Chapter 51: The Cursed Sorceress Appears
Boom!
The silence of the late night was shattered by a sudden explosion that ripped through the wall of a high-security prison. Dust and debris rained down as a figure stepped through the newly-made opening.
A beautiful woman with long, flowing white hair, clad in a striking purple robe, strode into Hex's cell as if she owned the place.
Hex, the master sorcerer, looked up from his cot, his expression unreadable. "Charmcaster," he spoke, his voice a dry rasp. "Why are you here?"
"Uncle," Charmcaster said with a dazzling smile, her tone dripping with feigned sincerity. "I'm here to save you, of course."
In truth, if she didn't desperately need a master of the dark arts for the upcoming summoning ritual, she wouldn't have wasted a moment on her incarcerated uncle.
"Save me?" Hex scoffed, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes. He knew his niece well; filial piety was not among her virtues. "Why?"
"The total solar eclipse is approaching," Charmcaster began, her voice weaving a tempting spell. "If you perform the summoning ritual during the eclipse, you can attain supreme magical power. With that kind of strength, combined with your own incredible mastery, you could rule the entire world! And surely," she added with a coy glance, "you could spare a little of that power for your well-behaved niece then."
She laid the bait, and Hex, despite his cynicism, began to bite. The words stroked his wounded pride. 'Hmm... as expected of my niece,'he thought, a flicker of his old arrogance returning.'Truly filial.' He was, admittedly, a sucker for flattery.
But just as the vision of ultimate power took hold, another image forced its way into his mind: a massive, flying turtle with wind-spewing holes in its shell.
The fire in his eyes died down. Hex fell silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "Alas... what's the use of supreme magical power? I couldn't beat him before, and I still wouldn't be able to. Besides," he added, gesturing to his empty hands, "I don't even have the Charms of Bezel anymore."
Charmcaster stared, momentarily stunned. She had never seen her typically domineering uncle so utterly dejected. This wouldn't do at all! Hex might not want supreme power anymore, but she certainly did!
She immediately launched into a new line of persuasion, her words carefully chosen to rekindle the embers of his ambition.
As she spoke, the light gradually returned to Hex's eyes. He sat up straighter, a forgotten memory surfacing. "That's right," he murmured, his voice gaining strength. "There's still one more! The Keystone of Bezel! As long as I have that, I can use the eclipse to re-forge the other charms! I will gain supreme power, and as long as I don't provoke that... that turtle... I will still be invincible!"
"Turtle?" Charmcaster asked, a confused frown creasing her brow. "What turtle?"
Hex didn't bother to explain. His staff was gone, and without it, many of his more potent spells were inaccessible. He couldn't just blast his way out. He rose to his feet and strode toward the hole his niece had made.
"Come, my dear niece," he commanded, his old authority returning. "First, we retrieve my spare staff."
At that same moment, hundreds of miles away, Ben, transformed into the mighty Four Arms, was gently helping an elderly woman off a bus he had just saved from careening off a bridge. He hadn't expected his heroic deed to be followed by a wave of moral blackmail from the grateful, and demanding, passengers.
'It's a good thing it was Ben,'Klein thought from a distance.'If it were me, someone who isn't so morally upright... heh heh.'
Back in the Rustbucket, Ben flopped onto the sofa, the Omnitrix timing out with a flash of red light.
"I can't believe it," he groaned. "Being a hero also means being a doormat." He threw his arms up in exasperation. "You guys have no idea. One old lady even wanted me to give her a lift to Las Vegas to see some magic exhibition."
"Magic exhibition?"
The words caught the attention of Klein, who was idly tinkering with a new soda concoction he'd invented out of sheer boredom. His ears perked up.
An idea began to form. Gwen's birthday was coming up, after all.
The next morning, inside a bustling convention hall in Las Vegas, Klein wandered through the aisles of the magic exhibition. He scanned the displays, his eyes gliding past cheap tricks and gaudy props, searching for something that felt... genuine.
He had left a note for the others and driven over at the crack of dawn. Ben and the rest were probably on their way, which meant he had to find the perfect gift before they arrived. If they found it first, it would ruin the surprise for Gwen.
"Hmm?" He paused in front of a small, cluttered stall. "This thing... looks familiar."
