FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sounds of the rumbling engines disturbed the captives of the ship. Those who were trapped inside of the tubes within tanks of recycled seawater felt heady and soporific, lulled into a stupor that kept their minds meek of any resistance for their fate to come. But for the two captives that were above the water, in their dry leathery cells there was only time to sleep and wait. Riptor was never still, pacing to keep her muscles taut and her mind sharp before the feeding would come. When it did, she would watch everything they did from where she calculated was the best angle of her cell to see what sort of panel was required to interact with her cage. Her food arrived in the form of a large fish that she devoured once she sniffed out no trace of chemical influence. But all the while she was watching just as she had always done, seeing the gestures of their hands and silently recording from the back of her retina.

"Just like the humans," she grinned to herself, "all they ever saw was a hungry beast. Never something more...and these vermin will suffer the same as the humans did."

"Indeed," said the voice in her ear, "everything alright?"

"Yes Sulphide," she chewed up and ripped through her meat, "mmmm, they at least have good taste in fish."

"It shouldn't be long now until you are free yes?"

"Just need to wait for a distraction," she tore through the organs to slip down her throat, "mmmhh, gllk, I could kill these guards but I would rather wait until Oddclaw arrives, or that Ecco beast."

"A solid plan," the voice snickered, "the distraction alone will make things easier."

"Then I will find Seaclaw and bring him back to Oddclaw, a perfect plan."

"Perfect...almost."

"What?" She looked to the wall licking her lips.

"Well," the voice sighed, "there is the problem of his mate."

"I will deal with her if I have to, the child's safety is first."

"True true but...you know she would never let you near him."

"Then I have to find him before she does, yes?"

"And if she does?" The sound of his teeth creaked in her ear. "Remember what I said, my leader...she guards his heart well, too well to let you near."

"Hmmm..." she sucked the tips of her blue claws tasting the oil with a copper zing, "she is difficult...and in my way."

"I know that both of us would rather avoid this...but your hopes for the future, our hope, depends on this."

"...you know me too well."

"I always have...like a son to his mother."

On the other side of the Vortex ship far from Riptor's machinations, Seaclaw tossed and turned in what little rest he managed on the cold floor as the drone kept watch seeming never to move from his place. An odd twitching of his body grew with discomfort that even the prisoner could hear amongst the sounds of the ship, with its deep droning shudders that rang through his feet and trickled up along his neck.

"Drone, stand aside."

The guard turned towards a great imposing shadow that lurked out of Seaclaw's view. The large female that fought his family slithered forth holding a silver fish in her jade claws.

"Is the blood-holder stable?"

"Yes, warrior," he hissed lowly looking at the youth, "restless, waiting for his brood."

"They will meet their fate," the taller warrior reared her head, "all you must do is remain here and ensure none but us come for the blood-holder."

"Until when?" asked the drone.

"Until the next day."

"I...I-i understand-"

"Why do you hesitate?" she leaned closer to him.

"Because...I have not...eaten-NNGH!" he winced as she struck his face with two left arms.

"You will eat when we are done, not before, it is a privilege to feast."

"Yes, warrior, forgive-"

"Your weakness will NOT be tolerated, you are to be the next evolution, not a wastrel of meat."

She turned with scowling creep as she went to the wall and opened a tube hidden within. Seaclaw watched a hole open within his cage that vomited a dead fish onto the floor as he quickly scrabbled towards and picked it up. He did not recognise the xiphactinus, the prehistoric salmon with vicious teeth gaping at him from its large body as he began to feast, sniffing first to make sure it wasn't contaminated of their intent as the warrior shuffled back down the hall leaving the dark-brown drone clutching his stomach. The sound of Seaclaw's chewing made it worse as he heard the boy strip the skin and tear into its lower half, savouring the oily juices of its meat before looking at the guard's wincing posture.

"Um...a-are you okay?"

"Do not speak," he hissed.

"But...you're hungry, yah?"

"Please, do not speak."

"...you want some food?"

He stood up closer to the field as the creature turned with tightened lip.

"You...offer me food?"

"Y-yah...you want it?"

"Why? What reason do you have?"

"U-um, I dunno, cuz yer hungry."

"You have nothing to gain from this," the drone rasped fingering his chest, "you must eat, to feast is a privilege."

"B-but you have to eat too," Seaclaw wiped his lips, "s'not fair that I get to eat an' you don't."

"Fair?" he cocked his head. "I do not understand."

"It's like...um, if my brother gets to eat, an' I don't even if we did the same thing right, it's not fair to me r-right?"

"You did not earn the privilege to feast."

"But, why?!" The boy stomped his foot. "Cuz you did stuff, you, you um, you did the things yer alpha wanted you to!"

"I will feast when she allows it," murmured the drone bending his head, "please, eat."

"No." He crossed his arms with a pouting lip. "It's not fair, I'm not eating if you can't."

"If you do not eat the warriors will-" he shook his head and lowered his voice, "the warriors will punish me. Please, do not be difficult."

"But...n-no, I don't like it, I don't wanna be here but I don't like them bein' mean to you."

"Then eat."

Seaclaw dragged his feet back to the dead fish, glibly chewing on the muscle within its belly and ripping a fresh red tendril to gulp. Something clicked in his mind as he stood up again carrying the fish in his hands.

"Um, wh-whut if you did something for me?"

"What?" The beast turned back to him.

"If you...um...whut if I give you some of my food, but you do something for it?"

"You wish me to do service, in exchange for food?"

"Yah!"

"...I do not understand you. Why do you insist on feeding me?"

"You said um, f-food wuz something you had to work for, right? Well maybe if ya did something for me, you'd get that food, yah?"

"I earn my feast...hmm."

The creature looked both ways with a biting of his teeth and the increasing gurgles of his stomach too loud to suppress.

"Alright. I accept, some of your food in return for a service."

"Yah!" He looked across the shield. "Um...h-how do I get it through this?"

"The feeding tube," he pointed to the hole in the wall, "put the food through there, I will receive it."

Ripping the fish in half with his stone flash to sever its spine, Seaclaw cracked its body fully in two pieces to keep the tail end for himself and the front half for the guardian when he shoved it through the tube into his waiting claws. The monster devoured with desperate bliss, crunching the bone and chewing through the head to gulp down his entire half with a shiver through his tail whilst Seaclaw ate up his part carefully, picking around the bone to strip its innards clean.

"Hhhhmmmmhhhhh...hhaaaaah."

"That good?!" Seaclaw grinned.

"Yes." The creature gave an odd grin from its deep black pupils. "Thank you...blood-holder."

"I'm Seaclaw!" he waved to him between chomps. "Mmmph, whut they call you?"

"Call?" He stroked his long chin with one finger whilst crossing two of his other arms. "I am a drone, that is what I am."

"No like, whut do they call you? Cuz I'm a hunter, but they call me Seaclaw, they don' call me hunter right?"

"I do not...no, I do not understand, you are Seaclaw but also a hunter?"

"Yah, a hunter's whut I am, but they CALL me Seaclaw." He gestured to his body then his face before spreading his hand to him. "Soooo whut they call you?"

"I am a drone, that is what I am."

"Mmmmm...okay!" He put the bones of the fish away and clapped his hands. "I'll call ya something then! So yer...uhhh, you gots a looong tail an' big deep eyes uhhhh-"

"How do you 'call' something?" asked the drone flicking his tail.

"Youuuu uh, there's, um, something about you that's different from others, so you call yerself that!"

"Different...different..." the drone slithered back and forth in pondering, "they...karziisss."

"Whuh?"

"That was...what the Emissary said when she first saw me. Karziisss."

"Kaaaaarzisssss," he struggled flopping the word around his primal tongue, "it's...kinda weird."

"I do not know what it means," said the dark drone tapping his claws, "but it was the first thing I heard when I awoke...when I existed."

"Mmmmm, yah, yah it's good okays you're Karziisss!"

"Hm...alright, I am Karziisss. But nothing is different, I am still a drone."

"Yeah but, you're YOU," Seaclaw smirked with a wave to him.

"I am, yes. Now, what was the service you asked of me?"

"OH YAH, um...o-okay," the boy straightened his posture with a serious glint in his eye, "If my family come...don't hurt them."

"What?" he reeled back with a hiss.

"I-i gave you food, for something you do an' now you hafta do it!"

"B-but I cannot, no, I-i cannot, the warriors will punish me!"

"YOU PROMISED!" He shouted with pointing finger. "You promised, I gave you food an' you said that you had to work for it!"

"But if I do not fight them then I will be seen as a traitor!"

"But you PROMISED, you're my friend now!"

"...friend?"

Both of them looked rather stunned by his outburst as Seaclaw shook his head.

"You, um, y-your alpha said that you only had to stay with me an' that no one but your tribe come for me, right?"

"Correct," the alien nodded.

"But, they don't say anything about hurting my family, riiiiight?"

"...that...correct."

"Soooo if you don't hurt my family they can't be angry with you cuz they never told ya to hurt them!"

"I...they did not tell me that no, just to keep you safe." Karziisss coiled his tail slightly. "You are correct, blood-...Seaclaw, I will commit to my service and not harm your brood, for the feast you have given me."

"Good!" The boy smiled with a little skip. "An' if my family find me, I'll tell them not to hurt you!"

