"Ah, that reminds me, I need to get some of that too," Alasea mused. "Well, Helena, shall we go?"

"All right," Helena said.

Soon, everyone had gotten and paid for their things. Not as much non-perishable food as Matt would have liked, but it would have to do. They all piled back in the truck and drove back off towards the hospital, where Jotaro would check on his family one last time before Matt and his group moved on.

"Think they'll be awake by now?" Alasea asked Jotaro as they returned to the hospital. She had hoped they would be, as she'd have to keep out of sight once they arrived.

"We'll see."

They parked a bit away from the main building, facing the doors. As Jotaro left the truck and walked up, Matt reached into his sack and pulled out his electronic game.

"Oh, here we go," Hugo said when he noticed the game.

"Shut up, Hugo." Matt flipped on the power switch. "Today I will be the victor."

"You should be, if you remember what I taught you," Ileyna commented, leaning forward as she looked at him.

Edited by RisingDragon on November 1, 2009 at 18:56:55.

"Feh!" Matt dismissed the matter with a melodramatic wave of his hand. "I will win even without your silly tactics!"

"Just don't wake all the patients up when you start cussing," Hugo said.

"... but we're outside, they shouldn't hear," Ileyna said, looking puzzled.

"That's not enough to stop Matt's voice when he's pissed," R.D. muttered.

"He's got a point!" Matt chirped.

While they waited, Matt hammered away at his game. Naturally, he began to cuss. "Cheap piece of shit!"

"Cut it out!" Helena snapped at him.

"Not my fault this guy's an asshole!" Matt's shoulders got into the rhythm. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Yeah! Unh! Unh! Unh! What now, little man? I am the Cobra Commander of this house!"

"Quit rocking the truck," Hugo said.

"Wait...wait!"

Something digitally cried out in defeat.

"YES! YEEEESSSSS!" Matt threw up his arms and screamed in triumph. "AH HAHAHAHA!" He practically smashed his finger into the screen of the handheld console. "SUCK ME, BITCH! AH HAHAHAHAHA!"

A blue band of energy suddenly appeared around Matt's head and constricted, cutting off Matt's ability to speak properly.

"Thank you," R.D. said, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Don't mention it," Alasea said in the same deadpan tone, lowering her hand.

Matt promptly made every muffled noise possible as he clawed at the band.

"...can he breathe with that on?" Helena asked.

Matt began pummelling the band with his fists, socking his face to his muffled dismay.

"He'll be fine," Hugo said, and went back to reviewing his logs.

"Yes, he can breathe. He just can't talk," Alasea said. "Matt, if you promise to be good and keep your voice down, I'll remove the silence seal."

Matt brought up his fist and covered the area above his knuckles with his other hand. He then did a gesture that Ileyna couldn't see, but Alasea could probably guess.

She didn't need to; she could see it in the rear-view mirror of the truck. "Real mature, Matt."

Guess the seal would be staying on for now.

Eventually Jotaro came back and slid back into the front seat. "All right, where do you need to go to get to the next dimension?"

"Well," Helena said, "we need an open place. But one that's hidden away, so no one can see the portal being opened."

Jotaro turned the key, and the truck's old motor kicked on. They pulled out of the parking space and took a northen road flanked by trees back out to the main street.

"Just pull off to the side if you see a clearing," Alasea said, taking note of the scenery change.

Jotaro turned onto a dust road that lead into a sprawling forest. Luck was on their side again - another abandoned building. This one looked like a farm house. That and the shed were built with blackened, rotting wood.

The group took refuge behind the building, which was thankfully surrounded by forest. Matt passed by Alasea and tapped her on the shoulder, pointed at his band, then pointed at Jotaro. She needed to remove this now, he had something important to spill to him.

Alasea nodded and shifted on the crutch she used to keep off her injured leg, and gestured with her hand. The seal faded from view, allowing him to speak again.

"Just don't start screaming again," she said, causing Ileyna to stifle a sudden giggle.

Matt just made a sour face at her before walking over to Jotaro. "Listen, man," he said, "if you hear anything about the Essence, is there any way you can contact us?"

"I don't know," Jotaro said. "I'll have to ask the Chronomancer next time I see him."

"Well, do that. I want to keep updated if anything goes down." He turned to face the group. "Now, does everyone have EVERYTHING they need?"

