Imprisoned within the confines of steel, Gwen sighs with disappointment, having thoroughly searched every corner of the room. Suddenly- a flicker catches the corner of her eye.

Gwen "Ah-ha! I've got you now!"

She dashes towards the movement, only to find nothing. It sends shivers down her spine... Gwen decides to lie down and occupy herself by reciting the digits of pi.

Gwen "...2643383279502884197. Okay, it seems my mind is playing tricks on my psyche which shouldn't be possible. There is also a possibility the insect is using some alien cloaking tech or perhaps it is the ability of one of those majors. I feel like... the latter makes for a better scenario."

Abandoning her reliance on sight, Gwen resorts to her sense of smell, detecting a strong odor emanating from a small crack in the wall. Curious, she leans closer and peers into the darkness.

Gwen "There you are! Hold still! This will take a moment."

Suddenly, a burst of neon blue light illuminates the space behind her. Gwen turns around, drawing Izzy from her inventory.

Gwen "Are you prepared, Izzy? There is this uncomfortable feeling like this fight won't last that easily."

[Yep, Master! Izzy Is Ready! Nya!]

As the lights dim, a little silhouette emerges, crowned with verdant hair sculpted into intricate rose formations. Dressed in the typical attire of the Eusocial cultist, this small figure also bears a badge— a cartoon squirrel. Gwen recognizes it as a nostalgic emblem from a banned cereal commercial. The reason why it was banned is a little bit foggy—

?? "Hey, lady! Stop staring at me! That's very creepy!"

Gwen "Sorry, but analyzing one's opponent is essential to every form of battle. I would be a fool to not be doing this."

?? "What? I don't understand, lady. If you keep on looking at me, I will hurt you."

Gwen "Aren't you already supposed to do that?"

M104 "Oh yeah! I forgot... Thank you, lady!"

She unveils her arms, revealing bloated flesh reminiscent of a plump, green caterpillar.

M104 "My arms look awesome, right? Mr. Calsion said so. I'm going to make him super proud!"

Gwen "That name... interesting. Let's see what you can do."

Gwen, composed, raises into the air and grips it.

M104 convulses, retrieving a repulsive object from beneath her cloak— an unsettling translucent roundworm with air bubbles skirting its innards. To Gwen's disgust, the young cultist consumes the grotesque creature with little hesitation.

M104 "Auntie M124 said to eat that weird gummy candy when I fight you. It tastes a bit like blueberry."

Gwen "I'm curious. Kid, how old are you exactly? Why do you fight?"

M104 "I am six. I fight because.... errr.... hmmm... I know! I fight because you are going to hurt my family! You, big meanies, have killed Uncle M113! I hate you! So please lady, you must die."

In an instant, a spherical shield molds around the girl. Composed of glassy hexagons, it seems unbreakable. Gwen surges forward, darting past the girl and causing her to stumble.

M104 "Wah! That was unfair! Lady play dirty!"

Gwen "Strange. That shield passed right through me. Izzy, scan my body for any irregularities."

[... Scan Done! No Problems Detected, Master! Nya!]

M104 "Woah! Cool! A talking computer! I want it! Give me!"

Gwen "Sorry, but Izzy is off-limits. You try making your own after studying 18 years of bio-engineering. That is if your talent in the subject is at least above average."

M104 "I don't like those big words! I don't like studying! I DON'T LIKE SCHOOL!"

M104 punches one of the hexagons facing Gwen.

A duplicate materializes, launching toward Gwen like a missile. She sidesteps and the projectile embeds into the steel wall, carving a precise shape on its surface.

Gwen "Oh, I can escape now. You are very careless you know that."

M104 "Oh no! I can fix it!"

Lightly, she touches the same hexagon and begins pulling it back.

The wall heals itself as if the damage had never occurred. The geometric copy merges back into its original place. Baffled, Gwen instructs Izzy to ready some torpedoes.

Gwen "That power of yours is very interesting. Undoing your actions breaks so many laws of physics that it isn't even funny. I find it very damning."

M104 "Lady, you are boring. Stop saying stuff I don't know. My head hurts!"

