Chapter Text
Prologue:
Thunder crashed loudly as a slender form darted towards a large archway that appeared to be a gateway of sorts that went to nowhere. With a rebounding leap that caused the form to seemingly soar across the sky, the figure reached underneath her cloak to pull out a glittering medallion with that very arch imprinted on it. With a bright flash of light from both the medallion and the arch, she disappeared into thin air.
Blinking rapidly, Bunnia pulled her hood down, revealing that she had blonde hair done up in a stiff looking bun and bright blue eyes, scanning the large conference room that she had landed in. The Headquarters for the Gateway Keepers was located in between the dimensions, a fitting choice seeing as they came from most dimensions and protected all of the various dimensions. Part of her also noted that she appeared to not be the last one there… if only she didn't know a little detail called the reason why this meeting was being held in the first place.
"So it's true then. Melodia, Gerald, Spedster, Sonica, Granna, and Rosela are no longer with us anymore." Bunnia sank into her assigned chair, her cottontail twitching nervously as she eyed the new empty slots. Lately something appeared to be killing off the guardians of peace, with these last six being the most recent deaths amongst their ranks.
"Ah… and none of them have apprentices to take over their positions either." Punch-a-Lots, the Keeper from D# 106, and self-proclaimed leader of the Keepers, spoke up from his seat, a frown creasing his features.
According to the Rules and Regulations that the Gateway Keepers lived by, each dimension that wasn't D#101 had to have at least one representative amongst them. The fact that they no longer had a mythical being from D#345 or an elf from D#36 was alarming. As was the loss of the other ninety-eight Keepers.
"There must be something that we can do!" Joan cried out, frustration flashing in her gold colored eyes as she tightened her grip on her sword's hilt.
"But what? Whoever is behind this is clearly capable of crossing dimensions as well…" Samu drummed his long fingers onto his leg, a signal to the others that the young archer had a thought he wished to share with the rest of them.
"Are you implying that we have a traitor amongst us, Samu?" Punch-a-Lots tensed slightly, tension flooding off of him. Despite his hero name, he preferred to avoid confrontations.
The bandit turned hero crossed his arms, a glare settling on the others. "It is the only thing that makes sense. Out of all of us, I know what betrayal looks like."
"Yes yes… we all know the story about how you betrayed your crime boss to your Mentor all those years ago." Joan huffed, the knight rolled her eyes skyward. "Is this your way of saying that your habit of betrayal is what's killing us all off?"
"What?! No!" Samu lunged to his feet, fury dancing in his dark eyes. "That was only one time, so I would hardly call it a habit, besides of which I was simply stating that the facts point to there being a traitor amongst us!"
"Samu, sit down!" Punch-a-Lots bellowed out, shooting a glare at the younger man.
Samu meekly sank back down into his seat, something he definitely wouldn't have done when he was younger and new to the group.
Bunnia bounced her leg up and down at a rather quick speed, possibly because she was a sentient rabbit from her home dimension and her people rarely stayed still for long. "There must be something we're missing. Perhaps a sickness from one of the dimensions that most of us have zero immunity built up for it?"
"Oh please… I would have thought Squirt's suggestion of a traitor would have you all up in arms within seconds." Gasps rippled through the group as the first of the Keepers to cease showing up, presumably dead along with the others, appeared in the large archway that led to the other dimensions. Horrold swept his cloak back, a scowl creasing his features as he glared back at the gathered figures before him. "I only didn't get rid of you yet because you know my fighting style a bit too well my apprentice."
Samu appeared to be in shock, gawking at the man that had prevented him from going to jail all those years ago. "But…why!? You made a promise! You took the oath!"
Punch-a-Lots frowned at his oldest friend, disbelief flooding him. There was no way his second in command was behind the attacks… and yet Horrold was standing before them, clearly not dead, proclaiming that he was the one that had attacked and killed the others. "Why Horrold? Why would you take everything we've ever worked for and turn against it?"
