Hive: Part One

At nine-fifteen they were ready to enter the strange hive on the side of the cliffs. Londra thought the spot was beautiful with the ocean beating against the rocks at the bottom. Soft moss of all colors lining the sides creating a watercolor image that could only be found in nature. What was before them was strange, just like the nest, there were two camps on top of each other supported by tree-like beams. The camps were larger, which was expected. The nervousness was also larger. With a quick flick of her wrist they were all enclosed in a dome that would hide them from all. The Archdukes and Archduchess with them gathered in close with a few of their guards. The others were to stay on the skiffs and protect their ride back.

“Everyone has what they need in their vaults and all the spells have been applied,” Londra started getting their attention. “This is not a race… well reaching your floor is. Mara has planned it out and has transferred the layouts to your Demons. She amazes me, that is a lot to digest. We know that the barrier spells hide our presence and noise… so start when you are ready. Go at your own pace. Wait to shower until everyone is clear just in case there is a team that runs into more trouble than they can handle. I believe in us all. Together there is nothing we can’t overcome! We do this like the nest. We use stealth to reach our floors. If you need something to help keep your Purification Flame pure, look to your life partners. Think about all you have right now and what the future can be. Don’t let the nasty words and blood-soaked bodies twist you, rely on each other. Now let’s do this!” She smiled and waved at everyone. It occurred to her that she was speaking in front of this large crowd in her turquois underwear with all her curves visible, but it didn’t bother her because nobody here focused on that or even cared. She nodded to Robbie, who had the job of weaving all the spells together since nobody else could.

“We added barrier makers since it is such a large area,” Robbie started after the cheers settled down. “Let us go to the sky! We will wrap this darkness in holy light!” Fenten chuckled as he joined the team. There were two from each party now doing the barriers.

“Okay,” Londra yelled. “We are starting, so quiet and get ready to move.” Everyone nodded as silence blanketed the area as Londra took down the dome. The Archdukes and Archduchesses moved back but not too far since they wanted to scan the hive every few minutes to check in on everyone. Not that they could do much but help them teleport out.

Londra nodded towards them and motioned to Mara. Their team was ready to sprint with the others. Using magic, skills, and items the parties rushed to their floors. At the bottom of each ramp seemed to be a smaller open area and that is where all the teams stayed. Grouped together, on the tenth floor, Twilight Star focused on getting their breathing under control after Londra signaled that they were all on the floor. The sprint was intense, but they had all been practicing, yet her sides were on fire and air wasn't coming in as quickly as she hoped. It seemed the others were feeling the same way. She looked ahead to the main tunnel of their level; it branched off in three directions. The only reason she could see that much was because they had added night vision to the skin spell after fighting a camp on a cloudy night. She watched the strange box and felt the Holy Barriers wrapping around the massive hive. She knew that Fenten and Robbie would be appearing in their tight circle soon and heard that most everyone was breathing normally again.

“All the M-Ms are within the sixteen open areas,” Mara projected through their link while pulling in her large, black wings causing her long, braided, blue-black hair to sway. They helped with magic control but now she would rely on her violet-navy thin horns. She nervously clicked her blue-black fingernails until Julius took her hand after stopping her swaying braid. “We have two a piece again… I can see where the females are, but I can’t see the females, so I have no idea how tall they are. Perhaps this is more of the mirage type spells. Frequencies will be important…probably?”

“Not to jinx us,” Sasha started softly through their link. She was changing into her legs covered in snake scales. The front and back of her legs were brown while there was a stripe covering her hips down to her ankles of yellow with red and green crisscrossing. Her snake tail made her quicker and others could ride on it, which they did, or nobody would be able to breath yet. That was quite the distance. It was easier to change when her legs were human, but she wanted to start out with a little more strength. “The ceiling is only ten feet from the ground. I checked… that isn’t something that frequencies could change.”

“Well, we did learn that small ones could be more powerful than larger ones,” Belle added while tossing her long, platinum braid behind her. She smiled at Peter causing them both to relax. His white, rabbit ears waved causing the smiles to deepen all around them.

