by this, and she was even more surprised when the statue started to crack, the cracks getting bigger and bigger until the statue finally broke apart.
And when that happened, a new creature would emerge. One that Charmcaster created in the warehouse. A Magical Tiger, ready to battle Wonder Girl.
"Oh! Ohhhhh! This is amazing! I can feel it all!" Charmcaster felt a rush of power through the tiger's eyes, seeing through them herself. "It's working! I'm gaining so much more power than I could've imagined!"
And the Magical Tiger would roar, showing its ferocity and its power. "You think you can take me? I'm not scared of you." Wonder Girl said, looking at the tiger with a serious expression on her face. She didn't know what this tiger was capable of, but she was determined to fight it and defeat it.
"!" The tiger would roar once more, leaping at her. It would swipe its claws at her, but she would easily dodge them, rolling out of the way. "Hm?" The tiger's eyes would glow for a moment before it's attention was drawn to another alleyway. It would run towards the other alleyway, passing Wonder Girl.
"Hey! Where're you going?!" Wonder Girl shouted. She was not going to let this tiger escape from her. "Don't think you're getting away from me!" She said, running after the tiger.
The Magical Tiger would then find its way into the other alleyway and find someone to attack. "Come back here! As if you're leaving my sigh-" But her words were cut off as right around the corner, a few people would jump out, grabbing Wonder Girl. "!" She gasped in shock as she was soon pinned and covered by these people. The magic even increased their strength.
They cried out while pinning her down, attempting to infect Wonder Girl with Charmcaster's own magic. "Get...Get off!" But Wonder Girl would manage to free herself, shoving the others away. She would then ready her sword, ready to defend herself.
The infected people would then rush at Wonder Girl with aggression, trying to grab her. But she was able to fend them off, even slicing a few of them with her sword. Their clothes would take damage mostly as Wonder Girl was rather precise with these hits, even delivering a kick here and there when she had the chance.
Try as they might, they were unable to overpower Wonder Girl. She was able to defend herself and fight back, even cutting and injuring some of them. And appearing before this scene was none other than Ben, Gwen and Raven as they were witnessing the scuffle. The infected people were not able to get the better of Wonder Girl.
"Those are the same eyes the creatures had." Ben noted, and he was right. They were the very same eyes the creatures had.
"It really is Charmcaster! What's she done to those people?!" Gwen was in shock by the scene in front of them. But it was coming to an end. Wonder Girl had promptly brought down all of them, throwing the last infected person to the ground. And when she did, she stood over all of them, highly victorious.
"Hmph. I'll admit, you surprised me there. But you're still nothing compared to me." She smirked holding her sword out. "Now. I'm gonna finish this." To the surprise of Ben and Gwen, Wonder Girl was readying her weapon against the downed people, ready to finish them off.
"No way!" Ben promptly ran over, getting in the way of the incoming slash. As soon as the blade came down, Ben got in front of the downed woman, the blade stopping right in front of his face, almost hitting him but Wonder Girl managed to stop the attack in time.
"Huh? Hey, move, little man! You're in the way!" She said.
"You can't just kill these people!" Ben argued, standing his ground. "These are innocent people!"
"...They don't look innocent to me." Wonder Girl raised an eyebrow, looking at the downed people. "They attacked me out of the blue after all. I gotta put them down before they do anything else."
"No way I'm letting you do that. These are people of this city. They're just affected somehow by Charmcaster's magic!" Ben spread his arms out. "There's no chance I'm letting you kill even a single one of them!"
"Tch. Amazonian way, little man. Nothing's stopping me from putting them down." She scoffed.
"I am." Ben narrowed his eyes, not moving an inch. Plus, he had the Omnitrix to back him up just in case. He looked at Wonder Girl's eyes for a while. He knew that she was ready to kill these people. But he was not going to let her do it.
"Fine. Whatever." Wonder Girl brought her sword back, shrugging her shoulders as she would place it on her back once again. "I was just gonna do them a favor, y'know?"
"What's your problem? If you were like Wonder Woman, you would've found another option!" Gwen said, walking past Wonder Girl. Those words made Wonder Girl flinch a bit, showing that they did leave some kind of impact as Gwen knelt in front of the woman. "They're infected with it, but I think can remove the magic from them."
"Are you efficient at it?" Raven questioned.
"Not really...I've never done anything like that before. I've read about it but, haven't had a target to try it on even once." Alas, Gwen had no experience in this. It was a gamble if she could pull it off.
"Then let me help." Thankfully, Raven would decide to chime in. She too would knee, being right next to Gwen. "I've had to deal with magic on more than one occasion. I think between us, we can fix this."
"..." Gwen was silent, looking at Raven with a raised eyebrow. She was still a bit suspicious of her but, knew that they had to work together on this. So, Gwen nodded. "Alright then. Let's get started."
Raven and Gwen would both extend their hands out, placing them on the woman's forehead. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven chanted as her hands were covered in her mystical energy, being able to see the magic that had been placed on this woman. And she was able to sense it as well, feeling the dark presence within her.
But as she looked at her, she also felt a strange connection. Like a link of sorts that wasn't too strong. This connection was with someone else, and she couldn't pinpoint the source. But it wasn't just her. Gwen could feel it too. This connection, or link, was with someone else, but neither of them could figure out who it was with. And when they looked into the woman's mind, all they could see was a dark haze that was slowly moving through her body.
This was the magic that was placed on her. And the haze was slowly spreading throughout her entire body, infecting every part of her. But they were not going to let that happen. They were going to remove this magic from her. And with their combined magical powers, they were going to be able to do it.
