Wheua Mīti [Dark Data]

[Skeletor]

Skeletor stumbled out of the portal to nebula space into the waiting jaws of a massive snake. He reeled backwards, crashing into Wiess as she followed him out of the disintegrating landscape. Ignoring her outrage, the exhausted sorcerer forced himself up and unsteadily held his havoc staff up in a feeble last-ditch defense. The snake was dead. A giant bone spike rib had fallen and impaled the beast. It’s hollow reptilian eyes were dulled by the life-sapping cold. His shoulders sagged in relief and he collapsed against his Havoc staff, entire body overwrought nearly to the point of collapse. Near him, Wiess had gotten unsteadily to her feet, and was beginning to quietly check the rest of the cavern. Their path into the portal had been one of flight more so than conquest. There was little way of knowing whether they should expect a deserted hold or an ambush.

She slowly made her way back over to the exhausted sorcerer. Skeletor was chuckling to himself, a heavy laugh, slow and ponderous. He wasn’t stopping either. He had done it. Skeletor had utterly destroyed the pretender that was Nebula’s lieutenant. Skeletor’s mirth and self-satisfaction began to bubble up into a full bout of laughter.

“SHH!” Wiess hissed as returned, “I didn’t see anyone, but we don’t know if any more of Nebula’s minions are still here!”

“And why should we fear them?” Skeletor asked slowly, a smug twinge to his voice, “We’ve proven ourselves to be the better! I don’t think there can be any mistaking what we’ve done here, Schnee!”

Wiess rolled her eyes. “I get it, we saved the Frozen fields. Don't get me wrong, that's great! That doesn’t mean we should walk cluelessly into an ambush if we…” her retort was cut off by the warlock’s indignant outburst.

“You think I care about that? You must be even more foolish than you look! Saving these Parka-wearing prattlers, while convienient enough, was never my intention! Skeletor does not look to curry favor with simpletons! I am here only to destroy Nebula’s forces, to defeat their armies and claim their power for my own!” There was a somewhat pregnant pause as Skeletor’s ranting led him to realizations between both of the former liberators.

“Wait…” Wiess began her eyes alight with newfound understanding, “You’re saying that…” again however, Skeletor’s shouting interrupted her.

“CURSES!” the warlock shouted, his high-pitched voice ringing in the hollowed cavern, “I was not given sufficient time after the execution of that insufferable spheroid… I did not get a chance to drain his powers…” The rage of frustration and the rage of Nebula molded, morphed and fed each other inside of Skeletor. He did not bother to contain it.

“I have been USED!” he shouted, eldritch lightning, crackling off of him in sparks, scorching stone, ice and bone alike.

Wiess dropped into a ready stance, fatigue fading before the impending and unexpected danger. Keenly she wished that the comforting weight of Myrtenaster was not lost to the void of the collapsed Nebula space. It seemed that Kopaka was not the only one whom Nebula’s corruption had affected… how much longer could she be exposed before the same effects reached her.

“Keldor!” she called out, trying to break into his psyche, maybe she could snap him out of it. Skeletor’s aimless rage was at once crystalized and focused, his attention turned fully on the huntress.

“I AM SKELETOR!” the warlock screamed, the last vestiges of the illusion dismissed with a jarring fury. Wiess’s eyes widened, staring back into two red pinpricks of light sitting in the hollow sockets of a skull. The warlock raised his havoc staff, the ram’s skull facing the huntress as she weighed her options. To fight without a weapon seemed unwise, but fleeing into the tundra wasn’t likely to turn out much better for her at the moment. Skeletor had yet to fire, his heavy breathing seemed to be a sign of his exhaustion as much as his anger. He seemed to be thinking.

“You have proven your skills as a fighter, Schnee girl. Only a fool would claim otherwise. I will allow you to follow me if you wish, I have need of minions.” Skeletor planted the havoc staff back on the ground, his rage giving him new reserves of energy where he was all but spent, “But listen to these words and heed them well. I am going to take Nebula’s power for my own! I shall not be stopped by you, or hoodwinked by some scientist who things they can outsmart me!” Skeletor turned and started towards the exit of the cave, limping more heavily than his bravado would have suggested a moment before. In his fervor he didn't even notice.

“Both Nebula and Doctor Regal will rue the day that they crossed Skeletor! Nya hee hee hee!”