Instead of responding right away Joseph went silent and looked to Mirin. When he didn't say anything he had to speak up. “Mirin what is a bad injury for one of the sisters.”

“Extensive blood loss, damage to the joints or to the spinal cord, structural integrity of internal organs being compromised are all very serious injuries. Even to our sisters regardless of what they say.”

A sigh escaped Sora as she shook her head. “Mirin's just listing the things that take the longest to heal if you survive them.”

“You mean you don't heal from blood loss very well?”

“Well it isn't regular blood loss that's the problem. It's extensive blood loss that can be a serious issue.”

Before Joseph could say anything else a loud impact drew his attention back to the fight. Apparently Austella had went to strike Risara only to end up striking the arena floor. The gaping opening that her foot tore in the ground sending large chunks of rock about the area. There was something strange though. The impact had seemed extended somehow.

Risara knew that she had a problem. If the fight was allowed to draw out she would have the advantage due to Austella bleeding. However, at the moment she was at a disadvantage as she evaded Austella's attack. With only one arm really in fighting form she couldn't defend or attack properly so she was being forced to rely entirely on evasion. Fortunately Austella hadn't injured one of her legs as well or she knew she'd be in trouble. Unfortunately Austella seemed to have realized this and was now focusing on attacking only making evading all the attacks very difficult.

The pain in her shoulders had died down so that Austella was able to move. As Risara avoided her fist though it was hard to keep her composure. If she was permitted to she would have loved to bind her wounds but unfortunately that wouldn't be happening. A slight rush of pleasure shot throughout her body though as she felt her foot just nick Risara's wounded arm so that a slight gasp of pain escaped her.

Just trying to dodge wasn't going to work. There was no way that she could rely on her evasion alone and avoid all of Austella's attacks and Risara knew that. It was however punctuated by the glancing blow she'd taken only moments later. So that as she came back down Risara lashed out at Austella meaning to drive her foot into Austella's stomach and hopefully force her back. The feeling of Austella's arm knocking her leg aside filled her with dread though there wasn't time to think about it as she was sent slamming into the seats behind her.

The sound of the impact made Joseph jump and for a moment he worried for the sisters that had been setting there. Before he could say anything though he noticed several sisters standing in a suddenly far more densely packed area. Then when the dust settled he found the area was clear except for a decimated section of seats and Risara who seemed a bit worse for the ordeal. His concern grew all the more intense though as Austella suddenly appeared above Risara and began to drive her fist down into her.

It was impossible to stop all of Austella's blows with only one good arm. So that as Risara found herself being driven into the stone seating she realized there was only one choice. Instead of trying to stop the punches Risara counter attacked and thrust both her legs at Austella. The feeling of them impacting Austella was a relief however it wasn't nearly as solid as Risara would have liked. The numerous blows that Austella had delivered moments earlier had taken a lot of the wind out of her yet she knew she had little time to recover.

She had done it. Austella had a large grin on her face as she recovered from the kick. She'd managed to deliver a series of powerful blows and inflict some real harm on Risara. Even with the injuries from Risara's fangs and claws Austella felt confident she'd won this match. She was thus very surprised whenever she just barely caught a glimpse before a foot was sent slamming into her face and sending her skidding across the ground.

Risara took in several deep breaths as she managed to deliver the blow. For whatever reason Austella had let her guard down and allowed her to deliver a real hit. Before she could continue the attack though Risara felt her legs shake and she nearly collapsed to the ground. It'd taken a supreme act of willpower to get her body up and moving like that even for an instant. Now she was paying for the move though as she took in several deep breaths finding herself even more exhausting then she'd been moments earlier. Unfortunately she still had to move as she leaped into the air to avoid being struck by Austella who'd already recovered from the kick.

The sound of stone being shattered resounded throughout the area as Austella yanked her fist free from the ground. She had noticed how weak Risara's jump had been and she was going to take advantage of it. Before Risara had reached the ground Austella was on her and quickly drove her leg into her once again sending her slamming into the seating. Instead of pressing the attack though a sharp gasp escaped Austella and for a moment she held her ground as she tried to catch her breath. The kick Risara had delivered had been a good one and Austella could already tell her eye was swelling shut.

There was no quick retaliation from Risara as she took in several deep breathes. Her entire body was beginning to hurt her and in truth she felt confident she'd received a few fractures or perhaps even broken bones. Her arm was proving to be a greater factor then she'd believed it would be.

As Sora watched the fight she placed the tip of her tail against Mirin's back the moment she noticed him beginning to twitch. “They can continue after all that and you know it. This fight is suppose to go on until one of them can't fight any longer.”

“Sora they've both suffered significant injuries. Whatever their dispute was over I doubt that either of them feels that it's worth this.”

“Mirin you're being too nice to them. You know those wounds aren't as serious to us as they would be for a human”

“Sora they're both crippled in this fight.”

“Yes but in a serious fight that doesn't mean you stop. They're both capable of continuing.”

A low groan escaped Mirin as he shook his head. He would have liked to call the fight off now but with Sora there he couldn't. Their ranks were roughly equivalent in many respects and they were friends. Complicating the situation was the fact that this was the sisters punishing another sister. He didn't really have the authority to step in and say stop if Sora wasn't going to allow him. “Alright, but if things get much worse I'm going to speak up.”

Austella gave a sigh as she noted Risara finally standing up. From the looks of her she wasn't anywhere near full strength but at least they'd both caught their breath. Unfortunately for Austella this meant she was going to have to move. Given Risara's condition she knew that she wouldn't come to her. Unfortunately Austella didn't feel she had the energy leap to where Risara was but instead began to quickly sprint across the arena floor. Though it was greatly slowed by her fatigue.

Instead of waiting for Austella to get there Risara quickly began to sprint across the arena floor but instead of running towards the inside she found herself running to the outside. She then began to run along the edge of the ring trying to keep as much distance between herself and Austella as she could. Neither of them were truly being hindered by their pain for the moment as their bodies naturally restricted the level of pain that reached her minds. As Austella drew closer though Risara regretted that she couldn't just wait in the stands or even run out of them.

It wasn't surprising to Austella that Risara was avoiding combat. As she chased after her though Austella snatched up a bit of broken stone and quickly tossed it towards Risara's legs. She heard the stone hit and saw Risara's stubble as the stone shattered against her leg. It gave Austella all the time she needed to close the gap and slam into Risara's back. Instead or risking her breaking away though Austella quickly took hold of Risara with one arm and began to lay into the back of Risara's head even before they'd reached the ground.

Pain shot throughout Risara's body as Austella took hold her. For a moment she moved to twist away but it was too late. Austella landed on top of her and began to rain down punch after punch into the back of her head. Even as the pain surged through her body Risara tried to push off the ground even trying to use her damaged arm. However, the limb wouldn't work and without both arms she couldn't get the leverage she needed to change her position.

Joseph could hear the sound of Risara's head being driven into the ground. It soon began to sicken him and he was forced to advert his eyes. As he did so though he found himself looking at Maria who was still watching the fight. “Maria how long is this going to go on?”

“Until Risara passes out if she can't figure out a way to break away.”

“What? Why until then it's clear she lost.”

“So there won't be any taking it easy on one another. It's a shame if Risara had been thinking she'd known not to turn her back to Austella like that. However, she was so focused on running away that she didn't expect Austella to use a projectile.”