“We are staying silent until we finish the two females,” Londra stated once everyone had digested the information and relaxed slightly. “The little spheres helped us keep in contact in the nest so here is hoping they do the same here. Use our link. This feels so…”

“Dark,” Fenten shuttered as he and Robbie joined the group after creating the floor barriers. “Maybe creepy is a better word,” he added pulling in his large, cicada-shaped wings. The ninth level is strange but not uncommon for a level five but here is..." 

“Not to be that guy,” Rus started looking around, “but the ceiling might change once we are out of this area. Just saying we should always be prepared for anything.”

“Ha, not that guy,” Zerina huffed, tossing her turquoise hair back before tucking it behind her slightly pointed, cinnamon ears. She turned to face him with her outlined deep blue eyes narrowed. Then to mess with him she tossed her short, dark silver, pleated skirt and his eyes practically popped out of his long, brown head.

“You are always that guy,” Zeke sighed while holding Calla’s hand. He closed his golden eyes for a moment lost in though until Calla bumped him with her hips. A smile appeared on his long honey face as she moved her long, braided golden hair with skill so it swayed to knock his long, braided mahogany hair with her light violet eyes sparkling. He nodded, “staying positive, because of you, lovely. This is just so... odd feeling.”

“It is never dull with these three and Calla is such a joy,” Iris chuckled squeezing Momo’s hand after he had brought in his swallowtail wings. “Shall we?”

“Sounds good,” Ryan nodded making sure Robbie was ready. Ryan nodded to Iris who took her team down the left tunnel and past the first opening since Ryan’s female was in the first opening. Trenton’s group headed straight while Mara’s took the right tunnel.

“I don’t like this,” Momo said to the party through their link. Closing his eyes leaning against the tunnel wall feeling all kinds of cold creeping into his dark honey skin. He rubbed his moist hands on his orange shorts while the others peeked around then joined him in a sigh.

“Neither do I,” Marrow grumbled standing with his group looking at their challenge. He showed his nerves by rubbing his dark brown hands over his long face then through his short, pale-yellow hair. His silver eyes, outlined in green, gold, and yellow blinked as if the image before him would change. The ceiling rose to fifteen feet, that wasn't scary. In the open area sat a deep red, female, M-M that appeared to be ten feet tall with straggly black hair and seven necklaces. A moment later it looked like Anna with a smile before reverting back, that scared him. There were six, eight feet tall, black, male M-M’s standing around her with eight tents behind them.

Anna chuckled nervously in her mind while Robbie took her hand for a moment.

“Well, this sucks,” Alex added looking at their challenge. He checked to make sure his prosthetic right arm was on tight since his real cognac one was nervous. The ceiling didn’t change and was still only ten feet up, which would make it hard to jump around or fly. There were ten tents behind the group of M-Ms just waiting in comfortable looking chairs. The female was a dark grey color and appeared to be just six feet tall with plenty of necklaces. A moment later she looked like Londra before reverting back. The seven, male M-Ms were random colors and appeared to be just a bit taller than the female.

“Yes,” Helen confirmed looking at the group waiting for them. She blinked her green eyes to help them focus. She knew there would be traces of fear in her sharp, oval, light beige face as her long, left, Elven ear stood at attention. Their ceiling was still ten feet up while five, deep blue, six feet tall, male, M-Ms stood around the female who was just waiting. One moment the female was a normal looking M-M with brown skin then next it had Londra’s face. She knew this was possible but... “This is why it was hidden. We still proceed the same way. Luckily the mirage magic is glitchy. Yet it may not be just mirage magic making them look like that.”

“Doesn’t make the punches any less horrible,” Alex sighed. “Well, good luck to us all.”

“Wait, before we start,” Anna began softly her hand still in Robbie’s. “More than likely they are a mix of mirage and fragments of us… but not us. They don’t know what we do, especially now. Our past flaws could be our greatest allies in this. Don’t be overwhelmed by what they look like and if you need ideas, ask.”

“I take it your female looks like you?” Iris wondered. Her almond hands had lost all traces of blue since she was so nervous while rubbing her indigo, pleated skirt. Her blue-indigo Demon eyes roamed. “Our looks like Londra, then glitches to a female M-M that is twelve feet tall with dark orange skin and six necklaces bouncing.”

“I don’t like orange as a color,” Londra informed them, glad Alden was behind her and Delta was in her arms. “I got me too.”

“This is going to be a real battle,” Marrow added. “I think it is time we focus on our groups. We will get through this. See you on the other side.”

