It took us around half an hour of steady walking to reach the hive. Though we mostly traveled in silence, I could’t help but feel this whole situation was questionable, “Why tonight?”

Stopping, she dismounted the tiger, “Because the eggs should be hatching any day now, increasing the hive’s population by a huge margin. The infants would then feed on the void crystal’s energy until maturing enough to hunt on their own. I need a full crystal, not an empty one. I can’t take such a risk.” she muttered with furrowed brows, keeping her head down as she glanced past the trees. Pointing to a huge, eerie entrance of what seemed to be an unnatural looking cave, she sighed, "That's the place. Once you're done, return to my cabin with the crystal. I have been whittling down their workers for a few months now, but there are still a lot of them. So be careful. If you're not back till sunrise, then I'll consider you as good as dead."

"Why exactly does it have to be by sunrise?" I scowled as she jumped back on the tiger.

She smirked, "They are more active during the night and many of them leave the hive in order to hunt for their Queen. They usually return at dawn, but you don't have to worry about them. If you kill the Queen those hunters will die on their own or leave to find another hive to join. Nevertheless, they are incredibly committed to their Queen. Once she knows you’re in there, she will call her workers back. Good luck."

As soon as she mentioned this obviously important piece of information, she disappeared on the same path we had just walked. I glanced to the hive entrance to observe it, noticing a thick, foggy miasma flowing out of the hive entrance. As I set my eyes on the creatures exiting the cave mouth, I felt cold sweat on my back.

These bugs were huge, around 3 meters tall with dark green chitin covering them whole. The four hairy legs on each side stabbed into the ground as the monsters scurried with swift movements into the foliage. Their long, spike-covered carapace seemed to absorb the moonlight, blending well with the dark surroundings. Small, crippled wings seemed to hang at their backs limply.

Their tall upper body revealed four more limbs. One pair looked like the front legs of a mantis, long and threatening with sharp looking saw-blades. The other pair was, creepily enough, a pair of human hands with delicate fingers that held some kind of meat. Bait perhaps? She didn’t tell me they were intelligent enough to use those kinds of hunting tactics.

Grimacing at the new revelation, my eyes darted to that horrific head. They were so fucking nasty I felt nauseated. It had a triangular head with large, black eyes bulging out of the top of its head with a vicious gleam. Two thin feelers came from its nose, wiggling around like little worms. A set of sharp, slimy mandibles stuck out of its face while blackish drool dripped onto the ground.

The foul stench reminded me of acid, much stronger than the one hiding in my blood. Looking closer, I could see some kind of bluish liquid trickle down their limbs. These creatures were strong. No doubt, the Queen was at the Apex rank which meant her workers were close behind.

I scowled profoundly as I cursed inwardly. Though I knew my strength had increased drastically with the shedding, I was nowhere near getting used to it. My control was shit and the wings will only get in the way at this rate. I don’t like this one bit.

Frowning, I observed the insects as they left their hive in an organized formation. Paying attention to their numbers, I knew that, even though a lot of them left by now, the hive would not be left unguarded. They felt like Apex level monsters, which made no sense. There wasn’t a lot of information on them, but I know that each Apex has unique traits, they are individualistic. There should have been some variation to these bugs but they all looked alike.

As the last of them seemed to leave on a hunt, I came to my final conclusion. They were exactly the same. Same appearance, the same level of power, same smell, absolutely everything about them was the same. Even their movements were in complete sync, almost automatic like they were preprogrammed.

As all the Voidhals disappeared into the forest, I pondered for a while longer, trying to figure out why there was an uncomfortable feeling in my chest.

After making sure they had all left, I got out of my hiding spot, slowly advancing to the entrance of the cave before entering with caution. The inside was pitch black. I couldn’t help but feel grateful for being able to see in the dark. Moving slowly to keep as quiet as possible, I observed my surroundings. At first, the walls were simply rock, but the further I went inside the more obvious it became that this was a hive.

Though I’ve only walked for 5 minutes, the difference was already quite visible. As the rock slowly shifted, I noticed the black, sticky wax-like substance that clung to the walls and floors. Bluish acid seeped out of small holes, giving the surface a creepy gloss. The deeper I went, the more of it that was around.

Feeling a sharp sting on my shoulder, I hissed and moved aside. Glancing up, I grimaced, seeing the celling was covered in holes and the wax. Though the wound was healing quickly, there was still a small hole in my flesh. The hive was starting to branch out, the large holes leading god knows where. I will get lost at this point.

Trying to focus, I could sense nothing but a strong heat source coming from far below me. I could locate it only because it was so incredibly hot, almost pulsating. The silence was eerie, not even a gust of wind to be heard with only the drops of acid making echoes in the maze like hive.