Mirin was getting fidgety now. It was clear Austella had won and Risara was probably unable to fight any further at this point. There was also the fact that Austella was losing a lot of blood. The injuries Risara had given her were quite deep and all the exertion and led to her bleeding even more quickly. “Sora if you don't let me say something now then I'm going to step beyond my bounds and ask that this be brought to an end now.”

“There is no need for that Mirin.”

“What do you mean?” Before Mirin could receive an answer he looked back down towards the arena and found Alexa standing in it. Several other sisters had joined her and were now picking up Risara from the ground while some others had already began to clean and tend to Austella's injuries to stop the bleeding.

As Alexa held Austella's hand she looked down into her eyes. “Well is it resolved?”

For a moment Austella said nothing as she looked up at Alexa. Her entire body was aching and with her adrenalin fading what had been a duel burning pain was quickly growing to an inferno. The pain easily surpassed what her hunger regularly caused to the point that she was fighting back tears. “I'm finished. I won't squabble with Risara any longer. Is she going to be alright? I know I was going hard on her but I just didn't want her to get up. I'm feeling dizzy.”

In response Alexa gave a nod and looked at Austella's blood soaked fur. “You lost quite a bit of blood. It isn't life threatening but you're going to be weak for a little while. Risara is fine can't you hear her heart beating?”

“I um.” For a moment Austella said nothing and put her free hand on her forehead. “I really don't feel well.”

While Alexa listened to Austella she wasn't surprised by her behavior. Given what she'd just been through she had no doubt that neither sister would be feeling well for some time. “So is this the fight you really wanted?”

“No. We didn't want to hurt one another or I didn't want to hurt her at first. It's just that. I was being stubborn.”

A sigh escaped Alexa as she shook her head. “Yeah if it had been enough to be worth fighting over you two would have come to blows before this. Next time perhaps I should just confine you to your homes with no food for a day.”

In response to Alexa's comment Austella's eyes went very wide. “Please don't.”

“You mean you would prefer this over a day without food.”

“I. I don't know for certain. I believe that I may though.”

“Alright. Alright. Next time perhaps you two can resolve your differences before it comes to this. Do you want to tell me what happened between the two of you?”

“No thank you Alexa.”

“That's your choice.”

Joseph had been becoming quite alarmed each time he heard Austella's fist impact with the back of Risara's head. As things went silent though he turned to Maria. “So that's it?”

“Yeah that's the end of it.”

“So there is no winner?”

“You don't win when you're being punished.” A grin had appeared on Maria's face as she stood up and took a moment to look around. “The damage really isn't as bad as I thought it would be.”

Mirin gave a sigh as he stood up. “Well I'll see everyone around. I have things to do. Mina I'm going to go and look into finding an opponent to spar with you. I'll let you know as soon as I find one. Do you believe you'll be alright until then?”

In response Mina gave a sigh and a nod as she stood up. “Yeah, that was actually quite good for me though I feel somewhat guilty.”

A grin formed on Mirin's face. “You mean you believe the fight should have been called off sooner to?”

“Um no.” A slight chuckle escaped Mina as she turned to face Mirin. “I feel guilty that I benefited from the pain of my sisters. I believe those two needed that match.”

“I see.” For a moment Mirin considered mentioning the fact that Alexa had spoken to Mina before the fight about the punishment and possible implications. He chose not to bring it up given the situation though. “Sora do you know of any sisters that would like to spar Mina?”

“Me.” A slight giggle escaped Sora as she stuck her tongue out at Mirin for a moment.

Despite the situation Mirin was made to grin. “No. I don't quite think so.”

“Ah! Why not?”

“Well I can't stop you if you really want to spar with her. However, I don't believe you're the best choice.”

“Fine. I'll go speak with the others.”

Before saying anything Dan reached out and took hold of Mina's massive hand. As he did so he felt her tail wrap around him protectively. “So you're really feeling better now?”

“Indeed.”

“I'm glad to hear that. Let's get home now and I'll fix dinner for the two of us.”

“Nothing spicy tonight.”

***********************************************************************************

Mirin felt more then a little awkward as Sora placed him on the ground. While he was used to looking up to his sisters this was something entirely different. More then a dozen matrons currently surrounded him of various sizes and abilities. All of them seemed intently focused on him. “I swear it feels like I'm planning a war with so many of you here.”

Minerva couldn't help but chuckle as she noticed Mirin's body language. He actually seemed nervous around them which was quite strange. “Mirin what's wrong? You seem paranoid.”

“Well they're a great many things that I want to speak to you all about. The life bloom is one of them but the first is a bit more urgent. I need one of you to volunteer to spar with Mina.”

Immediately every matron in the area seemed to perk up as if understanding why Mirin was a bit nervous. Rora was the first to speak up though. “Mina? As in Dan's Mina?”

“Yes, she seems to have been having trouble lately as we believe she needs an opponent she can truly fight against. If there was a notable dragon in the forest I would ask her to go kill it but as that isn't the situation I need one of you to volunteer to spar with her. I have to warn you though. From the way her body was behaving I believe she's out to prove something.”

Sora was actually a bit surprised whenever she heard Mirin say this. “You noticed it as well Mirin?”

“I believe so. It's rather strange to see that kind of behavior from Mina though. She's always been so comfortable with her strength that she didn't need to prove her abilities. At least she never seemed to think that way to me.”

Sora gave a quick nod. “I agree something must have changed recently. Anyway, Mirin isn't going to let me be the one to fight Mina so which one of you wants to do it?”

For a moment no one responded then Minerva spoke up. “The ideal of fighting a keeper seems really strange. Normally we'd have to more play with one of them then fight them as if they were a newborn. Mina is a different case though. I wouldn't mind fighting with her to see what happens whenever she really cuts lose.”

“Actually, I think I'd be happy to go a round or two with her as well. I'm worried that I could hurt her feelings though. After all she's so proud of those muscles of hers I don't know how she'd taken it once she saw they were nothing to a matron. Of course I did always enjoy playing with dolls when I was younger.”

A slight chuckle escaped Rora as she looked to the sister that'd just spoke. “Well don't you sound confident. I really believe you should be the one to face off against Mina.”

“Huh? Didn't I just say I didn't want to shame her?”

Before Rora could respond Minerva spoke up. “Okay Lanora do you have any ideal how arrogant you sound?”

“All I did was say the truth.”

It was impossible for Minerva not to grin as she looked at Lanora. “You know I agree with Rora you really should be the one to face off against Mina.”

Mirin could hardly believe what Lanora had said about Mina. It was widely known amongst the sisters that Mina had one of the most powerful mutations that had ever been seen. Indeed Mirin could have placed it on par with Sora's ability to become invisible whenever she wanted to. The difference being an opponent you could never see coming and one that you couldn't stop coming. However, he wasn't so certain that Lanora should be the one to face Mina. “Rora, Minerva why do the two of you say that?”

While both of them had been asked Rora was the first to speak up. “Well to be honest I think that Mina could teach Lanora here some respect. Serious Lanora referring to any of our sisters as dolls even in comparison just isn't appropriate. I actually want to bust you in the jaw for saying that and I believe that Fera would have.”

“All I said was the truth.”

Minerva gave her head a slight shake as she listened to Lenora. “I agree with Rora on this one that comment was entirely uncalled for. Saying they're like a newborn to us is plenty fair. After all while weaker a newborn is something to be held carefully and protected. That doll comment though that's just asking for a smack.”

