SPIDER-CHICA!

When Raphaela pushed open the creaky front door, she froze, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Ben was on all fours, his rear end comically raised in the air as he snuffled around the lounge carpet like an overgrown bloodhound.

Jasmine peered over Raphaela's shoulder, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What on earth is Ben doing?" she whispered, stifling a giggle.

Raphaela whirled around, pressing a finger to her lips. "Shh!" she hissed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Let the master detective work."

Ben's head snapped up, a grin spreading across his face. "Detective? Ha! I'm demonstrating proper canine behavior for our dear Jasmine here." He fumbled in his pocket, producing a small ziplock bag with a flourish. "After all, she's part dog, isn't she? Come on, girl, show us your stuff!"

He waved a scrap of white cloth enticingly in front of Jasmine's face. Her cheeks flushed crimson, eyes flashing dangerously. "Why you little—"

"Now, now," Raphaela interjected smoothly, placing a calming hand on Jasmine's trembling shoulder. She adopted a mock-serious tone. "Sometimes, one must sacrifice dignity in the present for... the greater good."

Ben nodded sagely. "Profound words, indeed."

Jasmine took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Fine!" she growled, stomping her foot for emphasis. "But you," she jabbed a finger at Ben, "turn around and close your eyes. Now."

Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Uh, why?"

"Because I'm not shredding my favorite jeans when I change, you dolt!"

"Oh! Right, of course." Ben stammered, backing away. "I'll just head to the kitchen—"

"Freeze!" Jasmine barked. "You're staying right here where we can see you."

Raphaela cocked her head. "Is that really necessary?"

Jasmine fixed her with an exasperated look. "Did you already forget yesterday? His face popping out of that tree trunk like some creepy woodland spirit?"

Ben's clinched his fist in frustration as his brilliant plan was foiled.

"Ah," Raphaela said, realization dawning. "Good point."

"I can't believe you girls think so lowly of me. But just for your peace of mind, I'll turn around and face the wall." Ben muttered, his voice laced with sarcasm. He turned on his heel, folding his arms as he faced the corner.

"Good boy," Raphaela teased.

"Just keep an eye on him, for insurance," Jasmine added, before shrugging off her clothes and transforming into a massive, hulking hyena. Her bones cracked and contorted, fur bursting from her skin as she dropped to all fours, a predatory snarl escaping her powerful jaws.

Raphaela blinked, startled. "You can turn into... an actual hyena?"

"Yeah," Jasmine said, her voice slightly distorted in her animal form. "Figured it'd be better like this than with a bulky body crashing around." She began sniffing the air, padding silently around the room, searching for any hidden scent, any clue.

Minutes passed, her frustration growing. Finally, she stopped, shaking her fur out. "Nothing. Nada. Zilch."

Ben turned his head slightly, just enough to speak. "No luck?"

"Nope. Zeroooo luck." Jasmine sighed, sounding defeated.

Raphaela's shoulders slumped, her face falling. "I guess that's it, then. I'll be an ugly monster forever..." Her voice trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Well, look on the bright side," Ben said with a smirk. "At least you'll be a popular ugly monster. You'll get to eat people, live forever, and watch everyone you love slowly fade away until you're all alone."

Raphaela gasped, but before she could speak, Jasmine spun around and punched Ben square in the face. He stumbled back, clutching his jaw.

"You're such a—demon!" Jasmine spat, her anger flaring.

The room shifted. Ben's expression darkened as he straightened, his eyes narrowing into slits. His lips curled back, revealing sharp teeth, and a low, menacing growl rumbled from his throat. The veins on his neck pulsed, glowing a sinister red that traveled up to his temples. Smoke curled from his nostrils as the air around him heated up.

"What did you say?" Ben's voice was a dangerous growl now, vibrating through the room. The temperature skyrocketed, causing Jasmine's lips to crack and the fine hairs in her nose to sizzle. Raphaela's tears evaporated before they could fall. Ben stood up slowly, his eyes blazing crimson, his body radiating heat.

