Crete watched as the nymph unhesitatingly bolted towards his opponent, and the beetle in response charged to meet it. On edge with his legs tense, in case he had to save his sibling, Crete and the other 6 nymphs witnessed the space between combatants rapidly diminish.

Determination seeped from his younger relative, and he noticed focused eyes slowly begin to bleed red? He didn’t have much time to think about that, however, as they were only seconds away from collision. 5 seconds away…3 seconds away… 1 second away… but the collision he expected never came.

In a move he couldn’t hope to predict, Crete watched as the nymph quite literally leaped over the beetle in a magnificent show of flexibility. Legs that carried and created the horizontal velocity bent and went against the force of gravity lifting the young nymph up and over the beetle and landing right behind it.

Not a moment after landing either, the nymph snapped its body around, mandibles expanding and rapidly contracting in an attempt to subtract one of the beetle's legs. Its reflexes weren’t to be underestimated, however, as even though the leap caught it off guard it recollected itself shortly after and curved its body in an attempt to avoid the nymph's reach.

A failed attempt, however, as even though the nymph was unable to completely remove the leg, with the snapping of its mandibles and a wet cracking sound, it succeeded in removing half of its right leg. Green blood dripping from its mandibles, Crete watched the nymph retreat to avoid the beetles slashing counterattack, narrowly avoiding decapitation.

Hungry for blood, the beetle was hot on the nymph’s heels as they ran towards one of the corners of the arena. Crete rotated closer to the battle in case he needed to step in, if necessary, all the while the beetle was rapidly closing the distance between them.

{Amore POV}

My attention was completely captivated by the battle occurring in the colosseum. I watched as my brother cut off half of one of the beetle’s legs in an amazing demonstration of quick thinking. I watched as he just barely avoided the barbed legs of the beetle closing in on his head after his assault. I also watched as he retreated to the corner of the pit, his enemy closely following behind.

While watching however I put myself in his position, what if that was me down there? Could I do what he did? Yes, the answer came shortly after as even though my brother was resilient, I was undoubtedly the swiftest of all us nymphs, barring our oldest brother.

Spectating the battle, I felt inwardly envious of the position he occupied. After all, even though he was the first to level up, I only leveled up after him because he had a head start. Removing the jealous thoughts from my head though, I refocused onto the battle occurring in the pit.

They were almost at the wall, and I could see Crete position himself closer to them, but his preparations were unnecessary because other than the reckless charge at the beginning our younger brother was demonstrating an abnormal battle instinct.

Right when the beetle was a few feet away from him, his head inches away from the wall, I saw him use the speed he was building up to scale the wall before backflipping off it. The beetle unable to slow down, or do what he did because of its bulk, ran headfirst into the wall, its head lodging a few inches into it.

Landing behind the now stunned and stuck beetle I watched as my brother rushed towards the beetle’s other hind leg and yanked it off. Responding to the detachment of another of its legs the beetle flailed about swinging them aimlessly until it jerked its head out of the wall, and with a loud SCREE, it quickly turned to face the source of its pain.

My brother didn’t get to move away in time, however, as he was lightly struck by the beetle’s abdomen and fell back a couple of paces. By the time he had made it back onto his six legs, the beetle had already freed itself and they stared at each other, and time seemed to freeze.

{Vito POV}

**Congratulations you have leveled up**

The words graced my eyes while I was finishing the grub I had just killed. Elated that I appeared to be the first of my kin to level up, I was excited by that prospect and quickly discarded the half-eaten grub making my way to the “Colosseum” with haste.

While assigning my undistributed stat points, I made my way over however reflecting once more on my thoughts and considerations on my purpose for wanting power. Every step towards the chamber weighed down on my mind, increasing with the conviction I had to gain power. To ensure my siblings didn’t have to risk their lives as the first did, I wanted to be the bulwark that would guide them to accomplish whatever goals they have.

My legs led me inside the chamber, and I made my way slowly over to the edge of the pit where I saw my older brother, attentive as if there was danger nearby, and looking to the mass of chitin and flesh sticking to the wall I realized why. There was my opponent, still as can be and if my eyes could see its eyes, I imagine they would be focused on my brother.

He gestured for me to come down into the pit and although hesitant due to the unfortunate memory I had because of a beetle… I moved towards the challenge and opportunity he had made for us. Each step down into the pit caused the conviction and determination within me to snowball, until the final step where everything solidified, and at that moment, I saw what or who I needed to be.

My eyes were locked with those of the beetle, both of us searching for any movement in the other. I could feel my carapace aching, pain from the beetle’s counterattack setting in, but the points I focused into vitality made me able to shrug off the damage, not this time. I wasn’t going to fall victim to the charge of a beetle again.

Cutting my thoughts short, the beetle having recovered already made another reckless charge towards me and I tensed my legs ready to dodge to the side and hopefully take another of its legs. In a second it was upon me, and I preemptively jumped out of the way, mandibles poised to attack, a bad move. Demonstrating the intelligence I momentarily forgot it had, the beetle quickly rotated its body, and I realized the charge was a feint- Ah.

Ramming headfirst into my sides I was brutally reminded of the difference in strength between us and just how easily my already short life could be cut shorter. Spiraling through the air, I forcefully extended my legs righting myself and bracing for impact, and with a dull THUD, my battered body met the floor of the colosseum.

If the pain due to the first attack was an itch, the pain I felt now was like my carapace being slowly ground away. Groggily getting off the floor I didn’t have much time to recover before I saw the bulk of carnage was dashing towards me once more.

