Camellia moved through the chunks of ice that fell from the heavens, following the scent of the Ri’bot and humans. The patter of the hail drowned out most other sounds, and the chilled wind that carried it sweeping through the jungle flowed around the trees, rustled the large leaves, and made the branches creak.

Her long eight legs splashed the cold water that streamed downhill, following old ravines that had long dried up, and the bag her mother had given her swung by her side as she tracked the lingering scent of the large group she followed.

She’d been keeping close track of the bag, after all, her mother had made these clothes specifically for her meeting the humans, and she didn’t want to mess it up. She had enough screw-ups behind her abdomen.

The path she was following vanished from time to time, masked by the heavy rainfall and flowing rivers it generated, but spotting the evidence of hundreds of people passing by an area wasn’t that difficult for Camellia to manage. Her mouth salivated with the smell of the Torlim, carrying the corpses of the Ri’bot and humans alike; the large creatures the Ri’bot used were tasty, and she loved hunting them in the past.

I’m pretty sure we can still eat. Would it taste strange since I’m dead? There’s only one way to find out! What am I supposed to do once I get there, though? If I kill the ones transporting bodies, then wouldn’t I need to carry them?

She slowed, body rising a little as she released a hiss through her plate openings. Mom told me to bring back as many Ri’bot and humans as I can. It would probably be better if I brought back every single one, but the Ri’bot never did well being taken back to the nest alive. Lea always had to go through all sorts of things to bring them back, like paralyzing them.

I could do that, but would I really have to bite every single one of them? That would be a real hassle, and what if they attack some of the humans while I’m going one by one? There’s a lot of humans … and what about this hail?

Camellia shifted her body to look up at the tree cover, cushioning the descent of the falling ice before allowing it to drop to the ground. Through the breaks in tree cover, she could see the dark clouds moving across the sky, swirling around each other, and though she couldn’t see the streaks of lightning, thunder rolled around the hills.

She sensed thousands of creatures the size of the Yaltha’ma and bigger hiding in burrows, hollowed-out holes in the massive trees, and taking shelter under colossal ferns with leaves nearly the size of her.

I know humans aren’t that durable. Will they be safe traveling through all this water and ice falling from the sky? Maybe not … from the smell, they’ve been going for hours and hours, but they haven’t made all that much progress. It’s only taken me an hour and a half to catch up to them, following broken trails to make sure they didn’t split up; how long will it take for us to go back?

She released a hiss of air while crawling over a fallen tree, more than seven meters tall. The Ri’bot and humans seemed to have used a broken section to her right, crawling through to the other side, and on the opposite end, she could smell traces of unfamiliar blood within, likely human.

More humans were killed here, but there’s no body. They must have thrown it on the Torlim. I could wrap everything in a web and try to haul it back, but that would be a lot of work. Yeah, that would be pretty impractical. It would be great if I could get them to come back on their own, but how…

Camellia absently dug into the trunk of the tree, large chunks of wood flaking away as she thought. They were only about fifteen more minutes ahead of her, but she couldn’t come up with a way to bring everyone back safely.

If the other humans were like the Empress or given some of her power, then it would be easy, but the Ri’bot can easily kill them how they are. Didn’t Tiffany say humans are very adaptable, though? Maybe I can get some ideas from them when I get there.

Mom was talking about this new system … I don’t know anything about it. It does give a bit of information, though. I’ll ask it then. So, I’m a Juggernaut Sub-Class of the Elite Warrior Class; what can I do as a Juggernaut … run into things.

Huh, I guess I could do that with my Passive Skill, Juggernaut. It only activates when I’m moving set distances, but it can double my inertia and mass. Five meters is the maximum distance needed to reach the current cap at Level One.

There’s also the Focus Strike Active Skill that can take most of my mass and inertia and funnel it into a single strike with my hair, transferring all that force into whatever I hit; Focus Strike has a minute cooldown … that’s a bit long.

A low hiss released from her abdomen as she thought back on how much control her sisters had over their hair; she hated to admit it, but Violet’s handiwork at spinning webs had always made her jealous.

My hair’s stiff because of the Iron Form, and its upgrade, Steel Form, Reactive Skills that act as my weapon and defense, but it’s just too rigid … it’s hard to form proper webs. Mom said I’d get used to it, but I don’t want to be so different from Violet and Azalea … I want to fit in with the family, too.

If only this system would give me options, but it’s not very friendly. It hasn’t told me much other than those skills. No … I can’t be ungrateful. The Empress gave me this power, and I just need to figure it out!

Pulling back her front right leg, she activated Focus Strike, jabbing it into the wood; it split like water, and a large block broke away, fracturing a part of the fallen tree and closing off the entrance.

“Dammit,” Camellia sighed, poking at the blocked hole. “There’s got to be a better path back to the fortress,” she mumbled, lifting her body a little to test the magnetic fields around her.

Okay, I’m pretty sure the fortress is that way … yeah, we could cut off a bit of time if we go down a different path. Although, first, I need to rescue them.