"They will not find you-"

"BUT IF THEY DO, I'll tell them not to hurt you cuz you're my friend now Karziisss an' friends don't hurt each other!"

"What is a friend?"

"You never had a friend?" Seaclaw gasped with eyes widened. "It's...someone that does nice things for ya, makes ya feel happy an' doesn't hurt you."

"Ahhh." Karziisss nodded. "Then...correct, you are my friend."

"And my friends don't hurt my family, cuz I help them."

"I understand. I will not fight your brood, but I will not keep them safe. Only you, Seaclaw."

"Right."

The boy flexed his fingers and took the bones of the fish, twisting them in his claws to pass the time whilst Karziisss went the length of the hall with his thick naga tail twisting behind him.

"This must be why he was chosen," he muttered looking at his arms tightening two of the four into fists, "is this...no...no they would have told me if it was."

Before the night would come, a fleet of icthyosaurs roamed over the sea being led by a dolphin and a shadow that floated in brief steps. The raptors kept their teeth clenched with fangs softly rubbing against the scales whilst their nostrils flared with the salt of the sea whistling past their faces, bracing from the wind with searing sharp eyes that blistered from the speed of the greatifsh trying to keep themselves above the water. Sometimes they would descend into the water to refresh their breaths and speed, but always warning their passengers before doing so as the raptors held their breaths and experienced a fresh new world beneath the depths. The grand endless expanse of infinite blue was something to behold for them, a world where dozens upon hundreds of creatures raced back and forth in the constant struggle of the waves. Long-necked plesiosaurs loomed within the depths, whilst sharp-teethed mosasaurs lurked between the rocks and a gaggling flock of hesperornis shrieked from their nesting grounds on those same rocks above the waves, small bird-like creatures with gulped down smaller squids and fish. The cold waters and the bracing wind did not help the raptors who clung on over the course of an hour as they were soon far beyond any landmass and on the infinite deep.

"HHHHH!" Moonclaw coughed as they came back up. "KHHH, ohhh h-how do you live like this?!"

"Not having to breathe air helps," said the icthyosaur she rode.

"I am surprised you were so willing to help us."

"Ecco told us all we needed to know, he's very good at explaining things."

"I STILL don't know what those things were," Skyfang shouted over the waters.

"They're our enemy," Oddtooth snarled lowering his eye, "that ith all I need to know."

She looked to him with nervous glint as Ecco kept ahead of the pack, searching for something as he suddenly skirted northwards with the rest of his group following. Sometimes they faced against deadly xiphactinus, a prehistoric trout up to 20 feet long that snapped and leapt above the water with terrifying strength to chomp down upon the icthyosaurs who stabbed through their heads with their spearing beaks. They shared the fish with the raptors to keep up their strength, until four hours after their departure they soon landed at a seacave in the midst of the endless ocean, a peaceful cove formed from a hollowed dome with a large well-lit pool at its centre, ringed by the rock with tunnels leading everyplace through the small rocky island that almost formed an octopus shape from above.

"We should rest here," said Ecco shooting water from his head, "I will search for locals who may have seen the ship."

"You don't even know where it is?!" cried Skyfang stumbling off her mount.

"The ocean is vast, I can only pinpoint a direction so precise but others may have seen its passing."

"This is a good place to rest," said Oddclaw wading through the shallows, "is there food here?"

"We can find some fish," Highwave snickered, "or maybe some crawlers they love this sorta place."

"We don't eat crawlerth," said Oddtooth sniffing around.

"Oh, I meant uhhh, stonefish, yeah that's what your brother called 'em."

"Oh! I like them."

"I'll grab some for ya from below."

"Thank you."

She dove to the depths as the raptors took time to stretch their legs and relieve themselves in dark corners whilst Ecco went to search the perimeter. Hanma floated over towards a tall rock against the wall as he scanned the environment to keep watch from the shadows. The light from the waters reflecting the sun from outside kept the walls painted in translucent teal that flickered softly over the stones, scattering splashes from the icthyosaurs as they hunted for fish to both eat and share with the raptors sitting by the lake, with Highwave the acamptonectes resurfacing to bring Oddtooth a few half-dead crabs for him to munch. Moonclaw laid on her side shivering until her mate came over to hug her body, his hands stroking over her chest as she sighed nuzzling his body.

"I should have been more careful," she muttered.

"You could not have thought this would happen," he said.

"I saw the greatmoon, I knew we would be hunting under it-"

"Stop." He patted her head. "No one can predict the starbeasts, they could have just as easily come to our nest."

"And we could have fought them then. I almost lost one son today now I fear for the other."

"Oddtooth is fine, he is still alive and that is what matters-"

"I can NOT lose family again." She raised her head towards him with a deep shudder. "I-i, cannot go through this again this is WHY I did not want thi-"

"Shhh." He pressed a claw to her lips and kissed her snout. "We are a family. We fight together, we hunt together. You know we are stronger together, and that is why we are going to get our son back."

"I...I-i know, I know we will but I just-"

"I believe in you." He kissed her again. "I always believed you could be stronger, and you have, you have three beautiful strong children that came from you and I, together we made a family that have taken down beasts!"

"I know...I am sorry." She licked across his cheeks. "We will find him...I know that because of you."

"Me?"

"You are so like Seaclaw...always making friends with other beasts, even when we met before you made friends every place we went. Were you like that as a child?"

"No actually." He smirked looking up to the ceiling. "I had to make friends with the hairless so I could leave them and return home. But I came to realise that, no matter where you go, it is always good to have friends."

"I would never have thought that...before I met you."

They smiled together as they heard Ecco resurface from the pool with another creature in tow. A large turtle around 15 feet, an archelon with a smile upon its pointed beak.

"Helloooo there," she craned her wrinkled neck, "goodness you were not joking about your strange friends."

"This is Crawlbeak," said the dolphin, "she says she saw your son."

"Wh-what?!" Moonclaw rolled herself up and into the shallows towards her. "Where did you see him?!"

"Those awful beasts," the turtle shook her head, "carrying your child away like a flyer with a fish, I was there you know, when that stoneflyer with that awful commotion."

"Wait were you at that cave too?" Skyfang sniffed at her.

"Oh yes dear, I may not look it but I am quite fast in the water, I chased after that flyer, curious for what it did as well as to warn my family, and I saw it land deep within the sea towards the Deep Roar."

"O-oh...no," Highwave shivered to make the water stir around her, "th-that's not good, no."

"What is the Deep Roar?" asked Oddclaw.

"It's uh...it's a cave so deep you can't even see anything, least not without songsight."

"It is also treacherous," said the red-finned fish turning to him, "there are many fearsome beasts that hunt within its depths."

"Well you may not have to fight them," said Crawlbeak bowing her neck, "I know a hidden passage, but you will have to keep up, it is also quite deep below so I do not know how you will bring your swiftclaw friends to it."

"I have an idea," Ecco pondered tapping his flippers, "I was thinking on how to do that too since the Vortex love to hide in deep caves. In my travels, Man had devised hollow stones to place on their heads in order to trap air within it."

"Stones on their heads," Oddclaw scratched his chin, "the hairless have those when they journey to the stars, do you think we can have them?"

"I could make them yes, but we should find specific stones, ones from volcanoes that can float but also trap lots of air."

"Oh!" Moonclaw stood up tapping her feet. "I remember stones like that yes, we called them waterbones when I was young!"

"Waterbones?!" scoffed her daughter nipping her. "Th-that sounds silly what's a waterbone!?"

"Stones that look like bone and can float on the water, we used to play with them and see how far they would go across the sea."

"I could help."

Hanma waved from the shadows and swept downwards with a crackling burn in his fingers.

"I can find these stones as well, the faster we get to the ship the better chances we have."

"Agreed," Ecco said before turning to the turtle floating beside him, "do you know where there are volcanoes nearby?"

"Why yeeees," she flapped her beak with glinting eyes, "lovely place to warm up the old shell I can take you there if you want, but be careful! Some of that smoke will burn you!"

"We shall return soon."

Both Ecco and Hanma dove into the depths, following Crawlbeak as she led them towards the subterranean vents of igneous rock that fumed scorching steam with a constant pressure of vaporous fumes that some creatures swarmed around for the blessed heat. Scattered amongst the various debris of natural chasms and crackling faults, they found a section of porous white pumice as the cloak brought his hammer out to crunch into the wall and tear pieces big enough to fill a head within. An hour passed of excavating with Ecco and Crawlbeak taking the large but light stones back towards the sheltered cave to hoist onto the shore and start hollowing them out, fitting them over the raptor's heads with tests of viscosity and comfort until they were all satisfied enough. The only problem was the lack of a visor, leaving them essentially blind whilst resembling stoneheaded aliens with hundreds of tiny holes dotting their chalked surface.

"This is the best we can do," said the dolphin, "can you breathe well?"

"Yes," muttered Odd from inside the helm, "children are you fine?"

"Y-yeah!" Skyfang whimpered fidgeting. "I-i don't like it but, I can still breathe!"

"I can breathe too," Oddtooth sighed within his stonehead, "I do not like thith."

"I know children," Moonclaw looked over to where she heard them, "hmhm, every journey with your father is always odd."

"Do not blame me for this!" cried Oddclaw swerving his pumice-head. "I just wanted a good hunt with my family like any other hunter!"