“Yes,” Iris and Helen agreed at the same moment before the link was quiet.

Iris’s Team

Iris took a deep breath and looked at the team. She mouthed the word attack, and they sprang into action. Alpha jumped out from the safety of the stealth spell to crush the eggs while Calla began to purify, yet her light violet eyes never left the female M-M. It wasn’t fear but… Londra’s image looked so sad, it was heart breaking. Nala’s violet tail rubbed her bare, light honey leg and they both nodded.

Iris and Momo headed for the Londra look-a-like while in their small forms without wings for better maneuvering. Zerina, Rus, and Zeke were now fighting the four twelve feet tall, male M-Ms, that were a horrible green color. Then an instant later the mirage of Zeke flickered over them. His long, face was horribly sad looking with such weak golden eyes, yet the muscles were all there and the male M-Ms knew how to use them.

“So, this is you before?” Zerina mumbled, dodging the muscular arm while trying to get direction of how to fight the creature. When the image of Zeke was displayed over it, the M-M was stronger, yet once the image faded the hits were weaker. The location of the head also changed places. “Iris, I need to aim for the M-M head, right? Not the image?”

“Correct,” Iris grumbled, she had given up her small size to take on her Elemental form which she could take to eight feet. The fake Londra wasn’t using magic but laughing and spitting poison at them while swinging a lance with a thick blade. Iris dodged the poison but could only block the attacks keeping her on defense. “She was this good before… I thought she would use magic.”

“Oh, the orange is dark so maybe not,” Momo remembered. He was flying out of the range of the spear, but it wasn’t easy. It had been years since he had to fly so fast with accuracy without wings.

“Zeke, you okay?” Rus wondered, still trying to land a hit on the fake version.

“No, this is creepy!” Zeke grumbled, going toe to toe with his image. “Nala, try lightning. I didn’t learn that until after. Plus, I feared it for the longest time thanks to my older brother.”

“On it,” Nala replied watching Alpha trying to help Momo and Iris take the female M-M’s head. Lightning rained down on the four fake versions of Zeke and they were delighted that it worked to slow them. It also had distracted the female so Alpha’s blade could take her head. “Momo, Calla is going to need help back here with the purification.”

“Good idea, you focus on the lightning,” Momo replied appearing next to Calla with a smile.

“Thanks for the lightning,” Zeke said softly. “I learned about it from Cas. I liked working with him. Worked a bit with Spella too,” he offered, taking the head of the one he was working on while Rus did the same. Rus motioned that he would take the fourth while Zerina finished up with hers. But what the others didn’t see, but Calla did, was Zeke in horrible pain. It was just an instant where his golden eyes closed and the color drained from his honey colored skin. When his eyes opened, he looked back at her with a wave and fake smile.

“That was quite the workout. I haven’t needed to be that fast in quite a while. Do you hold back while sparing?” she paused to see Calla nod. “Where is the next female?” Zerina wondered, watching the M-Ms fading to white ash. She cleaned the perspiration and brown-green blood from her short, turquoise hair and from around her deep blue, outlined eyes so the white, red, and silver could be seen again. She turned to see a slight frown on Calla’s diamond shaped face and started to move towards her.

“There is an open area through that thin opening,” Iris stated pointing, letting her Elemental body shrink back to the normal size of six-four. She looked around with her blue-indigo Demon eyes at the team and the battle that seemed fast and relentless, was slow and relentless. She almost frowned when looking at Zeke but kept her almond, diamond face with hints of blue ribbons neutral. “She isn’t moving. The other area is a bit bigger. Zeke, you need to come back here and sit for a moment. Calla, don’t worry.” Zeke shrugged and then felt dizzy. Iris helped him to the ground while answering his question that he already had assumed the answer for. “The reason they were able to produce images of you are because there are pieces of your soul within them. When you were tortured, starved, frozen, and so forth, those fragments of extreme negativity were collected here. What is worse… if someone else is taking one on, then purifies it, you will feel a pull as well. But since you are so close… you get the kick in the gut followed by the dizziness.”

“Got it,” Zeke sighed, putting his head in between his legs feeling Calla standing behind him in support. Her bare legs against his nearly naked back, yea that would help. “I will handle it. That why Rus is paling? Zerina, you might want to move. Just let him fall.”