“You to Minerva? Fine fine. Maybe doll wasn't the right word. I didn't mean to say she didn't have anymore value then a doll.”

Instead of speaking Sora extended her tail a bit and gave Mirin a gentle nudge wanting him to step in. While she didn't approve of the comparison Lanora had made she felt a brother needed to speak up. Fortunately he seemed to realize what she wanted him to do.

“I see. Well then Lanora you do have quite a nice healing ability so even if you were injured it wouldn't take long for you to recover. However, I would like it if one more of you showed up to help up with Mina. Sora I'm including you in this by the way.”

“That's fine but why do you want another?”

“Encase things begin to get out of hand and someone has to be retrained.”

“Ah I see. Alright I'll come.”

Before anyone else could respond Minerva chose to speak up. “Me to.”

A chuckle escaped Rora as she looked at Mirin. “I want to come as well. Like I said I'm interested in seeing what Mina can really do. The last time I saw her really use her strength was whenever she'd first woken up. Do you remember what happened?”

In response Minerva gave a quick nod. “Yeah a lot of us had gathered to see if she'd managed to develop a mutation. I remember one of the keepers was trying to help her up and Mina grabbed hold of her arm. She didn't know what type of mutation she had developed though or even if she had so she squeezed like she normally would have and broke the door girl's arm.”

In response Rora gave a slight nod. “You weren't there for that were you Lanora? The day whenever a sister who just awoke from starving in a body comparable to a child's broke a keeper's arm?”

***********************************************************************************

“What the hell was that about!” It was impossible for Mirin to keep the annoyance out of his voice even as he road upon Sora's shoulders. He heard giggles on both sides of him one coming from Minerva while the other came from Sora.

It was Sora who spoke. “You sound angry Mirin.”

“I believe that I may be. It sounded like Lanora had something against Mina and I have to say. All of you were kind of quick to jump on Lanora. Just what is going on?”

Minerva gave a slight shrug as she looked at Mirin. “Well Lanora did earn the right to become a matron just a year before Mina woke up with her mutation. Had Lanora slipped up and caused her time to be pushed backs he would have lost the right to Mina. Given the power of Mina's mutation and the fact that she volunteered for it.”

Sora couldn't help the surprise in her voice as she spoke. “Oh that is right! I had entirely forgotten about that. It's something of a shame to. Mina would have been a much better matron though I guess it was all for the best in some regards. If she had become a matron then she might not have ended up with Dan.”

“Yeah I agree.” Before continuing Minerva glanced over at Mirin. “Now what's that face for?”

“You believe she's jealous of Mina. You don't believe she'd try to cause Mina serious harm whenever they spar do you?”

In response Sora gave a shrug. “Perhaps but three of us will be there. If I think she's trying to seriously injure Mina I'll be certain to step in and knock some sense into her. Improved healing abilities or not.” Before continuing Sora quickly adjusted her transparency so that it looked like Mirin was floating in the air.

In response Minerva gave a quick nod. “I doubt you have to worry about Mina being in serious danger though. She's so strong it'd take an awful lot even for one of us to kill her.”

“Are you certain about that?”

“Well no. Like I said none of us have really heard about her strength being seriously tested in a long time. That's why we're going to keep a close eye on the proceedings. Though, I wonder what we should do if Mina gets the upper hand.”

Before speaking Sora quickly made herself visible again. “Laugh?”

A slight giggle escaped Minerva as she nodded her head. “Well that's a given.”

Mirin couldn't help but groan as he listened to Sora and Minerva. “I can't help but believe you're both taking this very lightly. Matrons are some of the most powerful sisters we have though. I do not like the ideal of starting some kind of rift between them.”

As Sora listened to Mirin part of her wanted to push him a little bit but she chose not to. “Don't worry about it Mirin. We are sisters after all. Sure we disagree from time to time but no permanent harm will be done. I just really didn't like that doll comment that was made. Regardless of what happens I'm certain that everything will be fine. Besides you really shouldn't assume that we all like one another.”

An amused giggle escaped Minerva as she looked at Sora. “That's true Mirin. I for example positively hate Sora.”

A slight gasp escaped Sora as she looked at Minerva. “How could you say that! Haven't I always been nice to you?”

“No you're a mean bully and you know it. Always using your abilities to play rotten tricks on us like swapping my smacks with day old ones.”

“Pfft.” A slight giggle escaped Sora as she stuck her tongue out at Minerva. “I've never done that.”

“Sure you haven't.” It was impossible for Minerva to keep a strait face as she gave a slight giggle. “Well okay maybe I don't hate Sora but still not all of us get along.”

To this Mirin gave a nod. “Alright I get what you're saying.”

Minerva was silent for a moment but she had to ask. “So Mirin what brothers do you really dislike?”

“I'm not going to answer that!”

“Oh. I know. I know which ones he really doesn't like.”

“Sora you be quiet!”

“Really? Did he tell you?”

“No but I can tell by how his body responded whenever he's around them. His heart rate speeds up and his muscles start tensing. Also he begins shifting his weight from foot to foot more frequently. I can also smell it in his sweat.”

“Sora cut that out!”

“Ah well. It doesn't look like he wants me to tell you who it is. Perhaps some other time.”

A sigh escaped Mirin as he heard both Sora and Minerva giggling. “I'm really starting to develop a dislike for the two of you.”

It took a moment for Sora to respond as she needed time to stop giggling. “Ah you don't mean that.”

“I suppose I don't. Now they're other concerns. There is no way that Mina and Lanora can fight in the arena. They'd end up destroying the entire thing and there would be no way for anyone to observe. Given who's fighting I know plenty of sisters and brothers will want to watch. I was wondering if either of you knew a good place for the two of them to fight.”

Before she had even thought about what she was saying Sora spoke up. “The kobold nesting grounds.”

Mirin was actually made to perk up upon hearing that. “You know I like that ideal. I like it a whole lot!”

A slight giggle escaped Sora as she gave a nod. “Now that I think about it I like it to.”

“We'll just need to decide where the brothers and sisters will be gathering to observe. I'll speak about that with the other brothers later today. Now one more issue. When would be a good time?”

“If what Sora and you told me about Mina is true I'd say as soon as possible. I know that means delaying construction but a one day delay should be tolerable. Just make sure that you let us know where you plan on having the brothers gather and at what time. I'll ask Fera to come with me and make sure the area is safe. Her eyes should make that fairly easy.”

***********************************************************************************

Pera couldn't help her growing frustrating as she held the fruit in her hand. A look of utter annoyance was upon her face as she noted the various bug bights. She'd spent at least two minutes going through the tree sniffing out the freshest fruit only to have this happen again. “Allen I'll be right down with something to snack on as soon as I find a good one!”

In response to Pera's comment Allen looked up the large tree. Pera was already far higher then he'd dare to climb during normal circumstances though he was already part way up the tree. Pera had set him down on a branch a bit over four meters above the ground to insure that he'd be safe. “You don't have to go through all that trouble Pera I'm not all that hungry.”

“Not all that hungry still means you're hungry.”

A sigh escaped Allen as he looked around. “What about that one over there I don't see any bug bights on it.”

“It's not ready yet. I want to make sure to get us some good and ripe ones.”

“Just find you a ripe one and I'll take that one right there.”

For a moment Pera stopped her search and turned to look down at Allen. “No!” With those words Pera sunk her claws into the trees bark and once again began her search. She could smell more fruit and was quickly locating the next ripest. After the last five she'd examined.

