A Long Awaited Reunion

  Danny rested in his cage while the other beasts in the room went about their usual routines. In his mind, he played out the escape in what Danny liked to call visualization training. What could he say other than, “I'm a victim of manga and anime.” Regardless of that fact, it was still useful. Back on earth when habitat one was under construction, he would often use visualization training to go over his own work, and determine how it would be affected by various variables such as gravity, earth's toxic and acidic atmosphere, and the development and installation of his O ring tech, and how to influence all the previous factors to increase the probability of its success. He focused on each objective again. First on the list was shedding his collar. Depending on one’s point of view, that was the easiest part. Of course, an attempt was made to convince his pack that going into mana fatigue was a good thing, but their instinct to survive overpowered that logic. Beasts lacked what higher sentience had, and in most, if not all cases, that was higher intelligence and reasoning. How did Danny know? Well, that was obvious. He fought with his animal mind all the time. It was easy to manage most times, but in high stress situations, it could be very difficult. Every time he tested out his theory on mana fatigue vs the collar, Danny would have to fight the urge to preserve his precious mana out of a non-logical fear of feeling helpless and vulnerable. So, he consigned himself to the notion that he'd have to get them out himself. Fearless leader, right? Long story short, being an alpha did not give him the power to force an action out of any one creature in his six-beast pack, but influenced them based on the pack’s overall goals. Thankfully that included the death of Francis as well as escape. Though, the Shadow Stelt's thirst for Francis's blood was unnervingly unrivaled. Often times that hunger for death and vengeance could be felt through the bond created by aura of the alpha beast. It would get its chance as an extension of his own vengeance not only for himself, but Grisre as well.

  Danny believed in the Stelt's ability to find and kill the man. Apparently, it had gotten a drop of Francis's blood once. So, no matter where he went, the Shadow Stelt would always find him. At least, that's what it conveyed over its link with Grisre who relayed it in turn to Danny. That is what made it the perfect choice to take out that sorry excuse of a human, and since there was no way of knowing which cage was the weak link in the circuit, he would have to pick and hope for the best. Once that was done, it was chaos, and bale. He needed the chaos to confuse any possible poachers. That mysterious second was a non-factor it turned out, because that piece on the chess board was just a poorly positioned pawn. The other slaves would have to be casualties. Yes! This was the definition of heartless, but according to Grisre a slave bonded to Francis would feel the bond dissolve upon the slime balls death. Not only that, but some slaves may try to obstruct him and his pack early on if they were ordered to. If he had to be honest, the whole dang operation was a necessary evil. Hopefully the Shadow Stelt killed Francis quickly for the sake of the inicent.

  Danny checked his mana and stamina to see just how long he would be out from the mana fatigue.

  Mana: 230/230 Regen from Stamina

  Stamina: 150/150 Regen +1.5

  Looking at his mana told him nothing. His stamina on the other hand gave him all the information he needed. When he was testing out his theory on beating the collar, he had discovered that once mana was used, the body would use stamina to take the body into hoover mana vacuum mode, and stamina did not regenerate unless the body was at rest or not in a state of high stamina use like walking or laying down, and regeneration for this resource was 1.5 per minute. Upon further discovery, one stamina equaled two mana. So, total mana fatigue recovery time was one hundred and thirty minutes, or to be more accurate, two hours and fifteen minutes.

