|Metal Nest|

As Ma'al let go of her hand, Valentine looked up at him. The Metal King was a good head taller than she was, which she counted as a good thing. She focused on his eyes, determined to not let her eyes stray any lower than shoulder level. This was not the kind of battle she had been expecting.

'So… Ma'al.' she started. The King neighed his head towards her, looking down with a faint smile on his face. 'This isn't really how I imagined things would be going. I vaguely suspected there would be some more… fighting going on.'

Her own King had finally agreed to send her into the Metal nest with one assignment. Either strike a deal of some sorts with the Metal Heads, or incapacitate the entire structure. Everybody had assumed that even for the first part she would have had to fight in order to show some sort of dominance.
Ma'als eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised at her uttering. Then he looked up at the ceiling as if he didn't want to meet her eyes.

'I apologize, I should have realized that you would want to have a Hunt with me. Sadly enough the mating season of the most worthy preys has just ended. All that is left is some measly prey that would never suit your palate.' He looked down on her again, clearly uncomfortable with this situation. 'I would pray that this does not deter our future comradery.'

Now it was Valentine's turn to be startled. If the King had never intended to fight her, but rather with her, than she had been misinterpreting a lot of things. 'Say, all those things you called me just now… Dark Walker and Song of this World and such. Is there a reason for that?'

He seemed to be startled by the question, another emotion she would never have expected from him. 'I apologize, my fellow King.' He told her. She noted that she could add an inability to see gender was also a part of Ma'al. 'I forgot that you come from a different kind than mine. With a position like ours, of course you would be conferred some titles. Please don't worry, you are just as high in ranking as all the other Kings.'

So that was it. It would seem that her infection with Dark Eco had led the Metal Heads to assume she was some sort of leader, similar to their Hive leaders. So that was the reason she hadn't been gobbled up the moment she set foot in here. If he did indeed consider her to be an equal, then she could take her advantage. Probably.
'I was sent here to establish a truce between your Nest and the city of Spargus.' She told him.

His mouth formed an 'oh', before he motioned for her to walk with him. Meta followed behind them, sniffing up the air as they moved. 'Please tell me more.' He told her.

'Well… you seem to know about me and Meta.' she said, gesturing vaguely to her companion. The further they went inside the nest, the darker it became. Ma'als gemstone gave off a honeyed color in the dark. 'And I suggested to the others that, if it were possible, we could employ more Metal Scouts to help protect our city.'

Valentine was thankful for the darkness, since it meant she could finally lower her eyes below shoulder level and not be embarrassed. Still there was a pause in the King's step before he spoke again. 'You wish us to agree to an alliance with food?'

'They're not food.' Valentine objected. 'They are my species, my Hive if you will. And it had been brought to my attention that perhaps this would be good for your nest as well. If you were to work together with the city, none of your kin would have to be killed anymore.'

Ma'al seemed to consider her words, running a hand across some eggs that were encapsuled against the wall. As his hand stroked over them their green-yellowish light grew brighter, illuminating the corridor they were in now. 'It is true that it would be good for my Nest if they stopped killing my children.' he finally conceded to her. 'But entering an alliance with us does not mean all of my kind will accept this truce.'

Valentine looked at him, not understanding. Ma'al sighed, reminding himself that even though this King shared his powers and position, there was not a shared memory as with the rest of the Kings. 'We rarely fight one another, except over territory or food. But if we were to gain a better position with this alliance, there is a good chance that the other Kings will try to wipe you out even harder. After all, the Dark Makers are on their way again, and many wish to support them.'

'Dark Makers?' Valentine asked. This was a term she was unfamiliar with.

Ma'al continued his walk across the corridor, his hand gently running across the eggs. 'The creators of this world. Many of my kin believe we would be wise to join them, so the world may be re-created according to our wishes. That would mean destroying your other kin.' His golden eyes gleamed as he continued, ill hidden anger sounding through his voice. 'Of course my voice means nothing among the other Kings, since I am the youngest. I wish to simply let this world be as it is, instead of risking our chances with some old Gods who return from the stars.'

Valentine kept quiet as Ma'al explained about his position among the Metal Kings. Apart from size of their Nests, age was also taken into account. Perhaps this would explain the man's more jovial acceptance of her. If compared to the politics of Haven City, he would have been one of those voting for innovation, instead of clinging to old values. As he talked, she learned more about how a Nest functioned, how a Hive was maintained. He promised her that the bond she held with Meta was one she could also have with other Metal Heads, including him.

'Does this mean you will allow some of your scouts to live with us?' she asked him. They had arrived at a bubbling pool of Eco, where some of the Grunts were dragging meat from. They cast a look at Ma'al and Valentine, before retreating.