"I asked you a question." His voice thundered.

Jasmine swallowed hard but stood her ground. "I called you a demon. Isn't that right, Raphaela?"

Raphaela threw up her hands. "Don't drag me into this!"

"That's it!" Ben's growl suddenly turned into a laugh—a deep, unsettling chuckle that filled the room. His eyes gleamed with wild excitement, making everyone flinch.

Jasmine cocked her head, bewildered. "Wait... did calling you a demon just make you happy? Should I do it more often?"

"Don't even think about it, Jasmine Richman," Ben snapped, his voice sharp like a whip.

Raphaela, trying to steady her racing heart, shouted, "Could you two stop your couple's fight and spill the beans already? Why are you so excited?"

Ben's eyes flashed, his grin widening in triumph. "Marbas," he hissed, almost reverent.

"Who?!" both girls asked in unison, eyes wide.

Ben grinned, shaking his head. "Never mind. I can't tell you everything. Just meet me at Lover's Arch at midnight. Everything will make sense then." Without waiting for a response, he spun on his heel and sprinted off into the trees, vanishing before they could say another word.

Later that night, Raphaela and Jasmine found themselves climbing the steep path up the mountain, their breaths coming in short, heavy gasps as they neared Lover's Arch—a natural archway formed by two entwined trees. The full moon bathed the woods in silver light, casting long, eerie shadows across the trail.

Raphaela suddenly froze, her stomach growling loudly, the sound echoing through the silent forest. Her pulse quickened, and she grabbed Jasmine's arm.

Jasmine rolled her eyes, a mocking grin spreading across her face. "No, that was just your stomach. Honestly, I don't know what you're so scared of. You can turn into a giant spider with super strength, for crying out loud. I don't think anything would even want to taste a bug like you."

Raphaela's lips curled into a smirk. "Wow, what a roast, coming from Scooby's chubby cousin."

"Oh, look who grew a pair of tits," Jasmine snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, wait, I can't even see them, since they're no bigger than a bee's butt."

"Oh snap!" a voice called from above. Raphaela and Jasmine looked up to see Ben lounging casually on a tree branch, popcorn in hand. He grinned down at them. "Girrrllll! Are you seriously gonna let her get away with that?"

Raphaela opened her mouth, but then hesitated, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I… I got nothing. Damn it, that was a good one."

"Boo-hoo, you suck, Raphaela!" Ben cackled, tossing a handful of popcorn at her as he jumped down from the branch, landing effortlessly on the ground.

"Where exactly are we going? We're already here. And don't eat the popcorn off the ground, Raphaela—it's dirty," Jasmine said, wrinkling her nose.

"I don't care! I'm starving! Some of us can't survive on a liquid diet like you," Raphaela snapped, grabbing a handful of popcorn anyway.

Ben rolled his eyes. "We better get her something to eat soon, or we might end up being her next snack."

"There's nowhere to go," Jasmine muttered, scanning the empty archway ahead. "We're literally in the middle of nowhere."

"Would you shut up, Jasmine? Your constant skepticism is getting ridiculous," Ben said, exasperated. "We're already here. All I need to do is say the incantation."

Ben stepped forward, his voice lowering to a dramatic whisper as he chanted, "He who wishes to enter must stand as beast... or human at least."

The air around them thickened, humming with unseen energy. Suddenly, the archway in the trees began to ripple and distort like liquid glass, swirling inward. The ground beneath their feet trembled as the space within the arch twisted, darkened, and began pulling everything toward it.

Raphaela's eyes widened in terror. "It's a black hole! We're all gonna die! And I don't want to die hungry!"

"Ben!" Jasmine shouted, clinging to Raphaela as the wind whipped around them. "Was this your plan all along? To kill us in style?!"

Ben sighed, looking utterly unbothered. "This is why I prefer working alone." Without hesitation, he strolled over, grabbed both girls by the collars, and with a casual flick of his wrists, tossed them through the vortex like they were bags of laundry, then followed after them.