Turning around, she faced the direction the humans and Ri’bot went; a low rumble vibrated through her exoskeleton. The hail was fairly sporadic, moving between slush and ice as the heavy winds whistled through the jungle, blowing upwards with sharp gusting roars as silk-like curtains of ice blanketed the biome. The storm was getting worse by the hour, and the large chunks of misshapen hail floated down the building streams, slowly melting as they went.

The humans probably won’t last much longer, but the Ri’bot should also need to find some cover soon. Most creatures in the jungle can’t handle these weather conditions with their frail bodies.

She sped back into action, skittering through the shallow pools of water, gently moving downhill. Her Morph ability had recently come off cooldown, but she wanted to spend as much time as she could with the humans in her new form to get a better understanding of how their bodies functioned.

Camellia slowed, crawling into the trees as the stragglers came into view, trudging through the muddy jungle floor, doing their best to protect themselves from the harsh elements. The humans appeared to be worse for wear; they wore welts, bruises, cuts, and even lacerations.

Three blue-skinned Ri’bot were ushering the stragglers along, making Camellia’s insides tingle with anticipation. She silently moved from branch to branch until she hung upside down above them, hidden in the massive leaves; her senses easily pinpointed the air leaving their mouths, the loud splashing of their feet, and the Ri’bot’s shifting weapons that pushed back the foliage.

She knew her red coloring wasn’t the best for stealth, which was why she’d always just ran her prey down before throwing webs on them or waiting high in the trees to drop down on her targets, but Camellia wanted to observe the situation before charging in; she couldn’t mess this one up.

There were several human males in the back; she’d identified their genetic markers when touching Tiffany, and their bulkier physique and the frame of their body reflected what she’d expected. However, something that made her pause was the small humans they carried on their shoulders as they trekked through the mud, sleet, and hail.

The humans were holding large leaves over their bodies, hunched over while trying to protect their heads, and the small ones were struggling to keep their own protection in hand, but it seemed like it was hard for their tiny hands to grasp the massive leaf stems.

What are those? They look like humans, but I didn’t expect them to have such differences in size. It’s like the Ri’bot babies, but the Ri’bot grow bigger really fast. How long does it take for humans?

Restraining a hum, Camellia scuttled around the branch she was on, heading to the top before transforming. She released a soft moan of pleasure as she stretched her arms and back out, chunks of ice harmlessly bouncing off her naked skin.

Okay, now to put on some clothes…

Her lips became a line as she extracted the top and bottoms. She turned the panties around a few times, trying to figure out which part went where, and determined the part that curved more must go around her backside. It took her a few seconds to fumble with the string before getting it secure.

The top proved to be a bit more complicated, but within a minute, she managed to wrap it around her chest, forced to temporarily keep it in place with a few sticky webs of her own before tying it into a secure knot.

Breathing out a long sigh, she brushed back her long red hair and made sure the top and bottom were secured. Finally … man, how do they do this every day? I guess they don’t have to worry about breaking it every thirty minutes. Still, it feels kind of nice on my smooth skin. Maybe I can ask the humans why they wear this stuff.

She walked around the trunk, hanging upside down from her feet while twisting her hips to look around. Her hair was held stiffly at her back; it was becoming easier to move it as a whole, but intricate weaving was still far beyond her.

The humans and Ri’bot had moved a little further up the path, making Camellia purse her lips while absently glancing around.

Okay, so, I go in and tell the Ri’bot they need to come with me or else I kill them. I mean, they were always scared of me when I couldn’t talk to them, and now that we can understand each other, then it shouldn’t be that difficult. They know they can’t beat me; the tricky part will come when they run.

Her brow creased as a thought crossed her mind. Wait … does the Empress’ communication abilities work this far … they do! Okay, good. See, this system isn’t that restrictive; it tells me things!

She breathed a relieved puff of air through her soft lips and reached up to press her finger against them, tracing the curves. I love the sensations this body has! The way the bones and muscles move is just so wonderful!

A smile brightened her cheeks as her hands dropped back to her sides, and she tried jumping tree to tree like she’d seen the Ri’bot do. Launching toward the nearest trunk at incredible speed, she managed to flip around to use it as a platform like she’d seen her mother do with the log, and began her chase.

The Ri’bot quickly noticed the sounds her impacts made, turning with their weapons raised. She used a tree beside them to stop her momentum, tucking while dropping, and to her utter embarrassment, she landed face first in the mud, lumps spraying all around her.

The Ri’bot closest to her sounded mystified as they retreated a bit. “Hey, Jolah, what’s that?”

“No clue,” a female voice mumbled with slight irritation. “It just came jumping through the … when will the ancestors cease the holy stones? We can’t keep up like this; we’ve already had to kill a few of the creatures to get them moving, and it hurts.”

“Hey, it’s what we deserve,” the third whispered. “We lost the Chief, Jolah.”

Jolah’s voice fell. “Yeah, I know … is this thing dangerous? It kind of looks like...”

“Ugh,” Camellia growled, hearing a loud squelching sound as she pulled herself out of the mud, wiping it off her face. “Bleh,” she spat, trying to get rid of the dirty taste in her mouth. “Dammit … how did Mom balance so well?”

The Ri’bot froze, spears held toward her as the humans paused, glancing back with narrowed eyes, likely unable to see that far in the nighttime jungle.