“Shut it,” Rus grumbled, leaning against a worried Zerina who was about to say something. “Not quite a punch but not enjoyable. I hope the next area doesn’t have one of me. Must be somebody else was fighting M-Ms that looked like me.”

“I second that,” Zerina sighed, fisting her cinnamon hand for a moment while the others helped to steady Rus. “You are a unique male, but you are mine.”

“It was hard,” Calla said, leaning against Momo who moved with her. He was fluttering his swallowtail butterfly wings before to pull them back in. He had brought them out to help with the purification. He usually started the battle with them inside and she knew why now, they were a target. The little breeze helped to cool her racing body.

“Sorry, didn’t think of that,” Iris sighed looking at them all. “I know that Nala can purify but I was saving her for protecting the two of you. Zerina and Calla, were you hurt in this area of the continent… Alpha?”

“You don’t have to worry about any of us male Feline Drakes,” Alpha stated, his black tail curling while his white whiskers twitched. “Londra had us locked up tight, so we never felt the horror she did. We were her escape… didn’t mind at the time but like being an active member better.”

“Mine was in the northwest,” Calla answered, working with Nala, Momo, Iris, and Zerina to clean up the tents and items around. “This being the northeastern region of the continent…I don’t think it travels that far, right?”

“Correct,” Iris stated. She moved to work on dispelling the illusion hiding the opening to the next room since the items were all taken care of. “It would only be those closest to the hive. I think Alex would be one… the others weren’t hurt here but other places before finding refuge here.”

“No Marrow M-M,” Rus nodded. “Good to know… wait do you hear that?”

“Sounds like a snake?” Nala stated. “Oh, Sasha was hurt here too! With Trenton and Peter. So if their pieces were collected here…”

“We have the possibility of purifying pieces of Zeke, Londra, Robbie, Anna, Julius, Rus, Fenten, Sasha, Trenton, Alex and Peter,” Momo said softly. “That isn’t good. Most were tortured for more than a year so that is a lot of soul pieces. I expected to find them in other places, but we haven't...”

“No, it is not good.” Zerina agreed watching Zeke and Rus deal with the aftermath. “Do you think they moved them here after figuring out what we were doing? We found out that they could plan in the nest. We might need to group together after the females. Ryan’s team…” Zeke and Rus both nodded trying to push the pain away. Alpha used a spell to help them stand and held it until they were stead. He nodded at them while twitching his white whiskers.

They used stealth magic while moving into the opening of the tunnel where the ceiling dipped back down to around ten feet. The group wasn’t moving, instead it looked as if they were frozen in time waiting for them. Before a group of six, large tents stood a female M-M that was around four feet tall with four males around her. One was white, another was green, then brown, and the last was silver. Then the dark yellow, female turned into a version of Sasha complete with a long snake tail, accented scales on her body and clawlike fingernails.

In an instant the female M-M slithered to the group, grabbing Momo around the neck, digging her black fingernails into his deep honey colored neck. Zeke was the first to act, but the female had Sasha’s tail and speed pulling Momo back with her behind the four males. Zeke thought Momo was brave because he never called out, his eyes focused on Iris and went limp. As the female laughed, he shrunk to his Fairy size and raced back towards the group. Safely behind the others Calla began to help the skin spell heal Momo’s ravaged neck. She looked up to see them now fighting Peter, Zeke, Rus, and Trenton… well a shorter version of them all. Then she realized why, “Alpha, stop looking for eggs there isn’t any,” Calla started trying to stay calm. “They are going to use the walls…”

“Understood,” Alpha responded, jumping back next to her just in time to watch Zerina fly against the tunnel’s wall. He softened the blow, but it was close. She was on her hands and knees gasping for air rubbing her neck. Had she been choked too? By the looks of it, yes. But he had never seen the female touch her. His amber eyes watched as the others flew against walls and the ceiling. Now the female was heading for Calla. The speed was staggering, then again Sasha could go faster. Nala stopped her with lightning then did the same for the green one. Iris quickly capitalized on that moment to slice of the head before it could look like Zeke again. Zeke groaned and staggered back but continued fighting. 