Raphaela and Jasmine screamed as they were sucked into the void, spinning helplessly through the air. All they could hear was the roaring wind and their own panicked voices.

Inside the portal, the girls were tumbling through a swirling kaleidoscope of colors and light, their bodies weightless as they plummeted through the endless darkness. Time seemed to stretch, bend, and twist around them until, without warning, they shot out of the vortex and crash-landed on soft, mossy ground.

Groaning, Raphaela sat up and blinked, dazed. The girls found themselves in a vast, magical city, bathed in the glow of shimmering lights. Above them, a massive tree stretched endlessly into the sky, its branches twisting into the heavens. Around its trunk, glowing runes pulsed with energy, casting a soft, warm glow across the city below. The air was thick with the scent of something sweet and ancient.

"Jasmine! Jasmine!" Raphaela called out, her voice echoing through the strange, unfamiliar city.

"Would you quiet down? You're going to attract unnecessary attention. And get your legs out of my face," a gruff voice responded from beneath her.

Raphaela shifted, pushing herself up from the mossy ground, but as she turned, she froze. A figure loomed next to her—a man draped in a tattered yellow cloak. His arms, hands, and face were completely wrapped in faded bandages, and above his head, a crown of gold flames burned, flickering silently against the dim light of the city.

Raphaela's eyes widened. "Awesome... but, uh, who are you?"

The figure let out an exasperated sigh. "What do you mean? It's me—Ben."

Her mouth fell open in shock. "Ben? Why are you a... mummy now?"

"Because," Ben replied, sounding annoyed, "the magic city of Solomon forces you to reveal your true self. This place is where monsters can be comfortable—no matter how ugly they are." He smirked beneath the bandages, his eyes narrowing. "Speaking of ugly... you should probably check yourself out."

Confused, Raphaela glanced around until she spotted a fountain nearby. The water shimmered with a golden hue, as if it held the essence of the city's magic itself. Dread filled her chest as she approached, her stomach twisting in knots. When she finally looked into the water, she gasped and stumbled back.

Her reflection was nothing short of a nightmare.

Her skin was no longer human—her face was an inky, pitch-black void, with six eyes staring back at her. But this time, they weren't the usual unsettling round spider-eyes. They were human-shaped, with golden irises burning like molten metal against the blackness. Horns jutted out from her forehead, sharp and cruel, spiraling slightly upwards. Her arms were encased in what looked like matte-black armor, hard and gleaming with a glossy finish. Her elbows extended into vicious blades, razor-sharp and deadly. Her fingers had become talon-like, with nails that shimmered at the tips, fading from black into a metallic gold.

She looked less like a person—and more like a terrifying demon warrior from the depths of some forgotten hell.

Ben chuckled darkly from behind her. "You look like you walked straight out of the underworld."

Raphaela's breath quickened. "Too soon, Ben. Way too soon." She whipped around, panic rising in her voice. "Jasmine! Jasmine, where are you?"

"I'm down here."

Raphaela and Ben glanced down, only to find a small hyena puppy sitting pitifully at their feet, its fur tousled and eyes wide.

They both burst into laughter.

"Go ahead, laugh at my expense," Jasmine muttered, her tiny muzzle scrunching in a pout. She didn't seem to realize she was making adorable puppy eyes, which only made it funnier.

"Awwww," Raphaela and Ben said in unison, wiping tears from their eyes.

Raphaela crouched down, scooping Jasmine up into her arms. "We've got to stop, Ben. My heart's breaking just from looking at something this cute."

"I agree," Ben said, shaking his head with amusement.

Suddenly, Raphaela's stomach growled loudly, breaking the moment. She winced, clutching her abdomen.

"We better find you something to eat, fast," Ben said, glancing at her monstrous form. "Before you decide one of us looks like a snack."

Ben led the group down winding streets to a dimly lit restaurant tucked between towering buildings. A crooked sign overhead read: Reaper's Den, with the tagline: Where we serve everything. The entrance creaked open as they stepped inside, greeted by the eerie glow of flickering lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Shadows danced across the walls, adding to the otherworldly vibe of the place.

