Gateau overlooked the village that had once been cluttered with people. What was once a thriving community was now reduced to ash and sunder. The village and everything in it had been burnt to a crisp. Gateau thought that maybe it was a sorcerer's magic, but no sorcerer he heard of could do damage like that. Chocolate stood by him. She was also thoughtful, but not of the village as he. She was visibly saddened by the fact that Carrot would rather stay with Tira than be with her. Under other circumstances, she would be at Tira's side too. She needed to get away from both of them for awhile to think.

Gateau voiced, "I think there's something Big Mama isn't telling us."

Chocolate looked at him with wide eyes. "Like what?"

"I don't know. I just know that there are things happening that we don't know about or can't explain. Why did the vampire sorcerer show up all of a sudden and why did this village burn? Why was there a pile of burnt corpses in a town and why do I keep getting this feeling of ultimate doom?"

Chocolate sighed. "I know what you mean. I can't explain it either. All I know is that things have changed somehow. But if there is something horrible going to happen, why wouldn't Big Mama tell us?"

"She thinks we can't handle it. Maybe she can't handle it."

"Well, someone has to handle it."

"I am worried. The vampire sorcerer that hurt Tira is still out there. I have to find EÉclair."

"Then I'll go with you. What else can I do?"

~~**~~

The drums beat and the singers chanted. Steel stood with her head held high as the ceremony proceeded. It was the crowing of the warrior queen. This was the goal many women in Tacoma were striving for. This was the reason women trained themselves from childhood. This was Steel herself had longed for, but failed. Pliers received the crown and Steel was rejected.

Steel held her head high although she was hurting inside. She felt that she failed in her life. Her one goal was now swept out from under her and although she was taught not to feel it, Steel was jealous.

A warrior queen had to be a perfect fighter. They had to suppress any emotions that would impair their ability to protect their island. These emotions were jealousy, anger, conceit, and love. All were thought to compromise a warrior's decision. The queen was the head of these warriors. The top five princesses received high honors and a place on the court. Steel didn't even receive that. Still she held her head high as Pliers accepted the crown. A crown Steel felt she should've had.

Meat felt out of place on the island. As Steel's honored guests the Kabal got front row seats to the ceremony. Little girls with dark skin and rainbow colored hair would run by and stare at Meat. His light skin and blond hair such a contrast to their own. One girl called him a Ghost Man. Another just laughed as she walked by.

There were also only women in the ceremony. Men who were allowed to go (such as husbands of villagers) could only sit in the back. Children got the front row, for youth was deemed very important on the Tacoma islands. It was a culture unlike any other.

"This is all kinda sexist, isn't it?" Meat asked Steel while Pliers waved at the people as she walked by in her new shiny crown.

"No more sexist than your culture. The only difference is as a man in your culture you are considered stronger, more intelligent and more important than the woman is. In our culture it's different." Steel explained.

"I don't think I'm smarter than any woman."

"There's your first step to becoming wiser."

Meat blankly stared at Steel and she walked with the crowd that was now forming at the tables of food. The table was filled with tropical fruits, and nuts. Loafs of bread filled half the table. Steel tore off a slice and handed it to Meat. "What do you have against men?" He flat out asked.

"I have nothing against men in general. I admire many men."

"Then what are you trying to prove?"

"When my country was first developing the men hunted and the women stayed home and took care of the children. That's the way it began in many countries. One day while the men were hunting the village was attacked. The women, forced to fight its attackers, took on the combat role. They successfully beat down the attackers but more were to come. The women protected the village while the men got food. Women were the protectors, child bearers and family heads. It began like this and that is how it is today."

"Men just get the food." Meat added.

"Well, they do other things too. Otherwise we wouldn't have children." Steel smiled the first real smile Meat had seen in a long time. In fact this was the first time she'd had a conversation with him without thoroughly insulting him. Maybe it had something to do with her finally being home.

Marron looked back around and the crowd of little girls scattered. He moved ahead once more only to hear them rejoin and continue following him. Their giggles and whispers followed him to the table of food where Meringue stood. Meringue held Sourdough in her arms. "They like you." Meringue said as she noticed the little girls gathering just feet away from Marron. He looked back again and they all looked away, embarrassed that he noticed them. "They think you are cute." Meringue smiled.

