The trip from Qu to the mountains went rather quickly. After exiting the city, the Ali sped through a well-laid road directed to the mountain range. Fiona spun her index fingers around each other as they approached the looming Calii mountains.

"How big are these mountains?" Gwyn asked as the peaks grew higher and the road ever shorter.

"The range is rather large, but the village shouldn't be too far buried in," Rheba explained while looking at information about the village on the tablet. "Looks like it is a small unnamed settlement formed around some mining spots. The population is maybe 200 or so based on the last census," she continued to read.

"Will they have the part we want?" Gwyn asked.

"Dast, the mechanic told me the part we are after is the same kind they use in their mining vehakuls; I might have to make some small adjustments when we are there, but there should be no issue!" Odell explained.

The Ali was beginning to enter the mountain range. The road below it started to curve upward slightly as they made their ascent. A metal track was lined on the road and seemed to hug against the mountain wall, which the Ali effortlessly hovered over. They traveled up for a moment, with the Ali sputtering and grinding as it struggled to move. Eventually, they turned a corner, and the incline became shallower as it curved around the mountain pass.

The ground below and Ali were divided by only a little excess road. The vehakul side by the mountain face only just missed creating significant scratches on the silver side with a small pocket of air dividing them. There was no room for the Ali to move left or right, and Odell had to focus intensely on the road to keep steady on the path.

"One mere slip and gravity shall take us to an early grave," Hal said while glancing out the window at the ground, which continued to grow farther away. He directed his comments at Odell, but the Hobusian prince was too focused on the path to pay any mind.

"That would be unfortunate," Gwyn replied to Hal in the friendliest tone he could muster. The Netzian only rolled his yellow eyes and continued to look out the window.

"Please do be careful, Odell," Harlan whispered too quietly for anyone to hear. She looked out of the window down to the ground, which grew farther away. It was only for a brief moment, then suddenly, she closed her eyes and turned her head so that her gaze would be directed to the floor.

The Ali continued to convey its struggle with a sputtering noise as they slowly turned around the mountain face on a patch of road.

"This path should have been made wider," Odell said with a nervous laugh as they cleared the bend and began to head upward on an incline once again.

"It was made for walking and mine transport, not a wide vehakul," Fiona said with an uneasy sigh.

The Ali continued going further up with many of its passengers on the edge of their seats. It, at last, reached a tunnel, and the ground leveled out. The tunnel was wide and straight, with small lights dotted every so often. It served as the main road into the mining village. The metal tracks split to run alongside the walls.

The tracks went straight to the ends of the tunnel and repeatedly forked to connect with several smaller openings on the sides. Mined goods would be brought straight down the tunnel in small minecart-like vehakuls. The side tunnels weaved directly through the mountain to the mines and served to bring the mine carts out for expedited delivery.

Odell took the opportunity to speed up significantly, and the tiny lights seemed to zoom by the vehakul.

The crowd in the Ali seemed to sigh relief all at once, except for Odell, who was rather pleased with how well he navigated up the mountain pass.

"That was a bit of fun!" the Hobusian prince happily said while wiping some sweat off his face.

"Fun?" Fiona exclaimed. She was going to shout more but settled on taking a deep breath and calming down.

"I share Princess Fiona's sentiment; that maneuver was rather risky," Rheba added.

"Oh, come on, we made it up just fine thanks to my expert handling!" Odell retorted.

"Hey, how do we get back down?" Gwyn said. His question was sudden to the others, but the thought had run through his mind as they had ascended.

There was silence for a moment.

"Maybe I'll beef this baby up, and we can just jump off!" Odell said with a laugh.

"Dant!" the crowd shouted in unison, save for Gwyn, who went with a 'no.' Even Harlan joined in the crowd's yell, though her voice was the quietest of the group.

"Calm down; it was just a joke. I don't have the right tools to make a modification like that," Odell explained.

"It was not a funny one," Fiona said while shaking her head.