"Okay. We've got this." Gwen said. She focused her mana, and a pink aura would emit from her. "Let's do this, Raven."
"Right." She nodded. And so, the two of them would focus their energy on the task at hand, and soon, the haze that was in her would begin to disappear. The dark energy would slowly fade away from her body as they worked to remove it. And it was working.
"!" But then, the pinkish aura would glow brightly, blinding Gwen and Raven for a moment. But then, it would stop, disappearing completely.
"!" Both of them gasped as they were suddenly hit with an influx of energy. The amount of power they felt was incredible, and it was almost overwhelming. But they could handle it.
"Ugh...What was that?" Raven asked, holding her head. "I've never felt that much power before..."
"I felt it too." Gwen said, also holding her head. "I've never experienced anything like that before, either. But it felt like...like something powerful was being transferred to us."
"..." Raven would look at Gwen before she would look up at the others. Wonder Girl was just looking at them, and Ben was looking at the woman. The infected people had been taken care of and were now resting in a nearby alley. But the real issue was the woman.
"Hey. Are you alright?" Ben spoke, kneeling down to the woman.
"!" The woman gasped, quickly sitting up and backing up. "Who-Who are you?! What happened?! My face! My head! Everything is sore!" She was clearly not alright, holding her head.
"You're safe. We got to you in time before things got worse." Ben assured her. "We're not gonna hurt you. But we need to know what happened to you and how you got here."
"..." The woman looked at him, still holding her head. "I-I was...I was walking around. I was just taking a stroll when...When someone pulled me into the alleyway...And then, everything went dark...I don't remember anything after that." She explained.
"Do you know what happened?" Ben asked. "Who grabbed you?"
"I-I don't know...I didn't get a good look at him...But I think he had glowing pink eyes..." The woman said.
"!" Gwen gasped. "They're infecting each other with this magic. That Charmcaster...This is a new low!"
And speaking of Charmcaster, right before the magic left them, she managed to see Gwen and Ben through the eyes of one of the infected people. Lo and behold, her reaction to seeing Gwen and Ben, especially Gwen, was one of shock...and anger. "You two?! They really were here! Urgh!"
She put her hand on her face, aggravated by the presence of them both. "That explains the visceral reaction the had to them. The magic takes parts of me into account...including my hatred for them both! Especially her!" She growled. "Of all the times they show up, they show up now?! Well, if they wanna get in my way, I'll show them what I can do! I'll show them all what I can do after all these years! Personally!"
"Ben. Raven. I think we can maybe find Charmcaster in a different way." Gwen looked to them both. "She's blocked off her Manna so I can't sense her. But what if we follow this link that's been created? It can lead right to her."
"Huh? What do you mean, a link?" Ben asked. Raven had a confused expression as well.
"It's the same power those creatures were using, so it's the same Manna. I can try and sense a link between her and someone else, so we can track it down."
"Are you sure? Are they even able to be sensed? if it's the same Manna, then it would be blocked off too, right?" Raven questioned that.
"Not at all. When we extracted it from them, I felt it. That was the only way I could sense Charmcaster's Manna again. So I have another shot at properly finding her. But it's going to take a lot of freeing right now. If hundreds of them have been infected, we could be here for a while." Gwen would stand up. "Ben. Do you think you could help bring these people to safety? I don't think the city's safe right now."
"No problem." Ben propped up the Omnitrix, ready to be the one to guide them all to safety. He pressed down on it, emerging as an alien for the job. That being Diamondhead.
Once as Diamondhead, he stepped back, using his diamonds to form a hard dome that was perfectly smooth and durable. "Everyone. Get in here. We're going to get you somewhere safer than out here in the streets."
The infected people were all still rather dazed and confused, but they would follow his orders and walk in, with the woman being the last to walk in. And once she did, he would form another dome over the entrance, managing to lift it up despite its size.
"You don't have to worry about a thing. This time, I'll keep the people safe, for sure. Good luck with Charmcaster though." Ben grinned, giving a thumbs-up.
"Right. And keep an eye on her, please." Gwen said, referring to Wonder Girl.
"Tch. As if I'm going to let you eye me down all the time." But the supposed daughter of Wonder Woman wasn't having that, crossing her arms as she would fly up. "I'm gonna bring down the rest. But since they can be freed from that magic, I won't kill them so no need to worry." Soon, she flew off to engage with the other infected people her own way.
"...Well, at least she's not killing anyone." Ben sighed.
Nightwing and Starfire, in their search, had entered a building that appeared to be a restaurant, with many people sitting inside. Once inside, Starfire got a good feel for the wonderful scent of the restaurant. "Oh, what is that divine scent? Is that the food of your planet?"
"Yeah, sure is." Dick Grayson confirmed. "But we're not here to eat."
"Oh? We aren't?" Starfire's smile turned into a frown as she walked alongside Nightwing, continuing the investigation. "What a shame."
"But if you want, after this, you can come here and try the food out for yourself. Not sure if your race reacts to foods from other planets differently."
"Oh, that would be wonderful. You would take me out, Friend Night- oh. I mean. Friend Dick."
"T-Take you out?" He stuttered a bit. "Well umm...I guess. Ah, just keep a good eye out for anything suspicious as always." He switched the focus back to the task at hand.
"Like that?" But Starfire had already saw something right up ahead. Specifically from one of the doors. From the gaps of the doors, a pink light would suddenly go off, flashing for a bit before fading. This was noticed by them both.
They finally had a lead of their own and would advance upon it. Quietly though as to not cause a scene. Nightwing and Starfire would then stand next to the doors, the former gently holding the handle.
