"I'm scared," Maria admits, her voice fragile with fear.
"Me too," Danny reveals.
"And me," Xander adds.
"What have you done‽" Rob asks Hanna.
Hanna remains silent.
The Five Scarves continue to scramble backwards as the Shade Virus dramatically mutates the forms of the two Grand Masters. Within seconds, the mutations have increased their bulk enough to snap the ropes binding them together. Free from each other, Tsubaki and Kaede drop forwards onto all‑fours, grimacing silently as the pain of the mutations wracks their bodies, both Grand Masters growing taller by the second. The Five Scarves scramble to their feet, turn tail, and run for their lives.
Hanna and Rob dive behind Kaede's car to hide. "I knew giving them the Virus was a bad idea!" Rob exclaims.
"How the fuck was I meant to know it's a different strain‽" Hanna snaps, her eyes wide with fear and panic.
"I should have known better than to let you infect them," Rob laments.
"Shut it already!" Hanna growls.
On the opposite side of the mutating Grand Masters, Maria is cowering behind Xander. "Please tell me this is a nightmare, please tell me this is a nightmare, please tell me this is a nightmare," she repeats endlessly.
"It's a nightmare alright," Danny agrees. "One we're already awake for."
The mutations stop.
Hanna peeks out from behind the car, and gulps heavily at the horrific sight in front of her, visibly shaking with fear.
Where Tsubaki Moto once sat, now stands a hideous beast that towers twenty feet tall, and bears almost no resemblance to the tanuki, except for fur colour. Six powerfully muscular legs support a colossal segmented torso. From the front sprouts a head with six eyes on a long sinewy neck between two arms ending in vicious pincers. From the back, three massive tails, each ten feet long and ending in a vicious stinger.
Behind that monstrosity, where Kaede Himura once sat, is another beast of equally large proportions, sharing only the pika's fur colour. However, unlike the Scorpion that was formerly Tsubaki, the Succubus is a full thirty feet tall, and bipedal: an exaggeratedly curvy torso supported by long, shapely legs that end in cloven hooves, two long arms that end in vicious pincers, two long tentacles oozing slime, oversized breasts, and a twin‑horned head with a face that is both beautiful and horrific at the same time.
Rob peeks out from behind the car. "I…" he begins, unable to comprehend the horror he's seeing. "Are you OK?" he asks Hanna.
"Do I smell OK?" Hanna replies, her voice trembling badly.
The stench of the vixen's involuntary urination reaches Rob's nose a moment later. "I won't tell anyone," he promises, doing his best to breathe only through his mouth.
The Shade Mutants suddenly unleash roars that chill the blood of all Five Scarves. The ground shakes violently to the boom of the Scorpion's bellow, while all are forced to block their ears to withstand the Succubus's hellish screech.
"Make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop!" Maria pleads, curled into a tight ball behind Xander, almost insensible with terror.
"It's OK little one," Xander assures. "We'll stop them."
"Somehow," Danny adds.
The Shade Mutants sprout wings and fly out of the tunnel, swooping low over the Five Scarves as they depart.
"Where are they going?" Hanna asks.
"To lay waste to the city," Rob guesses.
"We have to stop them!" Hanna declares.
"I know," Rob agrees. "But we need a moment to regroup first," he adds.
"Are… Are they gone?" Maria asks, uncurling as Hanna and Rob join her, Danny, and Xander.
"Yes," Danny answers.
"But we must go after them," Rob adds.
"Are you crazy‽" Maria demands, her eyes wide with fear. "Did you see them‽"
"I did," Rob answers. "And if we don't stop them, they'll lay waste to Yamakasai."
"We're not going to be able to stop them without unleashing the full power of the Elemental Crystals," Danny concludes.
"I know," Rob sighs. "I wish there was another choice."
"I'm not doing it," Hanna announces.
"You have to," Rob asserts.
"You know what I'm like off the leash with this thing," Hanna reminds, tapping the Fire Crystal in her belt buckle. "Do you really want that to happen today, after all the shit that's already happened?"
"We don't have a choice," Rob affirms.
Hanna takes a deep breath and unleashes an impressive string of profanity to vent her frustration.
"Feeling better?" Rob asks.
"No," Hanna answers.
"Ready?"
"No."
"Too bad: we either do this now, or not at all."
"Fine."