“Hey, Goltha,” did you hear it speak?”

“Yeah, I could understand it.”

Jolah slid her tongue across her two left teeth. “They can’t speak our language, though; we’ve already tried.”

“The only one that could was…”

“Elinor,” Goltha whispered, tone hardening.

The humans peered toward her, giving her painful, but questioning looks. “What’s happening, daddy?” A young female voice whimpered.

“Shh … don’t talk, dear.”

Getting to her feet, Camellia brushed herself off; the water running down her skin helped her remove the clumps of mud. “Hello, so, umm—I’m here to take you all back to Empress Elinor; it’d be great if you didn’t run.”

Camellia frowned while looking down at her dirty body. I’m glad Vi wasn’t here to…

Her thoughts died as she watched a spear strike her chest, creasing her skin and poking into her bra before snapping; it didn’t draw blood, but the force sent her off balance.

“Woah!” She stumbled back before falling to her butt. The streaming water flowed around her, pulling on her bottoms, but she was a little too stunned to notice.

The Thélméthra taking on the form of a human looked up at the shocked Ri’bot; it appeared like Goltha had been the one to jump forward and jab her; they looked just as confused as her.

Camellia pressed her tongue against her lips before working around her jaw, swallowing a mouth full of saliva and mud, she cleared her throat. “D-Did you just attack me? You didn’t run?”

“How did she survive that?” Goltha mumbled, fingers tightening around his broken weapon.

“None of the others could do that,” Jolah mumbled, fingers tightening around her own spear. “What should we…”

“Hey!” Camellia growled, getting back to her feet while glaring at them. “Don’t ignore me. Did you just attack me?”

“Yeah, yeah, we did,” the third chuckled before jumping forward with an ax and shield in hand. The weapon slammed into Camellia’s left shoulder, but it was the Ri’bot that cried out, dropping his ax while hopping back and cradling his arm. “It’s like trying to cut steel!”

One of the human males whispered in a broken voice. “W-Who are you? Are you here to—to save us?”

Camellia’s eyes sparkled as she reached up to rub the spot he’d attacked, lips rising into a wide grin; it didn’t hurt, but the sensation was new. “That’s right. Empress Elinor told me to bring back all the humans and as many Ri’bot I could, but … they’re not scared of me. Oh … I didn’t expect this. This is exciting! I haven’t had many creatures try to fight me before.”

“Please … save us,” one of the little humans whimpered, tears appearing in his brown eyes.

“Why would a warrior be frightened of a creature as weak as you!” Goltha growled, dropping his broken spear to grip the knife at his belt. He jumped forward, jabbing at her stomach. “Aim for the soft spots!”

The warrior’s movements slowed as Camellia began to feel happy; they wanted to fight her. Her hair lifted in one fluid motion as she activated Focus Strike, extending two meters before whipping out to slam against Goltha’s side, causing several loud cracks.

Goltha’s tongue slid from his mouth, eyes popping as her hair cleaved through his body, sending globs of green blood spraying across the area. The two halves of the corpse separated, showing bone and muscle as they tumbled across the ground, throwing mud, blood, and water flinging everywhere.

The two remaining Ri’bot swiftly leaped back several paces, pulling out their shields with sharp creases in their mouths and foreheads.

“Goltha!” Jolah yelled. “How … what is happening? What are you?”

Camellia’s tongue slid through her lips as she whipped her hair, spraying the remaining green blood to the side as the sound of pelting hail and roaring thunder escalated. Her tongue slid through her lips, tasting the slightly bitter flavor of the Ri’bot’s blood.

“Mmh, I like how that tastes! I guess I’m a Juggernaut, now,” she mused, reaching down to pick up the ax that the other Ri’bot had dropped.

“I’ve never heard of that,” Jolah growled. “You are one of these creatures, and you’re here to take them back? Like we’d let you get away with killing one of our own.”

She chuckled, twisting it around in her hands, cracking her neck a few times while her hair snaked around to the side. “Tiffany was right; I feel so much better now! My hair is more of a blunt weapon, too … that’s actually pretty fun.”

Glancing up at them, she released a questioning hum, a smirk lifting her cheeks. “Well? I thought you weren’t scared of me?”

A rumble shot through Jolah’s throat. “Delka, go get the others. Let them know we’re being attacked in the…”

Camellia clicked her tongue a few times. “No, no, no, I can’t have you warning the others.”

Gripping the ax in her right hand, Camellia pulled back her arm like she’d seen the Quen’Talrat do, and lobbed the weapon at the warrior. He raised his shield and set his ground; the ax split the wood in two, lodging into the Ri’bot’s skull before carrying him off his feet, tumbling a few meters back.

“Impossible,” Jolah gasped, jumping back into a nearby tree branch. “What is a Juggernaut? How do you have as much power as that dead Quen’Talrat with that small body?”

Camellia groaned as Jolah turned and jumped from tree to tree, running toward the main body of the group. “Aww … she ran away.”

She hummed thoughtfully, turning back toward the humans that were gathering around her, hunched over, shivering while trying to take cover from the falling ice. One of the men clenched his jaw, and stumbled through the dark over to Delka’s corpse, kicked the dead Ri’bot several times, making the body jerk as it shifted in the dirty pools of water.