  Waiting only served to unnerve the cat. This was sensed through his bond with the other beasts, causing them to feel apprehension and confused feelings of danger. As a consequence, Grisre would check in on Danny through the link. Though, he could tell that she too was nervous and rightfully so. There was more riding on this risky venture than their freedom. They could also lose their sanity, or worse. Danny's thoughts took an abrupt shift however, and he wondered how Ross was doing, where he was, or if he had recovered his human mind as well, but most of all if Ross would be able to find him. They only had each other’s now, and despite being a man of science, Danny Somehow felt in his heart of hearts that he would see Ross again. Then a twinge of guilt slammed into Danny like a freight train when a memory slipped into the forefront of his mind, and he felt ashamed. That memory was of his abandonment of life. Thinking back on that moment, he had not thought about the people he had in his life, or how it would affect them, and even those he will meet in the future. Grisre was proof of that. Even though she had never said it out loud, she thought of Danny as a friend. At that moment, he made another vow to himself with complete absolution. He would trust in the hand fate dealt to him. And no matter what road it took him down, he would see it to the end no matter what. Grisre must have felt his conviction, because at that moment, Danny felt comfort coming through the link turn into feelings of encouragement, then evolved into embarrassment. Grisre's voice filled his mind. “I do think of you as a friend, but most of all, I am glad to see your resolve. If you ever feel down, you can always talk to me.” Now it was Danny's turn to feel embarrassment. “Thank you, but I think I'll be ok.” The two rehearsed their plan of escape, or as Danny called it, a game plan, then waited until night saving up and recovering stamina and mana as much as possible in the meantime just in case an opportunity should present itself.

  Rayna had been riding for several days. She had stopped at Dorma Village for supplies the day prior. She was covered from head to toe in dirt and grime, and how she so craved a proper bath. Rayna closed her eyes as thoughts of how soaking in the hot and welcoming water would feel. However blissful those thoughts were, they didn't last long. Whispers could be heard coming from all around her. It sent chills down Rayna's spine. Her Lizzorse looked startled, and began to fight against her control. It took Rayna all she had to keep it from running away. Worry began to take root. She took in her surroundings. While she too wanted to pick a direction and run, there was a small voice in the back of her mind telling her to resist. Rayna's thoughts started to get fuzzy. At that moment all that existed was that voice telling her to be afraid, and another much smaller voice, her minds voice telling Rayna to be brave and to stand her ground. She focused on the voice of strength, and suddenly that small voice became stronger. She reached out for it desperately trying to grab at it. The voice of fear sensing her hope, grew louder in competition. “Run! It is coming for you. It will grind you into dust and feast on your soul.” Rayna began to shiver with fear, but she didn't run. Whatever this was, whatever it wanted was unclear. All she knew was this, she was being ambushed by something non-human, and it wanted her to run. That was not going to happen. Running was not in her nature. The problem was, both voices offered hope. So, which one should Rayna listen to? She chose the least cowardly option. In terms of fight or flight, she would almost always pick a fight.

  Before Rayna could truly grasp the voice of courage, she could feel a creatures hot stinking breath wash over the back of her neck. It was then that Rayna mentally grasped hold of that small voice of courage and hope, and like that it was gone. No more rotten breath on the back of her neck, and no more voices. However, the same could not be said for her mount. When Rayna opened her eyes, her mount was gone. She was sitting on the ground with her butt throbbing from the fall. She had fell asleep on her mount. It was a good thing her leg bindings were a little loose. OW! Is what she wanted to yell, but what she saw made her very happy she had not. What she saw was the Lizzorse's decapitated head not more than thirty feet away followed by what looked like a trail of blood and viscera that lead into the forest that flanked both sides of the road. In a shaky voice she only managed “This can't be happening. How could I be so careless.”

  Rayna gathered her wits. “Okay! Whatever that was, it has feed. So, I should be safe for now. I need to find shelter.” She told herself with the same shaky tone. It was for reassurance mostly, but that did not change how imperative it was that shelter was found. Nighttime was fast approaching, and the nocturnal beasts inhabiting these woods were not to be trifled with. Considering she just survived an encounter by the skin of her teeth was proof of that, and her now very dead and disemboweled mount was the price paid. Though, this terrifying experience was not without compensation, because shortly after Rayna collected her thoughts, she took another good long look at her surroundings and saw a rundown sign that said “T. Carpis.” OK, maybe compensation was a strong word. It was more like bad luck. What Rayna really found was the pathway to a broken home of forgotten memories. In a place long overtaken by nature. She let loose a nervous sigh. Unfortunately, she would have to take refuge there if she was going to have any chance at surviving the night. “Let’s hope it's still there. Never thought I would hear myself say that.”