"Haha I know I am teasing...alright, are we ready?"

"Yep!" Highwave chirped swimming close to Oddie. "So don't worry about feeling heavy when the water's around your head, just trust us alright?"

"We can't do anything elth," said Oddtooth wading in, "you want uth to get your friendth and family back too, right?"

"Exactly," said the icthyosaur he climbed onto, "we need your help, we will not do anything to harm you."

"Then shall we go?" Hanma cracked his bony fingers. "I will take the lead with Ecco and Crawlbeak into this secret passage."

"Alright everyone!" the turtle snapped her beak. "Just follow me and don't get left behind, I will not wait for you because this passage is not for the slow!"

She dove into the depths and went straight for a beeline towards the depths as the rest of the herd followed, sinking further and further into the great abyss as the blue started to fade from a light cyan to a deepening azure. The raptors felt their bodies turn heavy with a sickening sensation, their heads feeling light whilst the air kept circulating thick through the many porous holes of their pumice helmets. Gurgling sounds came muffled from outside their ears as the darkness became encroaching, almost seeping into their minds as they struggled to hold on tight to the delving greatfish that followed the archelon to a black yawning pit that opened within the ocean floor. A great circular chasm that appeared to have been formed by unnatural means for how perfect its circular rim was made, the shapes of monsters lurking within as they floated towards the edge of its gap. Not as deep as the volcanic trench, but still a little beyond the comfort of the swimmers descending.

"I was expecting them to be deeper," said one icthyosaur.

"The Vortex are still suspect to pressure," said the dolphin, "I only hope our passengers can last with enough air."

"Wh-what'd he say?!" cried Skyfang muffled in her stone.

"We're just planning a path!" said Highwave. "Just trust us alright we're not gonna leave you."

"O-okay...h-how does Seaclaw even enjoy this?"

"THIS WAY!" the turtle shouted. "Passage is over here!"

Sure enough they discovered a spacious crack just to the side of the great pit, big enough for them to travel within as Ecco went first, then the icthyosaurs after with Hanma leading from behind to tighten his cloak and become almost oval-thin in wedging through to keep his fabric close away from the jagged rocks. Darkness overwhelmed them as the passage twisted with treacherous folds that the dolphin clicked with shimmering sonar to guide them through with the greatfish following suit, the raptors huddling against their bodies as the colder depths seeped into their bones and caused them to shiver even harder with stuttering breaths in their helmets.

"Should be juuust around here," said Crawlbeak turning a hard right, "now be careful, they have some nasty beasts around their nest."

"What, sort of beasts?" asked the red-fin.

"Besides themselves?" Ecco kept clicking through the deep. "Keep your songs sharp, there is no knowing where they lurk in these depths."

The tunnel soon ended as they reached halfway down in the great pit. There in the darkness they felt the outline of the Vortex ship, the pale bird with its mirror hexagonal crowning the top as a flat disc.

"Woah..." Highwave murmured, "that...th-that's terrifying."

"Did we find it?" Oddclaw asked.

"Yeah...it, looks like no one's around-"

"Be careful," said Hanma floating past, "they are everywhere, they would not leave this place unguarded."

"Well if that is all you need," said the turtle swimming away, "I'll just get out of your way, you know your way back."

"You should stay with us for now, it is not safe."

"I would think I know these depths like the back of my- GHRRRKH!"

Something surged past with a horrifying speed as a crunching boom rippled through their senses.

"WH-what happened?!"

"Everyone stay close!"

"QUICK!" Ecco shouted. "Get back to the passage!"

"Wh-what about you?!" cried Highwave.

"I know what this beast is, I know how to fight it now hide quickly!"

"Wh-what is happening?!" Oddclaw gasped. "Did they find us?!"

"I SAID GO, NOW!"

His forceful shout beckoned the greatfish to turn and swim back to the passage as Ecco clicked out the location of the beast that swum around them. There was the sound of a fierce buzzing, almost electrical that surged through the water and sparked with crackling sounds as they saw half of a turtle's shell cracked in half with bloodied teethmarks in its back, fading from the light of something that swarmed past with a long serpentine body covered in copper bristles.

"Hanma, can you assist?!"

"Gladly." The phantom swung his hammer out from the surging flames. "Keep the raptors safe, that's our priority."

"Our priority...or yours?"

"You said to protect them."

"As a courtesy, not a priority. My mission is to destroy the Hive above all else."

"Understood." His hood scanned across the dark abyss. "What are we facing here?"

"A Vortex Dragon...must have brought one along as a defence system."

"What can it do?"

"Lightning. But then that should not bother you, should it?"

"Hm. Good call." The spectre dragged his fist along the length of his hammer's shaft. "I'll keep it distracted, you aim for the weak spot."

"Perfect. Here it comes!"

They dodged as they felt the rumbling surge of a voltic shock searing past between them, a crackling fissure of metallic hairs that spittled blue sparks back and forth in jumping frenzy. The serpentine circled around them to gauge their bodies and weaknesses, its face hidden within the dark but its body stretched to at least 40 feet as it whipped its tail fast towards them, the dolphin sweeping low underneath with Hanma swimming high to whack his hammer down in response in a crunching thud, sending shivers through the entity as it snarled with subdermal rumblings through the depths. The sparks jolted with enough force to reveal its face as a fearsome silver mask resembling a strange alien leaf with two black hollow pits resembling eyes, its tail swinging out with a vertical slash to send thunderous booms through the water like a fierce shockwave towards Hanma who blocked it fast. The shadow gasped with burning shots through his hammer, deep wrapping jolts of lightning soon dissipating from the handle as his fingers lit up white before he swung forwards in a whirlwind volley. Surging forth with his bludgeoning mace, the spectre dodged the first strike from the metal-headed dragon that struck with unseen teeth just above Hanma's hood, leaving it open for a cracking swipe in an uppercut that stunned it briefly with a dull deep thud that crumpled its jaw to reel it back.

"COME ON!" Hanma roared. "Face me you coward, I will SHATTER YOUR BONES!"

He got his wish as the creature turned on him, looming soulless pits within its dark sunken eyes as it lunged with a ringing shriek, jaws biting down to reach his cloak as Hanma swerved fast to crunch his hammer on the back of the dragon's skull, feeling its body attempt to coil around him with building electrical energy. He quickly swam upwards to evade its bursting shock, a ring of lightning that superheated the water to a horrific burning mist as it turned to look up at him, its body long enough to wrap around him six times like a python of steel and copper wiring. Lunging forwards to try and ram him, the Vortex beast coiled its neck and thrust straight for Hanma who swerved left and punched its side with a bone fist, following with a hammerswing that the creature just dodged by bending its lengthly body like a whip to strike back with a slamming thud into Hanma's body. It followed after with a hissing shriek to bite, before a blur of silver punched straight into its throat to stop it in its tracks with a heaving shriek.

"No no, not YET!"

The serpent shuddered towards Ecco's grinning beak.

"I would hope your masters taught your kind new tricks, but you are still nothing but worms overgrown from their roots!"

"Does it even understand you?" asked Hanma spinning his mace.

"No but it helps me, now break its face apart, that is where its weak point is!"

"Got it." The phantom swung a dark trail of blackness before him with taunting gesture. "I've broken plenty of masked fugitives from face to toe."

The hissing Vortex went for him first, slithering underneath Hanma's form to try and rear-attack before Ecco struck its face with a charging dash. The cloaked figure followed suit with a toss of his hammer that went smouldering through the sea like oil before reappearing as a crunching thud, hitting the dragon's throat as it tried to recoil for another strike which in turn sent it reeling harder to almost bend its head fully back. Ecco took his chance to swim above and thrust downwards in a hard charge but the creature dodged just in time to slam its head into the dolphin's side and send him rolling through the water, jaws open to crush his head before the dolphin countered with a shrieking boom that deafened the beast with a ringing mask that cracked briefly from the force of his echosonic blast.

Stinging from the furious pain that burned through its face, it pulled its body back into a tightening coil and locked its muscular joints together into one single helix of a furious typhoon, spinning its body like a drill run towards Ecco as it caused a raging whirlpool around its body to try and lure him in with razor-sharp bristles becoming a blurring scythe through the waters. The dolphin felt the sucking force of the cyclone as he tried to dash away, surging a latent energy through his body as its pull became stronger. He saw Hanma from the side coming in fast, waiting for the right moment as the shadow swung a deafening boom of black flames through the water to frighten the creature, before Ecco turned and slammed his beak forwards in a hyperion charge that cracked further through the silver skull. Shattering pieces snapped free from its face as it reeled back with a snarling howl with a swipe of its long tail towards both of them. Hanma was slammed straight across his body as he spun through the water straight into the cave wall with a crunch, whilst Ecco dodged perfect in a loop and countered with a shrieking song that cracked even more of its mask to penetrate through to its weak point. But then its body started reacting with a deep trembling through their bones as Ecco's teeth tingled horribly sharp.

"Hanma watch out!"