Sourdough looked up at Marron and said, "They are nice. I played with them. They told me they like my hair." Sourdough picked up a blond lock that was the same shade as her father's. All of the little girls had dark skin and dark hair. A little blond girl was quite a sight in the village.

Marron picked up a piece of melon and bit into it. With a sly smile on his face he spun his head around just to see the little girls scatter once again. Meringue smiled. It was the first time she had seen Marron in such a good mood in a long time.

"So what is this about a staff?" Marron asked Meringue. She had briefed them on the assignment that the team would go on after the ritual.

"In the tomb of Souffle there is a staff called the chalupa. The chalupa contains power that releases a spirit called the Souleater. It's a huge alligator that eats souls."

"So I gathered. Doesn't have quite as majestic a name as most."

"No I guess they just didn't get around to naming it right or it lost something in the translation. It could also just be Fry's notes. He spilled coffee on them when he wrote them. Anyway, The secret organization that Fry was talking about consists of Count Chocula, A werewolf king named Sodium, A sorcerer named Gelatin, and two more that I can't remember right now. Anyway, Gelatin was last known to be raiding tombs looking for the chalupa. We need to get the chalupa before he does."

"Hmmm." Marron contemplated Meringue's statements. Meringue was glad that at least Marron took her seriously as the leader. Meat had yet to acknowledge her as boss. Vash, she knew, wasn't exactly overjoyed but accepted Fry's decision. Steel also did not feel Meringue was the best choice. Beau and Virginia didn't care either way.

That was the first decision that Meringue had to make as leader. What to do about Beau Weevil and Virginia Slim. There were no files on them. There was no plan to recruit them. Both just fell into the situation and now they were very much a part of it. Meringue liked and trusted both of them but knew that Fry had his doubts. She had made the decision to let them stay.

Also as leader, Vash put her on a more vigorous training regime than the others. As leader she would be counted on to take more risks, protect the rest of the team, and step up to adversaries. He worked her harder and more furiously than the others. He showed her no mercy. Sometimes, in the middle of training she would cry only to get a stern lashing from Vash. He was trying to build courage and strength. She just wanted to stop and say. "I don't want to be leader anymore!" She couldn't fail Fry. She would never quit.

~~**~~

Meat adjusted his glasses and straightened his jacket. Putting on his best snotty British accent he explained, "My students and I are very interested in what may lie in the Tomb of Souffleé. As archaeologists, we know that uncovering the mummy will provide us with vast knowledge of the past and civilization of this great land. I ask your permission to explore it."

The mayor rubbed his chin and nodded his head. "Yes yes yes. I have not had much of it, but I hear information is good. Wait a minute. I have something for you." The mayor stood up from his chair and walked to a safe. After twisting the dial every which way, the door opened and he produced a scroll wrapped in a ribbon. "This is a map that was found outside the tomb. I can't read it. Do you understand it?"

Meat looked at the map, completely confounded but determined not to show it. "Ah, yes. As an archeologist I understand completely. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good day." Meat exited the door where the rest of his team stood listening to the conversation.

"So do you understand it?" Asked Steel.

"Not a damn word. "

"Let me look at it." Vash snatched the map from Meat and opened it.

"What does it say?" Asked Meringue, looking over Vash's gigantic shoulders.

"The tomb isn't too far from here to the west. Then there's a legend, names of rivers, and a recipe for fudge brownies on the side."

"Are they good fudge brownies?" Asked Meat.

"I'm going to hit you very hard some day. You know this, right?" Beau remarked.

"Then we'll be on our way." Marron turned down the hall and started to leave.

"Hold it, pretty boy, we have some things to get together before we go off chalupa hunting. Like what to do with Sourdough for instance." Vash stated. The little girl held onto Meringue's hand and stared at her father blankly.

"Jacfu's hotel has a daycare. We can get a room and leave her in the day care." Meringue said. She bent down to Sourdough. "How does that sound, Sweetie?"

"I want to go with you." She said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, Sourdough, but it will be too dangerous. We want you to be safe here." The little girl nodded her agreement.

~~**~~

"The desert sand blew across the dunes and even with sunglasses Beau had to shield his eyes from the light. The camel he held onto was prepared to hock a looge right at him. The camel spit into the wind. The looge flew backward and completely missed Beau's face. It seemed to take the effort to go around him and hit Steel right in the mouth. "Ahhhh gross." Steel wiped off camel looge and Beau laughed.