Nightwing looked at Starfire, nodding his head at her, indicating that he would give her the signal. And that signal came, Nightwing would slowly open the door and walk inside the room, Starfire following behind. They were in the next section of the restaurant that was vacant at the moment.
Vacant in the sense that no one was dining there at the moment. The only two people present where the waiter and waitress, who were currently twitching. They cried out in pain, holding their heads and chest as they were already in the middle of the infection process. It seemed to be a painful process for the infected.
"!" They continued crying out, standing up and looking directly at Nightwing and Starfire. Their bodies were now covered in pink cracks and they had those same pink glowing eyes.
"Oh, X'Hal!" Starfire gasped at such a painful sight.
"What the..." This was the last thing Nightwing expected to see.
"H-Help...!" The waiter and waitress, under Charmcaster's influence would give in to it, unable to fight it at all. And now that they were influenced, they were ready to attack.
"I didn't think it'd involve this..." Nightwing reached for his Escrima Sticks that were in his pockets, the sticks currently downsized at the moment as he prepared himself. So did Starfire, her hands glowing with Starbolt energy. "Wait, Starfire! Not too much!"
"Not too much'! What do you mean?!"
"They're just innocent people caught up in this. Don't use too much force. Both to keep their bodies safe and to make sure not too much destruction happens here." Nightwing was thinking about both their wellbeing and the wellbeing of everyone else in here. The people outside didn't have to know what was going on.
"Oh...I understand." She said as she would ready herself as well. "But in such a place? Friend Nightwing that is-"
"!" The infected waiter and waitress would make a move, running towards the two with surprising speed, much like the previous people who were infected. Nightwing grimaced, taking out his Escrima Sticks and promptly raising them to block. He successfully blocked a swipe from the waiter, but he was pushed back. The infected were rather strong, and they had a surprising boost in strength. Nightwing was able to hold his ground though and would push them back.
The waitress would leap at Starfire, ready to pounce her, but Starfire was prepared and would quickly move out of the way. "!" The woman cried out, crashing through some tables after missing, breaking them.
"This spot is vacant enough, Starfire! And big enough too!" Nightwing stepped back. "Plus, as long as we don't get everyone else in the other room involved, it's cool!" He then dodged another swipe from the water, narrowly avoiding it as the waiter attacked like a feral animal.
"Okay!" Starfire said as she flew up. She would fire a starbolt blast at the waitress, hitting her in the leg. It caused her to cry out in pain, but she was still standing. She tried to charge at Starfire again, but this time, she was hit in the shoulder. The waitress fell to the floor, holding her leg and shoulder in pain, the magic in her body surging a bit.
Starfire controlled the Starbolts intensely, ensuring that they do not do too much damage to the waitress. And in Nightwing's case, he was already far more skilled than the waiter to the point where despite all these feral attacks, he was able to dodge, block and even parry them. This was nothing for him.
He hit the waiter with an elbow to the chest, following up with some light taps with the Ecrisma sticks against his head. Nothing that was meant to cause serious injury of course, but it was enough to make the waiter stumble. However, the durability increase was a problem as the waiter wasn't even that staggered.
"He took it that well?" Nightwing's jaw dropped a bit.
"Oh, do forgive me for this!" Starfire apologized to the waitress who was trying to reach her in the air. Alas, she fired a starbolt blast, aiming to stun the woman. But the waitress was able to endure the blast, the power of the magic within her making her tough. This allowed her to charge at Starfire once again, her eyes glowing brighter than ever.
"!" She would jump at her, attempting to grab her. "!"
And the leap was amazing. The waitress managed to jump rather high, catching Starfire off guard. This allowed the waitress to grab onto her and pull her down, slamming her into a table, breaking it. "Ugh!"
"Starfire!" Nightwing turned his head, worried about her. But his concern would be his downfall, as the waiter would almost hit him, but just barely missed thanks to an instinctive backflip. Nightwing would then start leaping from table to table as the waiter was on the offensive once more, aggressively charging through many tables and chairs to get to him.
Flipping from table to table repeatedly, Nightwing played it defensively. His goal was to tire the waiter out, and that's what was happening. With the amount of aggression that the waiter had, he hoped stamina was dropping fast. But that didn't look to be the case. Afterwards, the waiter would then do something unexpected.
With his own great leap, he would suddenly latch himself onto the walls of the room, the pinkish glow emitting from his hands as he was able to stick to the walls, moving along them to catch Nightwing by surprise. "What?!"
The waiter started crawling across the walls, moving faster while on them. But not only that, from his mouth, he would shoot out magical projectiles from his mouth, aiming to shoot at Nightwing. These were small projectiles, but the waiter could shoot them rapidly and accurately, forcing Nightwing to go on the defensive even more.
The power behind these projectiles was enough to destroy a table in one go, but thankfully, the size of them kept the overall damage low, which helped with keeping the noise down as well. But still, that was a lot of power from the waiter. And almost great precision as well.
One of the fireballs almost got Nightwing, grazing his jacket. He grimaced, a part of his jacket being blown right off. All while Starfire was still pinned down by the waitress, experiencing the physical strength increase the magic gave her.
"Ngh! Grrr!" Starfire groaned while restrained, her chances of being infected risen. "Please...I do not wish to harm you greatly!" Starfire feared that if she were to unleash more of her power, she could greatly harm the waitress. But she wasn't leaving her with many options.
"Starfire..." Nightwing looked back at her, thinking quickly. And thinking quickly was the best option as the waiter would leap off the wall, going straight for Nightwing. Quickly, Nightwing would take off his damaged jacket, using it to his advantage. Like a matador against a bull, once the waiter got close to him, he would swiftly swing his jacket, covering the waiter's face and head.