The dragon started channelling all of its electrical energy through its body, twisting and snapping with static bursts as its form became a wavelength undulating to build up more of its charge as the water turned agitated, bubbling with energy as both phantom and dolphin quickly dispersed as far as they could from its range. With a sonic boom that ripped through the sea it became a cloud of lightning, crackling into the stone walls that began to crumble from the intense vibrations that it fumed from its body in brief bursts to light up its form in full, almost angelic in its horrifying visage before it spiralled its body towards Ecco like a speeding bullet. The dolphin surged out of its path keeping far from its electrical barrier that crackled with thunderous roars past his ears before he turned and screeched a sonar blast at its body. The monster countered with a whip-cracking strike of its tail that almost burned Ecco's face as the dolphin swam down and back away from its twisting body that followed with a mighty swing so powerful it almost split the water in half for an instant, followed by a devastating bolt of lightning that stormed directly downwards.

Hanma saw his chance when the vortex beast briefly recoiled from exhaustion, its sparks tapering off as it tried to gather enough charge with a twisting crackle-and-snap of its body to rub its bristles together before the spectral being swung down from diagonal-above with a crushing hammer of darkness, solid black flame become obsidian stone that crunched into the back of its head before the phantom turned in a swoop and punched the hammer's face deep into its skull. The dark nebulous face revealed itself at last in the gloom, a void from which nothing came but the basest of furies with not even eyes nor a mouth to feed from. Nevertheless it tried to devour the spirit who swept back with a teleporting step, luring it towards Ecco who was charging up the songs of his head to create an unhindered symphony. His cry deafened pit with a piercing precision, a subsonic trajectory that burrowed straight into the vortex dragon's mind and stopped it dead in its tracks. To the outsider it looked as if it had simply died. But then its head convulsed to a violent fit, shaking throughout its body with rattling anguish until bulging rasps burst from its form and converged to a glorious explosion that scattered its body into a self-putrefying ash that became wisps, black copper spindles floating over the sea's depths as the dolphin sighed with a murmur.

"So tired."

"Hmm?" The spectral shroud floated over to him.

"Nothing I...thank you for the assistance."

"No problem, are we ready to invade the ship?"

"Yes."

They both floated back towards the passage where the icthyosaurs had been hiding along with the raptors.

"A-are you alright?" murmured Oddtooth.

"It is safe," Ecco motioned them, "now is our time to infiltrate but you must do everything I say."

"Can we take these off yet?!" Skyfang scrabbled at her stone helm. "My face is itchy!"

"When we are inside the ship there will be dry sections, that is where they are keeping your brother and your friend."

"Alright then," Oddclaw nodded, "let us go, we find Seaclaw and Rumble, then the greatfish's friends and family."

"I would suggest freeing every creature you find," Ecco swam forth to the ship, "the Vortex won't be need any food where I shall send them."

"Agreed," Hanma clasped his fingers, "stay alert."

Through the cover of darkness the small group swam underneath the bowels of the ship that sat looming in the craterous pit of the sea, blissfully unaware of its coming invasion as the dolphin stormed forwards to find their entry point and prepare for another assault. One of too many to count for the years of his life.

Night had fallen. Not that Seaclaw knew this from within the deep dark of the ship, trying to make time pass faster as he focused entirely on the bones of the fish, threading reeds through holes to form a circle of itself that jingled like keys. Karziisss looked on curious as Seaclaw started the next one, poking his tongue out in deep focus with another grassy reed that twined like thicker string, pushing through the hollow bones until nothing was left.

"What are you doing?" asked the beast.

"Makin' stuff!" Seaclaw grinned. "Til my family come, you wanna see?"

He stood up once he finished his second set, showing a bracelet and a necklace made from pearly white bones that glittered with sheen in the dark.

"It's for puttin' on ya, like this!" He demonstrated slipping one on his wrist next to his other bracelet.

"For what purpose?" Karziisss blinked.

"It's...uhhh...just, nice, I like to have things on me, it feels like a hug!" He looked down to his grass skirt that swished with his legs. "My family don't do it, but my father makes them for me!"

"Does your father wear them too?"

"Uhhh, not at our nest," the boy shook his head, "OH, you want one too?"

"One of...these?" said Karziisss pointing.

"Yah, if...you want."

"Is this what...friends do?"

"Uhhh YAH, yah it's something friends do, make stuff an' then give to each other!"

"But this has no purpose," the alien bent his head closer, "it offers no protection, it makes noise in the dark."

"Yah but I made it an' no one else gets one but you!" He walked over to the tube opening in the wall. "You can have it, I got one too, an' whenever you look at it, it's like...ummmm, you remember me!"

"Remember...ah!" The beast nodded with a rictus grin. "A memory collector, yes, I understand now what this is!"

Slithering over to the side he tapped at a panel next to the cage shield that opened the feeding tube, sucking the bracelet from Seaclaw's fingers over to him as Karziisss slipped them onto his wrist. The bones shivered against his dark copper skin as the scent of both Seaclaw and fish oil trembled through his senses.

"This is...this is good." He stroked at the bracelet. "I feel...calm, when I have this."

"That means ya like it!" Seaclaw grinned. "So, wherever you go, you can still remember me!"

"Yes...remember you. I will remember-"

"Drone, stand aside."

A dark-emerald Vortex slithered from the hall as Karziisss stood to attention.

"The blood-holder's mind is now ready and awaiting transferral. I have come to transport its body."

"I-...I-i understand, may I ask-"

"No you may not, now assist in its transportation, drone."

The creature clicked off the field as Seaclaw backed up quickly.

"W-wait, WAIT!" Seaclaw put up his fists. "Wh-where are you takin' me, I'm not going!"

"Your fate is sealed, blood-holder. You will not succeed against it."

"N-NO!"

The boy tried to punch at the alien who barely reacted to his strike, gripping Seaclaw's throat as Karziisss stood waiting at the cell's entrance.

"Assist me, drone!"

"I..." the brown drone chittered his teeth, "I am keeping guard so the blood-holder does not escape."

"Hmph...inbred degenerate, still not minded enough but understood, now-H-HAAH!"

"LET, GOOOO!"

In his struggle Seaclaw managed to swing up both his feet and kick the creature in both its eyes, blinding it briefly as he ran towards the exit before Karziisss stood in his way with full tail and body like a barrier of steel. The raptor tried to make a leap but the creature caught him, pulling him close as Seaclaw struggled to pull away.

"N-NO, K-karziisss!"

"Please, do not do this!" he whispered. "I will keep you safe, do not leave us!"

"N-no, y-you're my friend!"

"And I will keep you SAFE!"

The boy struggled within his grip, Karziisss trying not to crush him in his claws as he pulled him close to his chest and wrestled him to the ground with Seaclaw kicking at his throat and pushing his head back. The harvester pulled himself up from the floor of the cell and crawled forwards at a verminous pace pulling something from its fleshy folds. Karziisss lost his grip in surprise as Seaclaw ran down the hall with desperate feet, grabbed in the face by a large hand that shoved him down and pinned his entire body beneath an enormous muscular tail.

"N-NNNNGH, AAAAGH!"

"Worthless." The great warrior-beast stood upon him. "An unminded drone and a harvester should not need assistance."

"G-GET, OOOOFF!"

"SILENCE!" She pulled out the silver tool from a chest cavity to push into Seaclaw's neck. "You will ensure our next evolution, your blood will CONSENT."

"N-Nnnngh, nnnnhhh..."

His eyes flickered out as the drug seeped into his system, sending him to sleep before she lifted him over his shoulder and barked to the other green beast.

"Harvester, come!"

"Wh-what of me?!" asked Karziisss.

"YOU stay there degenerate, you are to guard this hall and when the pod traitor comes, capture him."

"Yes...but, what do we intend to do with the Pod Traitor?"

"Are you not minded yet?!" the warrior scoffed slapping the air with her other arm. "You should not have to ask!"

"I still cannot hear the mind, forgive me." the beast bowed profusely, "I wish to serve the Hive to the end of my life, for our Queen."

"Your obedience is not the issue," the warrior snarled, "your temerity without guidance of the Queen's voice, is a detriment to the Vortex."

"I will learn soon," he winced with a muted hiss, "I just need time I...I have all these stories, the wondrous creed of our Hive and yet I-"

"Yet nothing." The elder's voice dropped deep enough to make the walls tremble. "We do not learn, we inherit and if you cannot comprehend our greatness, you are nothing but food like the blood you spawned from."

"I...yes, warrior. WAIT!" He reached out with pleading claws. "Sea-...blood-holder, will he be...safe?"

"What?" The harvester slipped over to Karziisss with claws grabbing his face. "Do you doubt our purpose, our skill?!"

"N-no, I...please," the smaller drone whimpered as he covered his head, "I-i only exist because of him please...do not harm him."

"His blood will not be harmed, obviously."

"B-but, his body-"

"Enough!" The warrior snapped her head in her direction. "Time is near, our Queen demands vigilance and nothing else."

"Yes warrior...I will...obey."

Slinking with her captive in tow, the warrior beast marched off with the harvester beside her, leaving Karziisss next to the empty cell as the bones jangled around his wrist. All he could do now was wait. But in the depths of his alien heart, he felt a greater fear than any he had understood.

From the depths of the ship amongst water-filled rooms something twisted and unscrewed from the floor with a grinding twist through the deep-skinned walls. The sound of a deep-compressing shiver came through a tube as its lid burst open to reveal a silver flash that swam itself in, followed by a shadow and four scaled fish that checked their surroundings. Four icthyosaurs with the raptors hugging them tight and stone helms still upon their faces.

"What an awful cave," murmured the red-fin.