“Damn, toad … damn, you to hell…” He growled, and the boy on his shoulders began crying.

“Mom’s okay, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know, Son … I don’t know…”

The man closest to her swallowed, watching the dark outline of the man continue to kick the dead creature. “Thank you … I heard you mention Tiffany. She got away?” He asked, turning back to her with hopeful eyes. “Is there somewhere safe?”

Camellia hummed with pursed lips as she curiously watched the man set his boy down, and the other man did the same before taking the knife off Delka’s belt and stabbing him several times. “Yes, there is somewhere safe. Umm—w-what’s he doing? He’s already dead.”

The man breathed out a long sigh, and the other men looked over at him with understanding eyes.

“Desi’s just grieving,” another whispered.

“Scream, damn you!” Desi yelled. “Scream like my daughter!”

“What about the others?” Another man asked, glancing back that way while doing his best to shelter a little girl with a large leaf. “My wife and uncle are up there … he’s hurt pretty bad.”

Camellia shrugged. “Umm—I don’t know. I’m just following orders.”

The man nearest her bit his lip before extending his hand. “My name’s Gervasio,” he cleared his throat, licking away the blood falling down his dirty chin, trying to control his quakes.

Her red irises narrowed while studying his trembling arm. “What—am I supposed to do with that?”

“Oh,” his fingers curled before he withdrew his hand. “I’m, umm—guessing you’re Undead, and not a human?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m a Thélméthra, and if you mean I’m dead, then yes, the Empress brought me back to life.”

“A The-what?” A small girl whispered underneath the protective leaf a man was using to cover her. “You’re really pretty … it’s like your hair is on fire.”

“Oh, thank you,” Camellia smiled.

The girl rubbed her shoulders, eyes dropping. “Umm—can the Empress bring back my big sister, too?”

“Sure,” Camellia shrugged. “I don’t see why she couldn’t.”

Each of the men’s brows creased, and Gervasio mumbled, “We’ll see, Lorita … we’ll see.”

Camellia glanced between them. “Umm—so, I wanted to ask you why humans wear clothes, but I should probably deal with the other Ri’bot.” She released a low sigh. “I just don’t know how to get them to come back willingly.”

“What about hostages?” Another man asked with a low growl. “If they use our wives and children as hostages, then what will you do?”

“I—don’t know,” Camellia mumbled, feeling a little self-conscious. “Eh—what’s a hostage?”

“It’s where they’ll kill someone you love if you don’t do what they say,” Gervasio replied. “You said you were a Juggernaut. Didn’t you?”

“Yup, that’s my Sub-Class,” Camellia said. “Oh, do you know something about a Juggernaut?”

“It’s,” he paused, sucking on his lip. “It’s a word that means something that’s huge, powerful … basically, it means you’re an overwhelming force that crushes everything in your path.”

“Is that what I can do?” Camellia folded her arms under her chest, and a bright smile lifted her features. “I guess I’m not like my sisters, but this was…”

Camellia paused as she sensed dozens of Ri’bot jumping through the jungle, bouncing off trees, heading right for them. Her smile rose as a burning sensation seemed to grow within her bones. “They didn’t run. So, if they do take hostages, then it would be best if you all found cover.”

The men quickly gathered the children, taking them further into the jungle. “Thank you,” Gervasio said, trying to be heard as the pounding ice fell around them. “Please, if you can rescue the others, then … please…”

“It’s why I’m here,” Camellia reassured. “I can find you wherever you go; stay safe!”

The humans left into the underbrush, back the way they’d come, and before the Ri’bot arrived, Camellia launched into action. Racing toward them as the energy in her veins burned, she’d never felt so alive before, having creatures running toward her was totally new.

She jumped further up into the branches, moving out of sight, and as the group arrived, she launched toward the nearest one, still flying through the air while activating Focus Strike, enhanced with her passive.

The others sounded a warning, but it was too late; her hair slammed against the Ri’bot’s upper body, turning it to paste and causing the liquid and bone to carry along with her momentum. The lower half of the Ri’bot spun off into another direction.

The green blood spattered across her smiling face as she landed, feet sinking into the mud. She released roaring laughter; her high-pitched voice was met with silence. “This is so much fun! C’mon, attack me!” She yelled, launching toward another Ri’bot that had landed by a tree.

The mud and water slowed her movements, but she kept ramping up speed. The warrior lifted the shield and long knife, thrusting as she neared. Camellia ran into the blade, forcing it out of the creature’s hand as she plowed into him, lifting him off his feet.

She carried him backward, each step tossing mud before she slammed him into a tree; the pressure of his shield pressed into the Ri’bot’s body compressing his frame until the creature’s blood and guts sprayed up the trunk and out of his mouth, painting the inside of his wooden barrier that he thought would protect him.

Camellia laughed as she shoved the crushed warrior to the side, making a splash as he struck the muddy water. She peeled off a handful of guts from the wet bark of the tree before tasting it.