I could guess the heat came from the eggs which meant the Queen should be there too. What worried me though, was that I could not sense the other Voidhals. The stench in the hive was strong enough to mask them while their bodies could perfectly merge with the cave walls, making it hard even for me to notice. I could only hope to hear them in time.

Grimacing, I pulled my wings close to my body, keeping my guard up as I carefully maneuvered deeper until I saw one of the holes sloping down. It was really hard to avoid all the acid. I realized that, even though the acid could easily melt my skin, it could not go past the skin on my wings, tail and arms, instead leaving only small singed scars that would disappear soon after. At least I had some defense against it.

Eventually, I arrived at a circular space where another three passageways created a crossroads. Scratching my head in annoyance, I glanced at each tunnel, trying to figure out which way to go. Soft sounds came from the western corridor, small scraping and clicking. Slightly different sounds came from the hole up front, wet and nasty. Only the eastern tunnel was deathly silent.

The nasty critters would probably be at every corner now. Glaring at the middle tunnel, I could only guess the eggs were this way. It was unlikely they would be left unattended and the scraping sounded too rough to be dealing with something delicate like eggs. Taking a deep breath, I nodded to myself and went straight ahead.

As I moved forward, I couldn’t help but notice the holes covering the walls increased in number. The wet sounds were getting louder. Suddenly, I heard light tapping from one of the holes in front of me. Stopping, I crouched down silently and observed as one of the Voidhals exited and started moving in the same direction as the supposed nest. Seeing it didn’t notice me, I slowly moved behind it, following.

As the creature was moving with a steady pace, it suddenly stopped before glancing at the wall, its feelers moving in a disgusting manner. After staring at the wall for a while, it began making choking sounds before spitting out foul-smelling, black liquid, covering the small patch of rock that was still visible. The fluid stuck to the wall while the creature carried on.

As I passed the spot, I felt my eyes widen at the sight of the liquid slowly hardening into the same waxy substance that covered the rest of the hive. Cringing, I decided killing that thing now that it was alone and unaware was for the best.

Sneaking up behind it, I watched carefully as it's feelers jiggled around. Holding my breath, I got ready to jump on it, however, it's head suddenly turned in 180 degrees, looking straight at my dumbstruck face as it let out a loud screeching sound. With a hiss, I covered my ears and recoiled as the pain that sound caused made my ears feel like they were bursting.

Once it finally ended, I saw blood on my palms. I knew the whole damn hive was now on high alert, it was time to speed things up. The creature clicked its mandibles at me before turning around and slashing with its long claw. Moving back, I dodged the slash and was about to return the favor as its figure flashed and disappeared. My eyes widened, darting around as to find the damn bug.

Sensing clear danger from behind me, I had no time to dodge as I lifted my arms to defend another slash. Feeling burning on my face and chest, I knew the viscous blue acid splashed from the force of the blow. Gritting my teeth, I used my strength to push it back while lashing at it with my tail. Hitting nothing but air, I suddenly fell to the floor, the bug once again disengaging and vanishing after seeing it failed to kill me.

I knew it would not waste this opportunity and, unsurprisingly, the bug appeared above me, using both claws to strike down like a guillotine. Rolling away, I gritted my teeth as the acid covering the waxed surfaces burned me, making my skin sizzle. A loud crack sounded as its claws pierced the floors. Pissed off at this point, I quickly spread one of my wings, finally hitting the damn bug.

It couldn’t even make a sound as its upper body disconnected and fell to the ground with a splat, dark green blood flowing into the crevices of the floor. Though I did feel some resistance, my wing actually managed to cut it in half. I really needed to learn how to utilize this asset as soon as possible.

Grimacing, I stood up and began running down the tunnel. The hive was suddenly a lot louder, sounds coming from all holes. Hopefully, they’d need some time to pinpoint my location in this maze. Sensing another one up ahead, I increased my pace. The best way to kill these things was to kill them quickly. Once they were on guard and aware, they’d just jump around with that ability of theirs, making me run around in circles.

Seeing the thing up ahead, my hairs stand on end from the tension as I collided with it, some of the spikes on its carapace piercing my chest as I clung to it. The thing squealed in panic, trying to stab at me but couldn’t since I was too close for its claws to hit. Instead, it grabbed me with its humanoid hands and tried to pry me off, punching my sides continuously. It would appear it couldn’t jump like this, good. Hearing it start to gurgle, I quickly ripped off its head before it could drench me in that black goop. My skin burned where the acid touched, but I was getting used to it, the regeneration was doing its job splendidly. Ignoring the pain, I proceeded onwards with a fast pace, all my wounds scabbed at this point.