  Rayna followed the trail leading to her childhood hell. Her newly chosen path was overgrown with thorns and a surge of forest growth that had reclaimed what rightfully belonged to it. If not for her fear of what lay in wait within the approaching darkness, Rayna might have found twilight ambiance beautiful and relaxing. Finally, approaching the house, she could not help noticing that the yard had not been reclaimed by more of nature's hand. She looked over to see a rope hanging from a tall tree with a human skeleton beneath it wearing one of her mother's dresses. Rayna's mother just stared lifelessly at her with empty sockets as if to say “Welcome home.” in the most ominous way possible. Her revelry at seeing her dead mother was short-lived however, when a scratching sound could be heard from within the abandons house. On the brightish side of things, the house was still standing and sturdy. The downside was what inhabited it. Confirmation of what it was come in the form of a howl that sounded like a man shifting. “Fuck! I just can't win today.” Rayna growled.

  If anything, she was always prepared. That was another lesson her dad taught her. Rayna already had armor on. All she was missing was her silver coated dagger. She scowled upon pulling the meager silver blade from her bag, but it would have to do. She looked around hoping their once planted wolfsbane garden was still there. Rayna exhaled with relief. It was no garden now, but the stuff was growing wild in patches. After stuffing some in her mouth she chewed and swallowed. “Thank the gods my bitch of a mother was an Alchemist.” If truth be told, Rayna would have risked becoming a were-beast vs what she had run into five minutes ago, and the sooner, the better. Besides being a were-beast, these days was manageable, but most that did ended up killing themselves. “On second thought maybe not.” she lamented.

  Another howl came from the house. This one was more beastial. Rayna hastily grabbed a handful of the herbs, and shoved it into her bag just in case there was a later. Gripping her silver edged dagger, she opened the door to a noticeable crack with a creaking noise that was in other stealthier circumstances, not wanted, but with her back against the wall just off to the side of the door, most decadently was. This was in case it took the bait, and decided to rush her. Good thing to, because no sooner had she opened the door, the were-beast charged out of the house clawing and snapping at air where Rayna would have been had she of been foolish enough to just blindly open the door. This sent the door flying off its hinges. “Don't underestimate me.” She said in a low derisive tone, and tackled the beast to the ground taking it by surprise. Rayna thrust a silver coated dagger up into its gut, under the rib cage. She could feel the dagger meeting resistance. No doubt it was due to its regenerative ability. Rayna knew she had to pierce the heart and quick. Not only was this creature stronger than her, but physically it was superior in every way. Rayna's only advantages lay in her ability to outsmart it, surprise it, and the fact that she could exploit its weakness. Its surprise didn't last long, however. She felt it slice into her back. “Fuck!” She cured. This thing tore through her armor like it was paper. That was not good. It meant that the creature had collected itself. It began snapping its canine like jaws at Rayna's face. Each time it tried to bite at her face, she would move her head to the side denying the were-beast an easy kill. Rayna had to end this fight fast. This was about survival. Normally she would have been happy letting this thing live here, but she needed this cursed house more than it did. With her new-found resolve, she gave the Dagger one more good hard push, and Rayna felt a pop. Her adversary went limp. She pulled out her dagger, and wiped it on the grass. After it breathed its last, the body turned back into a human man.

  Rayna had no qualms about what happened next. It did try to kill her after all. Besides, a dead were-beast still had its uses. While chewing on a new piece of wolfsbane to counteract the ware-beast's toxins, she dragged the body over to where the rope was and strung up the corps. If any predators came lurking about, then they would get an easy meal, and hopefully leave her alone. With the task at hand completed, Rayna went inside the house and barricaded the doors and windows with whatever she could find. During her quest for survival, she had come across several potions of healing and her mother’s old diary. She was curious about how shitty the old hag's life had been, but lighting a lamp would only serve to attract predators. This was a read for a later time. Cold, almost helpless, and definitely alone, she took up residence in a closet and fell asleep.