'Hungry?' Ma'al asked, gesturing towards the meat on the ground. It cracked with Dark Eco, sending shivers through Valentine's spine.
'I'm not hungry, thank you.'

Ma'al folded his arms behind his back in the half-dark of the nest. All around them was the light of Dark Eco and growing eggs. 'It is your intention to pair my children to the children of your other kin?' he asked her. When she nodded he continued with a sigh. 'That is a heavy thing you ask. Not to mention that the Scouts have already hatched, and it will be another year before I am once again able to lay eggs.'

Valentine accidently misplaced her step when she heard that. 'Excuse me?'

'It will be another year before I am able to lay eggs.' He repeated, looking at her as if he didn't understand her problem. 'What are you so surprised about?'

Valentine ran a hand through her hair. 'In my kind it's the female that carries the children.' she told him.

His eyes widened at this news. As he leant closer to her, she arched her back just a little bit. Personal space was something that apparently meant very little to him. 'Are you serious?' he asked her in surprise. She nodded, and a sad look suddenly spread on his face.

'This is most unfortunate. I had been hoping that by my next fertile period I would have been able to ask you as a breeding mate. But if we are both designed to carry eggs it would prove to be a very fruitless endeavor.'

Valentine suddenly found herself choking on air, coughing violently at this remark. This behavior seemed to confound him ever more as he looked down on her in a panic.
'Have I said something wrong?'

She waved a hand up to him, at the same time petting Meta who seemed to believe Valentine was suddenly dying. 'No, no. It's just that I'm not used to men suggesting breeding the first time we speak, that's all.'

'I am sorry if I offended you.' he offered. Like Meta he seemed to be concerned that she was suddenly dying of a serious illness.

'Cultural differences.' She replied, getting back up. Now THAT had caught her by surprise. She suspected she ought to be grateful, if she returned with an engagement to a Metal King she doubted anyone would be able to survive the shock in Spargus.

They had arrived at a field of eggs, glowing bright in the darkness. 'Despite this disappointment…' Ma'al continued, seemingly truly sorry they would not be having any eggs together. '… I assume we could try to get along for the time being. If our alliance should prove fruitful, I promise you the first of my Scouts of next year.'

Valentine looked up in surprise. 'Really?'

Ma'al nodded. 'Times are changing, and only old fools refuse to change along with them. I intend for my Nest to endure the coming time. If this means that I should accept an alliance with this Spargus of yours, I will do so.' He looked down at her, serious. 'I do hope we can become Nestmates, as we are both Kings.'

Valentine let out a nervous titter. Of course the first appealing guy who was actually interested in her would be a Metal King. 'Let's start with being friends first.'

|Spargus|

After all was said and done, things had become hectic. For a few weeks Valentine found herself caught in diplomatic missions to the Metal Nest, getting herself acquainted with King Damos' personal schedule and finding a place of her own. Apart from that, Macie had organized a party for her, to celebrate her becoming a full citizen of Spargus.

Right now she was looking out over the city, seeing nothing but lights lit in windows and voices carried over the streets. She couldn't help but think about the hustle and bustle of Haven City. Spargus was a fine place to live, but in her mind there was no replacement for Haven.

So far there had been no sign of little Mar's body. Every day she was the first to see the list of bodies that had been salvaged from the wreckage, and although they had managed to find most of her Uncle's body, there was no sign of the Kid. She coughed, not for the first time of the day. She hoped she wasn't getting sick. She and Damos had the silent understanding that as long as there was no body, they would keep hoping Mar was still alive.

She coughed again, more violently than the first time. Despite this, she kept her thoughts on Haven City. They had been getting reports, sometimes daily, sometimes with a week in between. No matter when they came, the news was never good. After a first week of peace and hope, it had become clear that a splinter group of the Krimzon Guard refused to step under the command of Ashelin. And if that wasn't bad enough, the surviving Metal Head's that had been under Kor's command were now determined to get into the city on their own.

She had asked Ma'al if he could perhaps take the rampaging Metal Heads under his wings, but the King had given her a decisive no. Metal Heads only ever obeyed their Father, and with Kor gone there was no way of pacifying them. Ma'al doubted if they would even let him be in peace if he were to be in the vicinity.

The thought about what was happening to Haven was threatening to pull her apart. If she had still been in the city… if she had never left… if only Jak had-

'JAK!' The thought awakened It, who had normally been so dormant in these past few weeks. Valentine grabbed her chest, resisting the urge to cough. 'Kill him! Spill his blood and make him pay!' The voice suggested to her. Valentine could say nothing to refuse that notion, it had been exactly what she was planning on doing if she ever laid eyes on him again.

