CHAPTER 7

(Okay, I was wrong, someone gets captured in THIS chapter.

As you can see I got in the mood and decided to write more despite not having 20 reviews yet. 20 reviews, people! That'll bring the next chapter around. You see the reason why I do this is because what's the point in continuing a story when no one wants to read it:/ Well, here we go.)

The four stared into the dark abyss before them. The tunnel was wide and tall, stones were scattered about the floor around them, as if the rocks had shattered from an impact within.

Green gazed upon the group with his silver eyes. His scales looked glossy and pale, his entire body was black save for a large spot of green between his two bright eyes. A large axe grew out of his tail, it was sharpened and keen. Green turned to the tunnel and lifted his head to sniff the air, then breathed, "follow."

He dived into the entryway, and began his journey. Shad was the first to follow him, though Ashei and Rusl were skeptical of Green. They followed slowly, careful not to make a sound as they walked on the hard rock floors. The tunnel felt unnaturally warm, being so close to fire, and Shad assumed it was chosen for the Lizalfos's nest because of their cold blooded skin- they couldn't generate body heat so they had to stay somewhere warm.

The tunnel was dark, and hard to see in, so the three had to stay uncomfortably close to Green. The large creature moved his head left and right, his pupil dialating and shrinking, as if to observe things better in certain areas, yet there was no source of light anywhere. This confused Shad.

Green turned sharply to the left, and the three followed him. They could see a hazy red light ahead- and Shad knew it was a magma chamber.

Soon, the tunnel became wider, so the three could stop walking single file. Ashei and Rusl, Shad decided, were at his sides, but he wasn't completely sure. As they walked, he suddenly heard something bark an order from behind him. He froze.

He felt cold breath on his back.

"You there!"

Green turned around. "Yes, Captain?"

Shad looked over his shoulder but was too afraid to move. He could see right next to him, a large winged Lizalfos, with light armor and a toothy snarl.

"Where do you think you're going? The Queen must not be disturbed during her laying time! If those eggs break we lose countless soldiers!"

Green gritted his teeth. "Sorry, Captain."

"You get back here and go back to your post! Those Gorons could attack again at any minute!"

Green walked slowly, as if he was afraid to hit one of his 'invisible' companions. The three slowly seperated, creating a walkway for Green. Fear clenched Shad's heart as he realized what had happened- they had lost their guide!

Green and the Captain disappeared into the tunnels.

"What do we do now?" Shad whispered to himself.

"I don't know," Rusl responded slowly. "I guess we have to find the Queen on our own. It can't be far. We'll try to stick together."

They stopped talking as the sound of two other Lizalfos walking near them was evident. Shad froze. They looked weak, much smaller then the average Lizalfos Hyrule used to know. They were carrying two eggs, probably taking them to some sort of nursury. One of them came dangerously close to Shad, and he stopped breathing. It walked by without noticing him.

"Where were they coming from?" He asked when he was sure they had left.

"This way!" Ashei breathed harshly. "If you guys can hear me, that is. Follow me!"

They began walking quickly towards the red glowing light. Soon, they had entered a gigantic chamber. On the floor was a large pit of lava. To their left was an entryway, and to their right was another tunnel.

Ashei turned to the left, and her companions followed reluctantly. The tunnel was very narrow, which frightened Shad- what if a Lizalfos was coming their way? They would have no way of getting out of his way.

Their luck held as they walked, and soon, they had broken out of the tunnel, and entered another large chamber. In the middle of the room, was the Queen.

Their breath escaped them.

She was huge, about the size of an elephant. Her belly was bloated. She lay on her side, her eyes closed. Shad wondered if she was sentient, but as he was thinking about how Junior was going to transport her, he noticed two other beings in the room.

Two winged Lizalfos, three times the size of a man, stood guarding her with keen eyes and long swords. They turned and looked at the entryway, and Shad broke into a sweat. He thought they were looking at him, but when he strained his ears, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He and his companions quickly scurried away from the entrance, just in time. Something approached- a creature that looked like both a Lizalfos and a dog, entered the room on four legs.