"Because it has occurred to me that the only way to keep the peace is to make sure nothing stands in its way. Complete control of the situation so to speak." Horrold tugged at what appeared to be a pair of new black gloves covering his hands. "Another thing, Horrold doesn't exactly match up with my new approach to things… you may call me Harnessor." With a flick of his wrists, he shot a pulsating purple ball of light at Bunnia.
With a yelp, the rabbit barely dodged out of the way, even as she hollered to the rest. "That's Karna's special power!"
Punch-a-Lots lunged forward, seizing the newcomer in his surprisingly large hands. "Explain now! The Gift that the Gateway granted you to help with your missions is that of a swordsman!"
"But that's Joan's gift wouldn't you say? Afterall she is a knight…" Harnessor thrusted his hand out suddenly, blasting Punch-a-Lots with a sonic scream that came from the gloves.
Punch-a-Lots gasped as he stumbled away from him, hands clasped over his ears. "What is going on here?! First Karna's explosive ability, and now Melodia's siren screech!?"
Bunnia, displeased from seeing the villain use two of her closest friends' powers against them, leapt into action, springing far too high up for a normal rabbit to leap. Then again, she wasn't a normal rabbit. She was a sentient rabbit from a dimension filled to the brim with sentient rabbits. She also recognized the work of an ancient relic that was supposedly lost to time in Joan's dimension. "He has the Gloves of Power! That is what is happening to everyone! He has been stealing their abilities and using them against them!"
Punch-a-Lots eyes widened at that, before he issued a command that once implicated, no one, not even himself could undo. "Return to your dimensions and lockdown the Gateway… and hurry before he kills anymore of you!"
With that declaration, there was a bright flash of light as everyone rushed through the archway. As each one of them passed through, one of the glowing gold bricks that it was made from dimmed until it no longer glowed. Soon, only one hundred and three bricks were left glowing still. Taking in a deep breath, Punch-a-Lots lifted his medallion up, pointing it towards the archway. "Close Nunc et in perpetuum." The Latin words stumbled freely from his lips, causing one of the gold bricks to stop glowing.
A low laugh escaped Harnessor as he turned to face the slightly older man. "Fool… you cannot close all the dimensions. D#101 can never be closed, and the others have lost their Keepers and thus cannot be closed either. I still have plenty of dimensions to control with the disbandment of the Gateway Keepers."
"This isn't a disbandment old friend… this is a tactical retreat until we are strong enough to defeat you once and for all. Besides… something tells me you're not going anywhere." Punch-a-Lots lunged forward suddenly, seizing the bronze pin of the Gateway off of his old comrade's cloak. Flinging it to the ground, he stomped on it as hard as he could, cracking the material. Golden energy rushed out of the pin, indicating that it just lost its ability to travel through the dimensions.
"Then I'll just use your medallion then!" Harnessor flung himself forward, reaching out to grab at the enchanted medallion that allowed Punch-a-Lots to travel through the dimensions.
A scowl crossed his features as he easily dodged the attempt. "Not so fast. You know how the enchantment on the medallions and pins work. Only when it is time for me to take on an apprentice that the Gateway itself chooses for me will the medallion come off. Not before then, and anyone that touches it that the Gateway does not approve to represent my dimension it shall burn that person to insure only the correct one will gain that ability. You are not from my dimension. You cannot touch it without being burned."
A low growl escaped the villain as he realized that the aging hero was right. The Gateway controlled who got that ability and according to the rules… he wouldn't be able to get ahold of the medallion. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the medallion suddenly removed itself from Punch-a-Lots, disappearing back into his dimension. A bronze pin that appeared to be a duplicate of the one that he just destroyed magically appeared on his cloak.
"Perhaps I can't have the medallion… but I can and will have your pin!" With that said, Harnessor launched into a full out attack.
Punch-a-Lots took a deep breath as he readjusted his stance, pulling his abnormally large fists up in front of him. Pins had a tendency to disappear once more when the Keeper they belonged to dies… and he had no intention of letting his corrupted friend get ahold of his newly discovered pin any time soon…