  A scream woke Rayna in the middle of the night which was followed by a blood-curdling roar. She reflexively grabbed her knife. By some miracle she did fall back asleep only to be woken up again by the sounds of scratching on the thick wooden outer walls. Shortly after that Rayna heard a tree snap followed by the sickening sounds of squelching, and the snapping of bones. No doubt it was eating the were-beast she had strung up. Thanks to her skills and a little luck, she would survive the night. The morning was quite pleasant by contrast. Birds were chirping, and sunlight could be seen filtering through the barricaded windows. It was really hard to believe that such nightmares existed in this forest. However, that string of peaceful thoughts did not last. No sooner had Rayna lamented on how nice the morning actually was, and it all went to shit, because at that moment there was a knock on the door and a letter was shoved underneath. “What the actual fuck?” Rayna mumbled in surprise. How this person safely traversed those monster-filled woods in the late of night and survived its horrors was beyond her, but it made more sense when the stranger said “Message from on high.” Message from on high was Zoo code for urgent message. She waited for the messenger to leave unsure if this was a trick. Sure, this was the real deal. That was not what she was questioning. Rayna did not trust the message was one hundred percent safe to read. She gave it a thorough sweep for traps both magical and alchemical. Once Rayna deemed it safe, she read it, and what she read pissed her off. She crumpled the paper and screamed. “I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SLIMY SHIT SNAKE.”

  Night had finally come for Danny and his pack. All but the Shadow Stelt showed signs of excitement. Despite outward appearances, He could feel its true feelings bleed through the bond. It was excited. Each beast had expressed doubt that Danny could kill his collar, but he would soon show them that not only could he kill the collar, but he would also kill theirs as well. He had told them “I will prove my power to you by breaking our chains.” That turn of phrase only confuse them. So he just gave up. Danny could feel their desire to be free, and trusted them to act on that instinct. He checked on Grisre through their link. “Do you have Beast duty tonight?” “Yes, but I'll be rotating with another.” Grisre responded. That was unexpected. She seemed to anticipate Danny's next question, however. “Quit worrying. I have the first night rotation.” That was good and all, but he still needed to know one thing. “What does first rotation mean?” Grisre let some annoyance slip through their link. “It means Lent will be securing the cages. After that, I will be making the first rounds. Gees! For someone so smart you can be quite dumb.” That caught Danny by surprise, but it was understandable. She was nervous, because of the risks involved. Instead of doing the stupid thing, and letting his anger get the best of him, Danny instead sent feelings of comfort and understanding. “I know the risks, and I have thought this out. You were right about my fight with the Chimagriff. I won't always come out on top. I need to be smart. So, I will use my intelligence.” He was never good at consoling others, but Danny could feel that his intentions were received well, but like all women she just had to have the last word. “Damn right I am right.” He just grinned.

  Like Grisre had said, Lent came in to secure the cages. Lent was a boy of sixteen. He had brown hair and darkish skin, and wore clothing that was not like the other slaves. He treated every beast here badly, but was careful to avoid the Shadow Stelt without fail. That didn't stop him from throwing rocks or hitting Danny's cage with a stick. If that was not bad enough, Lent gave off that same creepy feeling that Francis did. Danny suspected that the boy was Francis's. On the bright side, Danny would be free of this place soon enough. What he and Grisre would do after that was up in the air. One thing Danny knew for sure was that he needed to find Ross. That was non-negotiable, but this was assuming she decided to travel with him. “Maybe I should ask.” Danny meowed. That was a mistake. Lent heard the meow, and spun around and kicked out at the cage. Danny was ready for the little asshat. Lent struck the cage with his shoe. What the little idiot failed to realize was that a piece of his baggy pants slipped through the bars past the barrier. Danny gripped the pant leg with his claws, and sliced it with his half inch daggers he called his claws. Lent was about to open Danny's cage to throttle him, but looked back at the Stelt then pulled his hand back, and then tried to spit on Danny. It hit one of the bars and slid down. That just seemed to anger the boy more, but Lent seemed to be on a schedule, because a vibrating sound came from his pocket, and when he pulled the object out to look at it, he turned to Danny and said, “I'M not done with you.” He finished securing the cages and left.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  With his promise of things to come and his job complete, Lent rushed out of the room. “Like I'll be here for that.” Danny thought to himself. Suddenly he felt his pack's ire and hate coming through their shared bond. His pack really hated the boy, but he could also feel a growing respect and some approval for his assault on Lent's pant leg. In hindsight it probably wasn't a good idea. Only time would tell. Danny started his laborious task of inducing mana fatigue. All six other beasts watched as his mana was devoured by his collar. No doubt they were watching to see if he would kill his collar.