"Skarl is here." One of the large winged Lizalfos said.

The Queen's eyes snapped open. They blazed with three colors- emerald, red, and bronze. She snorted a breath of smoke, then leaned her gargantuan body upwards.

"I have news," the dog-Lizalfos growled, "to the Queen."

"We are ready to translate." Replied a winged Lizalfos.

"In the Hatcing Quarters... we have made another discovery, my Queen." As he spoke, the two Lizalfos near the queen clicked and groaned, speaking a strange foreign language.

"We have found out about the merging process. As you may know, we have been currently using a method known as Transfusion to make your children stronger. By taking the blood of a Hylian, and adding it to one of your Younglings, he will become larger, stornger, and smarter, with the ability to speak Hylian tongue."

Shad's eyes grew wide behind his glasses. He tried to stifle a gasp of shock. THIS was how the Lizalfos were mutating!? They were extracting the blood from Hylians and merging it with a Lizalfos!?

"We have found that we can actually do the opposite... by taking our blood and entering it into a Hylian, or other sentient life. This will make their kind obey our every command as a Hiveling."

The Queen suddenly bellowed, as if she was laughing. She clicked her tongue, and her guard responded.

"She is happy to hear this. She wants you to start doing this instead of killing our prisoners."

The dog-Lizalfos bowed. "Let me know when you get more eggs! Our researches will be excited to test our new methods... and..."

Suddenly, he turned his head and looked strait at Shad. He sniffed, a look of confusion in his burning eyes. He took a step forth, still sniffing.

Shad clenched his teeth and took a step backwards.

The dog-Lizalfos howled, a horrifying sound that echoed through the chamber. He then ran forward and jumped into the air, headed strait for Shad and his companions. The creature struck Ashei, and her camouflage failed.

"INTRUDER!"

"Ashei!" Shad wrenched his dagger from his belt, and Rusl did the same with his sword. Both of their camouflages failed.

Junior dived out of Shad's pocket with surprising speed.

"Get the Queen, Junior!!!" Shad screamed, then turned and faced the two guards that had appeared near them with tremendous speed. The Queen roared, the chamber shaking.

Shad ran to Ashei and helped her ward off the dog-Lizalfos. It growled, frothing at the mouth like an insane animal. Rusl leapt into action, fighting off one of the winged creatures with his longsword.

Soon, the chamber had filled with the five warrior Lizalfos that the Gorons did not succeed in defeating- and Green.

"There are too many of them!"

Junior hovered back to Shad, then said, "I can't do it! I can't teleport the Queen! She'll eat me!"

Shad then remembered the other potion that Renado gave him.

"We have to make her eat the sleep potion, but Junior's too light to carry it!" He yelled, then was struck to the ground while he was distracted.

"I'll do it!" Ashei yelled, running over to Shad. "Give me the potion! I'm the fastest here!"

Shad didn't find time to argue, and he threw her the vial of precious liquid. Ashei then broke off in a dead run towards the Queen, with grim determination.

Everyone rushed after her, trying to bring her down. Shad and Rusl followed, trying to take down as many as they could before they reached her.

Ashei then jumped into the air and took a small dagger from her belt. She dug it into the flesh of the Queen, and began climbing the roaring, bucking beast. All of the Lizalfos were attacking her with insane force. Her armor began to tear, Shad noticed, and blood poured from open wounds.

"ASHEI!" He screamed, then ran into the midst of combat with Rusl. His fear was now replaced with sheer anger, sheer will to save his friend. He dived into action, thrusting his dagger every which way.

He looked up and saw that Ashey was now on the Queen's head. She took the cork of the potion with her teeth, then threw the vial into the queen's mouth like a grenade. Suddenly, the Queen lowered her head, and released a deep exhale that sounded like a hush. She was asleep.