“I got this,” Calla said with a smile, pulling a lance out of her vault. “Let’s dance,” she said sweetly to the female M-M and began her attack. “You left the ceiling at ten feet to give your overpowered guards more room to work but forgot about you. Silly,” she said over the nasty words being spewed at her. The dance was longer than she could ever imagine, and the female M-M had just tossed the others out of the way, focusing just on Calla. With the speed Calla had learned sparing with Sasha she was able to finally remove the head. She had no idea where anyone else was, a bit reckless, but the female was down… and so was she… it was so hard to breath, and her light violet eyes were watering as her lungs labored to even out her breathing. When they did clear she saw that the other three male M-Ms were just defeated and Purification Flames were now engulfing the three males and female. Momo and Zerina were purifying while Rus and Zeke knelt on the ground. Alpha, Nala, and Iris were working on purifying all the tents and items.

“Damn, girl,” Momo chuckled, a slight smile on his oval, dark honey face. “That was intense and so interesting to watch.”

“Yea, I was slammed way too many times. The first was a choke hold by the M-M… so fast,” Zerina admitted, shaking her head. “Who would have thought the one that gave us the most problems was cute Peter. Then again, seeing the faces of your friends does something… like they showed you just as your blade was about to take the head.”

Rus chuckled, readjusting to sit and lean against a wall. His breathing was labored and his oval, dark silver eyes were closed with tears slowly leaking down his long, brown face. “Cute… Peter is fierce when he wants to be. Damn, my head won’t stop spinning. How many mes were in this round? The pain I can take... but I need my eyes.”

“No, you don’t,” Alpha stated trying to look like he didn’t care. He pranced around in his large form taking down a few of the items while making sure his white stomach didn’t get dirty. “I will let you use mine if it will help.”

“Forgot about that,” Zeke mumbled enjoying the cool wall even if it was jagged. “Nala, could we try? I don’t want to hold everyone back. Iris, how many we got coming?”

“They are not moving yet,” Iris mumbled. She couldn’t keep the emotions from her almond, diamond face causing the pale blue ribbons to darken. Tears escaped her blue-indigo Demon eyes as she cleaned some gore out of her short, green hair with black highlights carful it didn’t collect around her slightly pointed ears. She knew the pain of having the soul pieces purified and looked back at Momo who tried to give her a convincing smile, but it never touched his silver eyes. “It is like they are waiting… damn, don’t want to take the bait but can’t see any way around it. Ryan’s team is finishing up too. There is an open area in between us that just has tents. Might as well step into the trap.”

“Yes,” Calla started looking around to see everything was done before looking at Rus and Zeke trying to stand with the help of the wall and Alpha watching with a touch of concern. As if he felt her watching he sat to help push off some brown-green blood off from his white cheek and the black mask around his eyes with his large white feet. “They will definitely need help. Is there a place where we can all gather? Maybe head to the center since that is where we need to be at the end? Then if they pass out, we don't have to move them until we get out of this place.”

“A good and bad idea all at the same time,” Momo sighed, rubbing some leftover blood from his bare, dark honey leg. “Might end up being that way. The females are done…”

“The males are just standing still. Like statues...not eating each other,” Iris mumbled, closing her eyes to check again. “There is around eighty left…twenty for each team.”

“Yippee,” Zeke said leaning against the wall. “We will get through this then nothing will stop us!” he yelled as if daring the pain to take him down.

“I hate and love your positivity,” Rus grumbled pushing off from the wall glad his legs held. He fisted his shaking hands. “Lead the way.”

Ryan’s Team

“Why are you waiting? Once a coward always a coward,” the female M-M laughed. “You think that laughable stealth spell could fool me! Ha, I have the best of you with the worst,” now she laughed harder looking like a mix of Anna with the deep red, female M-M. The image was no longer flickering but solid.

“Not good,” Ryan sighed. The team watched her average size, tiger tail grow, while her dark grey and silver cat ears went stiff. “That means there are over thirty pieces in her...”

“Will you stop making we wait!” the female sighed theatrically. “Oh, look the eggs are gone and turning into white ash. Such lovely felines. Go!” she ordered the six males with a yawn. After they took one step forward the image of Rus flashed over them.

Katie moved them all into the open area with magic, so they didn’t get caught in the narrow tunnel. “You got this,” she encouraged them all, her fluffy green tail larger than normal.