The waiter would thrash his head, blinded by the jacket, but also, the magic within him would surge, burning the jacket in the process. Once that was done, Nightwing would toss the now burned jacket to the side, sending it towards the waitress next.
The jacket soon landed on the waitress' head, getting her attention as the heat would attack her body. "Starfire! They're way more durable than they look! Just exert a little bit!" Nightwing cried out.
"A little bit? Alright!" Starfire nodded, having no other choice. She would begin to exert a little bit of her strength, pushing back against the waitress. Then, with a strong burst of strength, Starbolt energy erupted from her, blowing the waitress away. It sent her flying, and she hit the wall, causing her to crash onto the floor.
"!" The impact was enough to leave her unconscious, knocked out. This was a relief to Starfire, seeing that the woman wasn't harmed too badly, at least physically.
As for the last one, the waiter, he was still befuddled from the jacket disorienting him a bit, which left him wide open. Wide open for Nightwing to come down with more exertion in his muscles. He swung the sticks down, striking the head of the waiter, bringing him to the ground. And much like the waitress, he was unconscious as well, the magic within him surging once more.
"Hah...hah..." Nightwing panted, standing over the waiter. He had to use a bit more of his strength, but thankfully, it didn't do any lasting damage to the man. "Magic...Wish I understood it better to know what to do about that. They looked infected. Great work anyways, Starfire."
"Thank you, Friend Nightwing. I..." But Starfire groaned a bit, noticeably clutching her right shoulder. She felt a bit lightheaded as her shoulder was glowing a bit.
"Oh, Starfire, your arm!" Nightwing was soon made aware of what was on her shoulder. In the midst of that struggle, the Waitress managed to get a bit of the magic on Starfire, infecting her. And now, the infection was starting to take root. Nightwing quickly got to her and held her up. "Hey. Are you okay?"
"Yes. Yes, I am alright." She said, smiling weakly. "It is just a minor injury, Friend Nightwing."
"...No, it's not." Dick Grayson knew that, even without knowing how magic truly worked. This was something that had to be taken seriously. Especially since Starfire was now infected. "Nothing I have can fix magic. We need to get to Gwen and Raven. Can you move properly?"
"I...I think so." She slowly nodded, but her next action said otherwise. She almost fell over, only for Nightwing to hold her in place tightly. "This small bit of magic...If I had known she could endure much more damage, I would have broken free already. My apologies."
"It's Okay. Never mind that. I'll carry you." Nightwing was quick to put his arms around her, picking her up bridal style. "Let's get out of here." Nightwing said as he quickly moved towards the doors.
The people in the other room looked over in confusion, having heard bits of the clash nearby. They were even more confused when they saw Nightwing walk out with Starfire, carrying her.
Nightwing wasn't paying any of them any mind as he walked towards the exit of the restaurant. He had to find Gwen and Raven as soon as possible. Both for Starfire and by extension, the waiter and waitress.
Gwen and Raven continued their work of freeing those infected while also trying to track down Charmcaster. To do this, they snuck up on the infected people.
Gwen and Raven peeked out from the side, spotting some of them walking around eerily, looking for more people to infect. As of now, the two of them were in an alleyway, hiding from them. "You ready?" Gwen whispered, her hands glowing with pink energy.
"Yeah." Raven nodded, her own hands emitting black energy. Gwen would then put her finger to her mouth, mimicking the shush gesture. And when she did, the pink energy that manifested around her finger that was blown forward.
The black energy would slither quietly towards the group while the pink energy would flow to a few specific targets. Both energies would latch on to the infected, and soon, they would start to glow.
And just like that, the darkness that was within the bodies would be gripped by the two magics, essentially holding them in place. And when held, Gwen would use her magic to try and lock onto Charmcaster's Manna by pulling the darkness out of the people. The dark energy would leave the bodies of the infected, being drawn out of them, and pulled towards the center of the area.
"Ugh! Ah!" The darkness would continue to be pulled out of their bodies until all of the infected had been freed from the influence of the darkness, their eyes returning to their normal color. And once that was done, the dark energy would form into a ball in the middle of the area, floating in mid-air.
Gwen would then concentrate on it, attempting to feel Charmcaster's presence and lock in on it. And surprisingly, she would succeed. She managed to feel a link, a connection to Charmcaster, allowing her to track her down.
And in her head, a location would appear. "Got her. Now we have a trail. It's the spot we were near earlier, before she masked her presence." And that was the warehouse that the three had investigated. "We're close." A little too close. Charmcaster was probably still there, and the warehouse was a short distance away from where the three were.
"Right." Raven was rather quiet, focusing on the task at hand. And speaking of quiet, the infected would soon pass out, falling to the ground. They had been freed from the control of the darkness and would wake up soon enough. "So. What do we do now?"
"Wait for them to wake up and then get them to safety." She would look at them, feeling sorry for them. "But not yet. If we move them right now, they could awaken to a sudden change of scenery and it might cause a panic. They'll have questions. Ben can't be too far with the dome now, can he?"
"You two don't have to wait at all!" A voice cried out as a magic beam flew by the unconscious people. A beam that flew right for Gwen. It hit her directly, making her fall back and groan in pain as she tumbled to the ground. "I'm gonna make things easier!"
"Charmcaster!" Gwen looked at the direction the beam came from, finding the sorceress herself.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Gwen?" Charmcaster smirked. "A lot has changed since then. I'm a whole new person." She said. "And you somehow still look like the same old annoying brat."
"I should've figured it was you from the very beginning once I saw that pink mass for the first time." Gwen stood back up. "What are you doing now?! Targeting all these people?!"