“Mmh,” she chewed before swallowing, feeling the liquid slide around her tongue with pleasure. “It’s so good!” Her head snapped left and right, burning light-red eyes shifting between the Ri’bot with anticipation. “C’mon! C’mon!”

“She’s eating us…” One of the warriors whispered in revulsion, and Camellia could smell the tantalizing scent of fear being released from their skin.

A blue-skinned Ri’bot with a necklace glanced between his four dead soldiers; their entrails and green blood were slowly being washed away by the running water, and after a moment, he growled, “Kill it.”

Camellia’s smile rose. “Yes, kill me!” She giggled.

Low growls rumbled in the Ri’bots’ throats as they each slid their tongues into a pouch at their waist before shooting out. Her skin was peppered with some kind of projectiles, but every strike felt no different than the hail, harmlessly bouncing off her body.

“Keep going,” Camellia said, pulling her legs out of the mud before walking toward the boss, smiling at what she assumed was the leader. “More!”

Jolah yelled, “Folcra! Her skin is too tough; Delka’s ax couldn’t even cut past it.”

“How?” Folcra asked, standing on a large tree branch in front of her.

Camellia began walking up the side of the trunk to reach him. “Don’t run! Charge me,” Camellia demanded; the liquid in her veins ran hot. “Attack me!”

Folcra’s body shifted to view the carnage left by her previous attacks before growling, “What are you? You’re not one of the creatures we brought back through the gate.”

“That doesn’t matter; fight me!” Camellia yelled. “Stab me! Throw things at me! Let me grip you in my hands and squeeze the bitter juice out of you so I can drink it!”

He let her reach the branch, purple eyes burning. “You definitely aren’t one of those creatures, but you look very similar to them, and you can climb up walls like us or the stories of the Thélméthra.”

“Doesn’t matter; come at me! Chase after me! Attack me!”

“She’s insane,” one of the male warriors mumbled, fingers tightening on his knife.

“A beast,” another gulped.

“That may be,” Folcra said, jumping to another branch as she neared, “but she’s killed four warriors without effort. She’s dangerous and likely sent by Elinor. Will you tell us why you’ve come? Just to kill us all?”

Camellia glowered at the Ri’bot, nose twisting with disgust, but she took a deep breath before dropping down to her butt. She glanced around at the nervous warriors, kicking her feet out a bit while balancing on the branch.

The roar of the thunder came back into focus as they all stared at each other in silence, and Camellia reached up, groaning while sliding her fingers through her slick red hair. A large chunk of her silk detached, dropping down to the floor, and she shook out what remained, letting it fall halfway down her back.

“Yes, I was sent by Empress Elinor. You all will come back to the fortress with me.”

“All of us?” Folcra mumbled.

“Yes. The humans and Ri’bot … this is so boring. I don’t really like talking to my prey now; it ruins the fun.”

Folcra’s tongue slid out, passing over his two teeth. “If we refuse, then you’ll kill us?”

“Yes, and bind you up and bring you back. I did want you all to come peacefully, but now I want to fight and eat all of you. Sound fun?” She asked with a bright smile.

“No, it doesn’t,” a warrior whispered, and several others voiced their own opinions on the matter.

“That’s disappointing,” Camellia groaned, stretching her hands high into the air. She reached out, snatching a chunk of ice from midair and crushed it in her hand. “So, you don’t want to fight. Does that mean you’ll come peacefully?”

“We can’t,” Folcra sighed before lowering his body to scoop up a fist full of ice balls. “The ancestor’s wrath; Chief Valdar … I’m sorry, I’ve failed you.” His brow set, and he glared up at her. “Warriors, return home and report what happened to the Young Chief. Don’t look back; take nothing.”

The warriors scattered without hesitation, leaving Folcra staring at her. “I will go and speak to your Empress, then.”

Camellia released a frustrated sigh. “Well, I didn’t think you’d send them all running like that. Now I’m depressed,” she moaned.

Falling back on the branch, she let the hail fall around her. Is Mom going to get angry? I could chase them down, but if they really do scatter like most prey, then it’ll be hard for just me. I am bringing back one that’s willing, though, and he seems to be their leader. That has to count, right? I can also bring back all the humans without the hostage thing happening.

Shifting to lean on her side, Camellia rested her head against her hand as the ice turned to sleet, the wind dying down a bit. “Okay, so, let me get this straight. You’re going to come willingly, and you sent all your warriors running back home.”

The Ri’bot’s tongue slid through his pursed lips, and his tone was hard. “I had them initiate a tactical retreat, knowing our fallen brothers will never receive a proper burial. This has been the shame of the Delthax Clan … we won’t be able to wash away this dishonor for centuries.”

“What’s dishonor?” Camellia asked, light-red eyebrows lifting with a smirk. “It sounds funny.”

When Folcra didn’t respond, Camellia huffed. “Well, fine. Follow me to the camp, then.”

“Very well,” Folcra whispered, head lowered toward his fallen warriors. “Yes, I will do as you say, and I ask for something in return.”

“No can do,” Camellia replied with a yawn. “Only the Royal Court or Empress Elinor herself can make deals. I just follow orders.”

“I see,” he said, voice low. “Then, I will request it of Empress Elinor.”