“Do you,” the female laughed watching the six males take on Ryan, Marrow, Sasha, Fenten, and Theda’s sword. One of the males tried to get by but Ryan and Marrow worked on keeping him there. “Interesting… I guess. You and pretty birdy just going to watch, how boring. You are just a girl after all. What use do you have other than reproducing and even then… so little worth.”

“I guess…” Ryan started, dodging the large sword of the M-M with Rus’ face, “he holds back? Never knew he was this good.”

“These aren’t talking but oh so annoying,” Fenten commented. His wings tucked inside so they didn’t get in the way but going toe to toe with a M-M that had Rus’ abilities was exhausting. He was going to a have a talk with him once they were together again. "If he is this good, then he should fight more! Why must he be irritating all the time!" he grumbled trying to find an opening.

Robbie stood perfectly still watching while Katie was beside him and Anna was standing behind him. The female stood and started to walk towards the group, using magic to shove the fighters into the wall. She laughed at the different positions the male M-Ms were in. “At least you were good for something. That was fun! Look they hit the wall hard enough the bug’s wings came out and the snake pants turned into a tail! Yea, but I think the snake has a broken arm. Too bad,” she laughed watching them all struggling to get free of the rocky wall. "I am just too good!"

“If you are me,” Anna started, still standing behind Robbie. “Then you have my biggest flaw.”

“I am made of your flaws and failures because that is all you are!” she laughed until noticing her head was on the ground. “No!”

“My focus on one thing,” Anna finished with a sigh. The projection of her behind Robbie faded as she took the slight advantage and beheaded two of the male M-Ms that were still healing while fighting the others. She watched her negative self within the pure rainbow flames and let the pain cycle through her. She slowly walked back to stand beside Robbie. Leaning against Katie, who was also purifying she mumbled, “that hurt in so many ways.”

Ryan and Marrow finished the wounded M-Ms while Sasha and Fenten began to purify the tents and items after their bodies healed. Theda came back to rub against Anna’s light tan leg. Her knees went out and Theda let her use him as his hazel eyes softened. His fluffy yellow tail wrapped around her as she began to cry through the pain.

“I read about that,” Robbie said softly. He couldn’t look at Anna in pain or his fire would taint but she was alright so that kept his fire pure. “Guess we can look forward to that.”

“So the images aren’t just magic,” Sasha asked softly, rolling her shoulders as she switched to human legs. The forced changed came with extreme bursts of pain.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Marrow sighed with his whole muscular body. Rubbing his aching, dark brown shoulder he looked around. His silver eyes outlined in green, gold, and yellow glanced back at Anna. He needed to keep the negative under control and wouldn’t let it creep into his long face. Shaking his short, pale yellow hair, “Can’t believe I couldn’t keep up with the lizard.”

Fenten laughed rolling his caramel shoulders. The forcing out of his wings made his whole back throb. The pain was dissipating and he would bring his wings back in soon. “He does that to show off, forgot about that when we were battling. He doesn’t use his full strength or all his skills unless there is a chance to shine, or Zerina is watching. Don’t tell anybody I said this… he could actually take out Zeke if they battled for real because he would use his skills and Zeke would fight fair.”

“I can see that,” Ryan nodded, closing her silver-violet Demone eyes for a moment. She didn’t like what her ears were telling her but they would deal with that in a few minutes. “There are so many items in these tents… I can’t believe we have been here for almost thirty minutes. It seemed so fast. Yet, my body tells me otherwise. I have never had that kind of battle with a M-M.”

“My body says it was anything but fast too,” Sasha sighed, standing beside her, watching Ryan's tail slowly circle behind her. “Thanks for the extra help, Robbie.”

“Oh, that is what I felt, yea, thanks for that,” Ryan added, turning to smile at him. “Anna?”

“I will be okay… in a minute,” she mumbled into Theda’s fur. “So soft…”

“There were thirty-five pieces of Anna’s in that female,” Robbie informed the team softly. “That was hard… glad that Katie is so good a purifying.”

“The ones that looked like Rus, then didn’t, only had twelve to sixteen pieces,” Katie added with her smooth calming voice. Her fluffy green tail batted Robbie’s buttercream legs. He smiled back at her reaching down to gently touch the indigo tips of her ears then rub her large head, letting her amber eyes calm him.