"The Vortex ship is a twisted machine," said the dolphin, "one wrong path will lead to your death, you must follow me exactly."

"No different from any other cave," Highwave gulped looking around a dozen openings.

"You lead us then," said Hanma keeping close, "which way first?"

"They will not keep captives together," Ecco moved towards one tube, "because they are not of the sea, they will also be held within the higher parts of the ship above the water."

"So we cannot help?" asked one icthyosaur.

"You are needed to take the raptors back and forth, we will find and rescue all of them but once we reach the higher parts you must hide and wait until we have found them."

"Understood."

Swimming through the pipe Ecco went at a cautious pace with the others following behind, twisting through the passages that were large enough specifically for creatures to travel through. With their sonars clicking in each direction, they sensed the presence of the Vortex within and switched tunnels as best they could, with Ecco infiltrating ahead through the labyrinthine network to lead and evade. The rumblings of the ship disturbed the raptors as they felt the waters rip through their scales and scrape past their helmets of pumice white, thick recycled seawater making the swimmers feel sluggish as they pushed further and harder with aching fins before the tube curved upwards. Sometimes the tunnels would lead to open spaces of ruthless machinery, grinding churning teeth with biomechanical veins pumping fluids throughout the entire system that almost breathed around them. Breathing ever constant, the sounds of a giant beating heart unseen that deafened their own thoughts amongst flesh and steel bound together in discordant harmony.

Soon they surfaced within the higher sections of the ship, breaching the water as the raptors were helped onto dry land by Hanma and Ecco who in turn took their helmets off. What they saw were long dark halls with tubes in the walls and ceilings shaped like ribcages, the floors covered in grating to allow water through both from above and below.

"I-is this...h-hhhhh," Moonclaw shivered at the black-jaded walls, "what an awful place."

"What kinda cave IS this?" muttered Skyfang sniffing the air. "Smells like being inside a dead beast but with all the meat gone."

"But worth than that," agreed Oddtooth stepping forth, "you know where Theaclaw ith?"

"Unfortunately not," said Ecco from the pool behind them, "you will have to rely on your scent for them, as hunters that should not be a problem for you."

"Hmm," Oddclaw looked towards the two passages before them, "we need to find our son and leave, the longer we stay the more dangerous it will be."

"What do you suggest then?" Hanma looked towards him.

"We will need to separate...much as I do not want to."

"I agree," said the phin, "first I will take our friends to someplace they can hide in the ship, then I will join you."

"Alright," the raptor nodded, "you take them somewhere safe whilst we decide who goes where."

"W-wait," Highwave gasped, "what about our friends and family?!"

"I will rescue them," said Ecco turning to her, "first you get the two raptors out, they cannot survive without you, once they have escaped I along with Hanma shall free the rest of them, then destroy this ship."

"Understood," the red-fin floated back, "Highwave let us go, they cannot find us."

"Right." She looked up towards the raptors. "Um...tell Seaclaw I said hi okay?"

"I will," said Oddtooth blinking his single eye, "I will get my brother back, and your family too."

She nuzzled his leg in gratitude before following her group with Ecco in turn as they swam back into the depths in a flurry of tails.

"Alright," Moonclaw nuzzled her mate, "I cannot smell him down either of these, so as you said we have to separate."

"With Ecco there are six of us," said Oddclaw turning to the children, "one of you go with mother and one of you come with me."

"I will go with mother," Oddtooth bowed and stepped to her.

"Then I'll go with father!" Skyfang stepped up beside him.

"Do you have a preference?" the spirit asked sweeping his cloak. "I will go with whoever needs it."

"Weren't you looking for your family?"

"I am, but I do not know who Ecco wishes to follow."

"Why don't YOU choose then?"

"We have to wait until his return regardless, I do not want to be rude in choosing when not in his presence."

So they waited for the worst five minutes of their lives to pass, full of uncertainty and distrust with fears running through their minds they struggled to stifle, claws tapping across the grate as they paced cautiously with occasional sniffs towards the corridors with Hanma keeping watch.

"Please let him be alright," whispered Moonclaw, "please, please-"

"He will be," Oddclaw said, "Ecco said he would, he knows these beasts."

"But I do not know him nor do I know these, I HATE not knowing."

"I hate it too," said Oddtooth nuzzling her, "but the more we know about them, the better we can fight them and get Theaclaw back."

"I know son, I...just, I need to kill one of them, just ONE of them, any of them to make them learn never to touch my family again-a-AAH!"

The splash from the pool behind them gave her a shock as she clutched against her mate.

"WHAT are you doing?!"

"My apologies," Ecco pushed himself to the edge, "the tunnels change their currents and I had to push through before they pulled me back. Have you decided your teams?"

"Yes," Oddclaw rubbed his mate, "I will take Skyfang, Moonclaw will take Oddtooth. Which of us will you come with? Hanma waited until you made your choice?"

"Ahhh he did?" The dolphin nodded. "How kind of you. I will join Oddclaw then."

"Then I will join Moonclaw." The shadow bowed as she stepped away to the right passage. "But, before I do, I have something you might need."

From his cloak he pulled out a jagged strip of metal, thin and flat as a skipping stone with multiple layers of fine opaque structure that he could see through.

"What is that?" Oddclaw asked.

"A key," said Hanma handing it to him, "when I last fought these things, I took this with me. Now it will help you."

"But, do you not need this?"

"Where my family are, this key will not be needed. But it will help you. You'll know what to do with it."

"I...I do not understand."

"I do." Ecco nodded towards the phantom. "This is for the...special security, yes? I recognise the design."

"Exactly." He nodded back as they both understood.

"Alright then." Oddclaw pocketed the key and stepped to his daughter. "Thank you Hanma, as soon as you find either Seaclaw or Rumble, return here."

"What if we find BOTH of them?" asked Skyfang. "A-an' mother finds no one?"

"They will be as far apart as possible," said Ecco levitating from the pool, "we will find one of them each on this level, but try to fight as little of them as possible."

"Then let us go."

They went their separate ways taking cautious steps, claws clacking upon the meshed grates as the raptors tightened their steps and snuck through the long turning halls where creatures slithered back and forth on guard. Ecco floated through the air in a watery stream that he used to intensify his sonar, quickly suffocating their minds with a fierce subsonic shriek that sent neural chaos through their skulls and send them almost collapsing, right in front of the raptors who wasted no time in eviscerating their throats and stuffing their bodies into dark corners. Only two guards suffered this fate, lone creatures who wandered without reckoning whilst others were partnered up keeping a watchful eye for any and all intruders forcing the three to hide. Sometimes they found niches and crevices to squeeze into, other times they diverted their path as the raptors sniffed out the scent.

"This way!" Skyfang hissed with a skip. "I-i smell him!"

"Tread carefully," Ecco murmured, "your brother will be guarded well."

"Yeah but I can fight 'em!"

"No." Oddclaw pulled her head tightly back. "We are in their nest. You will die. Do not be foolish."

She turned quiet as they moved on in unison, her steps becoming lighter and her head bowing terse as her father took the lead with Ecco above them, the droplets of water fading into the grates to leave no trace of their presence as they came closer to the source of the scent.

"Do you know why they took my son?" Oddclaw asked.

"I am still not certain," the dolphin swam just ahead of him, "I do not think it is for food, instead I think their purpose is something much more sinister."

"Wait, they're NOT gonna eat him?" murmured Skyfang trailing behind.

"Your kind are not their preferred food, so it is already unusual to take just one or two of you when they have an ocean to feast. Let us hope we never find out."

Ducking into darkness and killing drones as little as they could with bodies hidden in the alcoves, the scent became stronger as Oddclaw pulled out his sawn-off and crept towards the corner where the strongest trace emanated. It was a straight short hall with no place to hide except for the cell, as Ecco made a soft click whispering there was only one guard present as they took their first step into the open.

"AH, Y-YOU ARE-GUUH!"

The drone was shoved down by a sonar blast as Oddclaw rushed forth with his shotgun ready and a foot against its throat. He was ready to pull the trigger straight for its head before he caught its scent. The creature said nothing, staring upon him with its great black eyes and dark-brown body glinting in the sub-organic light.

"KILL IT FATHER!" Skyfang shrieked. "KILL IT!"

"...s-something...something is wrong."

"Wh-what?!"

"It...why..." he moved his thumb from the trigger, "why do you smell of my son?"

"I...I-i exist because of him."

"You exist?"

"I exist because of him. His blood is mine, his scent is mine."

"What does that MEAN?!" Skyfang hurried forth and snarled at his face. "Where is my brother?! WHERE IS HE, I KNOW HE'S HERE, I CAN SMELL HIM HERE!"

"They...they took him," the beast cowered pulling two arms tight with two arms raised, "the warrior and the harvester, they...took Seaclaw to transfer his mind."

"How do you know my son?" Oddclaw asked keeping his gun raised. "How...do you know what my son is called?"

"Speak very carefully," Ecco floated forth with a dangerous murmur in his beak. "Why did you take those two hunters? What is this mind transfer you speak of?"

"The, f-fertile one," he lowered his head, "she is to make food for us, from her womb, a feast for us but the young...he has blood, his blood is how I exist, to make more of us."

"More of you?"

"They...they are going to put one of our drones' minds into his body...to preserve the blood, to make the body...the blood, consent."