A sigh escaped Allen as he watched Pera searching the tree. It was kind of funny to see her moving over, between and under the limbs with so little effort. At times she even moved sideways along the tree by sinking her claws into it. In time she wouldn't be able to do that on a tree with the current ones girth or she'd end up badly damage the tree or falling due to her weight. Instead of saying anything he began to carefully move towards the piece of fruit he'd pointed out earlier intending to snatch it before Pera could say anything to him. A low growl stopped him.

It was impossible for Pera to keep her frustration in as she held the piece of fruit. “What's wrong with this tree!” All the fruit Pera had inspected were rather high up and over all quite difficult to reach. They should have been in very good condition due to that but so far all the best fruit she'd found had been heavily damaged by bugs. Instead of continuing her searching she quickly leaped down so that she was in front of Allen. “We're finding another tree.”

Allen didn't have time to get his snack or comment as Pera quickly picked him up and placed him over her shoulder. Before he could even blink she'd leaped from the tree and was quickly moving along. He could hear her sniffing so that he knew she was following her nose. There was no point in trying to struggle at this point. “Pera your shoulder is poking me a little in the stomach.”

“Whoops!” While Pera didn't stop immediately she did bring herself to a stop as quickly as she could without harming Allen. As she did so she pushed up on him a bit lifting him higher for a moment before settling him down. “Alright. How is that?”

“Better. You know it's going to be nice whenever you get to start eating the life bloom. That way this won't be nearly as much of a problem sense I'll have more room.”

“That is true.” With those words Pera once again began to move along. “It'll be a lot easier to pack you without harming you once that happens. I wonder how much bigger we're going to be allowed to get.”

“Maybe you'll get to grow to the current guardian size.”

“That would be neat! Allen let's shift you to my back. Remember to keep your legs wrapped around me.”

In response Allen gave a nod as Pera once again came to a stop and set him down. As he wrapped his arms around her though another thought came to him. “You know if that were to happen I wouldn't be able to wrap my legs around you.”

“Yeah but I could easily support you with one arm.” As Allen got himself settled Pera once again began to sprint along. “Has your mother told you anything about the construction?”

“She said that it was going smoothly except for a few mishaps. Apparently two sisters got in a fight while working and Alexa had to stop them from fighting.”

“I heard about that. Apparently it was decided that it'd be best if the sisters were allowed to settle their differences in the arena. I thought about going to the fight to see exactly who it was but I chose not to.”

“Why not?”

“I just didn't feel like it. How about you?”

“No. Mommy said that it was going to start past my bed time so she didn't let me go.”

Pera couldn't help but giggle as she heard this news. “Your mom really worries about you. Yay!” Excitement once again flooded Pera as she found the tree and brought herself to a stop. Several large red fruit were currently suspended from the tree as she placed Allen down. “This one is certain to have some good ones.”

Allen didn't argue as he was seated on a rather sturdy limb and watched Pera begin inspecting the tree. Before he'd seated himself though he noticed several tiny branches falling towards the forest floor. “What was that?”

“Snake.”

“Did you need to kill it?”

“It might have came towards you while I was searching.”

A sigh escaped Allen as he made himself comfortable. Despite having seen it before it was quite amusing watching Pera inspect the tree for the best fruit. “Hey Pera what do you think it'd be like if you got to be as big as my mom is now?”

“Oh that would be neat! I could cradle you in one arm or have you ride on my shoulder. It'd be really easy to protect you then if I was that big and strong as well. We'd need entirely new houses though.”

“That's true I bet if they let you grow that big my mom couldn't even fit into our old house. Do you believe if you got to be that much bigger they'd let you take me to the edge of the forest?”

“I bet they would!”

“That'd be nice. On the subject of the edge of the forest though I wonder if we could take a trip to the ocean. I haven't been there in a long time and the water around here is getting cold so I can't go swimming.”

A slight giggle escaped Pera as she looked down at Allen. “Just do it in your bath tub.”

It was impossible for Allen not to grin as he realized the truth of what Pera was saying. As his mother was a keeper the bath they used was particularly large. If he were to fill it to the brim he probably could have swam in it. “I don't know if mommy would like me doing that. She doesn't like it whenever I use as much water as she does.”

“Ah that's no fun. I wish my mom was a keeper at times.”

“You do?”

In response Pera gave a quick nod. “Yeah! But, she's never managed to show enough tolerance to earn the right to become a keeper. Um Allen, if we are allowed to grow bigger I wonder what we're going to do about you brothers. What if we're forced to pick between being allowed to grow larger or being allowed to interact with our brothers?”

For a moment Allen said nothing as he looked up at Pera. “I'd really miss spending time with you Pera but I would be happy that you're not hungry all the time anymore. Well not as hungry at least and I'm certain that you'd learn to control your body really quickly.”

Instead of continuing her search Pera stopped and looked down at Allen. “I'm not sure if I'll eat the life bloom if that happens. I mean. It'd be nice not to have to feel hungry so often but I'd really miss you to. I'm certain that Mirin and the others already thought of that though and are deciding on a safe size increase for everyone.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey Allen how are your alchemy studies going?” With those words Pera resumed her examination of the tree feeling certain that she was closing on her target.

“They're alright I suppose. I accidentally made a bit of a mess during my last practical examination.”

“What went wrong?”

“The crystal I dissolved in the solution had a little more energy then I expected it to and well some of the energy escaped. It caused a bit of an explosion.”

“Oh! Was anyone hurt?”

“No but I thought I wouldn't be allowed to progress in my studies.”

“You thought you wouldn't? That means that you're not going to be held back.”

“Yeah, while I made a mistake my work was technically correct and the potion still worked.” A sigh escaped Allen as he shook his head. “Our teacher decided I needed some extra motivation to be more careful though whenever dealing with alchemy. He's forcing me to keep a check list now.”

A slight giggle escaped Pera as she stopped to look down at Allen. “How does that work?”

“I have to list everything that I'm going to use in the potion. Then I have to develop a formula showing the ratio of compounds to one another including the quality. Finally I have to write down the amount of each compound I'm going to use.”

“For how long?”

“He didn't say.”

“Did you tell Stella about it?”

“I'm not going to tell mom!”

A slight giggle escaped Pera as she listened to the concern in Allen's voice. “So I'm guessing you don't believe your mother would speak to your instructor about reducing the punishment.”

Before he could respond Allen heard a very noticeable roar come from near by and turned his attention to Pera. Upon doing so he noticed her entire body was tensed as if she was ready to tear something apart. “Is that fruit bad to.”

“I am going to find two good ones!”

Pera's words brought a smile to Allen's face though he was made to sigh. “How about I help out?” Instead of waiting for a response Allen proceeded to stand up and take hold of one of the branches above him. As he pressed down on the limb her heard a rather noticeable crack and found himself moving forward despite his desires. The sound of several branches being torn away hit his ears seconds later and he felt something wrap around his waste as the branch fell towards the ground.

The branches Allen had heard being broken had actually been Pera's doing. The moment she'd noticed him falling she'd rushed strait to his side destroying everything that got in her way. As she took hold of him a sigh escaped her. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I'm fine thanks for the save though that fall would have hurt.”

In response Pera gave a nod and looked down at the branch. “Strange that should have been able to hold you up easily.”

