A blast of ice surged across the tunnel as Artiguana exhaled.
Frost spiraled outward in a crescent arc, instantly freezing the three insectoid drones lunging toward him. Their shrieks were silenced as their limbs stiffened and cracked, their forms locking in twisted mid-air poses before shattering against the tunnel wall.
Riven—still in his Artiguana form—exhaled, a steady stream of mist escaping his jaws. The chill in the hive deepened with every breath he took. Ice trailed behind each footstep, freezing the damp hive floor beneath him.
But it wasn't enough.
The drones like creatures kept coming.
Dozens poured in through the twisting tunnels. They moved erratically, some flying, some crawling, some even leaping across the walls. A few had developed makeshift armor—resin-caked plating that resisted direct freezing. Still, he fought through them.
He lunged forward, claws slashing.
A burst of cold erupted from his strike, sending three drones flying. Another hissed and sprayed acidic bile toward him—Artiguana spun and shielded himself with a wall of ice. The bile sizzled uselessly against the frozen barrier.
He dropped it with a roar, forming jagged spears from the wall and launching them like missiles. More screeches filled the hive as drones fell.
The Omnitrix symbol on his chest pulsed gently, steady—but he could feel the ticking clock. He wasn't going all out. Not yet. He couldn't afford to.
Not until the Boss show up.
The narrow tunnels gave way to a massive chamber—an open core within the hive, where the roof arched high into a dome of living resin and webbed crystal.
He paused, breathing heavily, mist rising from his body.
Then… it came.
A presence.
The air shifted.
The ground vibrated.
From the far end of the chamber, an unnatural clicking echoed. Then another. And another. Four heavy sets of claws slammed into the floor, emerging from the dark.
Not one.
Not two.
Four of the mutated amphibious beasts, like the one he'd fought outside the hive, stepped into the chamber. Their bodies were sleeker now—refined, stronger. Their obsidian skin gleamed, mana veins glowing violet with each breath. Chitin armor layered their sides. All of them snarled in sync.
And behind them...
She emerge.
The Queen.
Twice the size of the beasts. Regal and monstrous.
Her body was lithe but armored, wings folded behind her like a dark cape. Six elongated limbs arched like blades. Her face was a mask of intelligence and fury—compound eyes glowing gold, antennae twitching as she locked onto Riven's alien form.
She hissed once.
The drones stopped moving.
Even the beasts crouched low.
Then—she raised one claw.
And they attacked.
Riven reacted instantly, launching a wave of frost that froze the ground beneath the beasts' feet. One slipped—but the others didn't care. They tore through the frozen terrain, crashing toward him.
Artiguana flipped backward, using an ice ramp to launch himself upward. He twisted midair, opened his mouth—and unleashed a freezing breath so cold the air cracked like glass.
A wall of white mist blasted outward, engulfing two of the beasts. Their legs locked, bodies frosting over—temporarily.
The Queen didn't flinch.
She raised her arms, casting a pulse of golden energy that shattered the frost from her minions. The two beasts roared and surged forward again.
Riven landed, claws digging into the frozen ground, and rolled aside just as one of them tackled where he'd been. He slashed its leg, freezing the joint. It stumbled—but another tackled him from behind.
The impact hurled him across the chamber.
He hit the wall hard, ice splintering behind him as he groaned.
The Queen screeched.
More drones descended. He was getting overwhelmed.
Still, he fought.
He ducked a swipe, froze the leg of another. He climbed a crystal pillar, leapt off, and breathed a mist of ice over a cluster of charging insects. For a moment, the chamber was a sculpture of frozen bodies.
Then the Queen pulsed again.
A mana shockwave blew the frost apart.
Artiguana collapsed to one knee. His breathing slowed. His attacks weren't landing hard enough. He wasn't made for prolonged brawls.
The Queen raised her blade-like limbs.
The four beasts circled him again.
The Omnitrix pulsed.
And blinked.
Red.
Artiguana gasped—then glowed.
The transformation faded.
Riven hit the ground, human again.
The Omnitrix hummed softly in recovery mode. Steam rose from his skin. His body ached—bruised, scratched, drenched in sweat.
His regular clothes had returned—along with the familiar weight of Nullshift strapped to his right hand and the adaptive relic armor crawling over his arms like awakening steel.
The Queen screamed again.
Her drones advanced.
Riven pushed himself to his feet slowly. Blood trickled from a cut above his brow. He looked up, locking eyes with the approaching queen.
His voice was hoarse.
"No choice…"
He raised his wrist.
The Omnitrix clicked open.
"…Let's burn this damn hive."
He slammed his palm down.
Green light burst through the chamber.
End of Chapter.
Thank you for reading.