"I'm just running an experiment. One that's going to make me more important than ever. Right now, some of these people that are already affected...they're extensions of myself."
"Extensions?" Gwen repeated.
"They're me. Via will and all my other traits. That was the goal. To create life that is greatly connected to me. The Magical Extension spell is the way to go for that."
"You want to make everyone just like you...?" That was brand new to Gwen. Certainly a new type of goal she's never heard before.
"Oh, yeah. But those stupid creatures don't even listen to me. I don't know why, but they don't take orders. I had to add my influence to them to make them actually do something." Charmcaster groaned. "And so far, it's not so bad. Even with you here, Gwen. And your weird looking new friend beside you."
"Heh. Maybe the reason for that is because you're bad at following orders?" Gwen taunted with a smirk.
"Heh. Maybe the reason for that is because you're bad at following orders?" Gwen taunted with a smirk.
"What did you say?!" And that got to Charmcaster immediately."
"What? If they're meant to be you in a way, are you surprised that they don't listen too well? I still remember times you went against Hex after all. Just saying, if you were the one in charge, would you have listened to anyone besides yourself?"
"The mouth on you...That hasn't changed one bit..." Charmcaster twitched, being visible aggravated by that. But then, she thought to herself. "No way...Is she right? Is that why they don't listen to me at all?!"
"You can surrender your narcissist plan Charmcaster. We've already found a reversal for it anyways." Gwen pointed at her opposing magic user.
"Stop? When progress is being made somewhat? I've still got more to show. And with you here, I'm for sure pulling out all the stops, even if they're unstable." Her vendetta against Gwen was showing. "I-"
"I have you!" Coming from above was Wonder Girl, aiming for a sneak attack. But when she attempted it, she went right through Charmcaster's body, her attack failing as she kicked the ground itself. Charmcaster's body would fizzle, becoming purely pink and constantly glowing afterwards.
"What!?"
"A Magic Projection..." Gwen observed. The real Charmcaster didn't show up physically here at all. It was simply a projection capable of attacking. "She's not really here."
"You should've paid more attention to all that mass, Gwendolyn." Charmcaster taunted by speaking Gwen's full name. "Experimental or not, that's still my magic there. And you're about to see what other new things I've learned after all these years!"
The projection would laugh before fizzling away. As soon as it did, all that mass around the city would suddenly converge together, all gathering at a singular point. All the darkness and pink cracks would gather and combine, forming one large entity that was composed entirely of the magical energy that had been scattered throughout the city.
"What now?!" Gwen gasped, taken aback at such an unexpected event. The creature that was formed from the gathered magic was massive, standing at a size that was roughly equal to that of a building, and it was continuing to grow. There were also multiple eyes that had grown on the surface of the giant, each one of them staring at the group of people below. "Charmcaster's getting reckless! More than usual!"
"So those creatures...they were never hostile to begin with..." All while Raven was thinking about the Magical Creatures and how they didn't want to fight to begin with. It was just Charmcaster's influence. Knowing this, Raven would suddenly fly off to do something.
"Huh? R-Raven! Where are you going?!" Gwen looked over at Raven's sudden departure. She didn't have time to dwell on that though. Soon, the creature would start to move. It was still growing in size and it was starting to walk in their direction, the ground shaking every time it took a step.
"Hmph. Don't look so terrified." Wonder Girl wasn't the least bit worried, clutching her sword tightly. "Taking on a giant being like this...what a lucky score!"
"That's what you're thinking about right now?!"
"That Charmcaster girl. Things are personal between the two of you, right? So why don't you just go on along and let me handle this behemoth, alright? Alright." Wonder Girl gave her a thumbs up, already heading towards the giant.
"W-Wonder Girl!" Gwen would try to reach out to her, but Wonder Girl was already gone, leaping into battle as she flew towards the giant. The creature continued to step forward, its steps making the ground beneath her shake, causing her to lose her balance a bit.
Wonder Girl was flying towards the creature, ready to face it head on. "Alright. Time to bring you down." She was undaunted by the creature, her confidence unshaken. "I've wanted to fight a titan! Just like the Greek Legends themselves!" The Amazonian was already in front of the giant monster, grabbing her sword and holding it out. With a mighty swing, she would send a shockwave of energy straight towards the creature, the attack aiming for its center.
It pushed the giant back a bit, but not enough. It was still standing and would launch its counterattack. From its mouth, a beam of energy would fire, aiming to hit Wonder Girl in the sky. The Amazonian would evade the attack, moving swiftly to avoid it, but the beam's trajectory changed, now homing in on her. "Tch. Persistent aren't you?" She would quickly react, swinging her blade again. This time, she would cut the energy blast in half, dispersing it and stopping it.
Gwen watched on, her eyes wide. The creature's many eyes would shoot beams of energy at her, forcing Wonder Girl to dodge the barrage of attacks. All the while, the creature continued to move, its footsteps shaking the earth around it.
"This whole city could come crashing down with this! Be careful!" Gwen yelled, wanting Wonder Girl to be careful with this fight. But she was too focused on it to really do so. "Urgh!" Gwen groaned in annoyance. "But...I at least know where you are now, Charmcaster. I'm not letting you get away with this."
Gwen wanted to go to Charmcaster, but she also wanted to make sure Wonder Girl's battle with the giant didn't harm anyone in the process. A tough decision. Go for Charmcaster or stay and help? And to top it all off, Raven left.
"What do I do...?"
"Hahahaha!" All while laughter came her way. Laughter from one of the infected people as Charmcaster was using that innocent civilian's body as a way to laugh at Gwen's predicament. "You're so stuck aren't you? Oh, I can't believe that this was a result. You can't leave and help, but you can't just let that thing rampage either. Not without risking the lives of the very people you want to save. Hilarious." She laughed once again.