  Like he had initially thought, using mana was not the problem. All Danny needed to do was channel mana to his claws and wallah, his collar began it feast. The problem arose when his stamina started to drain. Unlike mana which could be quickly consume, Stamina did not drain so quick given the fact that one stamina lost per second was the equivalent to two mana gained. Furthermore, Danny had to keep his body under a constant state of stress to prevent his stamina regeneration of +1.5 per minute from kicking in which he solved by doing a contortionist’s version of suicides. His theory was that the body could not function long without mana which was why just draining mana was not enough. Fine! The theory needed work, but that was a puzzle to be solved another day. Right now, he just needed to focus on getting out of his collar.

  Danny would jump, contort, land, and repeat while channeling at the same time. After the first minute, his head began to ache. After 10 more minutes, it began to throb with pain. To contrary belief, this was a good thing. It meant that he was close to total and complete mana fatigue. A normal person would not normally do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Danny continued the routine for thirty more seconds, and then it was complete blackout. Like every other time before, he woke up with a slight headache with his mana collar laying on the cage floor next to him. Now that the collar was off, Danny now had to open all the other cages, but before he could do that, he had to adjust his mana barrier so that he could phase through the cage's barrier. Danny looked around to see if his pack was awake, or watching. Nope! None of them had seen. Go figure. Part of Danny really wanted to show them that it could be done. It didn't matter, because at that moment the door opened, and in strolled Lent who said in a menacingly cheery tone. “I told you we weren't done yet. Now were where we.” Panic shot through Danny like lightning. So, he did the first thing that made sense. He laid down next to the collar, and pretended to be asleep. Maybe, just maybe he could trick the idiot into opening the cage.

  Danny quickly pawed the collar off to the side, and plopped down. Maybe he could fake the moron out into thinking Danny had been rendered helpless by mana fatigue. Then he might get overly cocky and open the cage for him. Clenching his teeth, Danny closed his eyes and began channeling his mana into his claws. Lent Walked up to his cage with what sounded like a club slapping his palm. “I'M going to teach you a lesson for tearing my pants.” Lent said in that same menacing yet cheery tone. “Come on, you twit.” Danny thought, and almost as if Lent could hear his thoughts the banging began. Despite the pain in his ears, Danny remained still. He had to if this had any chance of success. When the banging finally stopped and his ears quit ringing, Danny heard Lent unlatching the cage with a silent glee, Lent said with cruelty lining the edges of his voice “You stupid cat. Not so tough now that you are in mana fatigue. Are you?” Danny Felt him grab the scruff of his neck, but Danny did not give the boy any chance to swing. His eyes shot opened, and with one swipe sent one sickle of metallic energy slicing through Lent's shoulder. Like the cruel boy's dismembered arm, he too fell to the ground. Unlike the boy who was bleeding out, he had landed on his feet with four held charges to his steel claws.

  Wasting no time, he opened every cage that contained a beast, and sliced open their collars. All but the Shadow Stelt jumped the poor kid. His screams would haunt Danny for a long time. He took no pleasure in what happened, even if the little bastard deserved it. Besides, the bond didn't allow control. It only allowed him to influence which meant there was no stopping this. Thankfully the Stelt did not join the feast. Unfortunately, what it was waiting for was not all that different, but it would help free them. With a mental command of consent, it melded into the shadows to complete its grisly task not only for the benefit of the pack, but for its own desires. When the others had finished killing Lent, they filed out of the door looking to add to their retribution. Danny sent a message to Grisre through their bond “My pack is loose. The Shadow stelt is hunting Francis.” The bond connecting Danny and Grisre was bombarded with Grisre's hope, relief and worry. “I'll make my way to you.” Danny Quickly interjected. “No! I'm coming to you. Just let me know when you feel your bond to Francis sever.”