“If you’re allowed to speak to her,” Camellia giggled. “You’re so dense! Whatever. Just follow me back to the humans.”

They jumped from tree to tree, and Camellia could smell the fear being released from Folcra’s skin that made her hidden fangs sting. I want to fight more … Tiffany did say there was a war coming. I can’t wait!

They arrived back at the camp, and most of the humans had gathered together, looking around at the jungle with fearful eyes. Camellia and Folcra dropped down from the trees, causing the group to jump.

The women and men were reassuring the little ones that it would be alright. Camellia noticed a few children trying to hide in the brush and three young girls that seemed to have attempted to make a run for it, but froze when Folcra and her appeared.

A bright smile lit Camellia’s cheeks. “Hello, humans! My name is Camellia, and I’ve been sent here by Empress Elinor to bring you back to the fortress.”

One of the women with black hair shakily stood up, still trying to shield herself with a big leaf. “Umm—will we be safe? Who’s Empress Elinor?”

A man stood up, glancing around. “Where’d all the toads go?”

“Who are you?” A young boy asked.

“I told you,” Camellia said, eyebrows drawing together. “Didn’t I say I’m Camellia?”

“You don’t look normal,” one of the men mumbled.

“Are you one of those Undead that one girl made?”

Camellia scratched her head. “Eh—I don’t really know if you’ll be safe at the fortress. All I know is that the Empress wanted me to get you, and she wanted me to bring you all back safely.”

“I think Elinor was that girl that came with us on the bus,” a woman whispered. “Her mom’s name was Tiffany, I think.”

“Yeah, that’s her!” Camellia said in a bright tone. “So, let’s start heading back, and Folcra, right? That’s your name?”

He nodded solemnly, and a few of the women and men stiffened.

“You can talk to that monster?” One woman asked in a seething tone, peering through the dark to glare at him.

“What about the other creatures?”

“Yeah, where did they go?”

“Hey, slow down,” Camellia sighed, readjusting her bra. “I killed a few of the Ri’bot, and this one sent them running back home. The main order I had was bringing you back.”

“Kill him,” one woman growled, eyes like daggers as she rubbed her bruised arm.

“They killed my whole family!”

“My wife!”

“They cut my Son’s back when he wouldn’t walk!”

“Hey!” Camellia shouted, putting her hands on her lips.

The humans shrank back, staring at her glowing red eyes with fright.

“The Empress also wanted some Ri’bot alive, and he’s the only one I have. The Empress will decide his fate. Now, Folcra, get those big meals all ready to move back to the fortress.”

“Very well,” he whispered, moving off to take the reins of the beasts before whispering to them.

“We’re really going to safety?” One of the young women asked, jogging toward her through the water and mud while covering her head.

“I suppose,” Camellia shrugged. “Now, why do you humans wear clothes! I don’t get it,” she mumbled, pulling on her top for a moment. “I understand it helps keep everything from flapping around, but there has to be more to it, right?”

One of the women cleared her throat before glancing at the people around her. “Umm—modesty.”

Camellia’s brows knitted together. “Modesty … what’s that?”

“It’s like…” She nudged a woman beside her. “How would you describe it?”

“Eh—it’s like behavior or like … the appearance of not being inappropriate. It’s just kind of … I don’t know, a human thing?”

“Huh … okay, then you wouldn’t like me undressing in front of you?” Camellia asked, knowing she was running out of time in her human form.

“It’s, umm,” a woman sighed. “I’d take safety over modesty.”

“Alright,” Camellia folded her arms. “Well, I’m going to transform back into my original form in a bit, and I don’t want to harm these clothes my mother made for me, but I don’t want to do something inappropriate within the Empress’ culture.” She debated with a concerned expression.

“Umm—here,” a woman stepped forward, nodding at a few of the women. “It’s acceptable to change in front of women—if you’re a woman.”

“Huh, okay,” she smiled as they pulled up a few big leaves to hold up for her as the rain lightened for a moment. “You can change behind here. Would this be okay?” She tentatively asked.

“Yeah! I’d like to know more about the Empress’ culture, too. We can talk about it on the way back.”

When leaves surrounded her, she untied her bra and bottoms before realizing she’d forgotten her bag. “No! I left my bag … what am I going to carry them in now?”

“I’ll carry it,” a young woman timidly offered.

“Really, you’ll do that?”

“Yeah, no problem,” she mumbled.

“I’d appreciate it … I just fear that my mom’s going to get angry at me for leaving it behind. Maybe I can find it when we go get the others.”

“Others?” A woman asked with hope.

“Yup, I sent a few other humans off to hide.”

“My husband? He was taking care of a girl that was separated from her parents.”

“Maybe, there was a girl there that called me pretty.”

“Thank god,” she whispered.

“Well, okay, I guess I’ll change now, then.”

She transformed, legs branching out of her morphing body to hang over the women’s heads. When she finished, she glanced around, but the humans had all gone utterly silent, and a few fell to the ground as if dead.

“Oh, no … did I kill some of you? I didn’t think I had that ability…”

“No,” a man said in a hoarse tone. “They just fainted—we just—you’re a lot to take in.”