"We're here. Now how do we get inside?" Meringue asked. Some more dust blew thru the air, stinging her eyes.

The guide that the mayor insisted they take with them pointed at a sculpture of an owl on the stone door. "See that owl?" The short man held onto his turban with his left hand and pointed with his right. "It's the entrance."

"Been here before, huh?" Beau asked him, but got no answer.

Steel took the liberty of twisting the knob and then the door slowly slide open. The group went inside. "Where do we go first?" Asked Virginia, who had been quiet most of the time. She was beginning to feel more confidant that these people were not going to kill her.

"Let's consult the map." Marron took it out of Meat's stuffy jacket pocket and unfolded it. "According to the legend the tomb is in the center of the third level of the pyramid."

"I say we go left." Meat said.

"No, I think we should turn to the right." Marron replied.

"Now, friends, fellow Kabal members, you know there's only one way to solve a dispute such as this." Beau stood in between Meat and Marron. "Rock scissors paper."

"Two out of three." Meat said. First round was Meat paper; Marron scissors. Second round found Meat with rock, Marron with scissors. Third and final round found Meat the winner when his paper defeated Marron's rock. They turned left.

Walking down the long tunnel, Marron noticed the paintings on the wall. All displayed various gods and kings, but one painting caught his attention. It showed a spirit who Marron believed was Souffleé holding a golden staff with an alligator head on the top. Marron looked at the painting and tried to read the hieroglyphics when Meringue said, "What's this?" and pushed a green jewel causing a stone wall to cut in between the group. The wall almost landed on top of Virginia, but Beau pushed her out of the way. Leaving her on the other side with Marron, Steel, and Meringue. Meat, Beau and Vash were split from them.

"Dammit." Meat yelled in exasperation.

"Oh my gosh!" Meringues' voice was heard from the other side.

"You just have to touch everything." Steel snapped at Meringue.

"Vash and Marron both tried to push, pull, and cut the wall open. Nothing could budge it. Vash said thru the stone, "Go around the other way. Find the Chalupa."

"IT looks like we are going right after all." Marron said.

~~**~~

The guide stood outside the pyramid for a moment and then when he saw his buddies racing towards him in the sand, he quickly became excited. Four equally short men with dark hair and turbans dismounted their camels. "What is it, Hash?"

"There's archeologists in the tomb. We have to go in there."

"Why?"

"Cuz tombs have treasure, you idiot. We'll just follow them and they'll lead us to the treasure. Then we'll kill them and say they were stuck in the tomb."

"Isn't the tomb protected by spirits?"

"Shut up. That's just stories to keep us from getting' the gold. Get goin' in there. Follow those archaeologists." Hash pushed his buddies inside and then followed him. Little did he know that atop another sand dune, an evil sorcerer had heard the entire conversation.

"Fine, you little fools, look for gold. It won't mean a thing when I have taken your souls." He cackled loudly as the sand blew around him.

~~**~~

Steel turned the corner into a room lined with statues of large busted women. She uttered her disgust at the statues, but Virginia admired the craftsmanship and skill. "Who do you think they were?" She asked.

"Servants probably." Answered Marron.

"Or extra wives." Added Meringue. Not looking where she was going, Meringue tripped on a piece of loose stone in the floor. She stumbled, barely able to catch herself, but managed to keep herself from falling facedown on the floor. Instantly the chest of one of the statues sprung off and struck the wall against it. It flew right in front of Marron's face, A few inches more would've smashed his head.

Meringue gasped. "Her chest almost hit you."

"It's a booby trap. Come on!" Marron took off running and the girls raced after him. Bust after bust flew to the wall across. Meringue dodged one. Steel leapt over another. Finally they made it out the door and Meringue breathed easily.

"I'm so glad we made it out of there." Meringue said. Suddenly Spikes from the ceiling plummeted down forming a circle around her. Virginia screamed as another spike came down and she shifted to wolf form and jumped out of the way.

"Run again!" Steel yelled and they took off down the hallway dodging spikes that fell from the ceiling.

"I hope the other guys are having a better time than this." Meringue shouted as another spike fell before her face.