This time, She punches two hexagons.

Gwen dodges the incoming projectiles with ease, observing them return halfway across the room as if tied to an invisible string or similar to a boomerang.

Gwen "Interesting so you can control the range of these projectiles. Let's try a little experiment!"

Unleashing her attack, Gwen launches ten torpedoes toward M104. Five aim directly at her front while the rest arc to flank from behind.

M104 "Oh, rocks! Finally, Cranky uncle said that there will be rocks! Oh, I go! Mighty Squirrel special move! Turn to cereal!"

The torpedoes penetrate the hexagonal shield, but as they emerge, their solid forms disintegrate, morphing into swarms of individual hexagons.

Gwen "Izzy. Shield! Now!"

[Got It! Nya!]

As the torpedoes approach, a fortified wall of entwined roots and branches envelopes Gwen.

Boom. They land their marks!

The explosions incinerate a large portion of the plant barrier. Two shards of charred timber embed themselves in Gwen's right arm. She hastily removes them, bandaging her injuries, sinking her supply.

Gwen "Kids shouldn't play with explosives. But I was a bit surprised by that ability. Your target was probably Claire, isn't it?"

Emerging from the splintered remains of the wall, Gwen looks down...

The ground is etched with symmetrical hexagonal patterns, drawn out in a series of zig-zags. The absurd sight elicits a brief chuckle before she lunges forward, landing a firm kick to the child's face.

M104 "Ow! That was cheating! You can't use your feet! My big sister always said so!"

Gwen "Sorry kid but playtime is over!"

M104 tries to escape, but Gwen is quick on her crocks. In retaliation, M104 strikes the hexagons, unleashing them in a hailstorm of random directions.

One finds its mark on Gwen's left shoulder, erasing it from existence.

Luckily, a piece of flesh remains, barely holding her arm together. Izzy erects another wall for cover as Gwen fills the void with a syringe.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

[Master Should Be More Careful Than This, Nya]

Gwen "I know but I wasn't expecting her to carelessly fire them off like that. Then again she is just a child so caution is the right approach to any reckless opponent."

M104 falls to the ground, her tantrum incites a flurry of hexagons, firing and returning sporadically. Gwen ducks...

Gwen "Hold on a minute. That the shield is somewhat spherical and if I just crouch at this distance and the right angle, none of those hexagons wouldn't hit me."

Retreating to a corner, Gwen crawls, watching the flying hexagons whizz by overhead.

[Master. Hiding Forever Isn't The Play. Nya.]

Gwen "I know, Izzy. I need a way to close this distance... maybe from below can work. Izzy, can you pierce through this steel?"

[Easy peasy. Leave This To Izzy! Nya!]

Izzy's branches twirl and contort, forming a spiraling drill that grinds against the metallic surface, producing a shower of sparks... a few narrowly missing her eyes.

Gwen "Please, execute more caution when doing this. Blindness is the last outcome I want from this conflict."

[Oops! Sorry! Nya!]

They bore through, tunneling forward. As Gwen draws closer and closer to her target, the child's echoing sobs resonate against the steel above.

Gwen "That's convenient. Okay when we emerge, deliver a massive kick to her face at full force."

Izzy nods with a smile, her branches coiling around Gwen's right leg.

The remaining branches transmute into another drill, biting into the steel and breaking through.

Like a rocket, Gwen springs upward, landing a mighty kick to the young cultist's head.

The impact sends M104 hurtling across the room, her body creating a crimson smear on the wall upon impact. Half of her face appears mangled from the blow, rendering her unable to speak.

She simply stands and weeps...

Gwen "Is this a trick? Or is she seriously injured?"

[Master. I Think You've Gone A Bit Too far.]

Gwen "She may be a child but she is still our enemy. Being nice won't get us anywhere meaningful. It's time to finish her off."

Drawing nearer, Gwen clasps her hands together and delivers a heavy strike to M104's head.

The sobbing escalates until... it suddenly ceases.

Looking down, Gwen finds the child's eyes devoid of pupils. Furthermore, the repulsive creature she had consumed earlier begins to slither out of her throat... its mouth stretches open.