“Oh, thank you! I’ve never had a creature faint from my beauty before,” she giggled.

They didn’t respond, and it seemed like Folcra’s blue skin had turned a shade of green. “You’re a Thélméthra … Elinor discovered the Thélméthra … the Quen’Talrat tribes…”

“I’m not just any Thélméthra drone,” Camellia huffed, turning her body to glare at him. “I’m the Queen’s oldest daughter. My mother and sisters now serve the Empire.”

“May the ancestors protect us … Chief Krava was right,” he whispered, head rising to stare at the stormy sky. “What have we brought back to our world?”

Camellia ignored him, finding the humans far more interesting; her long legs carefully maneuvered around the women that had shielded her from sight and bent down to their level. The humans were trembling just as much as the Torlim, which perplexed her, and several of the humans were whispering soothing words to the little ones or themselves.

She hissed a long breath through her plates, humming as she shifted her body left and right. “I didn’t think my original form would cause so much awe,” Camellia mumbled.

One of the women beside her cleared her throat. “Umm … so, you’re like a massive spider?”

Camellia bent down toward her. “Spider? What is a spider? I told you I’m a Thélméthra.”

The woman swallowed before shaking her head and adding a forced smile. “You did … umm, just give us a moment to, eh … swallow the sight. We’ve never seen anything like you in … I can’t believe I’m saying this … our world.”

“Oh, of course, take your time,” Camellia chimed before shifting her body to look up at the thunderous black clouds mostly hidden by the thick foliage. “What about the weather, though? Can you humans handle it?”

The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath before staring up at the sky, heavy drops of water sliding down her wet skin and soaked hair. Camellia thought she was pretty with her dark skin; in fact, there was a bit of a variety of colors among the humans that intrigued her.

“Some of us will probably get sick from this, and there have been some allergic reactions to some of the plants here. The insects, reptiles, and animals alone have killed about seven of us or poisoned us to the point those toads killed the stragglers. We’re tired, confused, scared, and hurt … but I’m sure we can struggle back to this fortress you mentioned. Anywhere that’s safe and has food.”

Camellia watched a few of the humans nod, eyes low, or fixate on the bodies atop the seven Torlim. “Well, that’s not good,” she groaned. “I can’t have anything hurting you humans now that I’m here, but I don’t know what these allergic things are, and how do I stop sickness?”

The woman chuckled tiredly, and a few of the other humans followed her example. “Thank you, Camellia. It’s nice to know you care about us … even if it’s just an order; it’s soothing to know you’re here to protect us. My name is Abeni.”

Abeni squinted her dark brown eyes, looking up at her through the rain and darkness. “Is there anywhere closer than the fortress we can use, or a cave we can hide in?”

Camellia hummed thoughtfully, pondering the question. It might be better if we got out of the rain. There are quite a few humans, but the caves should be big enough; we did design them to fit our much bigger frames.

She twisted her body around, staring in the direction of the nearest cave entrance she remembered. “There should be a cave entrance to the underground network my mother had created, but parts of it would likely be closed off by water in this storm.”

“Feels like we’re in a hurricane,” a man mumbled.

A woman sighed, bending down to hug a younger girl, “Shows all the signs. If we can get out of this, then it would really help. Some of us sprained our ankles, and it’s freezing with all the rain and strong wind.”

“Well, okay, we’ll see if we can go that way, then,” Camellia said with a bright tone, kicking up a spray of dirt as she moved to the edge of the group. “I’ll get the other humans while you all get ready.”

“Sounds great,” Abeni whispered. “We’ll try to go as fast as we can … shelter can’t come soon enough.”

Camellia left as the other humans gave similar statements, swiftly moving through the downpour.

She paused, turning with a nervous twitch passing through her legs as one of the men growled, “We should kill the toad.”

What do I do if the humans kill the Ri’bot I’m supposed to bring back? Should I defend him, too? The Empress wants both the humans and the Ri’bot.

However, a few angry protesting voices calmed her dilemma.

“Don’t be stupid.”

“I get it … I do, but don’t make that massive spider lady angry.”

“Yeah, I vote for not making her mad.”

“This isn’t a vote.”

“You’re right, man, it’s not. Do what she says if you want to live!”

“Don’t ruin it for the rest of us, idiot!”

“If you want to go off after them, then do it, but leave me out of it.”

The man spat before yelling curses at the Ri’bot, and Camellia realized that the humans called the Ri’bot toads, which was a new word to her.

Breathing out a loud hiss through the plates on her abdomen, Camellia walked back to the scene of her fight; saliva dripped out of her mouth as she examined the remains, insides being slowly carried away with the flowing streams of water.

A little won’t hurt, right? I mean, they’re already dead … although, the Empress might be able to bring them back. I turned that one to paste … he should be fine.

A feverish pulse ran through her body as she bent down and scooped up a mouthful of mud, guts, water, flesh, and bone. The remains dropped down her mouth to the small pouch inside filled with her acidic mixture, which liquified the remains in mere moments before she swallowed.

“Mmh,” she slammed her front two feet into the ground, spraying mud and water everywhere as she savored the bitter flavor that spread across her insides. “So good!”