"I know you won't do that to everyone here. You wouldn't!" Gwen bellowed, believing that despite it all, Charmcaster wouldn't put these lives in so much danger.
"We'll see. Make a choice, Gwen." Charmcaster soon left her.
"What do I do?!"
"Leave it to me." The answer came clear to her. Walking over, having brought many to safety with Diamondhead's dome was none other than Ben. He walked over with a serious face, looking over at the giant in the distance, battling Wonder Girl.
"Ben!"
"Let me deal with that thing. I'm sure you've tracked her down. Just go. Leave it to me. I'll take care of things." Ben nodded, putting on a smile. "Trust me on this, okay?"
"..." Gwen stared at him for a few seconds, before eventually nodding her head, smiling. "I trust you, Ben. Please be careful."
"You got it, Gwen. Good luck out there." Ben gave a thumbs-up to her, walking towards the creature while Gwen was heading to the warehouse. He looked at the Omnitrix, it currently red as he was Diamondhead recently. But there was a reason Ben walked all the way here and didn't run. To ensure the Omnitrix would have enough time to charge up to full.
"Rrrgh!" Wonder Girl grunted, uppercutting the giant fiercely, leaving behind a great shockwave that went upwards. It staggered the beast, prompting her to unleash a flurry of heavy punches to its face, causing the body of the giant to step back more and more, the hits sounding like gunshots going off. All while the buildings were in peril of being damaged. She was aware of that, but the damage she was doing to the beast was more important in her mind. Her strength and speed were impressive to witness. She would deliver a final punch, the shockwave of the attack blowing back many of the windows on nearby buildings, cracking some of them.
The creature would then let out a roar, attempting to swipe at her. She would fly backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. "Hm." She smirked. "Not bad. But not good either." Wonder Girl was enjoying herself. The thrill of a fight was something she loved. And the fight was not over yet, the creature was still standing, its body glowing brightly.
"She's no Wonder Woman, that's for sure." Ben would prop up the Omnitrix as it was finally ready to be used. "Something like this needs someone as big!" He slammed down on the Omnitrix and was engulfed in light. When the transformation ended, he was now a gigantic alien that was brimming with power from the stars.
Wonder Girl turned her head, seeing a green light shoot up in the form of a pillar. And from that tall pillar emerged an equally tall fellow. The giant himself.
Way Big. Ben's largest alien. And in his current situation, he was just the hero needed for the job. "Hey." Way Big called out to the creature, drawing its attention. "Take the hint and look at me. You've got a new opponent." His voice was deep, commanding the attention of the creature.
"Another titan...! Incredible!" Wonder Girl gasped, her jaw dropped.
"You're insane, you know that! There's buildings in the way!" Way Big said to Wonder Girl.
"You evacuated them, didn't you?" Wonder Girl shrugged. "What's the big idea?"
"Not all of them!" He barked as he obviously didn't get every single one of them out. There were still people here. "You just sit back and let me finish this fast."
"Sit back?! You think I'm going to let you take all the glo-" But while she was caught off guard, a magical beam from the giant hit her, sending her flying. "Gaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Wonder Girl bellowed, spiralling through the air.
"Sit back?! You think I'm going to let you take all the glo-" But while she was caught off guard, a magical beam from the giant hit her, sending her flying. "Gaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Wonder Girl bellowed, spiralling through the air.
"Heh. That was pretty satisfying." Way Big snickered a bit before facing the giant. "Okay, now I've got you. Come at me!"
The creature roared loudly, shaking the ground once more. It approached Way Big aggressively, lunging right at him. With his arms out, Way Big would stop the creature's full force tackle. It felt like a truck crashed into him, the force was that great, but he endured the hit and wouldn't budge. "Hrgh!" He would grab the giant, pushing it back, but the giant would push back as well. The two would engage in a shoving match, each of them trying to overpower the other.
"RAH!" With a surge of energy, the giant would break free from his grasp, delivering a powerful punch to his chest. The impact caused the street below him to crack, the cars parked nearby to shake and the ground to quake. Ben couldn't really avoid such magnitude, but what mattered was that he ended it quickly without anyone getting hurt.
"Ugh!" Way Big staggered, but soon gained his footing back. He wouldn't give the giant any more chances to strike, immediately retaliating with his own attack. He swiped his hand, sending a disc of cosmic energy, sending it right at the giant's body. It would strike at its shoulders, knocking the creature to the side. "Gotta end this quick. Before anything else gets destroyed." Way Big would turn, seeing the people in the buildings that weren't evacuated, and they were terrified of what was going on. "Yeah. Gotta end this quickly."
But in response, the giant unleashed an outburst of magic from its body, the pinkish glow emitting from its eyes and mouth. A magical beam came shooting out of its body, aimed right for him. This was its ultimate counter. The beams collided, the power of the two clashing. The shockwave that erupted was massive, the force from the collision sending a ripple through the air and shaking the ground. The people in the buildings were thrown off balance, the windows shattered, and debris flew everywhere. Way Big's attack was incredibly potent, and the creature's attack was equally strong. The power of both attacks was so great that it seemed like a stalemate, neither side gaining an advantage.
"Hmmmmmm!" Way Big's eyes widened, continuing to pour his all into the attack. He wouldn't allow his attack to be overwhelmed, not at the expense of the entire city. Not one bit.
Nightwing had carried Starfire through the streets while witnessing the clash happening over in the distance. He saw the massive clash of Way Big and the Magic Giant, just completely taken aback by it. "What the hell?!"