  Danny bolted out of the door. Screams could be heard from down the hall as he made his way to the arena where he been forced to fight. When Danny entered the arena, he found the fox bombarding a slave with its lightning. His heart almost stopped, but soon realized it was not Grisre. More screaming sounded throughout the facility like the playing of the world's most sadistic symphony. Again, his heart bled knowing full well that these sentient beings were had no choice in this, and were innocent in all this. However, like he had predicted they, were trying to capture them. That became clear when he reached the other side of the arena where another slave appeared holding a mana collar. Unfortunately, she never got the chance. Danny unleashed his second steel claw of the night, and decapitated the poor beast kin. Her body crumpled to the floor headless with blood pooling around the stump. Danny just kept moving. He could not stop now. He needed to find her. His bond with Grisre gave him an idea as to her location. While it did not act like a GPS, it did give him a sense of how close she was and what direction she was in. As he rounded the corner, Danny saw the flagstone floor covered in more blood and entrails. Another victim of this horror show could be seen trying to scoop his own guts back into himself. Hardening his heart to stone, Danny felt for his bond to Grisre, and could feel that he was getting closer. “Not much further now.” He panted. His thoughts were interrupted when Grisre blasted his mind with emergency and fear. “Hurry up Danny! I can't resist the slave bond, and I'M being ordered to subdue your Shadow Stelt.” Danny picked up the pace. He took the first left and bolted up the stairs. It sounded like it found Francis, but it also had him cornered. No doubt Francis was trying to save his own skin.

  Reaching the top of the stairs, Danny was confronted with a metal door. “Of all things? A vault door.” he growled. Through his alpha bond, Danny urged the Stelt to do all it could to harm and eat Francis, but do as little harm to Grisre as possible. He desperately tried to convince it that she too was part of the pack. Thankfully, it agreed. Apparently, it had a positive opinion of her. Danny Channeled mana into his front claws, and with all the mana at his disposal, he began blasting the door with steel claw after steal claw with very little to show for it. That's when Danny noticed a timer where his notifications were blinking. It seemed to be counting down to something. Whatever it was, he had to hurry, because at that moment. Danny heard Francis's voice from the other side, frantically repeating his order for Grisre to subdue the rogue beast. If that was not enough to get the cat worried, what if the count-down was for something that could debilitate him. Instead of going into panic mode, he looked at the door. If Danny could not force his way through, then he would just have to outsmart the door. Whatever he did, time was obviously of the essence.

  Danny looked at the door for any weak points. His focus was mainly on finding rust spots, rotted wood, or weekend hinges. It did not take long. Soon Danny spotted its hinges, and boy, were they rusted. Lucky for him, but not for Francis. He let lose his steel claws on the poorly constructed and maintained hinges slicing them off. The vaulted door's hinges fell to the floor with a loud CLANG, falling on its face with an even louder BANG. Just to see how much time was left, Danny checked the mysterious timer overlapping his blinking notification(s) to see how much time was left. He had 5:00 minutes. Focusing back on the task at hand, he saw Francis huddled in the corner pissing himself, and ordering Grisre to control the stelt and this new beast that took out his steel door. Francis was beside himself at this point, just repeating the same order with histaria and fear at the helm. Grisre kept telling him. “There not listening to me.” “Well of course not.” Danny mused. After all, it was his will backing his bond to his pack, and since no one was controlling Danny right now, it was his will vs Grisre's. She was not ordered to fight that specific battle in that manner, so she wasn't really pushing back that hard. Otherwise, this would not be as easy as it had been.