?? "... for her holiness's cause. Grant me a body that can crush-

Gwen jumps back.

Gwen "Rule number one in doing any job is that it is never easy. Izzy, ready for round two."

The child's body begins to undergo a grotesque mutation. Her skin turns a sickening purple, marred by a patchwork of burgeoning bruises that rapidly make her unrecognizable as a human. Her face morphs into a lattice of hexagonal cavities, expanding into an unnatural hive. As she collapses onto all fours, Gwen watches in interest as the arms deform into legs. A grotesque pyramid of eyes blooms from the creature's back, unleashing the nightmarish screams of children.

Its many eyes lock onto Gwen as a tail erupts from its abdomen.

This whip-like appendage, a crooked chain of three-dimensional hexagons of varying size, sketches a pattern in the air. From her perspective, there is nothing there.

Gwen "Writing on air... That shouldn't be possible unless. No, it... can't be"

Her pupils shrink and she focuses on the letters being written. On an atomic, each atom appears to be more hexagonal than spherical. As the creature carves its last letter...

A faint sob emanates from within the creature itself.

Gwen "There is an entity lodged inside of it. And this word... "Sally". Is that your true name, M104?"

With a horrifying gurgle, the creature flails its tail, etching hexagonal fractures into the steel wall behind it. Floating steel shards form and gravitate toward Sally in clusters.

Gwen "Not good. Izzy, prepare a couple of torpedoes."

Izzy, twisting around Gwen's arm, manifests five torpedoes.

She launches them at the hovering groups of steel. Sensing the incoming threat, the creature's tail swiftly sketches a shield symbol into the air. The steel shards unify, blocking the incoming explosives, yet shattering upon impact. The creature's gaze then drops, focusing intently on the ground beneath.

Gwen "Oh no! Not good! Izzy, Sailfish bill right arm! Gorilla left arm!"

With a burst of energy, Gwen thrusts the bill toward Sally's head.

Sally startles, evading the attack and retreating to a corner. Gwen seizes the moment, striking the floor with such force that it fractures into twelve massive steel pieces. Sally watches, perplexed, as Gwen hastily gathers the fragments and stashes them away.

Gwen "Alright now for the ceiling and the other walls."

As Gwen starts pounding on a wall, realization dawns on Sally. It snarls, leaping onto the ceiling and chiseling it into hexagonal pebbles. Gwen only glances at this for a moment before resuming her demolition of the walls, adding 46 steel pieces to her collection.

However, the final wall is claimed by Sally.

Gwen "Izzy. With what we got... what could we make in this situation?"

[Hmmm... Melee Doesn't Feel Ideal. Izzy Thinks Throwing The Steel Fast Might Work. Nya.]

Gwen "I see... if that's the case then activate Mastery. Throwing."

Root-colored veins spread across Gwen's arms as she retrieves a steel piece. Seeing this, Sally agitates its tail, rallying the steel pebbles into swirling clouds that slowly drift toward Gwen.

Gwen "Izzy, you know what an atlatl is, right? Make it so that its form changes to suit each steel piece I throw at it?"

[Izzy Got it! Nya!]

Izzy constructs a strange yet primitive device that the steel piece easily fits into.

With a swift pull of the atlatl, the steel fragment is launched at a speed so intense that it shatters the sound barrier. It is so fast that the piece's atomic structure crumbles, fracturing the steel into small serrated shards.

They strike Sally, who barely flinches. The moving clouds converge and corner Gwen.

Gwen "I cursed this claustrophobic sight!"

She guards by crossing her arms, but her limbs are ravaged in the process, revealing the stark white of bone. With Izzy's assistance, she injects her final syringe into her arms, although her leg remains broken. She tries her hardest to move but it won't budge.

Sally inches closer, its tail scraping against the dirt floor.

For the first time in her life, panic takes hold of Gwen, and she begins hurling steel pieces in desperation. Yet, the beast continues its advance, indifferent to the steel spines that now decorate its body.

Gwen "Stay a distance away from me! You green monstrosity!"