The sensation was mountains more appealing than in life, mixed with the fun she had with them trying to fight back.

Camellia breathed a deep intake of air through her joints before letting it out in a hiss through her plated abdomen, inner organs separating the acid and dirt before she regurgitated the mud, acid recycled within her body.

I should probably head back … ugh, I didn’t get any mud in my first bite when I was in human form. Hands are so convenient for scooping things up instead of just biting into the ground.

The countless invisible hairs around her body picked up the scent of the humans and she began to track them. It didn’t take her long to overcome their retreat. She was a little surprised when she burst through the undergrowth and the humans screamed, tripping and dropping into the mud.

“Hey, why are you screaming? It’s just me, Camellia … oh,” she hummed, lifting up a long spear-like leg that was over three times longer than a human body. “I guess you haven’t seen me in this form, yet.”

Gervasio’s voice had risen several octaves. “C-Camellia? You’re t-that…” He couldn’t seem to finish his sentence.

“Yes,” Camellia said with a humorous laugh. “I can’t believe how my beauty shocks you humans so much. I mean, I know I was quite a sight, but if you’re this shocked to see me, then Azalea would kill you on sight! Her colors were always more eye-catching.”

“Y-Yeah … beauty,” a man mumbled.

One of the little girls got up and moved closer.

“Hey, Enriqueta, be careful!”

Camellia’s body turned right and left, scanning the area. “Of what? I don’t sense anything that dangerous. Everything runs away from me, so it should be safe … well, when I’m in human … umm, what are you doing?” She paused, lifting her right front leg as Enriqueta rubbed her hand against it.

“You’re super smooth,” Enriqueta mumbled, palm continuing to slide up and down Camellia’s foot. “It kind of feels like a peach, though.”

Camellia lowered her leg again with a curious hum. “Peach? I’ve never heard of those before. What is a peach?”

Gervasio cleared his throat, getting back to his feet before pulling the girl away and back to what she assumed was her father. “It’s—ahem, it’s a fruit in our world. You saved the others?”

Camellia bobbed her abdomen up and down quickly. “Yup! It was super fun. The Ri’bot … I think you call them toads … they didn’t run! They actually tried to fight me. It was so much fun … until they ran away,” she sighed. “I only killed four of them, but they got scared and ran back home.”

“The others?” A man asked with hope.

“All fine,” Camellia chimed. “A few fainted when they saw my beauty, though,” she mumbled. “That might be really bad when you see my sisters. I’m really concerned about it.”

Gervasio and the others released forced laughter, and a few of the kids followed, but after a few seconds, the men began to cry.

“What a nightmare,” Gervasio said, hovering between tears and laughter. “It’s so messed up … I’ll never see my cousin again.”

Each human made similar statements, voices spiking up and down with emotion. Camellia was a little lost and concerned; she had no clue how to handle their outburst. Are humans always so emotional? They’re crying and laughing … it’s kind of creepy. Tiffany is cold but passionate; at the same time, she’s not like this.

“Okay, umm … we should get going,” Camellia prompted. “The other humans are waiting for you all to return so we can go.”

Sniffing back their tears and taking shaky breathes, the humans composed themselves, and after a minute, they made their way back to the main group. They were met with hugs and more tears, senseless babbling escaping their mouths.

Camellia quickly urged them toward the cave. The journey there was met with a few issues, but there was one that stuck out to her; a few of the humans needed to go to the bathroom, and a host of men and women discussed the possibilities of parasites and bugs, which only served to confuse her.

Eventually, they entered the caves, wading through two feet of water, but it drained into another passage further in. Camellia guided the group through the maze-like tunnels until they came to the passage leading into the fortress; however, it was already flooded, forcing her to backtrack.

She was a little annoyed with how difficult it was for humans to navigate in the darkness, but with her prompting, added with using rope, they managed to keep a good pace. The Torlim could have easily swum through the water, but the humans seemed to have a bad lung-capacity. Although, she was having a fun time talking to some of the human children; they had all sorts of things to talk about, such as spiders.

Camellia brought them to an exit just outside the gates on the east side of the fortress and helped bring them into the fortress. Her nerves increased when her mother’s voice entered her mind, causing her to freeze, and the humans paused, still following the rope tied to her back leg.

“I see you managed to bring back a lot of humans, but there is only one Ri’bot.”

Yes, Mother. Umm … they all ran away when the leader told them to. I thought it would be better to bring back all the humans safely with the Ri’bot leader than spend many hours hunting the runaway Ri’bot.

“The humans are healthy?”

Better than when I got there. We took our time coming back so they wouldn’t get hurt further; we took the tunnels. There were a few detours.

“I see. The Empress is waiting in the Throne Room with the others. Bring them here, and Camellia.”

Yes?

“Wonderful work.”

Thank you, Mother! I’ll be right there.

Camellia took a deep breath, sending pressured air through her plates. “The Empress is waiting for us with everyone else in the Throne Room. This way.”

A few of the humans mumbled to themselves about what might happen in their future, but Camellia was too elated to pay attention. Mom said I did a good job! Vi and Lea are going to be so jealous I got to eat Ri’bot!