  Danny charged into the room with mana once again filling his claws, and leapt claws extended onto Francis's face. Each of his claws shown a brilliant metallic silver as they were sheathed by Francis's flesh. He tried to pull Danny off, but he had his claws cinched in nice and deep, and fear had made his adversary very sloppy. He then took his back feet and started rabbit kicking, rending and raking the very flesh from his neck. Francis started to gurgle with warm black blood spraying all over his clothes as well the cat which was eviscerating him. With a final rabbit kick, Danny let lose all of his steel claws. Francis did not die however. Instead, was somehow left debilitated and gurgling, eyes darting between Danny and Grisre as realization dawned his features. He had been betrayed, but by who and how, Francis would never know, because the Shadow Stelt began its slow and deliberate consumption of Francis. Danny leapt off of him, noticing that black blood was everywhere. He did not have time to take it all in however. Grisre, now free of her slave bond, picked Danny up, but it was not in an I want to pet a cat kind of way, but more of a shell-shocked kind of way. Danny began to send comfort through the link, and just let her hold him. Through their link, he could tell it was comforting for her. Then Danny looked back at the count-down and saw that it hit 1:50 minutes. Grisre didn't respond at all to Danny verbally or emotionally. So instead, he kept sending thoughts of comfort. Despite his desire to put off this notification, the universe seemed to demand a decision soon, because the countdown for the evolution notification had forced itself open, drawing him into his inner self. He could no longer sooth her, and as much she needed him, the universe seemed to have other priorities. So? He just took the time that was left and begrudgingly thought about his choices.

  Congratulation! You are evolving. As a divine beast, you may choose from 1 of 3 evolutions. Mana Beast, Shadow beast, or Elemental Beast.

  -Mana Beast-

  You are the mana. As a beast of mana you will gain affinity with all elements. As you grow, and prove yourself, you may even control the very mana itself.

  -Shadow Beast-

  You are the shadows. As a beast of shadows you will gain affinity with all shadow elements. As you grow, and prove yourself, you may even control the very shadows itself.

  -Elemental Beast-

  You are the elements. As a beast of elements you will gain affinity with all elements. As you grow, and prove yourself, you may even control the very elements itself.

  Danny was never good at this sort of thing. One time as a kid, His mom had warned him to be ready for church, or he would be left behind. Of course, his dad was waiting in the family's electric car, and honked the horn obnoxiously, but because of that, Danny forgot something important. He couldn't remember now, because this happened long ago before his life was consumed by the life habitat project, but the main point was, that pressure was no buano.

  Each and every option sounded nice. The problem was there was no way of knowing what the benefits or consequences truly were until much later. So, Danny focused on what he did know. Elemental Beast, like Mana Beast gave him affinity with all elements. That made eliminating shadow easy. You cannot win a war with only one weapon in your arsenal. His inner gamer logic kicked in on the last parts. Becoming master of the elements was some avatar the last air bender jazz, but wielding the elements from what Danny could tell, required mana.

  1:00 minute remaining.

  On mana beast, it said he could be a master of mana. That implied he would be able to control the very essence of magic itself. That was a no brainier in Danny's mind. Why master the elements when mastering mana would allow him to do that anyway? At least that was his thinking.

  00:10 seconds remaining.

  Danny chose Mana Beast.

  Karber and Ross argued about how they were going to sneak in. “You're a colossal mountain of death. I don't care how far away you land; they’re going to see you.” Karber just huffed, and then said the following in a how can you be so stupid kind of way. “There is a difference between caught and seen.” Before Ross could interject The Dragon continued. “They might have seen a giant dragon yes, however there not going to catch us if there looking for the big bad evil dragon.” As if to cement his point he made a few hand gestures and spoke a few words. Ross wanted to scream, then remembered that Karber was a noble knight and had lived in this world far longer than he had. That did not quell his anger though. What did quell his anger was a dragon the size of Karber in Dragon form taking off into the sky flying towards the city. At first Ross thought Karber had left without him, but soon discovered that Karber was still standing there in human form with a smirk on his face. “See?” With the unexpected show of magic over, Ross's anger returned. They made their way towards the city, just not towards the gate. “What was that thing you did?” Ross asked. Karber responded. “Major illusion. Well, actually its several major illusions working together.”