~~**~~

"Turn right, no, turn left. No…" Meat said. "This hall looks very much like one we've been down before."

"It is." Vash said.

"There has to be a secret passage or something. " Beau said, feeling the walls.

"So find us one, Beau. You've got all the luck." Vash replied. Beau narrowed his eyebrows at Vash but continued searching the wall. He rubbed against a sculpture of a goat and the horn fell off the goat's head. Beau stepped back and they all looked around.

"Nothing happened." Meat said. Suddenly the walls moved. They were getting closer.

"The walls are closing in on us!" Beau cried out.

"Do something!"

"Me?"

"Yeah, ya lucky bastard. Fix it."

Beau mumbled something about Vash and Meat going to hell as he searched for something to stop the walls. Vash and Meat, in the meantime, were having a horrible time trying to slow the walls from closing.

"Hurry up," Meat said. He had his back against the wall and his feet against the other wall. Vash tried to wedge his sword between the walls.

"Shut the hell up. I'm trying here." He felt around some more and then decided to stop trying. He closed his eyes and said, "Eenie meenie miny mo." and hit the wall. By sheer luck he hit the right thing and the walls stopped while another opened, revealing a secret passage.

"Oh thank god." Meat fell to his knees. He stood up to follow Vash and Beau down the tunnel.

~**~

They finally got thru the hall of spikes, and Virginia was relieved. She couldn't help thinking of the other group. "Do you think they are all right?" She asked.

"Are you worried about Beau?" Meringue answered with another question.

"Goodness no. Nothing will ever happen to Beau. He's way too lucky. I'm worried about the others being with him."

"What do you mean?"

"He hasn't told you?"

"Told us what?" Marron asked this time. They continued walking as Virginia explained.

"Luck seems to follow him everywhere, but bad luck usually follows whoever he is with. One a trip to a casino, Beau was playing poker and winning every hand. The man he played against was losing horribly, naturally. When the man's money was all gone, the casino workers took him away. Later he was sealed inside a monster and forced to fight other unlucky losers."

"Surely you can't blame that on Beau." Meringue insisted. Marron's thoughts drifted. He too had been to that same casino on a case. Carrot had also lost all of his winnings and was sealed inside a monster. Carrot almost ate him that day. Beau had been there all the time. How could have the sorcerer hunters not noticed a white pupiled mage in a top hat and sunglasses? Then again, there were a lot of things he hadn't noticed before coming into the Kabal.

~**~

"Follow me." Hash ordered his minions. He had lost the archeologists and was becoming very impatient.

"Hash, don't you think we should go… this way?…"

"I said follow me!"

A deep voice from behind him said, "Hash, do you have any idea where you are going?"

Shaking as he held his torch out, Hash cried out," Who are you? Show yourself!" A man stepped into the light. He wore a black cape and expensive clothing. His blond hair was slicked back. He gave a big smile to the little man.

"I am Gelatin." Gelatin bowed to Hash.

"What do you want?"

"The same thing as you. To get into the tomb for the great treasure that surrounds the mummy of Souffleé. Perhaps we could work together."

"Why should I trust you?"

Gelatin squinted his eyes and an invisible grip went around Hash's neck. The grip tightened and Hash gasped for air. "You don't have to trust me, but you must obey or else I'll kill you."

~~**~~

Meat led the way thru a room full of several sarcophaguses. He looked around and noticed the jars on the tops of many. "Hey, what's with the jars?"

"When mummifying people, they often put their organs in jars." Vash explained.

"Gruesome." Meat commented. He picked up a jar and opened the top. There was nothing inside but a little dust. He set it down and opened another jar. His face went green when he looked inside. "Uh, how old are these things supposed to be?"

"Thousands of years old." Vash answered.

"Then there shouldn't be eyeballs in here, huh?"

Beau took the jar from Meat. And looked inside. "Ahhh, yuck!" He dropped the jar and the eyeballs rolled on the floor, stopping with the pupils looking directly at them.

"Those should not be there." Vash stated.

"Ya think?" Beau replied. Behind him, a coffin shifted. A bloody, bandaged hand moved the lid off its own sarcofacus and a deathly growl alerted him to the peril behind him.