"They...oh no." Ecco turned to the raptors. "We have to find him."

"What, wh-what'd you do?!" Skyfang turned to the beast and scratched his face. "WHERE'S MY BROTHER!? If you hurt him I'll KILL YOU!"

"I did not harm him!" cried the alien turning away. "I did not harm him, h-he fed me, he fed me for a service!"

"What service?" asked the dolphin staring him down.

"He...he gave me food," he shook his head. "I earned that feast, I will earn that feast by not harming you, not harming his brood."

"Really? And you accepted that?"

"Yes, it was a service! I will not...I will not harm you. But you." He looked to Ecco with a softened hiss. "You are not his brood, you are the pod traitor."

"And I am one song away from your head smearing the floor, so do not test me drone-"

"Karziisss."

"...what?"

"I-i am...I am Karziisss." He slowly pushed himself up against the wall. "That is what I am called."

"That...that is not," Ecco pulled back, "none of you ever have names, who called you that?"

"Seaclaw. S-seaclaw called me." He showed his arm with the bracelet around it. "He is...friend."

"That is not possible...none of the Vortex are like-"

"No." Oddclaw lowered his gun at last. "He is telling the truth."

"What?!"

"The bones on his arm, my son made that. That is how he makes them."

"A memory collector," said Karziisss rubbing his wrist, "to remember...remember friend."

"Then please." The father reached his hand out to him. "Help me. Help me find my son."

"But...but I cannot, I cannot fight them, I cannot fight the Hive, they will...they will kill me."

"I am not asking you to fight them, I only want to find him."

"So long as YOU do not fight us," the dolphin snarled looming above him, "then we will not harm you. It is simple as that, you guide us to Seaclaw and nothing else."

"But I must fight you," the drone hissed to him, "I...I-i cannot, you are the pod traitor I am supposed to bring you to them."

"And? If I am brought to them by you, in my hunt to rescue this child, is that not completing your mission?"

Karziisss looked across the three faces as his eyes twitched briefly in conflict. His gaze dropped towards the raptor's hand still outstretched in greeting, his own claws tightening as he felt the tingling of bones against his wrist which brought a scent familiar to him.

"I...yes." He stroked his claws against the raptor's. "I will...I give a service, to Seaclaw. I will take you to him."

"Thank you," Oddclaw sighed and gripped his hand, "take me to my son, Karziisss."

"But if anything happens to him," his daughter sneered lifting her head, "I'll rip your head and shit down yer throat."

"Understood. Follow me."

Leading the intruders to the sanctum, Karziisss slithered forth with Ecco keeping a soft threatening hum that burned in the back of his alien brain. Oddclaw kept a close hand on his gun, sheathed but still gripping with Skyfang lowering her body in a careful sneak.

Across the halls of the twisted ship, Moonclaw walked with Oddtooth and Hanma behind her keeping out of sight from the beasts that patrolled the corridors to and fro. The spectre's cloak helped to mask their presence, his grand swirling cape extending to hide their scent beneath its cold darkness as they trailed past with long serpentine bodies. They checked over tubes where the shuddering cries of beasts came echoing from beneath in a ghastly symphony of the damned, chittering shrieks that resonated in the halls as the beasts travelled past and the raptors snuck out of cover heading further to the end of the hall.

"Can we even fight them?" muttered Oddtooth.

"The less they know of us the better," said his mother, "their nest is greater than I thought."

"And yet thmaller too...what ITH thith?" He sniffed at the walls where a bitter scent confronted him. "Thmell like...burned crawlerth."

"Stay focused," Hanma warned patting his head, "they have many eyes in many places."

"Right...yeth." He kept walking as Moonclaw crept in front. "Thank you for helping uth."

"It is only right," the spectre nodded, "we must work together to protect this world."

"Protect?" Moonclaw looked back to him. "I thought you were finding your family."

"My family also, yes."

"Are you from this land?"

"No, but if-...stop."

He moved past her as they stopped, seeing two guards standing outside a cell covered in a plasma field at the corner of a T-junction hall. The raptors kept discreet at one end poking their heads out from the entrance.

"We cannot fight two of them," said Moonclaw shaking her head, "if they find all three of us there will be trouble."

"Maybe lure one of them away?" asked Oddtooth.

"That would be best...so, who should do that?"

"I can if you want-"

"No...no, we stay together."

She looked to her son with a tension in her teeth, then looked towards Hanma who bowed his hood in response.

"Wait there, I will lure them away, you rescue the one in the cell."

"Thank you Hanma."

Stepping out of cover he swiftly rushed down the hall with the force of a banshee, cracking one of their heads and grabbing it by the tail to yank them away as the second guard attacked him. With taunting fingers he beckoned them to chase his shadow down the second hall that branched off from the junction, barking shrieks fading as they lunged after to leave the prison unguarded. The raptors quickly rushed over to the yellow grid that fizzed and cracked with millions of dots phasing from existence.

"Seaclaw, SEACLAW?!"

"Ohoh weeeelll this is a surprise!"

"...ohhh shit." Moonclaw snarled under her breath at Riptor's grin.

"I was not expecting-" she shook her head and cleared her throat, "I-i mean hhhhoh thank goodness I'm so happy to see another face, h-have you come to rescue me?!"

"Yes," Moonclaw tightened her teeth, "but my son matters more, you understand-"

"Yes yes of course, I hope he's alright too, I haven't heard anything about him!"

"But he wath taken with you," said Oddtooth sniffing at the field, "did you thee him?"

"I...yes," she nodded with a soft purr, "I did see where he went, I know where he is I can show you!"

"Alright tho...how do we get you out?"

"There's a thing on the wall there that turns off this," she motioned her head to the right of her cage, "I saw how they used it, you just have to do this."

She made a motion in the floor with her claws as if trying to form an inverse P-shape with a tick at the end. The raptors looked at each other as Oddtooth pressed his snout to the panel and made the same motion to no success at first. But three more tries soon activated the lock and switched off the forcefield with a gasping hum as Riptor stepped up to walk out of the cage.

"Thank you," she grinned, "where are the rest of you?"

"Hanma is with us," said Moonclaw, "he is keeping the guards busy, now take us to Seaclaw."

"Yes, yes of course I will take you to him," she bowed, "but, um...can I ask something?"

"Fine but take us to Seaclaw."

"Just WAIT-"

"NO!" She snapped her ashen jaws at her face. "I am here for my son, NOT you, be thankful I even came for you. Now take me to my son or I will leave you here!"

"Ohoh, OH!" Riptor chuckled shaking her head. "You are unbelieveable! We're on an alien ship and you still can't stop being such a frigid bitch-"

"HEY!" Oddtooth lurched at her face. "Don't inthult my mother-"

"Do not interrupt me, child."

Her snarl trickled a deeper volume that made him freeze and pull back as she turned to Moonclaw.

"Before those things took me from the cave, you gave your mate the impression that I was some lovesick deranged fool."

"And?" The older raptor raised her body above her. "What part of that was wrong?"

"I do not appreciate others making assumptions of me."

"Then do better. My son was taken because he is young and small, what is your excuse?"

"What?"

"You are an adult are you not? And yet those things managed to carry you off like meat-"

"Shut. Up." Riptor tented her frills that shivered with her sneer. "All I wanted, was to be a friend to the family. And you have shown nothing but contempt for me."

"Because I know what you are, Rumble." Moonclaw pressed her snout against hers. "I have lived many cycles, I have seen many beasts and learned that there are only two kinds of beasts. Those who seek friendship, and those who seek loyalty. Oddclaw has friends. You never will."

"Are you serious?" The ultraraptor snickered with a forced grin. "You think you understand ME?! You're just an old fool trying to trick me because you're JEALOUS, that someone even bothered to mount you and you're afraid that any younger RICHLY fertile raptor such as myself would ever-"

"Hhhhmhmhmhmhmhm."

Moonclaw's scent carried a whiff of cheer that twisted Riptor's face.

"Just like before. So obsessed about my children."

"What, what did I say?!"

"You insulted me over the few children I birthed, your obsession with family as if trying to claim that you could do better."

"You know I can," muttered the ultraraptor.

"But why would YOU care about that...unless you wanted not to be friends with my son, but be with my mate?"

Riptor's eyes widened as she pursed her lips, carefully digesting the implications of her words as Moonclaw raised her tail behind her with victory and nuzzled her son still rather dumbfounded by this argument.

"Now," said the mother, "show me where my son is, then we escape...and then we never see each other again."

"...fine." Riptor resisted the urge to gulp. "This way."

She took the one direction that none of them had travelled as they followed behind, keeping watch for any cells or guards searching through the passages. In truth Riptor knew not Seaclaw's location, but she had a general idea from the brief moments of cognizance in sedation. Wandering as she dragged her feet, taking her time to sneak her way through she heard the voice in her ear tickling her thoughts.

"Are you going to let her speak like that to you?"

Riptor said nothing.

"Remember what I said...the only means of getting to Oddclaw is without her. She is the guardian to his heart and she will never let you through as she has made clear."

Her jaw tightened as she shook her head.

"She has turned him against you, made him treat you like a lovesick child, are you going to accept that?!"

"Enough," she whispered, "now is not the ti-"

"YOU are the leader of the great Ultraraptors, would you take this from them in front of us?!"