They took the first open table they saw—dark, polished wood with strange carvings etched into its surface. Before they could settle in, a skeletal figure glided up to them, wearing a tattered apron. Its bones clattered lightly with each movement, and a soft blue flame burned where its eyes should've been.

"Welcome to Reaper's Den, where we serve everything," the skeleton said in a cheery tone. "I'm Shelly. What can I get for you?"

Raphaela glanced around, frowning. "Uh… there's no menu. How am I supposed to know what to order?"

Ben chuckled. "It's in the slogan—order whatever comes to mind."

Raphaela thought for a moment, biting her lip before smirking. "Okay, uh… I'll have two bodies, please. Female. And for dessert, I'll take an infant."

Shelly, unfazed, nodded. "Will those be with or without souls?"

"With souls, of course. I really need those." Raphaela leaned back, pleased with herself.

"And you, sir?" Shelly turned to Ben.

"I'll have a cheeseburger with chips and a vanilla milkshake," Ben replied, as casually as if he were at a diner.

Shelly nodded again. "And for the little bultungin"—she glanced at Jasmine, who was still in her puppy hyena form—"the usual? Eight eyes and three units of blood?"

Jasmine's puppy eyes gleamed as she nodded.

"Aww, how cute," Shelly cooed, rubbing the top of Jasmine's head with her bony hand. "Your order will be ready shortly." With a clatter of bones, she turned and floated toward the kitchen, disappearing through swinging double doors.

Raphaela leaned in, lowering her voice. "So, who exactly are we meeting again?" She glanced suspiciously around the restaurant, noting the unusual clientele—a ghostly figure sipping from a chalice in one corner, a vampire twirling a toothpick between sharp fangs in another.

Ben's eyes gleamed mischievously as he picked up a salt shaker and began toying with it. "Someone important. Someone who has the answers we need about this place—and more importantly, about you."

Raphaela's stomach churned, not from hunger this time, but from a sense of dread creeping over her. She glanced back at the kitchen, wondering what kind of monsters ran a place like this—and who, or what, they were about to meet.

 "The Demon of Knowledge—Marbas, one of the lesser keys," Ben murmured, his voice low and reverent.

Raphaela raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think a demon could lead us to a sorcerer?"

Ben smirked. "Each of these lesser keys—kings, princes, dukes, or marquises—they govern legions of demons. Every one of them is connected, always reporting everything to their superiors. If anyone knows, it's them."

Jasmine shivered, more with a strange curiosity than fear. "Can there really be so many?"

Ben glanced at her, his eyes dark. "If you could see them, they'd blot out the sun."

Before Jasmine could respond, Shelly appeared, her arrival almost ghostly. "Your orders are ready," she said, setting plates before them with a fluid motion that seemed too perfect, too rehearsed.

Rapheala's gaze flicked to the empty spot in front of him. "Where's mine?"

Shelly's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Guests who request... live meals are escorted to a special room—soundproofed and easy to clean. The noise can be quite disturbing to our other clients. Follow me."

Ben gave Raphaela a nod, but she felt the weight of his stare lingering as she stood to follow Shelly. "Don't be too long," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Raphaela flashed a thumbs-up before turning to trail behind Shelly down a dimly lit, narrow staircase. Each step echoed hollowly, reverberating against the stone walls. The air grew heavier, colder, with the smell of damp earth thickening around them.

As they descended deeper, the underground space opened up into a sprawling labyrinth of darkened corridors and small, claustrophobic cement cubicles. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the occasional distant drip of water echoing somewhere in the vast emptiness.

Shelly's heels clicked unnervingly against the cold, wet floor, the sound cutting through the stillness like a sharp blade. They came to a halt in front of a bright, almost jarringly out-of-place yellow door.

"This is your room," Shelly said, her voice disturbingly calm, as though nothing about the place was amiss. Her hand rested on the door, but she didn't open it immediately. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her gaze locking onto Raphaela's. "'This you, we do hope you enjoy the experience."