But the sight of Way Big's familiar figure made Nightwing calm. He knew that if Ben was there, the city was safe. So, he focused on getting to Gwen. Eventually though, he would spot her, running towards the warehouse. "Gwen!" He yelled, catching her attention.
"Huh? N-Nightwing!" She said, seeing him and Starfire. She quickly ran up to him. "Are you two okay?!"
"I'm fine, but Starfire isn't." He looked at her, the mark on her shoulder still visible. "We need to fix her fast." He didn't know that the infection was the cause of her state. He was under the impression she was injured from the previous battle. "Can you heal her or something?"
"Ah. Yeah, I can do that." She nodded. Gwen would walk closer, placing a hand on Starfire's shoulder, the area of infection. Gwen's hand emitted a bright light, the energy flowing from her palm to the surface of her wound. The pink cracks were fading away, the infection was being purified from Starfire's body. Soon, the wound was almost fully healed, the skin returning to its normal color, and the pain from the infection had dissipated. Starfire would open her eyes, looking at Gwen. "...Thank you, Friend Gwen." Starfire would smile at her, glad to be freed from the infection.
"Of course, Star. How do you feel?" She asked, wanting to make sure that everything was alright.
"Much better. My many thanks, Friend Gwen..." Starfire breathed deeply, feeling relieved. She would look at Nightwing. "And my thanks to you, Nightwing, for carrying me." She smiled once more.
"Yeah. Of course." Nightwing would return the smile, but his expression would change. "So. What is that thing?"
"It's the result of all that magical mass scattered around the city." Gwen explained. "Charmcaster isn't gonna get away with this. We know where she is now. The warehouse. We were close to her position!"
"Got it." Nightwing said, knowing that the end of the line was coming.
"Oh my...A To'kustar." Starfire blinked, looking at Way Big before having her arm grabbed by Nightwing who dragged her along. "Oh? Where are we going?"
Meanwhile, as the battle between Way Big and the magic giant raged on, Raven had managed to locate the Magical Creatures. And thankfully, it wasn't that hard to find them at all , since they were roaming about . Raven eyed them down, thinking about her next course of action. She was aware of what they were and how they had been used. It was a cruel fate, but she wanted to help them. " You all. You don't want to do this at all."
She was apologizing to them. Even if they were attacking her, Raven heightened powers as an Empath said otherwise. They were only doing what Charmcaster made them do. And now that she was aware of the truth, Raven felt a desire to save the creatures. She wanted to undo the damage that had been done.
And thankfully, she had the power to do that as a magical empath. A Magical Bear ran right towards her at full speed, but it stopped abruptly. It was confused, sensing something. And it would soon see Raven, her eyes glowing a bright white. The bear would stop and stare at her, its mind racing, and its eyes starting to show signs of fear.
The other Magical Creatures would notice her, and the same would happen to them. Each creature would suddenly freeze in place, their minds racing. They were afraid, because they were in the presence of a powerful being that was emitting a strong magical aura. An aura that was so strong that they couldn't resist it. Raven's empathy was at an all-time high, and the Magical Creatures could sense the emotion in her words and actions. It was a sign of her power, her control, and the depth of her emotions.
Using Empathic Healing, she was managing to absorb the pain the Magical Creatures themselves to ease their suffering. Pink particles would start flowing out of them, soon turning dark once they got close to Raven. With her hands glowing, she would slowly approach the Magical Creatures. She was careful not to startle them. Her goal was to soothe them, and that's exactly what she did.
The Magical Bear that had attacked her earlier was now standing in front of her. Its eyes were no longer filled with anger or rage. Instead, they were calm and curious. Raven would put her hand on the creature's forehead, her magic working its way into its body. The pinkish glow that emanated from her would flow into the creature, and the darkness that had surrounded it would dissipate. It would fade away, leaving behind only the pink glow of Raven's power. The bear's fur would become soft and fluffy once again, and its eyes would return to their normal color. It would then bow its head to her, grateful for what she had done. With that, she would turn to the others, who would follow the lead of the Magical Bear and kneel before her, showing their gratitude.
"Are you feeling better now?" She would rub the bear's back. And in return, the bear would lick Raven's face as extra gratitude . " Ugh...Gross" She grimaced before then suddenly chuckl ing , the act making her laugh a bit. The Magical Creatures would also start gathering around her, wanting to show their appreciation. They were nuzzling her, rubbing her, and even licking her. It was a little too much, but she was glad to help them.
"This is...strange." Raven was taken aback by this. But she did notice something that she felt when absorbing those emotions. An extra emotion that was within them all. She felt something from Charmcaster. But she dismissed it for the time being, focusing on what mattered now.
All while the battle between the Magic Giant and Way Big was reaching its climax. Both beams were still clashing, but the power behind them was wavering. The power of both their attacks were starting to falter, and the beams were starting to flicker. Way Big's energy beam was starting to weaken, and the same was true for the giant. It was clear that both sides were reaching their limit.
But Ben had more to give right now. With an extra grunt, he managed to push through the magical burst with his beam, shattering it. The cosmic ray would hit the giant directly, engulfing its entire body. Way Big wouldn't let up either, putting more of his energy into the beam to ensure that the creature was defeated.
It screamed out, all that energy enveloping every bit of it. The magical essence that made up its body was seen being broken down, and in the next moment, the magic exploded, a massive outburst of pink energy that was sent out in all directions. Once the smoke cleared, the giant was no more. All that remained were the remnants of its magical energy, which were fading away.