***********************************************************************************

It was pretty clear to Dan that Mina was on edge again. Fortunately she wouldn't have to worry about that for long as soon she'd be allowed to release that energy. Unfortunately he didn't know if their home could last until then as he noticed a rather large chunk missing from the doorway where Mina's tail had slammed into it. “I guess you're pretty eager to meet up with Lenora.”

“Yeah it was nice of her to volunteer to spar with me. I'm a little nervous though after hearing how many people are going to show up.”

“Nervous? Now what would you have to be nervous about?”

A slight giggle escaped Mina as she shook her head. “I don't know. I really don't want to appear weak in front of my sisters. I want them to feel safe around me after all.”

“I wouldn't worry about that happening Mina. You're going up against a matron that's over four times your height. I would say that shows a great deal of strength.”

“Thanks. Dan I really hate to ask this but would you do me a favor?”

“Sure, if I'm able.”

“Feed me.” As she spoke Mina pointed down towards her plate were several bits of meat, fruit and dining utensils rested.

Dan couldn't help the look of surprise that appeared on his face whenever he looked at the various broken items. There were bits of goop that had once been food and a few handles on the table. For a moment Dan wasn't certain what to say but then a chuckle escaped him and he picked up one of the remaining forks. As he sunk it into the fish before Mina he cut away a small bit of it and then held it up just before her face. “Open for the wagon.”

Mina had thought Dan was just going to feed her but upon hearing the tone in his voice a slight giggle escaped her and she proceeded to open her mouth. Instead of opening it just enough for the fish though she opened it as wide as she could. “Ah!”

There was a grin on Dan's face as he inserted the fish and knife into Mina's mouth. He then used the knife to remove the fish from the fork and pulled them both away before Mina closed her mouth. “If you just close your lips and not your teeth I won't need the knife.”

“Ah!”

It was impossible for Dan to keep from chuckling as Mina opened her mouth once again. This time he put a far larger bite into her mouth though. “Is it good?”

“Of course after all you fixed it.”

Dan waited until he'd put some more fish into Mina's mouth though this time he included a few slices of fruit. “Mina what's got you on edge like this? I've been thinking about it and I don't remember you complaining about the claimed.”

“They've been pretty well behaved actually.” A sigh escaped Mina and she opened her mouth for another bit of food. She took her time chewing this time to give herself time to think. “I tried to figure it out myself a lot over these last few days but to be honest I'm not having much like with that.”

“So the claimed haven't been giving you a hard time?”

“I think they realize I'm on edge so they've been careful not to cross me.”

“Do you believe that you're worried they might be hiding something?”

In response Mina gave her head a slight shake. “No. That's not it. Especially after we stepped up security.”

“Well maybe you just need a challenge like Mirin speculated. I'm curious about something though. Mina I know the Luvarians designed you all to be predators. I can't think of a predator though that truly seeks a challenge? After all predators go after the smaller weaker animals instead of the animal that has a good chance of killing it.”

“You're wondering where this desire for a challenge came from then?”

“Well yeah.”

“Don't humans seeks challenges?”

“Ah I see. So you believe that it's a mixture of a humans desire to challenge themselves mixed in with a predators instinct to hunt?”

“I suppose that it may be.”

“Hm well at least they left out humans desire to cause mindless death and destruction whenever they made you and your sisters.”

A slight giggle escaped Mina and instead of taking the food Dan offered her she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I don't believe that's an innate feature of humans to be honest with you.”

“Then why is it so prevalent in all known cultures?”

“Well I can't really answer that after all I'm not an expert in human cultures. I've come to believe it's a way for you humans to relieve stress though. Your bodies are so delicate after all. A sudden change in the weather, a short fall just a run in with the wrong person or animal and you're dead. At least we don't have to live with that stress all our lives. It must be difficult.”

“We're not that delicate.” A sharp grunt escaped Dan moments later and he was made to stumble backwards as he felt something push against his stomach forcing him to exhale.

“You sure could have fooled me.” A slight giggle escaped Mina as she leaned forward and took the food off the fork Dan was holding. As she did so she was careful not to bite down with her teeth but instead used her lips to pull the food off.

“Now Mina that isn't fair. Just about everything is delicate compared to you and your sisters. You were designed to be an apex predator and protector from the ground up after all.”

“That might be true but I'm not the only being that thinks you humans are quite vulnerable.”

“That is true.” Instead of complaining about the poke Dan gathered up another bit of food. “At least we're able to replenish our numbers relatively quickly though.”

“Yeah you do have us beat there.”

“We also have our magic to. Granted it's not something we gain naturally at least not in most cases but it's something we can learn. So we're not all that vulnerable.”

A slight giggle escaped Mina as she chewed on her food. “Oh I don't know about that. Your magic sure doesn't seem to help you too much against one of us.”

“Sure it does. It makes us valuable to you so you're less likely to kill us.”

“Hm you have a point there. Actually that's a really good point.”

“Considering your low birth rate as well I'm not so certain that we're the vulnerable ones here. Wouldn't it be a lot more difficult if you only had those brothers that were born here to depend on to replenish your numbers? If you think about it that way you're the vulnerable ones.”

“I dunno. We don't exactly have to get your permission to gain what we need from you.”

“You do have a point there.” A sigh escaped Dan as he looked down at Mina's plate. “Are you certain that's all you want?”

“That was my regular meal?”

“I'm still not really comfortable with that.”

“With what?”

“Whenever I see your plate alone it looks like you have plenty to eat. Then I compare how much you eat to your body and I just want to give you some of my food to be honest. That or get up and prepare another meal. If I were to have a human guest that ate as little as you do when compared to your body size I'd feel a bit offended. That or I'd go get a second opinion to see how bad my food was.”

A slight giggle escaped Mina as she placed a hand on Dan's shoulder. “All the time we've been together and you're still not use to it. Well that's just another one of the things I love about you. I'm a little thirsty though would you mind getting me another cup? I accidentally crushed mine before I asked you to feed me.”

“I'd be happy to. What do you want to drink?”

“I believe I'd like some grape juice this time around.”

“I'm not certain if we have any of that.”

“We do. I picked up some a few days ago whenever I smelt it while searching around food storage. I hadn't drank any in a while so I thought it'd be nice to get a bottle of it.”

“I'll see if I can find it then.”

***********************************************************************************

“Hello Flora it's-” Joseph didn't get to finish as he found himself suddenly lifted from the ground and hugged to Flora's massive form.

“Joseph it's good to see you!”

It took Joseph a moment to respond. Flora had pulled him from the ground somewhat suddenly and it had caught him by surprise. “It's good to see you as well.”

“So have you and my little Maria been getting along? Ah why did I even ask that! I know you're getting along I can smell it.”

Joseph could actually feel his skin warming up as he began to blush upon realizing that Flora was probably talking about. “Yes, we've been getting along quite well. At least I've got nothing to complain about and I haven't heard any from Maria.”

“Nothing? I find that hard to believe.”

“Well there's nothing worth mentioning.”

“Oh so there is something that bothers you. How about letting me know what my little girl is up to?”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “I don't believe so. If it's not important enough for me to talk to Maria about I see no reason to talk about it with others. Even her mother.”

“Ah come on. Give me the dirt.”

“I'm afraid I can't do that.”

A sigh escaped Flora as she relaxed her hold on Joseph and carefully set him down. “Well alright. So where is my little girl?”

“She's coming she wanted to run into the forest and gather up a few things after she dropped me off. I believe it's more then just a few things from the bag she was packing with her.”