"I am inclined to agree," Gwyn added. He and Fiona got several nods of agreement behind them, even from Hal.

Odell sighed and continued to drive forward through the dark tunnel. A light at the end promised a break from the monotonous darkness. Still, with the end in sight, Odell slowed down.

"What's that?" Gwyn said as he squinted his eyes to focus on the end of the tunnel. Some figures were standing and blocking the entrance to the Aqueenian town. They were just silhouettes, but the forms suggested a Bentulousian and Zenotote greeted the team.

Odell stopped the Ali just before they left the tunnel. The window on his side opened up, and he stuck his head out.

"Hey! Get out of the way!" he shouted.

The silhouettes began to walk forward. They exited the light from outside the tunnel and walked up to the Ali. Odell turned on a spotlight to shine on the duo.

The first was a Bentulousian. She was tall, standing at least a head over Rheba, with a pattern that resembled a calico cat. In particular, her head was black on the right side, orange on the left, and white from her neck to her nose. Two yellow eyes glowed in the reflection from Odell's light.

The Zenotote looked tiny next to his Bentulousian companion, though he was of average height. His scales were a dirty gold, and his eyes a crimson red. His face was long, with several spikes at the end of his nose that might have resembled piercings.

Both members of the duo were dressed in simple black and grey outfits. They were loose-fitting and plain, and each had cloaks that dropped down to their knees. The cloaks were sleeveless, each on the right arm, and each arm had a Needaimus on it.

The Needaimus had been painted black, and only minor scratches from past fights revealed the colors they had once been. The Needaimus were also oddly bonded to each arm. The ends of each mechanical creature appeared to grow like roots up the arms and necks of the newcomers.

"Who are you?" Odell asked after a moment of staring at the odd duo. In the back of the Ali, the others were quietly discussing to themselves.

"I thought this was an Aqueenian village," Rheba said slowly while reaching out her arm to her Needaimus.

"They must be visitors," Fiona speculated in a hopeful manner.

Harlan shook her head as her Needaimus, Mirror, bonded to her leg.

"You may call be Flora, boy; now you owe me. Please jump out of that vehakul," The Bentulousian answered Odell in a firm but friendly voice.

Odell immediately did as asked; in a flash, he flung the door open and leaped out of the Ali. He made several rolls on the ground before he could break free from her command. His eyes were wide with shock.

The others in the Ali jumped at the sudden movement from Odell. However, before any more actions could be made, each member in the Ali and the Ali's doors were suddenly covered in a series of tiny, waxy wings. They dotted along the bodies randomly like a series of insect bites. The wings took flight, and the remaining team spilled out onto the ground outside the Ali. They were forced out of whatever door was closest to them and ended up on all sides around the vehakul.

"Honestly, Flora," the golden Zenotote shook his head. With a wave of his hands, the sprouted wings dragged the team forward, and they floated in a straight line just above the ground. Wings grew on Odell, and he joined the team in their capture.

Odell and Fiona flailed around. Gwyn tried to shake off the wings. Rheba tried to force movement with a test of strength. Hal watched with disinterest. Harlan cautiously examined everything; she was the only one who had managed to bond with her Needaimus.

"Well, well, well. What an interesting little group we have here!" Flora chirped as she eyed the collection of Resh's species," Look, Icarus, there is even one that can be your wife!" she elbowed her companion as she eyed Harlan. Though, the attention was truly on the Needaimus bonded to the yellow-green Zenototes leg.

The Zenotote called Icarus sighed.

"Would you please stop trying to marry me off! I'd never wed one that hideous anyway," he spat in a similar manner to someone young when teased.

Flora just laughed and then began to pace in front of the team.

"Now then, what shall we do with this group. We have a couple of strong ones that could work in the mines, well expect for this one," Flora stopped to eye Gwyn's skinny arms and smooth hands for a moment before continuing. "But before that, I'd like to get to know you all. What brings you all out here? Why do you have a Needaimus with you? Why don't you tell me everything?"