With that, the threat was over. But Way Big wouldn't get to celebrate, his Omnitrix would beep and a red flash of light came upon him, reverting him to Ben. "Whoa!" He fell from his large height, falling onto the roof of one of the buildings. He was just barely holding on, the edge of the roof stopping his fall. "Ow! That hurt..." He groaned, his body aching from the impact. But he was alive and well, and the people of the city were safe.
Wonder Girl had just now flown back into the scene for more action. but alas, she was too late for that. As soon as she showed up, the giant was defeated. "What?!"
"Heh...Too late for all that glory..." Ben said while on the rooftop. "It's my glory now ." A joke, of course. But it did make him feel a lot better.
"Tch. Not fair. I wanted to be the one to bring down that creature! I would've taken down the equivalent of a titan! " Wonder Girl flew over to Ben, grabbing his hand and pulling him back up to his feet. "Well done, I guess. But I still have that Charmcaster girl I can take care of. It's not over yet."
"Good luck with that." Ben smirked. "Gwen and her have history. I don't think you'll get the chance."
"Hmph!" Attempting to prove him wrong, Wonder Girl would fly off, as fast as she could too . And Ben, of course, wouldn't waste any time either. He quickly ran to the side of the building, jumping off and activating the Omnitrix, slapping his hand on the symbol. This time, he transformed into Jetray. "Jetray!" His voice was high-pitched, similar to that of a chipmunk. He would then fly in the direction of the warehouse, trying to catch up to the Amazonian Princess.
In the warehouse, things had gone silent. All that was left were the infected, who were standing still, and Charmcaster, who was s tanding there with her head down. She sensed it. The defeat of many of the infected people, the sudden rage quell of the Magical Creatures she created and now the defeat of the giant which led to the magical mass around the city being broken.
Naturally, it was all coming apart. A failure in the making.
Charmcaster was greatly disappointed in herself. "I-I can't believe this...This was meant to be perfect!" She shouted, her voice filled with frustration. "How could this go so wrong? How did I fail?! My plan was flawless! My calculations were perfect! I'm a genius! This should've gone perfectly, just like I intended! Why didn't it? Why did things go so bad?" She was starting to doubt herself. "What am I missing here?! I should've had everything under control. But instead, I'm here, alone, in this stupid warehouse. In this stupid city. With those stupid heroes ruining everything. Again! It's Gwen...Again!"
"Charmcaster!" Speaking of Gwen...a pink ray burst through one of the floors of the warehouse, revealing Gwen herself who descended via Manna platform steps.
"You...! You're the reason for all of this! This was meant to work!" The sorceress was enraged, her face contorted in fury. "But no, you had to ruin it. Like always! Just like our last meeting! You ruined it!"
"I didn't ruin anything. This is on you." Gwen shot back. " 8 years later and it still feels like you haven't learn a thing ."
"It was going fine until you showed up." Charmcaster was not listening, refusing to acknowledge her words. She was consumed by her rage and refused to take responsibility for her actions. "And then, you ruined everything."
"I'm not the one who was using a spell that would turn the whole city into a bunch of extensions of herself." Gwen pointed out. "And just like all those 8 years, I'll be glad to bring you down again."
"No...Not this time." She shook her head as a magic portal suddenly appeared behind her . "There's no point in continuing if it's already ruined."
"Where are you running off to?"
" Not this time, Gwen. You have no idea how important this one is to me. This is bigger than the rest." Charmcaster backed off. "You never will." Those were last words today as she had entered the portal.
"Hey, wait!" But the portal closed right when Gwen ran to her. "Charmcaster!"
"Gwen!" Coming from above was Starfire, Wonder Girl, and Nightwing. They were descending from the hole in the roof. "You made it. What happened to her?" Nightwing asked. "Don't tell me she escaped, right?"
"Unfortunately." Gwen nodded. "She got away from us."
"Rrggh! I was late?! !" Wonder Girl growled in frustration . " Not even the main problem?!"
"Hah..." Gwen sighed as for the time being, it was all over. The predicament in this city was all said and done . Charmcaster was gone and so was the magical mass. For now, at least. But she had to wonder what Charmcaster meant by this was far bigger than the rest . That was an eerie statement.
Charmcaster had arrived in the mansion that existed within this magical dimension once more . Her home away from her home. And from her, a great groan of anger escaped her. But she became silent once she flew over to the room where the three mysterious faces sat in shadow. It was time for an update.
"You have returned, child." The feminine voice spoke to her. "We were expecting you sooner."
"Forgive me for that. Things didn't exactly go as planned." She bowed her head. "The city is no longer under my control."
"So we've heard." The male voice said. " Failure once more in mastering the Magical Extension I see. Dissappointing, child."
"I know, I know...I was making progress though...infecting people with it." She clenched her teeth, looking to the side. "I'm still getting somewhere."
"Getting somewhere with that kind of magic is barely good enough. But we will continue to see how you improve. For your sake, it must be done greatly, child." The man walked out of the shadows, finally showing himself. It was none other than her father.
Hex.
"Father..." Charmcaster looked at him in the eyes, a slight sense of intimidation in her.
" If you truly wish to gain a spot in the Sorceror's Circle, then you will be sure to master that magic and elevate our plans." Hex spoke, his eyes burning with intensity.
"I want that spot...I really do." She sneered while looking away.
"You can have it. If you can truly prove yourself." The feminine voice said once more. "Faust will assist you in your next outing, child."
"What?! That creep?!" Charmcaster turned her attention to the voice.
"We have already agreed upon it. You will do so." Hex would walk back to his seat. "Be sure to prepare. We will need you very soon."
"..." Charmcaster would reluctantly nod. "...Okay. Understood." But even though those were her last words, her thoughts had something else. "I'll get you for this, Gwen...I'm not letting it be a repeat of the past. Never again!"