  Coran was like a kicked hornets' nest of activity. Bells were ringing. As the two snuck closer, to the city Ross could see massive ballistae manned by teams of seven. Each one seemed to be loaded with a big black bolt tipped with a wicked glowing barb. While the city's defenders were looking skyward busy with a phantasmal dragon, Karber and Ross silently moved around the city until they found a river that smelled most fowl. Karber looked at Ross with a grin. Ross knew that smell all too well. He had to crawl through enough sewers to know what the dragon had in mind. That still didn't stop him from pleading for mercy, and bargaining on behalf of all noses everywhere. “Look! I'm sorry ok. Surly there has got to be another way.” But the grinning Karber just picked Ross up and said, “Depending on your point of view, this is the easy part.” They dove in.

  Ross was able to get one good lung full of the foul air. As Karber expertly traversed their new hell, Ross was wishing for his human body. Cat ears were just not meant for this. He could feel sewage water filling them, and silently, he also wished for death. That was only the half of it. Ross could feel his lungs burning. It wasn't like he had any training in deep sea diving. Earth’s oceans were toxic, so there was no point. He tried to tell himself not to panic, but it was hard. At that moment Ross heard Karber in his mind. “Just hold on a little longer.” “Easy for you. You're not the size of a house cat.” Ross mentally retorted. Karber admitted that Ross had a point, but no sooner had the dragon finished admitting the flaw in his plan, and they surfaced in a dark stinky tunnel. “See? I knew you could do it?” Karber said as if he had never admitted his plans flaw. Instead of focusing on almost dying in a pipe full of shit. Ross just focused on getting shit water out of his ears, eyes and nose. Once that was done, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. His sight was not perfect, but it was good enough given that there was almost no light. He had to admit his eyesight as a cat was amazing.

  The sewers reminded Ross of the sewer system in the ruins of New York City. Each side had a platform to walk on while the sewage flowed like a river down the middle. Rats were scurrying about their own business looking for food. Ross tried to look for Danny's sent, but the air was too pungent for that. At a loss, he looked to Karber who seemed to be writing in his journal. What was baffling about the whole thing was that despite being submerged, it was completely dry. Ross pushed the thought out of his mind. “So, what are you thinking?” He asked the dragon. “Were in the city's sewers, and my spies tell me beasts are brought down here and are never seen leaving. I'm thinking we search.” As if the universe was listening, a series of screams were heard coming from up the tunnel. The unlikely pair took off running. When they reached the source of the scream they found nothing but a dead end. Then more screaming and this time the wall shook with the snap and crackle of lightning. The screams were cut off. “I guess this is as good of a lead as any.” Ross said. “I think we just might have found the Zoo. I just cannot believe we found it so fast.” Karber said in utter disbelief. Ross just nodded in agreement.

  Karber told Ross to stand back and close his eyes. When the Dragon was satisfied, he took an abnormally deep breath and let out a torrent of dragon fire. It splashed against the stone wall. Each of the wall's stones began to glow a bright white, and then, melted away, leaving a hole big enough for the two to walk through. What they saw next baffled the pair. It looked like a massacre. Human and beast kin alike were scattered all over the place. One body looked like it had been torn in half with its entrails strewn down the corridor like decorations. Karber picked up a liver and took a bite out of it. Ross just threw up and stared at the dragon. “What? I'M hungry.” The dragon protested. “Let’s find Danny. I can smell him.” Ross deadpanned. “Lead the way.” Karber said before taking another bite out of the dead man's liver. Sometimes he forgot Karber was a blood thirsty dragon. Though Ross didn't want to admit it, but it did smell good. If he was being honest, it was just the idea that made it gross. After all, he too was human at some point.

  Ross followed Danny's scent like a blood hound. It led them through to an area full of cages and damaged collars, down a couple of corridors, and finally up some stairs, but not before running into the very creature that made the lightning in an arena. It lashed out at Ross, but Ross was too fast for it. He went into a blood rage, and with his blades of blood turned it into sliced cheese. It didn't really put up much of a fight. When he got to the top of the stairs, he noticed that Karber was nowhere to be found. What he found was a sobbing woman protectively holding an egg the size of a cat, and a mostly eaten corps in a pool of black blood, urine, and excrement.