"Villain, we will tell you nothing!" Rheba spat as she suddenly jerked her arm to escape. The small wings attached jerked her arm back to where the duo wanted.

Flora frowned.

"So serious, you must be directly from Benlou with that attitude...." Flora mused.

"Flora, mind the time," Icarus chimed in as visible beads of sweat began to roll down his face. Some of the small wings on the struggling Odell and Fiona dissolved, and their movement was increased, but they were not set free.

Flora sighed.

"I suppose our time here has been cut short, but we will have plenty of time to catch up in the mines! Now why don't you all come this way," Flora said with a slight wave as she turned around.

The team began to slowly float forward outside of the cave as they were dragged by their captors.

Back in the Ali, the other Needaimus had gone unnoticed. They quietly discussed amongst themselves.

"What do we do!" Cal, Odell's Needaimus, shouted as it began to panic.

"Calm down!" No. 5, Hal's Needaimus almost shouted as much as the hushed volume would allow. It ended up coming out as more of a hiss.

"Wait, Ga-Mem can fly; we can secure an escape yet!" Mini, Rheba's Needaimus, chimed in with a sort of ah-ha tone.

The others turned to Mem, who promptly looked back as if they were looking at something behind.

"I can't help you; my partner's ability won't help against that foe," Mem explained after making a sort of sigh and shrug movement.

"But you can carry one of us," Cal suddenly said. If the Needaimus could make expressions, it would have worn a smile.

"Who goes, though?" No. 5 asked.

The Needaimus looked back and forth for a moment before a volunteer appeared.

"I'll go," Sun, Fiona's Needaimus, chimed in.

Mem peaked out the window to see the team starting to get pulled away. The dragon-like Needaimus shook its head.

"We have to be quick then," the Mem answered.

Mem flew over Sun and grabbed the yellow bull-like body with two large blue claws. After a couple of flaps of blue wings, Mem took to the air with the other Needaimus in tow.

"You sure are heavy," Mem commented.

"Excuse me?" Sun said in shock as the blue Needaimus finally made it through the threshold of one of the opened doors. The flight was slow but quiet enough that the captors did not hear anything odd.

Mem reached the team in no time and dropped Sun onto a surprised Fiona's arm. The bonding of the Needaimus caused the wings over Fiona's arm to disappear. She quickly used her free arm to rip the wings off her other arm, then the rest of her body. The action was noticed by Icarus, who promptly spun around to watch the freed princess softly land on the ground. He thrust his hand out to her, and more wings appeared on her body.

At the same time, Mem bonded with Gwyn. Like Fiona, his right arm was freed from the fusion process. He reached for a wing and tried to pull it off, as Fiona had quickly done. At the same time, he activated his ability. The wing melted in a manner that resembled wax or plastic in his hand.

Gwyn took a moment to focus, then applied his ability across his body. Every wing liquified at once, and he was quickly free. He fell to his knees and tried to catch his breath. Icarus noticed right away, but his attention was focused on the Aqueenian princess who had just teleported out. The tiny wings that had just reappeared on Fiona fluttered to the ground where she had stood.

Icarus looked around frantically, but Fiona had appeared right behind him. She gave him a solid kick in the back, and the golden Zenotote stumbled forward. He turned around and glared at Fiona with fury in his red eyes.

Flora sighed and grabbed Fiona suddenly from behind. Her yellow Needaimus arm was twisted into a hold behind her back.

"You are trouble, aren't you?" Flora mused to the Aqueenian princess. Fiona didn't respond and simply disappeared from the calico Bentulousian's arms. She reappeared in a blue flash on top of the Ali and faced her two opponents, who quickly focused on the flash of light.

After catching his breath, Gwyn quickly began to melt the wings on the other team members. The other Needaimus spilled out of the Ali and began to dart across the ground to their respective partners quickly.

The opponents watched Fiona closely as they split up and began to circle the vehakul on opposite sides.