"What'th wrong?" Oddtooth sniffed ahead.

"Shh!" she hissed back. "I...thought I smelled one of them."

They kept quiet as she crept ahead, slinking further down the corridor as she looked over rooms and checked individual doorways where they hid out of sight. Something had changed in the air that they quietly noted as guards became less common, making the ship feel much larger than it actually was for the empty silence that they left.

"She is in your way," snarled Riptor's comms, "you will never have this chance again."

"This is not the time," she hissed to the voice.

"This is the PERFECT time. She's old and worthless, anything could happen to her, she could lose her way, she could get killed by a guard, you could tell Oddclaw anything and he'll believe you as long as you get his son back. Her time is up."

She looked briefly behind herself, catching a glimpse of Moonclaw before she could notice and clenched her teeth looking ahead once more. The more she thought on his words, the more calm she became as she muttered quietly:

"It...it is the only way."

"Exactly," said her comms, "she will die soon eventually, think of it this way...you are sparing Oddclaw the pain of watching her die, and ensuring a better future with you."

"Yes...yes, of course I...I was just hoping to have as few casualties of our kind as possible-"

"You knew that was not possible...you've always known, you're better than that. You knew that with Jade, and you know it is the same for her. If you won't kill her now, what future would she have? Old and decrept, not worth anything to your pack or hers, you are sparing them from her FATE."

Riptor nodded with a growing smile as she reached towards the end of one hallway, an angled corner where she noted the door to a large single room by itself, full of black rectangles stacked up against the walls.

"This way." She turned towards it and stepped in. "Seaclaw's in here somewhere."

"I do not thmell him," said Oddtooth.

"They must have put him in one of these," she pointed at the crates, "I saw them putting these in here to store...food."

"So they...were hunting?" Moonclaw cocked her head. "But why only you and him, they were swimmers they could have hunted fish-"

"I don't know, what matters is getting him out!" Riptor looked back to the single entrance with a panel beside it. "We'll need someone on guard until we find Seaclaw, there's no exit here."

"Oddtooth keep guard," she motioned him with her head, "Rumble and I will look for him."

"Okay."

The son stood outside the door and looked down the halls, sticking close to the shadows and hiding as best he could whilst his mother searched around the crates with Riptor moving beside her at first. Then she started to slow her pace, slinking behind and looking over the walls whilst stepping closer to the doorway and waiting for her moment. Her claws slipped up towards the panel and remembering the motion for opening doors, she reversed it to hear a a burning thunk as the door slammed down beside her.

"WH-WHAT?!" Oddtooth turned and kicked at the black biometal surface. "M-MOTHER, MOTHER WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"ODDTOOTH!" She turned immediately when she heard the noise. "What, what just, why did it close?!"

"Because I need to be alone for this," said Riptor stepping from the door panel. "And don't bother crying out for him, these doors are soundproofed."

"ODDTOOTH?! ODDTOOTH!"

"I just SAID soundproof, are you getting deaf in your age too?"

"...so that was it." The grey raptor snarled as they started to circle each other. "You envy me that much to want my mate?"

"I am simply trading you for myself," Riptor grinned moving with her, "a more efficient model, one that can give him children, one that can hunt better-"

"He does not CARE about such, how pathetic must you look! For all your talk of being alone you are nothing but a craven breeder."

"You have no idea how long I've needed a chance like this." They circled closer with tails straight. "A fertile male who can ensure the future of my pack remains strong, one that is unique, one worthy of ever touching me by his very oddity not as a mistake, but as an ideal."

"But do you love him?" Moonclaw sneered tensing her feet. "Do you even know how to love?"

"Love has nothing to do with this! This is not jealousy, this is not foolish emotion, this is my future that I am trying to preserve by the greatest means possible, and if you DARE stand in my way then you shall not live to see it!"

"And if you dare ever breathe near my family I shall make it YOUR LAST!"

Moonclaw lunged for her as Riptor dodged, letting the older raptor take a few swiping bites towards her as her quicker feet strafed around her in a semi-circle. Snarling she made a swift half-turn and leapt to jump on Riptor's body, but only just caught the neck enough to knock her aside and nearly make her stagger, the cyber-beast countering with a brazen slash of the sharp rusted blade at the edge of her tail that scraped Moonclaw's scalp. The ashen raptor gritted her teeth and charged straight into her enemy, slamming her head against Riptor's chest and hitting against the screwbolt centre before snapping her jaws upwards to grab her throat. Both of them rolled briefly, but the younger raptor kicked her away and stood back up once more to raise her tail behind her and stab-thrust into the floor, barely missing her target as Moonclaw rolled herself away with a heavy breath and strafed around Riptor to slam both her feet into her side with a kangaroo kick.

It was a poor decision, for which Riptor punished her by grabbing one of her feet in mid-air and swung her entire body in a half-spin to toss her towards one of the crates, crunching her back against the hard leathery black as she stumbled back up. She dodged fast as Riptor shot a burning blast of flame towards her, crackling against the crate but burning partly against Moonclaw's thigh as she gasped running half-circle around her opponent. Riptor followed with belching shots of fire as her throat expanded briefly, flickering amber from within her jaws that splashed violent against the walls with Moonclaw frantically dodging, ducking and even hopping over the ones that went close to her, searing burns that crept across her skin as she put on her bravest scent of mockery.

"HMPH! My son can do much better fire than that."

"Says the one about to become ash!"

"I am already ash, I survived the Death's Nest you pathetic little wombsmear!"

"Then I'll call THIS your homecoming!"

Shrieking with a brazen bellow Riptor blasted a scorching plume as she spun round in a circle, guarding herself within fire as she grinned like the devil and stretched out her electronic tail that gleamed with wicked thought. She thrust through the fire with singing smoke as Moonclaw dodged quick, trying to back out of range but everytime she did Riptor would shoot more fire as a mortar, aiming directly upon her as the old raptor tried to run between the flaming comets that exploded on impact, charring against her skin with brief lashing tongues too close to call before she raced back closer to Riptor. Just close enough for the tail to strike and pierce through her back as she screamed from the wounding stab, the long blade twisting into her flesh when it tore back out to leave a bloody chunk that dripped down her tail. Turning back fully towards the ultrabeast, Moonclaw gathered her strength and made a bullish charge towards the ring of fire, surprising Riptor when she jumped through the smouldering flame and slammed both her feet into her face, crunching claws that scarred down her neck and raked across the metal frills on the top of her head to throw them both out of the circle, rolling fast as they both leapt onto their feet with Riptor instantly slashing Moonclaw with her electric blue claws.

Gasping from the sudden strike Moonclaw backed off, but Riptor leapt forwards with another brazen slash of her more-developed arms until she caught the older raptor's throat, strangling her briefly with a human grip before throwing her down hard to slam her face into the floor. She readied for a bite attack but Moonclaw surprised her with a twist of her neck to crunch her arm in her teeth as the cyber-raptor screamed, pulling back to try and slash with her other arm with Moonclaw quickly moving away keeping her teeth still in her limb. She only released when she saw Riptor's tail pointing venomously towards her just in time to dodge, the horrid gleam of its blade streaking past her eyes and slipping just across her old grey snout.

"GUH! You...you are definitely a starbeast."

"What tipped you off?" Riptor smirked cracking her tail like a whip. "Now you see why it's foolish to stand against me. I am a new breed, one that shall uplift your kind to a greater future, one where raptors shall be the apex and any other beast that dare to challenge me, will be EXTERMINATED!"

Her tail plunged forth like a spear as Moonclaw dodged underneath, snapping her teeth upwards to clamp upon its linking chains and trying to pull Riptor towards her, but the metal twisting chain was much stronger than she anticipated as Riptor yanked her back, hard enough to send her full headlong into the floor as her tail clicked back into place to prime itself again for another stab. Moonclaw rolled with a forceful push, dodging the next strike but not the third when Riptor thrust ahead of her direction and shot straight through her thigh causing her to fall shrieking. The pulling twist was even worse as she felt muscle tear itself from the long bladed tip, crippling her leg as blood ran free to stain her claws and ashen scale with a popping burst when Riptor retracted.

Staggering on wounded leg, Moonclaw tried to take her stand and waited for her next move, gasping with shivering gulp to resist the anguish swelling in her body as Riptor stepped towards her, smiling with tail twitching back and forth like a cobra choosing to strike. She thrust forth again, Moonclaw just managing to push herself away before she got her other leg and spinning her body round to swipe her tail against Riptor's head. But the younger raptor ducked and crunched down upon it to pull her back and hard-swing her body across the floor, almost tearing the bone out from the force of her throw as Moonclaw crumpled rolling. She was about to make a desperate charge when Riptor shot three rapid blasts of fire to startle her, stopping her in place with acidic flames that encroached her from the front almost pushing her against the wall. Riptor charged straight into her body, through the fire itself and crushed her into the bio-metallic wall to make her wince, throwing her down and leaping onto her back to suddenly wrap her tail around her throat, a python of steel that flexed with little joints and squeezed upon her larynx.

"H-HHHHRKH, HRRRKKHH!"

"No no...stop, struggling. You'll only waste your breath."

"O-oddie...no, n-no- HHRRKH!"