Rob turns to the others. "I know you all know just how dangerous these Crystals can be, but right now, there are two monsters about to lay waste to Yamakasai that need to be stopped before it's too late. The only way we can realistically do that is to remove the Inhibitor Headbands, and allow the full power of the Elemental Crystals to… to transform us into the Elemental Spirits."
"The who?" Maria asks.
"When Hideyoshi picked us up and brought us here originally, I did some reading while Hanna was napping," Rob explains. "Gotoshan legend tells of five yōkai known as the Elemental Spirits: Silver Usagi, Oak Nekomata, Slate Mujina, Aqua Okami, and finally, Blaze Kitsune."
Hanna's ears prick curiously at the last name. "Are we really getting a lecture on imaginary creatures?"
"Yes," Rob confirms. "Now shush. Where was I? Ah yes. Now, you know I'm not one for spiritual nonsense, but even I will admit this is a massive coincidence, these legends lining up with us five the way they do."
"You can't be serious," Hanna sighs.
Rob clicks his fingers and silences Hanna with a solid steel gag. "Now maybe I can finish," he continues. "The fact that we match by both breed and element cannot be ignored. If I was one to believe in it, I'd go so far as to say this is our destiny."
"Our destiny?" Danny asks, unsure what to think.
"Will the transformation hurt?" Maria asks.
"I… have no idea," Rob admits.
"I'm not sure I want to do it," Maria admits.
"We have to," Rob asserts.
"You first," Maria decides.
Rob looks around his friends, taking in their encouraging expressions. He then turns to Hanna, who glares at him angrily over her steel gag. "OK, I'll go first," he agrees, clicking his fingers to remove the gag.
"I hope it really fucking hurts," Hanna growls.
Rob ignores his wife, and slowly removes the Inhibitor Headband, discarding it to one side. "Stand back," he instructs.
Everyone takes a few steps back from Rob.
"Here we go." Rob closes his eyes and surrenders control, the Metal Crystal beginning to glow brilliantly. Within seconds, Rob is obscured by an intense white light. The glow expands to form a dome twenty feet in diameter, forcing his friends to back away further.
Suddenly, there's a blinding flash of pure white light. When everyone's vision recovers, they are both surprised and impressed to see Rob now has the form of the Silver Usagi, a fifteen‑foot hare with spiky metallic silver fur and a potent yet compassionate visage.
"Wow…" Maria breathes in awe.
"How do you feel?" Danny asks.
"Weird," Silver replies, his voice transformed by a metallic resonance. "But in a good way. It's actually rather pleasant. And it didn't hurt at all."
"Me next!" Maria volunteers excitedly, tearing her Inhibitor Headband off and throwing it away. Surrendering to the Crystal, with an emerald flash she transforms into the Oak Nekomata, a feline of comparable size to the Silver Usagi, with fur of jade striped with chestnut, and a face that hides frightening potency behind adorable beauty. Danny is next to discard his Headband, transforming with a golden flash into the Slate Mujina, a badger constructed from yellow slate and white gravel, white marble eyes lending life to his stony face. Xander follows soon after, transforming with an electric blue flash into the Aqua Okami, his lupine form seemingly entirely water, his colour a shimmering aqua, with friendly eyes set in a fearsome face.
The four Elemental Spirits take a moment to grow accustomed to their new forms.
"This is amazing!" Oak chimes, her voice echoing with a wooden hollowness.
"I'll admit, this is pretty exciting," Slate agrees, his voice transformed into a deep, gravelly boom.
"I've never felt this strong before," Aqua admits, his voice mimicking the crashing of waves. "I like it."
"Don't forget yourselves," Silver cautions. "We're tapping into a level of power far beyond our experience and expertise, and that of everyone on Avalice. It'll be easy to lose control, so be careful. Which brings me to Blaze Kitsune."
"I'm not sure I can do it," Hanna admits.
"We don't have a choice," Silver reminds.
"I know." Hanna closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and removes her Headband. Almost instantly, the Fire Crystal takes over, a dome of pure flame rapidly expanding to a diameter of twenty feet. A second later, the dome detonates, sending a wave of incandescence across her friends. Where Hanna previously stood now stands the terrifying vulpine form of Blaze Kitsune, a three‑tailed fox of pure fire, coal‑black eyes burning with intense anger and righteous judgement.
"Time to burn those beasts," Blaze growls malevolently, her voice that of a vengeful dæmon.