"Beau, don't move." Vash raised his sword. Beau closed his eyes. Meat saw Vash swing his sword and cut off the dead guy's head, stopping a few inches from Beau's own head. Beau reopened his eyes and sighed. The head fell to the ground and rolled to Meat's feet. Meat jumped over it and it hit the wall behind him.

"The good news is it's not a mummy." Vash said. "If it was, I wouldn't have been able to kill it that way."

"The bad news is there's more coming." Beau reached into the pockets of his vest and pulled out two daggers. Vash readied his sword, and Meat pulled out his own knife. The zombies rose from the floor, came out of the walls, and jumped down from the ceiling. All looked freshly dead as if they had not been there very long. "I'm taking a guess here that these guys are tomb raiders."

"Probably." Vash said.

"That means something else got them first. This tomb must be cursed."

"Good." Beau said. He tossed a dagger at an approaching zombie, pinning it against the wall. "I love a challenge."

~**~

"Watch out!" Virginia grabbed Steel's arm before Steel took another step. "Look below." Steel did as Virginia said and saw that in a pit many feet below them were 40 or 50 very hungry, very mean alligators. "I smelled them." Virginia voiced.

"Dead end. I guess we have to go back." Meringue said.

"Not necessarily." Marron found a long plank on the wall and took it down. He laid it across the pit, glad that it was just long enough. "Now we can cross."

"If we have great balance. That thing is skinny." Meringue said. Marron walked across it with ease, not even looking down or raising his hands for balance. Once across he asked, "Who's next?"

Steel, not as confident about her own balance, took out her staff to steady her. Not as graceful as Marron, but almost as quickly, she made it across. Virginia was halfway in werewolf mode. She needed her human legs for this kind of balance, but the instincts and skill of a wolf to get across. Meringue was last. The others across stared at her. She looked down into the pit. An alligator attacked one of its fellow reptiles and they were brutally battling.

"I don't know if I can do it. I quit ballet when I was 7 and Vash tripped me every time in training. My balance sucks."

"You can do it, Meringue. Take it slowly." Marron said.

"I don't know…"

"Meringue, you are our leader. You're supposed to guide us, not the other way around. Have a leader's confidence. Do it, girl. Do it now." Steel snapped. It was harsh, but it made Meringue swallowed her fear and step out onto the plank. She outstretched her arms and then took another step out. After slowly letting both feet onto the plank, she stood afraid to take another step.

"You're doing fine, Meringue. Don't look down." Marron encouraged her. Naturally, since Marron mentioned looking down, Meringue looked down to see that the alligators had stopped fighting to give all their attention to her. A few of them already had their mouths open. She gasped and lost her balance. Her arms flailed and she weaved every which way. Virginia attempted to go on the plank to get her, but Steel held her back.

"She must do this herself.'" Steel told her. Steel said to Meringue, "Come on, leader. We're waiting."

Meringue regained her footing and took another step. Keeping her arms out and her back straight, she put her other foot in front of the last. She was halfway across but there was still a long way to go.

~**~

Vash chopped off another zombie head with a clean sweep. Meat stabbed one in the chest. Beau was successful in resealing another inside its own tomb. He stepped back and knocked over a jar. Another pair of eyeballs fell out. Without knowing why, he picked the eyeballs up and put them back into the jar. An eyeless zombie came at him and he thrust the jar at the zombie. The zombie took the jar, and turned away. Beau thought that was a bit strange, then he shouted, "Get away from the jars. They just want their organs back."

Vash stood aside the wall and watched as the zombie bypassed him to pick up another jar. The jar contained a fresh liver, which the zombie took with him back to his sarcofacus. All zombies were back where they belonged in a few minutes and the guys were out the door.

~**~

Meringue was on her belly now. She had fallen and grabbed the plank, able to upright herself and lay on the plank with her stomach to it. "Why is she having so much trouble?" Virginia asked.

"Fear." Steel said. "She is so afraid that her fear is interfering with her success."

"You're sure you don't want me to get her?"

"Steel is right." Marron said. "Meringue must battle her fear. She will become weaker if she succumbs to it."

"What if she doesn't make it?" Virginia asked.

"Then I am picking the next leader." Steel said.