"I dunno, Matt," R.D. deadpanned. "Do you still have your dignity?"

This time, Ileyna was unable to withhold her laughter.

"Okay, knock it off, you two," Alasea said, hobbling between them. "Let's just get the Scale out and move on, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Matt dug into the sack and produced the Scale. He held it aloft and it fired its traditional beam, ripping a swirling hole in time-space with a great flash. Matt put the Scale back, then extended his hand to Jotaro. "Hey, thanks for all the help. When Joseph gets up, tell him I appreciate all he's done for us."

Jotaro nodded curtly and shook Matt's hand for about a second. More like a salute in terms of length.

R.D. nodded to Jotaro once, briefly, as Alasea was helped through the portal by Helena and Ileyna. "Sorry about the mess with Re-Tuul," he said after a moment. "I didn't mean to get everyone mixed up in my troubles."

But Jotaro just said, "Watch your back. Nobody knows what'll happen next."

After a moment, R.D. nodded again, then turned to the portal. "C'mon, Matt."

They entered the Gateway and hurled across time and space once more, colors and light flashing before their eyes until they were deposited out into the next world.

===Elsewhere in the Multiverse===

Night had fallen on the shadowy world of Khalis, and the ruined, abandoned buildings of the dead world were like black monoliths within a frozen sea, the light coming off the broken fragments of its only remaining mood casting a silvery sheen over its crystalline surface. Ing screamed and howled as they scrambled between the buildings, hunting for prey that was stupid enough to wander about in the darkness.

In the night sky, a Gateway opened, one of a stygian color blacker than the night itself. It expelled the broken, bleeding form of Re-Tuul, who glided down towards one building on wings that had barely fully regenerated. One of his arms had ended in a bloody, jagged stump, the other was pressing its hand over a large wound in his chest. Part of his face had been burned off, revealing greenish-purple muscle and the faint traces of a white skull hidden within it.

He landed as gracefully as he could on the building, and bent slightly as his wings folded and shrank into his body before disappearing out of sight. He took a few steps as he approached the one other being here, who was looking out over the lifeless landscape before them.

"I thought I'd find you here," the half-human demon muttered as he approached. "Come to see what you get to look forward to when Lord Ziatoch moves onto the next world?"

Edited by RisingDragon on November 1, 2009 at 22:53:21.

"It's not what I expected." Malvettix turned around to face Re-Tuul, keeping his arms folded. "Did you manage to kill anyone, at least?"

"Not this time. Crippled a couple of them, including that weredragon," Re-Tuul said as particles formed around the wound in his head, regenerating it. "Took her leg, at the least. I left the Willard boy intact, just as you desired."

The demon stepped forward, moving around until he was standing side by side with Malvettix, though a distance away. Two Ing started to scream as they attacked one another down below. "I'd be careful with him, if I were you," Re-Tuul mentioned. "He had a few tricks I wasn't expecting."

"I know." He sounded pleased now. "It should be fun to see how he uses them when we fight again." He glanced towards the distance, watched a hooded figure in a black cloak trod towards the Ing, seemingly oblivious. "Did you get what you wanted, then?"

"For the moment," Re-Tuul said, nodding as bits of his legs regenerated. He looked down as the Ing took notice of the figure down below and screeched. "What Daemonus said was true. The Dragon's somehow damaged Lumiya; he was unable to do a full Overdrive. And thanks to Matt's little gauntlets, I think I may know how to take him down."

Holding up his ruined arm, Re-Tuul watched as it finally regenerated. "You'll be going after him again soon, won't you?"

The figure paused a moment, observing the Ing, before rushing right at them, his cloak fluttering.

"Of course," Malvettix said. "It's been too long since I've seen him. Ing can be fun to kill, but not as good as him."

"Of course not," the Khaglessi agreed. "Just keep in mind that the Dragon will stand in your way again. Its obvious where his allegiance lies, now that he knows Willard is alive."

What was it that R.D. had said to Malvettix? I'm right where I belong, standing between you and Matt.

Below, the Ing attacked, charging the cloaked figure and lashing out with sharp, bladed limbs.

"I'll just kill him, then."

The figure weaved underneath the blades. He shot out a bandages fist, striking one Ing hard in the face. A bare foot arc behind him and struck the other. Then the figure hunched over for a second before leaping, twirling about while extending his foot outwards in a spinning kick attack.