Legend

"What a strange being you are. Clearly, you're not a plant-based life form of any kind, yet I'm fully capable of communicating with you as if you were one. Even if you no longer respond to me, it won't change your fate. I will devour you along with those companions of yours," the mycelium declared ominously.

While Ben and Max were searching for Fred and Gilbert, Fred had been taken by the mycelium leading the mushroom creatures. This being had piqued the mycelium's interest right after he defeated the small wave of mushroom creatures that attacked the rust bucket. Suddenly, Fred's hair and eyes turned a cosmic black, and the mycelium heard Fred calling out to it. Then, Fred became stiff as a statue. The mycelium took Fred and Gilbert to where it had captured the diggers—ten of whom remained, the others already devoured.

Inside Fred's mind space, he and his other egos, Matimba and Rhandzu, were having their deliberation earlier than scheduled because of someone's impatience. Fred proposed making time flow slower during these discussions compared to the outside world, which quickly backfired. Matimba wanted to extend the deliberation time indefinitely, leading to a back-and-forth until Fred accepted the proposal of longer deliberations with slower time flow. As Fred got used to these discussions, he realized the many similarities he shared with his other egos.

When the deliberation ended, Fred found himself swallowed by the mycelium. Still in his half Alien X form, he morphed his right hand into claws. "Dimension Slash," he muttered, ripping the mycelium from the inside out and freeing himself. Covered in its gastric juices, Fred cleaned himself with magic and burned the mycelium.

At this moment, Ben had just turned into Wildvine. The mushroom creatures shriveled and died as their brain was destroyed along with the vines. Fred used his half Ghost form to get out of there, and along the way, he saw Max and Ben taking out the captives to the surface.

"Fred!" Max called out, relief evident in his voice. "You're safe."

"What happened to you, and how did you stop whatever was doing all this?" Ben asked.

"I kinda got swallowed by the mycelium that controlled all these plant creatures, so I fought it from the inside out," Fred explained. "By the way, we have to get rid of those spores before they let loose whatever the mycelium thing made," he added.

"What? Really? How are we gonna even do that?" Ben asked, concerned.

"We could use that athlete's foot powder of yours," Fred suggested.

"But that will take forever," Ben replied, dropping off the people he carried.

"Yeah, I do have a faster way, but..." Fred said, his tone indicating he had a plan in mind.

"What?" Ben asked, knowing that Fred was thinking of something complicated.

"I think this is the right time for you to learn more about Green Guard, the alien I unlocked for you," Fred said.

Ben sighed, but the rest of the day was spent with him using Wildvine and Green Guard to learn more about their abilities under Fred's guidance. As usual, Fred erased the victims' memories of all alien activity they witnessed and reshaped the terrain to make it seem like nothing happened. "Maybe I should wear a black suit when I do this," he muttered to himself.

As they got ready to leave, Max suggested, "Let's grab some food first before we get back on the road." They went to a nearby pizza place, ordered, ate, chatted for a while, and then got back on the road.

Soon after they entered the road, the dashboard on the rust bucket lit up, pulling up some information. "It can't be!" Max exclaimed, touching the screen to pull up its location.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Ben asked, sitting in the front seat.

"The Mask of Apuk, a key to one of the most powerful and destructive weapons ever created. This mask is the guide to finding the Sword of Echtua. The Plumbers searched for it for decades and were never able to find it," Max explained, his mood suddenly serious as he drove faster.

"What kind of alien is that?" Ben asked.

"Not an alien. Echtua was the Mayan god of war. It's said his sword could level cities with just one swipe," Max said.

"Heh! That sounds like something the world's most powerful ten-year-old boy should have," Ben said, grinning.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks," Fred said, sitting in the back with Gwen, who was learning magic from his books. Currently, he was giving her some pointers.

"It's not a game, you two. The Sword of Echtua can grant its wielder power over the people of this planet. I will not let it fall into the wrong hands," Max said, leaving Ben and Gwen stumped as they noticed how strange Max was acting.

"I wonder if I could reconstruct it using time manipulation, then rebuild its structure using alchemy magic. I could keep it as a keepsake, but thinking about it, this could be what Matimba and I glossed over recently," Fred mused, suddenly interested in the sword.

"Is something on your mind?" Gwen asked, seeing Fred lost in thought.

"Oh, no, it's nothing. Anyway, this here..." He dismissed his thoughts and continued explaining the basics of magic to Gwen.

After a couple of hours, the rust bucket arrived at its destination. Max activated the cloaking device. "We're here," he said.

"Fred, can you turn us all invisible and get us into their basement?" Max asked.

"Ahhh, sure," Fred replied hesitantly. He was more worried about Max, but knowing how this would end, he agreed to the request and turned half ghost.

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