"Shut. Up." The tail squeezed tighter until she couldn't breathe. "I can't leave evidence of mine upon you, so this is what's going to happen. I will break your frigid little neck, then I'll burn every trace of you until you're pieces of ash. Your family don't know about my skills so they'll never suspect it."

"H-hrrrrkh-ghhhkhhrr, y-you...filthy shit."

"But don't worry. I'm not going to hurt your family." She stroked Moonclaw's head with shining fingers. "I'm just going to make them mine. You'll just be an unfortunate death, your mate will grieve and I will be there to help him...after I rescue Seaclaw, he'll be so happy I want to help him find a new life with me, and I will raise your children better than you did."

"N-no...O-oddtooth," her eyes flickered with silent gasp reflecting the flames near.

"I didn't want to do this, believe me. But I cannot let anyone stand in the way of a brighter future for all raptors...I promise, I will keep your family safe-GUH-AAAARGH!"

Something swung at her face unseen, cracking her snout and sending her rolling with her tail immediately pulling away with slackened surprise as Moonclaw heaved a choking cough. Riptor stumbled up from the floor with a snarling hiss as she looked towards Moonclaw who was being helped by a shadowed figure, after he snuffed out the flames beside her with a dark fume from beneath his cloak.

"KHHH, EGHHHKHRR...hhhh, th-thank you."

"The door's open," he pointed to the exit where Oddtooth stood fretful, "go, I'll deal with her."

"But, S-seaclaw-"

"Seaclaw's not here, Oddclaw's already found him, you two go back where we came and keep safe!"

"R-right..." she took one look at Riptor shaking with rage, "kill her."

"Gladly."

Hanma stared upon the ultraraptor with his bone fingers creaking softly, Moonclaw racing out of the room as fast as her legs could give as Riptor screamed at him.

"How...DARE YOU!" She stomped forwards with seething breath. "YOU DARE TO INTERFERE?!"

"Absolutely." He clicked his fingers as black flames wreathed to form a hammer. "Now I know why I'm here."

"I DON'T CARE WHY YOU'RE HERE! I WAS THIS CLOSE TO MAKING THINGS RIGHT AND YOU RUINED IT YOU FREAK!"

"Good. Because now..."

He slipped off his hood to reveal the skull of a turtle with steel black helmet.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder to kill me."

"GRRRRRAAAA AAARRRRRRRGH!"

Charging forth Riptor jumped when she closed half the distance, somersaulting with claws stretched like a vicious saw blade that ripped through the air towards Hanma as he strafed to the left and swung his hammer-shape hard against her body to slam her into the wall. Almost instantly she rebounded with a kickflip to come shrieking at his face, ripping her claws across bone as he spun his grand club to crush her in the back, the raptor barely dodging in a quick roll to swing her tail out and wrap it round his arm to pull him to the floor. But the skeletal arm fully ripped out of his sleeve to lay on the floor much to Riptor's shock as Hanma swerved round to sock her in the jaw with his remaining arm.

"GUH! What, ARE you?!"

"Dead." He slipped the arm back into his sleeve with a crack. "Told you you'll have to try harder."

"DON'T insult me, I've killed the undead before and you won't be the last!"

"But I'll be the worst."

He smiled with deep black eyes showing a pinprick of gold within each, his hand reaching behind his head with a twisting cloud of black flames that crept over his shoulders and reformed the hammer's shadow to a solid form. He taunted with his reattached arm as Riptor made a running start, dodging towards the wall when he half-swung in anticipation before she leapt onto one of the crates and forward-flipped herself down upon his head with the screeching claws of an eagle. He shimmered out of existence in a shadow-step, hammer striking across her face with less power than a full swing to only send her back a foot, the raptor springing back another step before she bellowed a brazen sea of fire from her throat to spray the front of her vision and incinerate the shadow. His cloak burnt off partly, enough to see his skeletal body beneath wrapped in a turtle shell of bone-white with a deep cracked scar above where his heart had once been. Hanma covered his face out of instinct from the flames doing little to damage his form, his response devastating with a swinging hammer crush from above that Riptor easily dodged at first. But he wasn't aiming for her as she soon saw from the circular shockwaves that burst scorching from the floor in black-and-purple lightning, scarring the leather-skin steel as Riptor strafed frantic between the bolts and straight towards him with jaws at his throat.

Hanma grabbed at her throat in response and wrenched her away from his neck, headbutting her straight between the eyes with his hard helmet before she wrest herself free from his grip and immediately backflipped with both her feet slicing over his skeletal front, snap-cracking his jaw fast to whip his skull so far that his helmet touched between his shoulders briefly. Riptor slammed herself forwards in a body charge to crush him against the wall, but he countered by a furious blast of dark flame from his body which surged his cloak to return to him with seething dark that forced her away with an almost solid field before he slammed a hidden foot straight into her gut, pushing her even further back for a mighty vertical swing of his burning hammer that she swerved past and shrieked an acid fire in his face. Gasping from the scorching burn that tried to eat at his bone, he retorted with a sucker punch to the face that knocked Riptor slightly before he followed with a furious uppercut to her chest, just missing the screw as she heaved and pulled her tail up behind her. Hanma saw the venomous blade and quickly dodged as it shrieked past him, whirling his hammer to crunch down upon her appendage as she winced with its faux-muscular joints spasming briefly to wrench it free from underneath his mace. She spun her body round in recoil with tail shimmering around her in a dance of death, striking for Hanma's face as he blocked with a hammer strike to knock it away when she turned on her foot and made a lunging thrust of her tail to his chest.

"AAAARGH!"

The blade pierced through his shell in what used to be his lungs, gasping as the cold steel twisted in his essence and wrenched free from the bone to drip a foggy darkness from his core.

"Did I try hard enough?" Riptor grinned with scowling smile. "Or shall I try harder?"

"H-heh, oh, you think I go down with one strike?" He sucked in his breath as his hammer-shape surged beyond black. "I lived in a desert in my youth, then for the rest of my life I walked the halls of a burning kingdom serving a true KING!"

He spun forwards once to trick her into moving back, then built up faster speed until his cloak became a whirlwind of black that drilled straight into Riptor's body. Down she went once, but when she tried to stand up the hammer came whalloping for her stomach and sent her flying straight out the door to crunch into the sinuous wall of the serpentine corridors.

"I came to repay a debt," he stepped forwards smacking the hammer on his fingers, "a debt I never knew."

"W-worthless, f-fucking CORPSE!"

"But I will pay that debt, for my family has already been saved, and the events are now set in motion."

"SHUT UP!"

She launched herself upon him with claws scraping upon the hammer shaft, piling her whole body on top of Hanma as they stared deep into each other's eyes.

"You know what makes us dangerous, you and I?"

"NNN-NNRRGH!"

"We've never known what being afraid is like. That's why we're good at what we do."

Riptor seethed with bile from her throat, her jaws dripping with acid fire ready to melt his entire face as Hanma smiled with a sadistic grin. Then he suddenly drove his fist into her maw, forcing her to choke with fire smothering around her flameproof mouth, but gurgling back down into her stomach as she smothered his arm completely in liquid flame.

"GH-GHRRRKH, GHHHRKH!"

"You think I give a damn about fire? That's cute."

"GH-GHRRRRKH!"

"You know why I look like this? Because I chose to. I was dying, because an alien cracked my shell and put my heart on a timer, years I waited until my own ribs would just pierce right inside me."

He started walking down the hall with Riptor clutched tight against him, her claws ripping and twisting against his cloak as he grabbed her tail with one arm and pulled her in a bear hug with claws catching the back of her burning throat. He felt his arm melting, porous bone and marrow dripping from her jaws that she swallowed half of with a stuttering cough as she tried to disengage. What little movement her tail managed, she stabbed for his legs and lower region with a wicked blade driving into his essence, piercing with gasps from his throat as he winced and shuddered with each little stab that her tail's poisonous tip made inside him.

"WHY...won't you DIE ALREADY?!"

"I signed a contract, with my king." He gritted his teeth as the tail stabbed his leg. "In the event of my death, I would still serve him as a loyal guardian to the very end. But that wasn't my real reason. My real reason..."

The guardian pulled her close.

"Because the dead can travel between worlds...and now, I can pay back the debt I owe to the one who saved my nephew's life."

"GHHRRAARGH!"

Standing beside one of the tubes in the hall, Hanma summoned his mace of the dark to swing and crack against its glass frame, shattering it in two strikes as water burst across the floor and continued to gush with the stench of recycled salt burning in her nostrils. The shadow stuffed her into the tube where its vacuum pulled her in, her claws frantically scrabbling against the sides to try and push against until he shoved her head into the back of it and punched both her arms down. His arm trapped in her throat finally gave as her jaws crunched upon what remained of his bone before her screams echoed down the pipe, falling into the darkness of the ship. Hanma smiled and looked down at his arm, then to the many wounds inflicted upon his front where pieces of his soul dripped out in black fluid that turned into smoke. He clutched himself on instinct as he heard a deep rumbling that shook through the entire ship.

"There it is," he gasped, "let's see if I can meet him at least...before this gets...too bad."

He hobbled himself back to their meeting point, the sounds of an alien alarm ringing through the ship as the walls vibrated with fearful intensity, turning almost red as the organo-metal structure shuddered harder with the threat of collapse as the tubes rattled with the song of fury. Whatever Oddclaw had done, would succeed from this point on.