 "Alright, I'm ready," Raphaela whispered to herself, pushing open the door. The room was dim, the flickering light barely illuminating two women huddled in the far corner. One cradled a baby in her arms, her knuckles white with fear.

Raphaela approached slowly, hands raised in a gesture of peace. "Look, I know you won't believe me when I say this, but I don't want to do this. I'm being forced. Give me the child, and I'll let you both go."

The woman without the baby narrowed her eyes. "Really? You expect us to believe that?"

"Yes, of course," Raphaela replied, her voice smooth and controlled. "This isn't fun for me either."

The other woman glanced nervously at her companion. "Give her the baby."

"No!" the mother cried, clutching the child closer.

"Do you want to die here?" the second woman hissed. "It's not even your child! Think about your real family at home. Are you really willing to die for someone else's baby?"

Raphaela seized the moment, her voice turning soft, almost persuasive. "She's right. Think about your family, waiting for you. Don't you want to see them again? Don't you want to go home?"

The mother hesitated, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. Slowly, with trembling hands, she extended the baby toward Raphaela.

"Good," Raphaela whispered, taking the child gently into her arms. "Now, you can go."

The two women didn't need another word. They darted past her, desperate for escape. Raphaela watched them for a moment, then turned her gaze to the baby in her arms. She lifted it slowly, eyes narrowing.

"I wish I could say this was personal," she murmured. "But it's not."

Without hesitation, Raphaela opened her mouth wide and bit down on the baby's midsection. A rush of blood splattered across her lips, filling her mouth with a metallic taste. She swallowed, grimacing slightly. "I'll never understand Jasmine's obsession with blood. Tastes like iron..."

With a shrug, she tore the baby in half, each side disappearing into her mouth with grotesque ease. Wiping her hands on her pants, she glanced toward the door, where the two women were struggling frantically with the handle.

Raphaela's smile widened as she strode toward them. "I know what you're thinking," she said, her voice soft but cold. "I lied to you. Life's unfair. But the truth is, bad things happen to good people all the time."

Before either woman could scream, Raphaela grabbed one by the ankle and swung her violently into the other. Over and over, she slammed their bodies together, the sound of bones cracking and flesh hitting flesh echoing through the room until they lay lifeless at her feet.

Breathing heavily, Raphaela stared down at them, her expression almost apologetic. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "But you needed a little... tenderizing. You know, since you're older. But don't worry—I'll wrap you up nicely."

With a quick motion, she bundled the bodies together and devoured them with eerie efficiency. Once she finished, Raphaela knocked on the door. Shelly opened it immediately, her face calm and unfazed.

"This way," Shelly said, leading Raphaela back to her table.

Raphaela followed, wiping the last bit of blood from her chin as she took her seat.

"How much will that be?" Ben asked, his voice casual, though his eyes flickered with an edge of tension.

"Three hundred," Shelly replied, her tone as smooth and detached as ever.

Ben pulled out his wallet, fingers brushing over crisp bills. He handed Shelly three hundred dollars without a second thought.

"You pay with money?" Raphaela asked, her brow furrowing slightly in surprise.

Ben smirked, sliding his wallet back into his jacket. "Yeah, how else do you think they pay the traffickers for your... meals?" He glanced at her knowingly. "Come on. We still need to meet the man."

Raphaela and Jasmine exchanged a glance, their unease unspoken but understood. They nodded politely to Shelly.

"Thank you," Raphaela said, her voice soft but deliberate. Jasmine echoed her sentiment, adding a faint smile despite the hollow feeling in her chest.

Shelly only nodded, her expression unreadable. "Enjoy your evening," she murmured before turning away, disappearing into the dim light of the restaurant.

Without another word, the trio stepped out into the cold night air. Ben led them down a dark, winding street, his pace quick and determined. The old library loomed in the distance, its crumbling facade barely visible in the fading light.

Raphaela couldn't shake the chill that had settled deep in her bones. Something told her that whatever waited for them inside those walls was far more dangerous than anything they'd faced before.