“That wouldn't be surprising this is a pretty big event.”

“So Flora are you just here to watch your friend fight or is there something else?”

“Something else I'm afraid. I'm here to insure that everyone is safe especially our brothers. We are in kobold territory and they might try something though Fera was here earlier and gave the place a good search.”

“Did she find anything?”

“We'd have canceled if she hadn't or at least chose a different location. She dealt with the kobolds in the area.”

“That's good to know though I have to ask. Who is Fera?”

“Oh that's right the only matron that you've ever met was Sora isn't it?”

“Yeah.”

“Well you'll see her soon enough. She's going to help us keep an eye on things while the fights going on. Anyway, come with me and I'll show you to where the brothers are going to be seated.”

“Couldn't I just stay with Maria once she gets back? I'm certain that with her speed she could keep me safe.”

“Don't worry. Couples are allowed to set together.”

“Hey Mom!”

As the words hit her ears Flora was actually a bit surprised and turned to face her daughter. “Maria you're back early.”

“I just had a few things in mind.” As she spoke Maria held up a rather large satchel that was clearly stuffed quite full. “I got some snacks for me and Joseph as well as some to share with a few of our other sisters.”

“Well then once things get started I'll have to stop by and grab something as well. Now that you're here though I'll let you take Joseph to where the brothers are going to be observing.”

“Alright.”

***********************************************************************************

Lanora felt a little strange as she looked around and noted the massive gathering of sisters and brothers. Normally this would be such a miss match that she doubted anyone would come except to insure that the weaker sister came out without serious harm. Everyone seemed to be expecting a serious match from this fight and it actually annoyed her on some level. The fact that Mina was only a keeper yet regarded as a serious threat to a matron just seemed laughable to Lanora after all there was quite a huge divide between a keeper and a matron. Keeper was a status any sister in theory could achieve matron on the other hand was one only a select few could have.

“How are you feeling?”

It actually surprised Lanora whenever she recognized the voice and she turned to face Fera. Even amongst matrons Fera was quite large which seemed strange to Lanora at times given Fera's predatory nature. “I'm feeling fine. I figure I'll let Mina tire herself out before pinning her and that should be the end of it. I'm afraid all our sisters won't be getting much of a show.”

For a moment Fera said nothing but then a slight chuckle escaped her. “I wish that I could show you what I see whenever I look at Mina.”

“What do you mean?”

“As you know my eyes let me see the life energy of other beings. They also let me see how strong that life energy is and where it's concentrated. Normally this gives me an ideal of how powerful the being is and where they might be building up strength for an attack. The life energy inside of Mina though is incredibly dense as if every part of her was ready to attack at any given moment. They're not many sisters with such intensity or anything approaching it and even for those few who do have similar intensity it's different.”

“Really? What do you see whenever you look at me?”

“Your energy flows effectively the same way as most of ours does except whenever you're injured. The way your energy concentrates and moves to allow such exceptional healing is interesting or has been the few times that I've seen it.”

For a moment Lanora said nothing but turned to face Fera entirely. “Does that mean you could counter it?”

“Well often whenever I'm hunting my opponents life energy guides my claws. So I'm used to using the flow of someone's life energy to see where to strike. I doubt that you're an exception to the rule.”

“I guess abilities like that are why you were allowed to grow to such a large size.”

“I suppose so.”

“Fera, the others were talking like they weren't certain how strong Mina truly was. Could you give me an ideal of how strong she is?”

“I can't be certain as even I haven't seen her really worked up. I can tell you this. If you were to compare an equal amount of mass from yourself to that of Mina's you'd find that Mina's is far stronger then yours. At least that's what her life energy indicates.”

“Alright thanks for the information. Well it looks like everyone has arrived so I'm going to go take my position.”

“Have fun and remember this is more then just a competition. Mina really needs to release some of her pent up feelings.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

***********************************************************************************

“Hey Dan, how are you doing?”

“Hi Mirin I'm doing alright.”

“You don't look alright to me.”

“Huh? Oh don't worry about it I'm fine. It's just hard to relax knowing that Mina's going to be fighting a matron soon.”

“Worried about her safety?”

“Yeah, for all her strength and seeming invulnerability I still love Mina and worry about her. I really don't want to see her hurt.”

“I don't believe anyone here does but unless she gets this release she's liable to end up hurting someone else.”

“That's true and knowing Mina that'd be far worse then her experiencing some physical pain. Where is Sora by the way? I thought she was coming to insure no one was killed.”

“Sora is around here somewhere. For some reason she decided to stay hidden.” For a moment Mirin went silent and looked past Dan. “Maria, Joseph why are you two setting over there?”

Joseph had to turn around to face the direction the voice had come from. As he looked up he was a bit surprised to see Mirin. It wasn't his presence that was surprising though rather it was what he was wearing. “Hey Mirin.”

Once he realized who Mirin was speaking to Dan stood up and turned around. “Hey Joseph, Maria how about coming up here and joining us.”

Instead of waiting for Joseph to respond Maria eagerly spoke up. “We'll be right there.” As she finished speaking Maria reached down and slipped one hand under Joseph. Once she began lifting him she felt him wrap his arms around her neck and she lifted their satchel of treats. This gave Joseph the time needed to get a good grip so that she was able to leap over to Dan without fear of Joseph falling. “You're getting better at holding on.”

“I think my body is finally learning that it needs to hold on tight whenever you move.”

“Hm Joseph I have a question for you. Do I move quickly because you're holding on tightly or do I move quickly so you will hold on tightly?”

Dan scooted over a bit to give the couple more space that they really didn't need as they were seated. “I'm glad you two could come.”

To this Joseph gave a quick nod. “It's not a problem. How are you feeling Dan? Nervous I imagine.”

“Yeah. I swear I've seen Mina accidentally shatter solid stone with a flick of her tail and yet to me she's still my big softy. I can't help but worry about her getting hurt.”

“I understand that.” Before continuing Joseph turned to Mirin. “Mirin I hope you don't mind me asking but what are you wearing?”

“These? They're specially enchanted robes to help amplify certain forms of magic though they tend to hinder others. I'm going to be helping to maintain the protective barrier around this place once the fight gets going.”

“Do those poles have something to do with that?” As he spoke Joseph indicated a near by pole. The miniature tower was made from what appeared to be silver with a design Joseph didn't quite recognize covering the length of it. At the top of it rested a bright green crystal.

“Indeed they do. They're what will actually be maintaining the spell and directing the energy.”

While Joseph spoke with Mirin, Maria turned her attention to Dan. “Hey Dan would you like something to snack on? I got quite a few little treats here.” As she spoke Maria opened the bag so that Dan could see inside.

“It looks like you had a pretty good time searching. With the cold weather setting in it seems like the pickings would be a bit slimmer.”

“Well when you can cover as much ground as me as quickly as I can then it isn't really a big deal. You're right about the weather though it seemed a bit harder then it should have been to find these even with the weather.”

“Would you mind if I had one of those peaches?”

“Sure would you like me to take the skin off?”

“No thank you.” As Dan reached out to take the fruit he halted himself for a moment and turned towards the grounds that would serve as the arena. Mina had taken up her position in it and he gave a sigh. “It looks like things are about to begin.”