With a grunt she struggled on her feet, grabbing her head with one hand, trying to ease the painful beating of her heart with the other. 'No need to hold back, just attack and rip his eyes out, snap bones!'

She could feel the ripples pulling through her body, as if she was going to transform. It grabbed at the edges of her consciousness, trying to take over her body. 'No…' she mumbled, grabbing back the control. She refused to give over the control of her body. She coughed again, doubling over with the force. Something splat over her feet, dark and sticky. Shakily she wiped her mouth, looking at her hand in the moonlight. Blood glistened on her fingers, making her feel even sicker.

'Blood, need more blood.' The voice whispered inside of her, coiling around her mind. 'If you won't give me blood, I'll destroy you.' It suddenly promised. 'Destroy your body, destroy your mind. Give me what I want, give me blood and gore. Go to Haven and kill everyone. Kill everyone here as well.'

'Like hell I will.' She mumbled. She coughed again, blood splatting on the stones underneath her. 'Meta!' she screamed. If this kept up, she might go unconscious. If that happened, there was no telling what would happen. Maybe It would take over her body. 'Meta, get here!' she yelled again. Tears crept into the corners of her eyes. This wasn't an enemy she could fight. This thing was inside her mind.

Meta arrived, landing on the roof. The gem in her head seemed to tingle with energy. At this moment Valentine couldn't care less. She stumbled towards her friend, hands clasped over her stomach. Swinging a leg over her friend, she told her where to go. 'Go to the monks.'

It wasn't far off at all. Spargus wasn't that big, and the monks inhabited the palace with Damos. Valentine pressed her hand against Meta's gem, allowing herself to see what the Metal Head could see. Ma'al had thought her to hold on to that connection. 'Find Seem.' She told her friend. Flying on the Scout was one thing, but running was extremely clumsy.

She followed, pushing aside flabbergasted monks who couldn't believe she of all people was here. When one of them thought to stop her, she knocked them into the wall. Still, she couldn't allow herself to draw blood. It was in a frenzy, It was trying to stop her from getting help. Sometimes her hands jerked involuntarily, or one of her feet would suddenly attempt to stop her.

She followed Meta's directions. Through the Scout's eyes she could see Meta had Seem pinned in her own room, stopping the monk from coming out. She was grateful for the way her friend had found who was perhaps her only chance at a rescue.

'Seem!' she yelled, stumbling in the room. She couldn't imagine what sight she was now, blood caking around her mouth and on her hands. 'I need your help.' She pleaded. Pain struck through her stomach, almost sending her to her knees.

'Why should I help you?' Seem asked, trying to ignore the growling predator at her feet. 'I have been voting for your death ever since the day you came here.' Well, Seem was nothing if not honest in this matter.

'Because this thing inside of me doesn't have a problem with killing everyone here!' Valentine snapped, before another violent cough almost made her choke in her own blood. 'So if you don't want to get yourself and all of your monks killed right now, you help me!' Valentine couldn't hold on anymore, dropping to her knees. Her long hair trailed to the ground as she started to shake in an effort to stop the violent thrashing of Eco inside of her.

'Help me… please.' Valentine said, ashamed she had to revert to pleading. But there was nothing else to be done. If she had to beg in order to keep It sealed away, she would.

It was quiet for a few more seconds, before finally Seem said something. 'Beast, bring your master to the bed.' Meta at once obeyed, helping Valentine back to her feet. When Valentine was on her back, Seem wasted to time in examining her.

'Your pupils are dilated.' She noted, before gesturing to one of the gaping monks to start prepare a potion. Seem ran a hand across the now black veins across Valentine's throat, before unbuttoning her shirt. 'These are the symptoms of an advanced Eco Poisoning.' The monk finally said.

Valentine stifled a scream. 'Then what is supposed to be done about this?'

'We've never encountered a case as bad as this. You should be dead three times over by now.' Seem said, getting up to rummage through a cabinet.

'Well, I'm not dead yet.' Valentine spat, her patience wearing thin as the pain continued. This was not one of those moments where her otherwise acute mind had the time to analyze things. Her vision started to go blurry, rendering the glittering white rock in Seem's hand to a white orb. 'What's… that?' she choked out.

'Crystallized Light Eco.' Seem answered her curtly. The other monk had seemingly finished preparing the potion. With a pointed look towards Valentine, and a slight hesitation, she finally took what vaguely resembled a file.

Valentine fought to remain conscious. It was already euphoric, certain It would win. Her field of vision narrowed, until the only thing she could see was the shining white liquid in the vial that Seem was raising towards her mouth.

'I hope you will not lead me to regret this… if you survive.'