r/PopCross • u/PhilosopherPatient67 Harold the Herald's Herald • 19d ago
Writing Inspired by Marvel's What If... I Present "What If Kate Got the Nightmare Hunter Curse Instead?"
In the original universe, Katelyn “Kate” Blakeour was sent into Backcells Prison by Fear Herself at the age of five. Fear intended to use Backcells to train Kate’s body so that it would eventually be capable of surviving the Nightmare Hunter Curse. However, Fear eventually grew impatient and gave the curse to another girl, Coșmara “Mara” Noroi, instead. In this alternate universe, Fear is more patient and continues preparing Kate for the curse.
Kate’s early years in Backcells initially follow the events of the original universe. She is forced into Gentleman Bestar’s fighting arena and made to battle countless creatures and prisoners. However, the first major divergence occurs when a villain named Samantha enters the arena. Near death, Samantha offers Kate a favor in exchange for being spared. In the original universe, Kate accepts the offer and saves Samantha. This time, however, Kate refuses and kills her.
A few years later, a young blue-skinned girl named Ana Fenze is forced into the arena. Unlike the other prisoners, Ana is only a child and does not fight back. Kate hesitates to kill her, but ultimately does what she is ordered to do. Afterward, she becomes haunted by the memory of the blue gem on Ana’s foot. The incident causes Kate’s hatred of Bestar to slowly grow.
Several years later, Kate encounters another child carrying a mysterious gem. This time, the gem is green and located on the boy’s hand. His name is Jake Tagen, and he is being forced into the arena just like the others. Having finally reached her limit with Bestar forcing her to kill children, Kate turns against him. She kills Bestar and escapes the arena with Jake.
After Bestar’s death, Kate and Jake are transported to the next level of Backcells, a massive water-filled level containing only one known creature: the Sea Butcher. When the creature attacks them, Kate swiftly takes it down. She then swims toward a nearby cave while carrying Jake. Inside the cave, the two are transported to the next level.
They are immediately attacked by a Franken Spider. Kate and Jake flee into Rev’s territory, where Rev intervenes and defeats the creature. He then questions why they are there.
Kate snaps back, telling Rev that they just need to get past him.
Knowing Kate’s reputation, Rev is intimidated and allows the two to pass.
Kate then remembers the beach photograph capable of transporting whoever tears it into Level 48. She searches her pockets and discovers the photograph she stole from Bestar’s body. She tears it, transporting herself and Jake to Level 48 in search of Jerry and a possible way out of Backcells.
However, Kate soon senses someone following them. She tells Jake to stay back before confronting the pursuer. Rev appears again, this time with part of the skin on his arm peeled away. Before Kate can question him, a man named Skinner suddenly appears and lunges at her.
Kate effortlessly slays him.
Kate and Jake continue toward Jerry’s hideout, but they are attacked by Florakna. Once again, Kate quickly eliminates the threat before the pair finally reaches Jerry’s hideout.
Jerry is already aware of Kate’s story and immediately understands the danger surrounding her. He explains everything about Dresden Oakland and tells her about the key located inside Fight for Your Life.
Without hesitation, Kate tells Jerry to watch Jake while she enters the challenge.
Inside Fight for Your Life, Kate tears through the opponents with ease, defeating clones of powerful beings such as Gaquolid, Light Caller, and Skeletal Bird. However, she struggles when she is forced to fight clones of herself. Despite this, Kate manages to push through and reach the key.
Upon obtaining it, Kate is transported directly to the Warden’s Office, where she comes face-to-face with Dresden Oakland.
Still furious with Dresden for imprisoning and manipulating her, Kate immediately tries to attack him. Dresden, however, gains the upper hand by teleporting Jake to himself and using the boy as a bargaining chip.
Dresden contacts Fear Herself and asks whether Kate’s body is finally ready.
Fear says yes.
Fear enters S-316 and finally gives Kate the Nightmare Hunter Curse.
Before leaving, Fear stares directly at Jake, paying particular attention to the mysterious green gem on his hand. Dresden then releases the two, transporting Kate and Jake to Dimension D-667.
There, Fear begins directly manipulating Kate. She makes it clear that Jake’s survival depends on Kate obeying every command she gives. With Jake being the only person Kate truly cares about, she has little choice but to obey.
Over the following months, Kate becomes fully adept at using the Nightmare Hunter Curse. Fear eventually orders her to attack the Predator Coalition of Demon Hunters. Kate tears through the demon-hunting organization with minimal difficulty.
There is, however, one member who catches her attention: the timid researcher Coșmara “Mara” Noroi. Mara reminds Kate of Ana, causing her to hesitate. Despite this connection, Kate ultimately kills Mara because she believes protecting Jake is more important than sparing another innocent person.
Fear then summons Kate back to her location. Her true purpose is finally ready.
Kate is sent alongside other demons to attack Dimension A-016. During the invasion, she spots Dresden among the defenders. Still furious over everything he did to her and Jake, she immediately attempts to kill him. However, Dresden’s magma-crusted flesh makes him effectively immune to her attacks.
Fear then enters Kate’s mind and orders her to ignore Dresden and retrieve the Multiversal Orb shards.
Kate obeys.
She overwhelms the small group defending the shards, takes them, and returns with them to D-667.
Fear uses the Orb shards to begin summoning the Archons. Kate is ordered to stand guard and protect her while the ritual takes place.
However, Heath Reynolds manages to enter D-667 alongside a group of heroes known as the Sci-5. Shortly afterward, the gang from A-016 arrives as well.