Mina actually found herself blushing a little though her dark fur hid that from everyone's view. She felt a little nervous with so many sisters watching her but she also felt relief. Absently she began to run her foot along her right leg scratching an imaginary itch as she waited for Lanora to show up. Even as she blushed though she could feel that her body was ready. Her muscles were tensing and she couldn't quite convince her claws to retract. Something deep inside of her had began to awaken and a desire that Mina tended to keep quiet was beginning to bubble up within her. She didn't even notice that whenever she placed her foot on the ground she did it with such force the stone under her was made to crack.

Lanora had a grin on her face as she realized Mina was ready and she stepped into the opening for everyone to see. It was fairly amusing as she looked down at Mina and noted how her sister didn't even come up to her knees. Yet this was suppose to be a serious challenge. There was a moment of surprise though whenever she looked into Mina's eyes and found that she was looking strait back at her. It was the first time Lanora could remember something looking upon her as prey.

Normally a sister would call the beginning and end of such fights however given who was fighting Mirin made his way to the edge of the battle ground. As he did so he found himself gathering energy and imbuing his voice with that energy so that it would carry to all ears around. “I want all gathered here to know that this is agreed upon mutual combat with no stakes involved. The match will be called when in danger of grievous harm or life. As both combatants have taken the field you may begin.”

As Mirin said begin Dan leaned forward and focused intently on Mina. He felt his heart skip a beat whenever she suddenly disappeared from view. A massive cloud of pulverized rock had erupted from where she once stood and the sound of what seemed to be an explosion slammed into his ears. It had caught Dan off guard as the only time he'd known her to attack first was whenever she was hunting.

The acceleration that Mina's strength allowed her to move at was well beyond what Lanora had been expecting. One moment her eyes had been focused on Mina and in the next Mina was no longer there. A sharp pain in her stomach told her where Mina was seconds later and without looking down Lanora lashed out with her right hand meaning to smack Mina away. She was rather surprised whenever she felt her fingers impact with something amazingly solid and heard a loud impact moments later. As she spun and looked at the ground though she saw a massive opening in the ground with small bits of pulverized stone falling towards the earth. At the end of the stone path she found Mina and surprisingly she seemed unharmed more surprisingly though she was growling.

Something was moving inside of Mina. As she looked at Lanora she sunk her toes and fingers into the ground to gain better traction for when she charged. She could feel something moving within her though seeming to start deep within her chest and slowly radiating outward. It seemed to be a heat that flowed throughout her body and focused her eyes on Lanora. A roar was heard resounding throughout the area but it took Mina a moment to realize that it was coming from her. She heard the stone shatter beneath her claws and toes as she pushed off the ground and once again rushed towards Lanora.

This time Lanora had been expecting Mina's charge. Such that as Mina leaped into the air she once again lashed out at her meaning to smack her away. She felt her hand impact with something solid and then she felt pain in wrist and forearm seconds later she found the source. Mina had actually managed to take hold of her arm as the force hadn't been sufficient to knock her away. In response Lanora quickly moved to smack Mina away with her free hand this only resulted in the pain in her arm being made to grow all the more intense as Mina leaped into the air and slammed into Lanora's chest.

Upon evading the hand Mina wasted no time. She took hold of Lanora's fur and flesh actually sinking the claws of her left hand and toes into Lanora to secure her footing. She then proceeded to deliver several blows with her right arm. She didn't even notice as Lanora was made to stumble backwards from the impacts nor did she noticed the claw coming for her. It was only whenever Lanora's fist had impacted with Mina that she was made to stop the assault though Mina didn't release her grip. Rather she took a bit of Lanora with her as she was knocked away.

Mina's punches had seriously hurt. While previously Lanora had only tried to smack Mina this time she had actually punched her. The sound of the impact made her heart jump as she turned to see what she'd done hoping she hadn't killed a sister in a moment of anger. She was actually quite surprised whenever she heard a rather angry hissing sound reaching her ear as Mina once again stood ready with her hands and feet on the ground. Unlike last time though it seemed that her punch had hurt Mina as she saw Mina shake her head several times.

Lanora was correct in thinking that her punch had hurt Mina. The sudden acceleration and slamming into the ground had actually left her dizzy while the impact itself had hurt enough that she didn't want to just charge Lanora again. For the moment Mina was holding her ground and giving her head time to quit spinning. The fact that she was hissing in anger didn't actually occur to her as she found herself more lost in the fight then thinking about her behavior. It seemed to be working as Lanora clearly wasn't eager to come towards her.

Dan had completely forgotten the fruit he'd asked Maria for beforehand and was carefully watching the fight. Even he'd been quite surprised by the beginning and horrified whenever Mina had been knocked to the ground. As he looked upon her though he found himself seeing an aspect of Mina he'd rarely looked upon. “Maria I can't hear very well. What is Mina doing?”

“She's. Well she is hissing at Lanora.”

“Do you believe she's alright?”

“Yeah I'm pretty sure she's able to continue. I can't believe how hard she hit Lanora though.”

A low growl escaped Lanora as she looked at Mina. Why was she standing there? Surely she wasn't scared of Mina after just a few punches and scratches? She'd already healed from those thanks to her abilities and she wasn't going to wait around. This time she chose to charge and not give Mina time to ready herself.

Instead of rushing to meet Lanora's charge Mina held her ground. While Lanora might have had more mass and due to that strength hers wasn't as concentrated as Mina's. So that as Lanora swung her fist downward to strike Mina, Mina leaped into the air. Her greater overall muscle strength accelerated her far more quickly then Lanora's could accelerate her and she quickly began to move along Lanora's arm. While she moved Mina made certain to use the claws on her feet and hands to get maximum traction and deal a little damage.

Pain quickly moved up Lanora's arm but that was soon forgotten as she felt something slam into the side of her head. The force of the impact was more then enough to shake her up and she found herself suddenly toppling to the side. As she fell though she could still see Mina leaping away.

Mina had thrown her entire body into the attack. Using the strength of both of her legs and her arms. By slamming her shoulder into the side of Lanora's head she'd been able to inflict some real harm. At least it had been enough to topple her. There was no thoughts of slowing down in Mina's mind though as the moment she landed back on the ground she quickly charged towards Lanora once again. With her opponent dazed she intended to press the advantage.

Maria could hardly believe what she was seeing. She knew that Mina was strong for her size but this went far beyond that. They'd expected a close match but from what Maria could see Mina had the advantage. It had often been believed that if Mina once again put herself into a coma and developed another mutation she'd surpass the power of a matron easily. However, the ideal that she had already surpassed the power of a matron was truly astonishing. “Mirin is Lanora holding back out there?”

“Huh?”

“Is Lanora holding back?”

“I don't know Maria. I don't believe so she was told to give Mina a good fight.” As Mirin watched the happenings before him he didn't know what to think. It'd always been known that Mina surpassed the power of a keeper but this was going beyond that. The assumption that five keepers or so would be enough to detain Mina now seemed like a very foolish notion indeed. The sound of stone being powdered and the sight of Lanora standing up once again pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind though.

Pain filled Lanora's body as she brought herself to a standing position. While generally she healed very rapidly the rate at which Mina had been delivering her attacks were far beyond what she could tell. A fact that truly astounded the matron. As she looked towards Mina she made no move to attack her though. She'd realized her mistakes shortly after the blow to her head. She simply didn't have the speed to attack Mina and truly hope to succeed with Mina's ability to accelerate and rapidly change directions while standing. Fortunately all that acceleration and speed was limited to one direction she had to hold her ground.

