“What the hell is going on?” Sailor says.
“Your guess is as good as ours on this one. I’ve never seen anything like it. Someone must have enchanted that Ballow,” Sunday says.
Although the Ballows are tiny, they aren’t to be underestimated. Even a baby Ballow’s venom can kill. It takes slightly longer, but it’s still fatal. They’re coming at us in a wall, and I drop back to join the semicircle. Aziza, Ya-Ya, and Jinx exchange looks, then as one, they step forward. Aziza throws more fire down the center of the encroaching mass. Ya-Ya throws lightning bolts to the right, and Jinx fires a force field of pain to the left.
Ballows are dying by the masses, but there are so many of them that they’re still advancing. I reach down with my sword and sever one that’s gotten past the others. More are starting to escape and I know it’s only a matter of time until someone gets bitten.
“Mel. The gate. Close it,” I shout.
The gate slams shut. Aziza, Jinx, and Ya-Ya stop their assault and turn to face the rest of us. We quickly go around sticking our blades through the escaped Ballows.
“Now what? There’s no other way through,” Sunday says.
“I know. But we can’t afford to have them swarming all over us. You saw how many of the damn things were in there. Here’s the plan,” I say. “Mel, you’ll open the gate, and Aziza, Jinx, and Ya-Ya, keep doing what you’re doing. Blast your powers in there for a few seconds and then let Mel close the gate again. Let’s try and keep most of them contained as we deal with them.”
Mel moves a bit closer to Aziza.
“The rest of us will have to have eyes all over. Watch the ground, the walls, the ceiling, everywhere. You see a Ballow escaping? Down it,” I say.
“Ready?” Mel asks.
She gets a chorus of yesses and she opens the gate. Instantly Ballows race towards the opening, and Jinx, Aziza, and Ya-Ya open fire on them. They keep firing. My eyes are all over. I spot a Ballow creeping along the ceiling and I crouch down and then jump up, knocking it to the ground with the tip of my sword. Before I’ve landed, Sailor has stabbed it with her dagger.
Sunday has found one on the ground, which he deals with by stamping on its head. I look away as black blood escapes from each side of his shoes. Mel slams the gate closed again and we all take a few minutes to examine the small chamber. Aziza spots one on one of the walls.
“Rye, there’s one,” she says, pointing. “I can’t use fire this close to you guys.”
“On it,” I say, cutting the Ballow in half.
“Ready?” Mel asks again.
Again, she gets a round of yesses and opens the gate.
“Shit. They’re getting bigger,” Ya-Ya shouts as she rains electricity down on them.
She’s right. We have to do this quicker.
“Mel, keep it open a bit longer. Guys, fry the fuckers,” I shout. “What if that wasn’t an enchantment, but a normal thing for a Ballow? If they can all break into hundreds more when they’re a certain size, then we’re screwed.”
Even as I say it, I pray it’s not true, but it’s a definite possibility and we need to get these things gone. Now.
The team is making progress and only a few Ballows are left. They keep coming, but the team of three keeps blasting them away and only two more get through. Sunday and I make short work of them.
“Okay, they’re all dead,” Aziza says. “Just give me a minute to spray fire over the whole passageway, just to be sure. Mel, when the fire starts coming this way, slam the gate shut. It’ll burn out quickly in there once it’s contained.”
Jinx and Ya-Ya step back a bit, and Aziza rains fire into the passageway. Mel watches the flames advancing, giving Aziza as much time as she can. At the last second, Mel slams the gate and we all breathe a sigh of relief.
“Is everyone alright?” I ask.
Everyone nods.
“Yeah, but let’s hope the Soul Gem is somewhere close. Nexus said the potion will last a few hours, but if we keep running into shit like this…” Ya-Ya says.
She trails off but we all know what she means. There’s enough of the potion left for us all to have one more tiny sip, but that won’t buy us a whole lot of time.
“Aziza, how long will it take for that fire to burn itself out?” I ask.
“It should be about out now,” she says.
“Mel,” I say.
Mel opens the gate, slowly this time. The flames have all gone and nothing comes out at us.
“Okay, let’s keep going,” I say. “The passageway is wider here, so we don’t need to move in single file. I want Sailor covered from all angles.”
I walk away before Sailor can argue, stepping through ashes and charred Ballow bodies. The smell in the passageway is horrific. Burned flesh, smoldering dust particles, and something else, a rotten undertone that can only come from the Ballows.
The passageway stretches out in front of me with no end in sight, but at least after a couple of minutes, the terrible smell begins to fade. I keep my sword drawn, ready for an attack, but nothing comes.
A screech goes up from behind me and I spin around. Ya-Ya is screaming, her hand on her leg.
“What’s wrong, Ya-Ya? Got a hole in your pant leg?” Aziza teases her.
“I…” Ya-Ya starts.
She doesn’t get any further before her eyes roll back in her head and she drops to the ground. My stomach rolls over when I see a tiny Ballow slither out of the bottom of her pant leg and move over her shoes. Aziza spots it at the same time as I do.
“Fuck,” she shouts. “Mel, Rye, do something.”
She takes the Ballow out with a swift stomp as Mel and I both run to Ya-Ya. I get down on