Meringue was almost brought to tears. Did they think she couldn't hear them? They were already picking the new leader and Meringue hadn't fallen yet. She had to make it across. Fry would be very disappointed if she died on the first mission. Fry had given her the title and responsibility. That meant he trusted her to get the job done. She thought of this and said aloud, "I cannot fail Fry." She grabbed the plank and righted herself up. She was standing again. She focused on an object-Marron. I have to make it to Marron. Marron will not let me fall. Don't look down. Don't listen to the gators. Focus on Marron. Meringue walked. She held her back straight and she walked. She tried her hardest to ignore the hungry reptiles below her and walked. Finally she made it across and fell to the ground. "I made it." She breathed, hardly able to believe it herself.

"Excellent job." Marron said with a smile. He helped her up.

"Listen. Someone's coming." Virginia heard running around the corner before the others, but soon they were able to hear too. Then three familiar faces appeared. Meat almost fell over he turned the corner so fast. Beau almost tripped over him. "It's Beau, Vash and Meat." She stated.

The guys ran right past them. "Run! Run for your lives!" Meat said. Suddenly, around the corner came a huge head. The head took up the entire hallway space and had blue flame surrounding it. Its mouth was wide open and it let out an eerie screech. Roaches came from its eyes as it advanced. Meringue screamed. Virginia went to wolf and ran too. Marron stood there, staring it down. With a flick of his hand, the monster disappeared in a flash of blue smoke.

"I was hoping you'd do something like that." Vash said to Marron.

"Like what? What was that you did?" Meringue asked.

"IT wasn't difficult." Marron explained further. "The head was merely a lower spirit. Since it has no effective magic powers it relies on its size for fear. IT was easy killed with a simple magic spell."

Meat stood in front of the most beautiful room he'd ever seen. "I think we've found the tomb." The others went inside as Meat stayed in the doorway. He was in awe. "Nice, isn't it?" Beau reflected with him.

"We have no time for this. We must get the chalupa." Steel said. She climbed over the piles of gold coins to search the tomb.

"I found it." Meringue announced. The staff was huge. It was sculpted all in gold and silver. The top of it held the head of an alligator. The gator had rubies for eyes and in its open mouth past his pointy teeth was hollow space all the way down the staff. The Chalupa hung above the sarcoffacus of Soufflée.

"I'm so glad you found it for me." A voice said from the door. Two hands grabbed Beau and Meat and tossed them outside the door on their backs. Several men stepped on their stomachs as they went by. Meat recognized one of them.

"Hash?" He stood up as the stone door closed in front of him.

A blond sorcerer faced the Kabal with a sly smirk. "Who the hell are you?" Steel asked, withdrawing her double-edged sword.

"I am Gelatin." He bowed before them.

"You are Gelatin the legendary sorcerer?" Meringue asked.

"I see you heard of me. What is a lovely sorceress such as you doing with a rogue bunch such as this? Surely you have more to do with your time." Gelatin motioned for Hash and his men to surround the Kabal. They all had swords and knives. One was so brave as to stick a blade at Vash's neck. Gelatin walked up to the Chalupa and held it in his hands. Then he read a few chants and from the open mouth of the great gator came the Soul Eater.

The Soul Eater was a huge 50-foot alligator with ruby eyes like the sculpture. It opened its mouth and let out a huge roar. Gelatin laughed. "Now I have unimaginable power!"

~**~

"That was Hash!" Meat exclaimed.

"That means the camels are gone. We'll have to walk home." They both heard the growl from inside the tomb. "Oh hell. We have to get in there."

"How do we open this thing?"

'"I don't know. How did you ever convince that guy you were an archeologist? Um…" Beau thought. "There must be code to get in."

"There's lots of hieroglyphics on the wall. They must mean something."

"Can you read hieroglyphics?" Beau asked.

"No."

"Me either. Okay. Just push whatever I call out. Bird, eyeball, staff, staff…"

~**~

Hash screeched at the sight of the Soul Eater and ran for the door. Quickly, the Soul Eater pounced on him and it looked like he was trying to swallow his head. He was, however, not taking a bite out of Hash, but sucking his soul out of his physical body. Hash screamed like a girl and then became motionless. His skin shriveled up and his skin paled. With the new soul the gator grew even bigger.

"I am invincible!" Gelatin yelled. That's when Vash struck, taking out his sword and stabbing the henchman who had the knife at his throat. At Vash's lead, the rest of the Kabal fought with the henchmen.