Marrow took inventory of the team with a serious look on his long, dark brown face with undertones of yellow. His silver eyes, outlined in green, gold, and yellow kept stopping on Ryan who was trying not to worry, yet she was so stiff. He shook his short, pale-yellow hair then moved some brown-green blood off from his dark yellow shorts. “Where to next?”

“Not far, back out of this open area and down the tunnel a few feet to the next,” Ryan answered, playing with her dark violet, pleated skirt. She hoped her dark honey, diamond face wasn’t showing the worry that was creeping in. “Anna, you ready?”

With a fake smile on her pale, light tan, heart-shaped face Anna stood, leaning against Theda for a moment. She grabbed her long, deep red braid to see there was nothing left to push off. “I think I am,” she answered with a shaky voice. “That was a lot of pain and so much dizziness. I just want to know why my guards were Rus shaped,” she finished with a pout. “Wait, does that mean Fenten shaped M-Ms will be able to change sizes?”

“If there are more than twenty soul pieces, yes,” Marrow answered watching her walk. “At least that is what we have learned, the hard way. Under twenty it glitches…”

“I don’t know if I can purify,” Anna started with a sigh, holding out her hand to create a flame. “Not really,” she said after trying to create pure colors in the flame. The colors were there but they were far from pure, some lighter and some were darker. She released the spell with a slight nod.

“I hope we don’t run into a Robbie than,” Ryan sighed, her tiger-like tail swirling around Marrow’s leg. “I can purify but nothing like the two of you can. Might have to use items…”

“We will deal with that when it happens,” Robbie stated simply with a nod that had his short, auburn hair sway around his oval, buttercream face. He closed his green eyes for a moment, reaching out to take Anna’s hand for a moment. “Lead on.”

Ryan’s tiger striped tail swirled, and they were heading to their next section. Her silver-violet Demon eyes seen the next section before they reached it. She relayed it to the team, “A dozen tents, in a half-circle. The ceiling is around ten feet high. A dark green, female M-M that resembled like Sasha was waiting, sitting on her coiled snake tail. If it is already taken her form that means that there are around thirty pieces in her, maybe more. Sasha, once it is purified it is going to hurt. There are six, white, four feet tall, male M-Ms were around her.”

Forewarned helped but once they were in the area the white ones began to change into strange versions of Peter, all white with glowing red eyes and thick, clawed paws and strangely bent, long, thin, rabbit ears. “That can’t be good,” Ryan sighed.

“I don’t see a basket,” Theda stated in his monotone way, closing his hazel eyes for a moment. “Don’t sense one either.”

“I ate them,” the female hissed sweetly, quickly moving closer to show them all what she looked like. A deep green snake, with arms, clawed hands, naked breasts covered with ten necklaces, straggly black hair, and eerie yellow eyes. “I like eggs. Welcome, to your last battle!” she continued with a deep hiss in her voice. “Remember, boys, don’t kill them. Just knock them out. Their little spell will only last for three hours, after that they are ours! The fear of warriors is the best tasting!”

“Theda and Katie stay with Robbie,” Anna started through their link. “Fenten, you will need to help Robbie too but stay alert. I am fighting.”

As Ryan and Sasha moved closer to the female the males started to bounce, which seemed crazy since the ceiling was so low, even if they were only four feet tall. Yet, they landed on the ceiling as if it was the floor, before jumping back down. They landed looking like M-Ms and ran towards Fenten who was moving towards Robbie. The speed was unbelievable. Then changed twice but soon Fenten was fighting off all six while the female coiled and extended using her tail to keep the others from helping. Yet, she forgot about the Feline Drakes. An enhanced sword took off a head and Robbie began to purify it while he watched from every direction. Theda and Katie stayed beside him while hoping nobody was going against a Robbie look-a-like.