Everyone was now focused on Junior, who who was hovering quickly around the Queen. The young creature knew that this was the moment that his friends were counting on him with- and he would not fail.

"He's got the Queen! We have to get out of here!" Rusl yelled, then was struck across the cheek by one of the creatures. A bleeding gash appeared on his face.

"Ashei!" Shad saw that his friend had fallen to the ground. Nothing else mattered to him now- all he could hear was his heartbeat.

Ashei lifted her head, but she was then blotted out by the mass of Lizalfos who were surrounding her. Instead of killing her, they tied her in chains.

"NO!" Shad screamed, trying to run to her, but he felt something cold and scaly grab his arm, and he felt himself being dragged away.

The Queen had disappeared, but Ashei remained.

"LET ME GO!" Shad didn't know who was dragging him, but he was struggling to break free. His captor tightened his grip. He saw Rusl running next to him, fear and anger in his eyes.

"We need to go back!" Shad yelled. He noticed that it was Green who was dragging him away. "Let go of me, Green!"

"No, Shad!" Rusl spoke for the Lizalfos. "You'll die!" Shad too his dagger and put a small, shallow gash in Green's hand, causing him to yelp and let go of him. Shad broke off in a run back to the chamber.

"You idiot! Get back here!" Rusl screamed. Green rolled his eyes and charged after him.

The hostile Lizalfos surrounded him like buzzards to a corpse. Rusl had never seen the boy fight with such fury and anger. He actually killed two of them before he was struck down by a blow to his chest, as Rusl feared. Green charged into the room, and took the fallen Hylian into his arms. The Lizalfos followed in hot pursuit as Green rushed away, with Rusl following close behind. Shad was unconscious, a gaping injury cut into his chest. Rusl wasn't sure how bad it was, for the blood which now stained the poor boy's clothes was too deep to see while they ran.

Green and Rusl were faster then the group of Lizalfos following, due to the corridors being limited to single file, and the group of Lizalfos were stuck in the tunnel.

When they burst outside, breathing hard, they found Gor Naaro standing at the entryway with two other Gorons. Both were still injured, but Rusl was glad to see them on their feet. The dead Gorons who were previously in the room were gone, probably buried by the remaining Gorons.

"Don't worry. Green here is a friend." Rusl pointed to Green, who was still carrying poor Shad.

The three Gorons nodded in afirmation and began rolling boulders over the entrance to block it off. "It won't hold them back for long." Said a Goron. "Gor Naaro will help you get back down to the city."

He then noticed Shad injured, and Ashei gone. "What happened!? Where is your companion?"

"She was captured." Rusl said, devestated. "We cannot rescue her now. We have to get Shad to Renado."

The boulders which the Gorons were barricading suddenly shifted, a loud bang echoing through the chamber.

"They're trying to break through! We'll hold them back as long as we can!"

"What about... Ashei..." Shad coughed. Green looked down at him, and saw that his eyes were open again, his face contorted in a grimace of pain.

"I will find her. You must find medical assistance." Green told him. "I realize now how much that woman means to you. You love her, don't you? Love is something we Lizalfos do not know. Our Queen, our only female, has just one mate. And now, you have brought her away. Where is she now?"

"Junior brought her back to your homeworld, where you can rebuild a peaceful life there." Rusl explained. "I appreciate what you've done, Green. Do you really think you can free Ashei from your remaining tribe?"

"Anyone born of the Queen will soon lose their sense of order. They will become mere animals... including me. Your friend, I do not know. I believe they will soon use their new method of controlling with her, and turn her into one of us, but without our Queen, they will not know what to do. She may yet have a chance. Then again..." Green hesitated. "There is one of us who knows where another nest is. He may actually take her there before he loses his sense of control.""Wait a minute. This means you will lose your intelligence? But you no longer follow your queen, Green! And you say that if they cause Ashei to join this other nest, she will become one of them!? We have to stop them!"

"There are too few of us now," Green said, "We must help your friend and find reinforcements."