Ignoring the pain, I forced my body to move. Despite my aching and the beetle’s approach, however, I found myself oddly calm and this situation even felt a little bit natural to me. This was my choice after all, to shoulder the most dangerous parts of my siblings' journey I needed power, the power that would help me quickly dispatch what could very well be my impending doom and more.

The power that I didn’t have externally at this moment, so I would cultivate it within. An unshakeable resolve and determination to face impossible odds is what I needed and seeing the impossible odds in front of me I decided to refine that resolve. In another reckless move, that felt weirdly correct, I initiated another charge towards the beetle my crimson vision beginning to clear up and the drain to my stamina becoming more evident.

I found my legs carrying me much slower, however, and my movements displayed inferior flexibility. It didn’t faze me, however, because I noticed the beetle was the same. It looked awkward running, righting itself ever so slightly because of the lack of support from its hind limbs, fatigue, and blood loss kicking in.

With our battered bodies drawing ever closer, I realized that I couldn’t use any of my previous maneuvers because my opponent had already developed counters for them. I didn’t have much time to think of any either because the collision was only seconds away so, in a movement wholly due to instinct, I avoided an early grave.

Legs relaxed and my body lowered right before the beetle could headbutt me and I found myself sliding underneath it, my mandibles open I used the force of my charge to cleanly remove the two remaining legs on its left side with a satisfying CRUNCH.

The beetle didn’t find that as enjoyable as I did, however, as although I initially succeeded in my surprise attack, I was nicked in the thorax by one of its other legs right before I made it to its rear end, and was once again tossed away. Losing support on one side completely, the beetle was immobilized but I wasn’t any better off because there was a deep gash that almost penetrated me completely on the side of my midsection.

My overwhelming vitality had allowed me to push through the previous two injuries, but this one was nearly fatal, and the regeneration passive brought about by my main stat was struggling to keep me alive. Turning around with difficulty I witnessed the beetle thrashing around trying to balance itself on its last two and a half legs but in failure, as it kept falling back down into a now growing pool of its blood.

Both of us immobilized I realized that the deciding factor of the battle would be whoever bled out the fastest. Grudgingly, I had to admit, however, that even with my relatively monstrous amount of health points the beetle still trumped me in that area, and judging by the now darkening environment I concluded this was most likely my loss. That would be true however if my brother wasn’t mediating the battle.

Walking up to me, he locked eyes with me nodding in recognition of my efforts in this battle, before lifting me off the floor with his mandibles. The world shifted and my body was carried over to the now still beetle, and as if making a mockery of my struggles I watched as he easily restrained it with his legs and put my head in front of its head. “Finish it” I heard him say and using the last vestiges of my energy I chomped down and with a sickening SQUELCH a series of muted notifications came to me and darkness soon after.

**Congratulations you have defeated an enemy of a higher evolutionary status** (500% more to experience gain)

*DING*

*Gained 415 experience points* (500%)

*Gained 2075 experience points*

**Congratulations you have leveled up**

**Congratulations you have leveled up**

**Congratulations you have leveled up**

**Congratulations you have leveled up**

**Congratulations you have leveled up**

*Criteria met*

Achievement gained. Grants a bonus of 1 extra stat every level up

**Congratulations on attaining max level and entering the next growth phase of the species: Cleial Isopteran(Termite)**

Crete watched with bated breath as his younger brother ran away from the beetle and up the wall, flipping off it, making him reminiscent of those memories he had of tiny two-legged creatures in a box. His brother quickly pounced on the beetle that couldn’t slow down and got its head lodged into the wall, quickly detaching one of its legs before being thrown away by the beetle’s thrashing body.

It took everything he had to not rush in and stop his brother from being hurt but he understood that this was an experience that would shape the personalities of his siblings and temper their reasons for seeking strength.

He observed even when the beetle had feinted a charge and landed a blow that would be incapacitating to any other nymph, yet he continued watching. It was a form of respect at this point, however, as Crete felt the determination of the little nymph as he pressed forward through the pain and did his best to win the fight, pride welling within him.

He watched as the battle progressed and the two lifeforms locked eyes with one another once more and in what he felt was the end of the rising action, they initiated another charge, albeit a less spirited one. In a brilliant stroke he witnessed his brother slide under the beetle, narrowly avoiding its head and slicing off two of its legs in the process, but right when he was almost out of danger a stray leg caught him in the thorax, leaving a nasty gash and pelting him a short distance away.

Seeing his brother struggle to stand before falling back down, Crete decided that the battle was past the climax and his life was now in danger. So, making his way over his eyes met his brothers, and he acknowledged his efforts with a nod before carrying him over to the dying beetle. He carried him towards its head before speaking in a serious tone “Finish it”.

After giving him the go-ahead, he quickly sent the beetle to an early grave and Crete felt the energy in the air start to move before rushing into the now unconscious nymph, signaling the start of his evolution. Carefully Crete carried him out of the pit and up to the seats where his other siblings were waiting nervous but excited for Vito at the same time. “Who leveled up after him?” he asked and Amore responded shortly after, excitement and impatience oozing from her thorax “Me, I leveled up right after him”

“Alright then get ready, after he finishes evolving, I’ll bring another beetle out, you all could clean up the arena in the meantime.” he said, attention focused on the energy rushing into the unconscious nymph. Crete was keen this time to see how far he could go in sensing it without pushing his mind to the limit as he did before. He had a feeling whatever the energy was, it was a crucial part of his evolution and the power it granted was exactly what he needed to achieve his goals.