His gaze locked onto a simple leather wristband. It wasn't the band itself that caught his eye, but the small, carefully carved stone set into it as an ornament. It was the Keystone of Bezel, the final, missing Charm. He thought he'd relieved Hex of all of them, but apparently, one had slipped through the cracks.
Klein immediately reached out to grab it. Just as his fingers brushed against the leather, another hand—pale, slender, and elegantly manicured—landed directly on top of his.
'Nice hand,' he noted absently.
That wasn't the important part. Klein looked up, tracing the arm to its owner. She was a standard beauty, with a graceful figure wrapped in a purple robe and a cascade of long white hair framing a stunning face.
Charmcaster was just as surprised to see him. Though Klein was young, he was easily the most handsome boy she had ever laid eyes on.
"Let go," Klein said, his tone flat and devoid of any gallantry. He didn't understand the concept of cherishing a beautiful woman, especially when she was in his way. 'I got here first, it's mine. Are you really trying to snatch it from me?'
His blunt command snapped Charmcaster back to reality. A faint blush crept up her neck; she'd been caught staring.
"Uh... little brother," she cooed, her voice suddenly sweet and gentle. "Can you let me have this?"
Klein's brow furrowed. 'So, she is here to snatch it.'He was also vaguely annoyed by the fact that her hand was still resting on his.'And what's with the touching? If you want to fight for it, then fight.'
"No," he stated plainly. "It's mine."
He had no intention of backing down.
Charmcaster reluctantly withdrew her hand and stepped away. If it had been anyone else, she would have simply taken it by force. But with Klein... while she was tempted to tease him, she didn't want to leave a bad first impression. She decided she would just steal it from him later.
With his competition gone, Klein happily paid the vendor and secured Gwen's birthday gift.
"Charmcaster, where is the Keystone?" Hex demanded, his displeasure evident as his niece returned empty-handed.
"It will be in hand soon, Uncle," she replied quickly, a confident smile playing on her lips.
Hearing her assurance, Hex didn't press the matter further. "See that it is," he warned. "If you can't get it, I will have to take action myself."
('Are you sure about that?' Klein would have thought, had he been there to hear it.)
Klein wandered through the exhibition hall, bored now that his mission was complete. Grandpa Max and the others still hadn't arrived.
"Well, the process wasn't very interesting, but at least I got the item," he muttered to himself, lifting the wristband to admire his purchase.
His eyes narrowed. "Hmm... it seems a bit different. Huh? Where's my stone!"
The slot where the Charm of Bezel had been was now empty. Klein's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the crowd as he frantically searched the ground around him.
'Charmcaster must have used some kind of magic to lift it,'he realized.'She didn't attack me directly, and since I can't sense magic, I didn't even notice.'
"Was it her? It has to be her."
Just then, he caught a flash of a familiar purple robe weaving through the crowd. He didn't need any more proof. She was the only other person there who clearly wanted the stone.
Klein broke into a run, pushing through the throng of tourists and magic enthusiasts. The crowd was thick, making it difficult to keep her in his sights. 'I can't just transform here,'he thought with a sigh.'Not because I'm afraid, but because of the paperwork. So much trouble.'
He finally managed to tail Charmcaster as she slipped into a quiet alleyway behind the convention center.
Peeking around the corner, Klein's eyes widened. "Hex!... And the charm!"
He saw Charmcaster hand the stolen Keystone of Bezel to the imposing sorcerer. They were a team!
'They snatched my stuff?'he thought, a wave of genuine annoyance washing over him.'Can I tolerate this? Absolutely not.'
Klein didn't hesitate. He slapped the faceplate of the Another Omnitrix.
"Terraspin!"
A flash of brilliant blue light erupted in the narrow alley. When it faded, the hulking form of Terraspin stood in Klein's place.
'Good thing no one's around,'he thought casually.'Although, even if there were, I'd have transformed anyway. If I'm not having fun, who cares about secrecy? Even if they knew I had superpowers, what could they do? Make trouble for me? Please. Alien X can fix any exposure problem with a thought.'
The sudden burst of light drew Hex's attention. He turned his head and saw the familiar, massive turtle standing there.
His face went pale.
"Holy crap!"
'Thanks for bringing daddy's worst nightmare right to me, niece,' was the thought that screamed through Hex's mind.
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