Don't waste time fighting these two; you need to get everyone away. Sun echoed in Fiona's mind. Fiona frowned but kept her mouth shut as she looked back and forth between the two opponents. She had wanted to protest to Sun; fortunately, the Needaimus already had an idea of what she would say.

I've told you before, even if you reach 100% compatibility, it will not matter if you don't use your abilities properly. Look, I've done some echo surveys and identified two of those side tunnels that would make a good escape route.

On the cue of Sun's words, two markers appeared in Fiona's vision. If she looked at the openings, a red line along the floor would appear to lay out the path clearly.

Fiona shook her head and zapped next to Flora. She threw her fist at the Bentulousian warrior's stomach. It made contact, but Flora just stood in place with a smile. Fiona's arm was quickly grabbed, and the Aqueenian princess was thrown over Flora's shoulder.

Fiona landed squarely on her back and let out a grunt. Flora turned away from her downed opponent and looked at the rest of the group. They had all been freed from the wings, and each had a Needaimus on their arm. The calico Bentulousian frowned.

She looked over to the other side of the Ali where Icarus stood. The golden Zenotote wiped some sweat from his brow as he faced the opponents. Two large wings appeared on his back, and he began to hover above the ground. He moved his head so that his neck cracked.

"Some trouble sure rolled into town today," Icarus said with a small laugh.

The team had their backs facing the tunnel exit, save for Fiona, who slowly pushed herself up from the ground behind Flora. Only she, and the opponent duo, saw a new figure approaching from outside the tunnel. The figure remained only a shadow, but Fiona felt it might be trouble.

"Everyone!" she shouted, but her cries did not reach them in time.

The shadowed figure leaped into the air and flew into the tunnel. A Hobusian woman came into clear view as she exited the bright contrast of the sunlight.

Like the majority of Hobusians, she was short, with a thinner than average frame. Her crown was only a small horn shape in the center of her forehead, and it appeared as if it parted her lengthy, black hair as it flowed down around her face. She wore simple black clothing like the duo that engaged the team, but no Needaimus was bonded to any limb.

Instead, she wore what looked like a giant glove on her right hand. It had a bulky, square appearance and four tubes that seemed to come out of the glove and arc back into it. Two of the tubes looked like a blue fluid was running through, while the other tubes appeared to have a yellow liquid.

The Hobusian from the air tapped on Rheba's arm as she got in close. The tap had been only an instant, but Rheba's Needaimus, Mini, suddenly was thrown off her arm. Mini flew up in the air and was caught by the new opponent, who promptly chucked the Needaimus to Flora. The rest of the group all began to react, but the newcomer moved swiftly as she targeted Hal next. At the same time, Flora and Icarus started to move in close to the group.

As Hal tried to block the quick Hobusian, Odell reacted by getting in close to Gwyn and Harlan. Hal's No. 5 was broken free from his arm at the exact moment Odell gave a heavy push to his companions. He angled it slightly upward so that they flew up through the air, right over Flora's head.

Almost immediately after they had been pushed, the new opponent quickly removed Odell's Needaimus from his arm.

"Run, you three!" Rheba shouted as Flora quickly brought her down. Icarus brought down Hal.

Harlan gracefully landed on her feet and helped Gwyn, who had not landed so well, up.

"But..." Fiona managed to yell back to the remaining team as the other two continued to get their bearings from Odell's push.

"Just go, or we'll all be captured!" Rheba shouted back.

Gwyn shook his head and began to step back to the team members who were being restrained, but Harlan caught his hand. With a strong pull, she moved Gwyn in the opposite direction. As she ran by Fiona, she grabbed the princess' arm and began to lead her as well.

"Wait, Harlan!" Gwyn shouted as he looked back to the team, but the Zenotote calmly pulled the other two into one of the side passageways.

"Shall we give chase?" the new Hobusian enemy asked as she pushed Odell flat on the ground.

"No, Savvy, we will take these three in first. The others won't make it long in the mines anyway," Flora answered.

The opposing trio began to cart away the three captured team members and Needaimus.