Mina wasn't really thinking tactics now as she let lose a feral growl. A growl that resounded throughout the area with such forces and ferocity that it made several sister's recoil as well as brothers. Dan seeming to be the only person watching the fight that didn't back up at least a little. As Mina looked at Lanora she could feel her muscles tensing and relaxing with each breath. What she didn't notice was that with each breath those muscles seemed to be expanding even more becoming more and more solid.

It was actually difficult for Lanora to hold her ground as Mina quickly rushed towards her. As she moved it seemed like the sound from Mina's claws tearing through the ground was coming more slowly then Mina herself was. As Mina leaped into the air though Lanora responded quickly and thrust her hand towards Mina. There was a great feeling of success as she felt her fist connect and Lanora quickly rushed forward meaning to take advantage of the attack.

As Mina's body slammed into the ground she dug her fingers and toes into the ground in order to hasten her stop. There was pain from the punch but it did nothing to slow her down. However, as Mina was coming to a stop she noticed a shadow coming over her though not quickly enough to evade it as Lanora's foot came slamming down into her. The massive limb drove Mina even deeper into the ground and pushed up the ground around them so that it engulfed even more of Lanora's leg.

At first Lanora had felt a great wave of satisfaction upon slamming her foot into Mina. Then the concern hit her. Had that been too much? For a moment Lanora was uncertain as to whether she should remove her foot or not. If she had seriously injured Mina she needed to stop now however she didn't want to give Mina a chance to humiliate her further if she wasn't truly injured. An explosion seemed to occur at the base of her foot making the decision for her.

Dan felt like his heart had stopped whenever he saw Lanora step on Mina. All that mass and forces had just came down upon Mina. Fear for her safety flooded every part of his being. Then he saw it. He saw Lanora's leg lifting from the crater she'd just created. It wasn't only her foot though as Lanora's entire body lifted into the air and slammed into the grounds moments later. A figure burst from within the ground to stand on top of the pile of earth Lanora had forced up from beneath the ground then he heard the roar.

Mina was gone. There was no thoughts about fighting a sister or the spectators. All she knew was that she had an enemy before her and that she had just been injured. Blood lust mixed with anger and a sudden feeling that she had to drive this opponent off or kill her. The grounds beneath Mina's feet was made to shatter such that the sound of the stone being crushed resounded throughout the entire area as she rushed towards Lanora once again.

Just what was this sister made of? Lanora didn't know what to think as Mina quickly charged towards her. The memory of what had happened seconds later brought a grin to Lanora's face though as she realized Mina was making the same mistake she had made before. Lanora took on a defensive stance and waited for Mina to leap into the air. The sound reached her ears and Lanora was surprised by the fact that instead of leaping into the air Mina had jumped towards her leg. Still Lanora quickly kicked her leg outward towards Mina and she felt it connect. Horrific pain shot throughout her ankle moments later as Lanora felt her leg forced backwards.

Mina had put such force into her jump that upon impact with Lanora's legs she'd overwhelmed it despite its greater mass. Her fingers dug deeply into Lanora's skin and then Mina pushed off Lanora's foot leaping higher and going for Lanora's head. Instead of making a single leap though Mina jumped onto Lanora's upper thigh and then quickly began to scramble up Lanora's back.

Pain surged through Lanora's body every time Mina moved. Almost in a panic Lanora reached back hoping to take hold of Mina she didn't know what to think whenever she felt something slam into her fingers. The force of the impact made her fear that one of them had been broken and withdraw her hand. Before she could realize how foolish of a mistake that had been she felt something slam into the back of her head.

Mirin wasn't certain what to think as he saw Lanora stagger forward. Apparently Mina had landed quite a powerful blow. There wasn't really time to consider the implications though as he Mina take hold of Lanora's head with both her hands and then quickly work her away around so that she drove both her feet into Lanora's throat. It was apparent the attack had worked as Lanora was made to gasp suddenly and instinctively reach for her throat. Mina wasn't there though.

It was difficult for Mina to change directions whenever she started moving. However, as long as she was moving in a strait line she had exceptional acceleration as well as speed. This was allowing her to avoid Lanora's hands. As she moved to deliver a blow to the side of Lanora's neck Mina's hand suddenly opened up and her claws fully extended. While she had used her claws to get a good grip before it had been so long since she'd used them for striking instead of her fist even her body seemed to have forgotten how. Now she drove those claws into and along the side of Lanora's neck paying no attention to the scream of pain that escaped Lanora as she did so.

Lanora was no longer worried about harming Mina as she slammed her hand into the back of her neck only to find Mina wasn't there. Her injuries had began to seriously hurt her and while some of the earlier ones had already healed Mina was creating new ones at an increasing rate. As Mina began to make use of her claws the rate increased all the more so that Lanora found herself bringing out her own claws. This time she wouldn't just swat Mina away but intended to do some real damage. Horrific pain going strait down her back told her where Mina was seconds later.

Mina had actually sunken her claws into Lanora's back just at the bottom of the neck. She'd then used her legs to force herself downward cutting a massive opening in Lanora's skin as she moved. A sudden shift in Lanora's body told Mina something was coming and she saw Lanora's hand coming for her. Instead of trying to jump away from that arm though Mina quickly leaped onto Lanora's forearm and sunk her claws into it as well as her teeth. She felt herself suddenly swing upward as Lanora responded to the attack and released her hold leaping away just as Lanora clapped her free hand down upon the location.

Mirin couldn't help himself any longer and turned to Dan. “Dan do you know what might be going on with Mina? I've never heard of her fighting like. Well like that.”

“I've never seen her like this Mirin. What's going on?”

“Mina's fighting like she's gone feral.” As she spoke Maria couldn't help the concern in her voice. Such behavior tended to only happen whenever a sister was under a great deal of stress or feeling very powerful negative emotions. Their bodies tended to take over and they fought in an utterly viscous manner.

In response Mirin gave a nod. “I was confident that Mina would be able to give Lanora something of a challenge but if this keeps up. We're going to have to pull Mina off of Lanora.”

“You little bitch!” Lanora couldn't help herself despite all the eyes upon her. She'd gone into the fight believing she'd have an easy time but so far Mina was humiliating her. She'd received several injuries while Mina seemed relatively unharmed despite the differences in their masses. Furthering the humiliation was the fact that the injuries Mina had given her were truly hurting. She was rather surprised whenever Mina answered her statement with a roar and she felt something slam into her left leg.

As Mirin watched the fight unfolding he found himself becoming more and more concerned. “Maria I want you to take me over to Fera. I want to ask her what she sees.”

Instead of questioning Mirin, Maria stood up and quickly lifted him into her arms. “I'll be right back Joseph.” With those words Maria leaped into the air and began to quickly sprint towards Fera who was watching the fight intently.

As Fera watched Mina she was utterly amazed by the amount of life energy concentrated into such a small area. While the life energy Mina had contained inside of her body didn't truly match up to the amount inside of Lanora the fact was that Mina had the same energy level wrapped up inside of her much smaller body as Lanora did inside of one of her legs. This meant Lanora still had a good deal more energy and strength but it was like a boulder being broken apart by a smaller but much denser and stronger stone.

“Fera.”

In response to Mirin's comment Fera glanced over at him and Maria as she came to a stop. “Brother Mirin and sister Maria. It's nice to see the two of you. I take it you're concerned for the safety of our sisters.”

In response Mirin gave a quick nod. “Yes Fera. How is Lanora doing?”

“Lanora is winning the fight.”