“Damn, stupid cat!” the female hissed. A burst of magic had Robbie, Theda, and Katie against the wall, yet his flames didn’t change. “I am a monster, right! Look at me. Who could ever love someone as scaly and disgusting as me!” she yelled while blocking all the attacks. They had yet to slice her once, the scales were so thick. Anna continued to try different enhancements. “A fairy and a snake, don’t make me laugh!” she hissed. “Are you afraid that she might eat you at night. I would be if I was that cute and small. Did she tell you about eating the little lizard men when she was young? How deplorable and she didn't really feel bad about it! You even have a lizard man with you. I wonder if she thinks about eating him too! After all she is just an animal,” she laughed watching the five white M-Ms attack Fenten as Sasha froze. She was battling the pain from the words because they were her thoughts in the beginning. She hadn't the courage to tell them about her youth, she ate everything until her parents finally got through to her about the value of life. Anna and Marrow moved to protect her while still trying to find an opening to reach the head. “Cute little bunnies, don’t hurt his wings. I want to play with them.”

It was that moment when Fenten realized his wings were out, which he did not do. “You are not Peter and stop trying to look cute!” Fenten yelled, shrinking to try and get through him. But his wings were heavy… when had they been injured? There was green poison being pushed out and the skin spell was trying to heal them, but it couldn’t if he was trying to fly.

“I have had enough of this!” Ryan roared. She changed into a dark grey and silver tiger, jumping over the snake tail and heading towards Fenten. It was unexpended so she was able to take two heads after a quick change back while pulling her sword out of her vault. Rainbow flames surrounded them. “Robbie, you okay?”

“Yea,” Robbie answered. “Just can’t move or Theda’s walls will shatter. Katie took the brunt of it but is almost healed. Strong magic being directed at us. She must really not like cats.”

“But I do,” Sasha whispered, standing behind Anna and Marrow wanting to move. “I love Beta… and all the others. I am not a monster… I understand life now... I am not a monster,” she sobbed.

“Sasha, that is not you,” Robbie said with more force than any had heard before. “You are not a monster! You are kind and beautiful in a unique way. Nobody is as pretty as my Anna.”

“Oh,” Anna giggled, her color returning. With her clarity she moved Fenten so he could hold Sasha’s hand. “OH! Sasha, go now. You have this. Only you can reach it. Be you and show this shadow what you are now. You may have had those thoughts, you may have done things in the past that weren't kind, but you are so much more now. You found yourself, so show it who you are. Remember what Alex said and he didn’t even know you at the time. Go!”

Ryan used shadows to bring Marrow back to her, trusting Anna and Sasha. She couldn’t believe that they were having such trouble with three, small, M-Ms and they hadn’t even used magic yet.

“Let me take over the purifying for the white ones,” Katie stated, with passionate, glowing, amber eyes as her white whiskers wiggled. Power flowed over her, causing the long, green hair to wave. “You will need to start on the female and Fenten is hurt. I have this too!”

“I have this,” Sasha said, with a smile. The negativity around her vanished as she changed into her complete snake form, not ashamed. With lightning speed, while the female was trying to dodge Anna’s attacks, she went up the M-M, changing to her half snake form to take the head off. Anna moved them both back as the brown-green blood rained down and rainbow flames danced around the laughing head.

“Oh, wow,” Sasha mumbled, changing to her legs, sitting so she was leaning against the wall. “Oh, double wow… I think, I might be sick...”

“Yea…” Anna started then moaned. “Guess there was another of me…” she whispered sitting next to Sasha. “I think I am going to be sick too…” with that a privacy wall surrounded her and Sasha as Theda mewed softly.

“I didn’t like that attention,” Fenten sighed. He looked at his long, oval, cicada-shaped transparent blue wings to see they were almost healed and clean. He could now see the bold green outside edges and the indigo, white, and blue veins that thickening at certain points to create vibrant ovals in an exact, symmetrical pattern. He had always been proud of his wings, even when they were dull and grey. Few could show off perfectly symmetrical wings like his.

“Your wings looked bad,” Marrow commented. “You couldn't even tell what color they were with all the poison being pushed out of them. They are healing fast but let Ryan and I work on the tents.”

“No, I can help,” Fenten said, glancing over to see Sasha’s evergreen eyes were closed tightly and her buttercream hands were fisted after Theda's walls around her disappeared. “The skin spell works faster when one is active. Noticed that in the nest.” He walked with them to start feeling the rest of the brown-green blood slid off.

“Iris’ team had a Sasha to go with the Londra,” Ryan shared, focusing on the tents and items before them. “We are going to meet up with them and the others. The M-Ms are waiting for us to gather… a good trap but it will be the only way we survive.”