Sally comes to a halt, the sobbing voice within growing even more intense.

Retreating, it leaves an opening for Gwen, who fires her remaining pieces. With each throw, her stamina slowly diminishes. In the end, it renders her throws feeble, akin to a symbolic stoning.

Gwen "This is the last one! Take this and stay away!"

A piece of steel hits the creature, but it barely leaves a scratch. Sally peers at its own reflection in the steel piece, producing tears to spring from the creature's back as it curls into itself.

Its tail arches forward, carving into its main body.

From the exposed entrails, a figure emerges— a small girl clutching a cereal box adorned with a squirrel mascot and multicolored hexagonal cereal. Gwen's attention turns to the child, her skin a flashy red and she's out of breath.

Gwen "Is she dangerous? Should I kill-

[No, Master. Izzy Can Tell. She Doesn't Want To Fight. Nya.]

Gwen "Fine. Let's observe how will play out."

?? "Hey, miss. I don't have much time but would you like to hear my story."

The desperation in her eyes softens Gwen's resolve. She beckons the girl closer. Obediently, the girl approaches, nestling her head in Gwen's lap.

Gwen "Making yourself comfortable I see."

?? "My name is Sally. Sally Monday. You remind me of my big sister. I miss my big sister."

Tears streak her cheeks, wiped away by Gwen. Within her, a bud of sympathy blossoms for this child, her former adversary.

Gwen "There must be a full story behind your reason for joining them, right? I'll let you my ears. Tell me your worries and regrets."

Sally "Thank you... A long time ago..."

There was an orphanage in the country of Wales where seven children live in almost perfect harmony. They live under the watchful of big sister Maranda. One of these children was Sally Monday who gets along well despite her green roses-shaped hair. One of the children didn't like her for said figures and constantly parades her. Calling her a green freak.

At times that were dark as these, there was only one thing that comforts her and that was her childhood cereal hero mascot. A squirrel that valued that everyone should be equal and that way things will be right. His catchphrase is "Eye for an Eye". One day, she found something in a cereal box. It was a rare special prize that the squirrel used against bad people in a cartoon.

On that very day, the young girl found herself tied up after waking up from a nap. Sally was in the cathedral section of the orphanage. The place had a red glow that day and there was a group of young boys surrounding her. They yell and insulted Sally to no end until her mind couldn't take anymore. She started to struggle until something catches her eye.

A group of older men and big sister Maranda. They appeared to be arguing but she wasn't sure. The only thing Sally knew was that Maranda was begging the men to stop before screaming for help. After that, a couple more screams followed. Each, Sally recognized as her friend.

The group of young boys laughed as Sally cries through the night. When they are tired of her cries, the boys throw stones at her, most of which break her face until she couldn't smell, hear or even see. Sally managed to grab the squirrel's prize from her pocket and threw it... The entire orphanage was engulfed in flames. However, Sally survived and sits motionless on the sideway across the burned ruins.

One day a group of robed men gave her a hand and said they could give her a new family.

Gwen "Gosh... you poor girl. It's hard to think that you managed to fight me despite having all that trauma."

Sally "No, all of us majors don't remember the life we had before becoming one. It is only when I was in my transformation that these memories are coming back to me. They are getting clearer and clearer by the minute. I'm beginning to notice things... important things."

Gwen "What details? Please indulge me."

Sally "Those men that were with big sister Maranda. They were Eusocial cultists. The Squirrel had an attire that I now realize is the same as the one I'm wearing. And... that bomb... is a standard issue fire explosive that we, Majors, used on large raids. Ha... I've been completely tricked. I can't move on like this. Please kill me, big sister."

Gwen "A painless death suits you best. Izzy... do it."

Izzy injects a toxin into the girl's arm. With a quiet smile, she breathes her last...

Together, Gwen and Izzy excavate a grave, tenderly placing the girl's body into the earth.

Gwen "I can't believe those cultists are using tragedies to cultivate new Majors. It's sickening but that's the world we live in. Come on, Izzy. Let's find a way to the others."

(To be continued)