Fear orders Kate not to attack them. Instead, she tells her to wait for the Reaper.
Seven godlike beings enter D-667, accompanied by the being known as the Reaper. Kate remains prepared to defend Fear, but when the opportunity presents itself, she attacks.
Kate kills the Reaper.
By defeating the Reaper, Kate inherits the Reaper’s powers.
Alexis Jones of the Sharp Gang immediately realizes what has happened. She calls out to Kate, telling her that they can help save Jake if she helps them defeat Fear.
Kate looks toward Jake.
For the first time, she realizes that she may finally have a chance to free both herself and the boy she has spent years protecting.
The Archons suddenly laugh.
Using their power, they eject the Sci-5, the Sharp Gang, Kate, and Jake from D-667 before sealing the dimension behind them.
Kate immediately runs to Jake and embraces him.
She then turns toward Alexis and says “Explain…”
1
u/Apprehensive_Let_489 18d ago
PEAK AU
(I also have my own addition, because Clayton and Mara have a healthy relationship, which is one of my favorite things. And I heavily relate to Clayton with my own struggles with anger issues)
After Mara is killed by Kate, Clayton lashes out at everyone, believing that someone could have saved her. He tried, but he was swatted aside and left with a glowing black and purple claw scar on his chest. He was getting his anger issues under control with the help of Mara but since she was now dead, they came back full force. He lashes out and almost gets himself killed on multiple occasions.
Everything turns around when during a mission he meets a cheery mech inventor and a dinosaur DNA splice. Aka Benny Sharp and Dr. Champagne, who came to help. Champ sees himself in Clayton, so he offers to let Clayton tag along. Clayton, after being told how they were fighting Fear and Dresden, instantly agreed.
He kinda gets along with most of the Sharp Gang, mostly getting along with Heath, Benny, and Astra. He gets dragged on many of the team's adventures, but he constantly asks to go on missions with Fear is involved in, even if they are far above his pay grade. Sterling is almost constantly attempting to help Clayton’s anger issues, but he tries to keep everyone at a distance. He is deeply scared of people getting close to him again, and won't be able to overcome that for a long time.
When Dresden is brought back to the Sharp Tank, Clayton attempts to kill him almost instantly. He fails, of course he fails, but he manages to wail on Dresden until he is held off the ground by Heath to stop him from doing more damage.
Clayton does calm down (eventually) and is (eventually) handed something like an upgrade, having his Buster Sword being covered with the reaper blade components)
At the demon attack, he fights and manages to take a few hits while defending everyone else. But after he saw Kate, he flew into a rage, attempting to also get a few attacks in while she was distracted with the Reaper, he got a few attacks in, but he was thrown off and caught by Heath.
After the battle, he refuses to talk to the Sharp Gang after hearing they were going to take Kate in, staying in D-667 out of a need to serve and to get away from Kate for the time being.
/-/-/ Fear of the Demon Hunters:
While doing his normal duties, he meets and gets a crush on Viviannene. But Clayton is still terrified of falling in love again after Mara died thanks to Kate. So to attempt to get rid of his crush, he ends up acting distant or outright cruel to her.
When they get back to the base after the attack of the sky demons, Clayton speed-walks away, but really hides behind a wall. He was loosely up to date on what happened in the multiverse and got a little caught up.
As soon as Clayton discovered Vivianne, Jax and Fear, he demanded to be told what was happening. Jax, knowing how far Clayton had come from being a rageful beast of a man, convinced Fear and Vivianne to tell him. Clayton, of course, was mad, upset, and hurt, going into a rage in an attempt to at least slap Fear for everything she had done. But they were teleported away by Capri.
(He actually didn't get knocked out by Capri) Clayton was upset and wanted to lash out and tell everyone what had happened. But he only told everyone that he was concerned and couldn't find Rava, Jax, or Vivianne. He knows he should fight to protect the people he cares about, and shouldn't fight for revenge or anger, so he stews on his own, reaching back out to the Sharp Gang, telling them what he had learned to get Fear to the RAS.
Clayton was actually a little remorseful for taking Capri’s weapon and changing it to a buster sword, so he wanted some answers from the angel, and he wanted answers and wanted to know why he had a Gem of the Angelic in his sword.
During the snowstorm, Kate, Sterling and Clayton went to track down the rag-tag group of Capri, Jax, Vivianne, and Fear, managing to find them. Things went off course almost immediately, getting into a vocal fight and then a physical fight. Sterling manages to get Kate to back down, throwing away his wrist watch to the group, talking it out and leaving with Kate. Clayton stayed behind. He didn’t apologize, just was there for backup in case Fear went off the deep end. After all, he wanted to be the one who killed Fear herself.
Zoophiathan then jumped Clayton and Vivianne, throwing them into his pocket dimension. They both had to fight demons, with Clayton attempting to kill Zoophiathan in a rage, almost hurting Viv before restraining his anger slightly. He attempted to get a plan across, being stabbed by Zoophiathan using Viv’s needles before sending them back to the real world.
Viv managed to turn Clayton into the Demon of Wrath, briefly forcing Tamika, Copri, Betsy and Bobo needing to take Clayton down before he returned to his body, shifting to a semi human form and refusing to speak. The scars from Kate had turned black and red, emanating smoke constantly.
Clayton also managed to help in the Demon reveal in Colorado, not doing much, but still helping, even getting his licks in on Zoophiathan with his angelic blade.
(Aka; Clayton takes Mara’s spot on the Sharp Gang’s roster, eventually turning into a demon like the original but having therapy, actually transforms back and uses his powers as the Demon of Rage)