Meringue touched a short man's forehead. "You are afraid of snakes." A snake appeared up his sleeve and looked him in the face. He screamed, grabbed its neck and threw it just to have another snake go down his pants leg. Virginia was clawing another guy while in full wolf form. Marron and Steel took on their own captors.

Gelatin sat and watched the show. "Eat, Soul Eater, eat. Feast upon their souls!"

~**~

"…Snake, owl, line." Beau said. Meat touched the picture with the line and the door slowly began to open. Thru the door a sharp sword flew at Beau, just missing his head. He disregarded it without a thought and dived into the action.

The Soul Eater pounced on another henchman, and sucked out his soul as well. Gelatin enjoyed the show from atop the tomb. Laughing hysterically, he hadn't paid attention to the skeleton soldiers appearing from the paintings in the walls. A soldier grabbed Gelatin by his slicked back hair and a snake came from his gaping mouth. Gelatin screamed as the soldier tossed him off the tomb and withdrew its sword. Others soon followed.

"The tomb is cursed." Meat said.

"These soldiers must be the protectors of the chalupa." Marron said. "We should be rid of them once the chalupa is returned to its rightful place." He ducked a swinging sword by a henchman who was immediately attacked by the Soul Eater. The Soul Eater was now twice the size it had been before.

"Marron, look out! Watch for the.." Meringue began. Marron looked to the side to see a skeleton soldier coming at him with its bloody sword. Marron made no move to duck and the sword disintegrated before his eyes. "..sword." Meringue finished. "Disintegration spell. You got to that chapter already? You've been studying without me." Meringue put her hands on her hips and frowned. A skeleton soldier pounced on her and she struggled. It's long tongue slithered and drooled on her face. She looked around for a weapon. There was a sword just out of reach. She couldn't let go of her attacker or else he'd have the advantage. Focussing on the sword, she willed it to come to her.

It did. Clasping the sword in one hand she smacked the skeleton in the shoulder with the handle. It flew off her and she got up and took one swing, cutting off its head. The head still bobbed around on the ground, but the body stumbled every which way, not able to see anymore.

Gelatin held tightly to the chalupa as he stood back up. He soon found himself face to face with Meringue and Marron. "Drop the chalupa, Gelatin." Marron ordered. He took out an ofuda that began to glow.

"Yeah. Drop it, man." Meringue added.

"Never!" Gelatin backed away and ordered the Soul Eater to attack one of the Kabal. The Soul Eater stopped drinking of the henchmen and like a bolt of lightning, hit Steel. Steel lay on her back with the Soul Eater above her. He weighed much and was crushing her stomach. The gator surrounded her head with its mouth and Steel felt a part of her begin to leave her body. She struggled to get away and to keep her soul.

Vash kicked the chalupa out of Gelatin's hand. Meringue ran for the staff as Vash fought with Gelatin. Several More henchmen jumped her, causing her to fall. They scratched and pulled at her legs. Focusing on the chalupa, she willed it to come to her. It did. "I've got it!"

"Call off the Soul Eater!" Marron yelled. He was fighting skeleton soldiers and using the disintegration spell to rid them of their weapons.

Meringue told the Soul Eater to retreat from Steel. Steel was becoming weaker in her struggle. She wanted to just give up and let it end. Suddenly the gator was off her and walking towards Meringue. It sat beside Meringue, awaiting her instructions. She told it to go after Gelatin.

At once the Soul Eater was on Gelatin. Gelatin shrieked as the gator placed its massive mouth over his head. Slowly the Soul Eater swallowed his soul. Then Meringue returned the chalupa to its rightful place.

The skeleton soldiers disappeared. The henchmen who had not died ran away from the room as fast as their feet would carry them. That left the Kabal alone inside the tomb, with very weak Steel.

"Steel, are you okay?" Meat went up to her and noticed the fear in her dark eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "Hold me." Meat's eyes widened and he moved her to face him. "What happened to you?"

"The Soul Eater must've taken some of her soul before Meringue could call it off. If he had gone any later she would be dead." Vash said.

"Steel, am I an idiot? Am I an imbecile? Call me a retard. Let me know its still you!" Steel just looked into Meat's eyes and replied, "I want to go home."

A mournful silence fell on the Kabal.