Hearing an angry hiss from above, I kicked off just as another one fell down to try and kill me. Giving a dark smirk, I turned with a vicious kick, slamming the thing into the wall. The creature was too dazed to make its jump, allowing me to grab one of its claws and rip it out. They might be fast, but my increased strength was giving me an edge. Despite their large bodies, the links of their limbs were thin and easy enough to break.

The Voidhal screamed in pain as it quickly moved forward with a slash from its other claw. Lifting my arm, I defended while its clenched humanoid fists connected with my stomach. With a growl of anger, I ripped out its second claw, flipping it in my hands and shoving it through its chest and lower carapace. Slumping down, the bug was dead.

Other Voidhals were getting ridiculously close right now, the screeches and hisses getting louder by the second. At this rate, I was going to get surrounded. Grimacing, I thought about trying to set the tunnels on fire, but I didn’t have the confidence to control the flames properly. I couldn’t risk trapping myself in here along with all those bugs.

As I was about to continue onward, I noticed a small hole in the ground, next to a puddle of acid. Stopping in place, I could already see some Voidhals coming from the holes and tunnels. There were too many of them, I couldn’t fight them all. But it would appear they make this wax because the acid doesn’t burn through it. I could tell there were tunnels beneath me as well.

Here goes nothing. Taking one of the severed bladed claws, I shove it in the hole. A loud cracking sound echoes from the hole as I feel the blade easily break through. Sensing the bugs approaching fast, I focus on my mana before creating three large fireballs and tossing them into the three entrances. Squeals of pain sounded as the bugs got hit, before a loud explosion tossed me off my feet.

My head was ringing as the aftermath of an unexpected chemical reaction left me sprawled on my back and on fire. With a panicked shout, I quickly focused on the flames and managed to douse them with my mana. I couldn’t move, the burns too severe to even let me open my eyes. Thankfully I was sturdy enough to survive the explosion that went through this entire hive. What the hell happened!?

I could tell there were no bugs in the vicinity, allowing me to slowly heal as I pondered what had happened, as I was completely baffled. Screams of agony and panic could be heard from many holes, the surviving bugs clearly in a state of distress. After finally healing enough to sit up, I blinked the char out of my eyes before looking around.

The previously glistening walls were scorched, only a few spots of acid remaining here and there. However, the smelly miasma was gone, leaving the tunnel clear of the substance. As I stood up, still confused at what transpired, an earsplitting screech of what could only be pure rage spread through the tunnels from below.

It would appear the Voidhal Queen now knows I'm here and is not pleased about it. No doubt it would be calling back the hunters that were outside the hive. Grimacing, I saw the explosion had helped out with widening the hole in the ground. Kicking away a few more rocks, I dropped down and dusted myself off.

I looked around the new tunnel and cringed. Only a small portion of this tunnel suffered from the explosion, the walls basically seeping with the viscous blue fluid while the passage up ahead had no trace of the miasma. Sniffing the air, I was surprised to get a whiff of fresh air. Following the slight breeze and minding the acid, I noticed the passage was sloping upwards.

Curious, I blinked in surprise as the light of the moonlight shone on the exit from the hive. The sight that greeted me made me stop in my tracks. The heavy foliage and thick, stubby trees were covered in black wax, clearly dead and decayed as the blue fluids dripped from the branches. The smell here wasn’t as bad as inside the cave, the small traces of it quickly dispersing in the open air.

There were some clear paths past the brush and trees, leading in nearly every direction. Unsure of where to go, I contemplated trying to fly before shutting down the idea. Best to not play around with things I don’t yet understand. The explosion was enough for today. Closing my eyes to focus better, I let my tongue flick out. Shock assaulted me once more when I realized I was in the hot spot. This entire ecosystem held patches of heat in all directions.

But one really stood out, letting me know the general direction of the Voidhal Queen. Following the beaten path on the northern side, I quickly learned what the sources of heat were. Large eggs, dark blue in color pulsated and wiggled, decorating everything from treetops to the ground. They were quite disgusting as the thin black veins on their surfaces bulged, indicating the small abominations inside. It didn’t take long to meet another Voidhal.

Seeing the creature unbothered by the events inside the hive, it was tending to the eggs with outmost gentleness, using its humanoid hands to touch and examine them one by one. It would affectionately caresses the vile things, clicking its mandibles in satisfaction before moving on to the next egg. I should handle this quickly. Dashing at it, I flapped my wings slightly to give myself a push, increasing my speed further.

As the Voidhals head turned unnaturally and opened its plier-like jaw to sound the alarm, I managed to kick off and dropkick it into a withered tree, making some of the eggs burst like balloons. The crunch that came from the force of my blow was sickening, but the creature that was still alive suddenly made a whole new sound.

The stifled cry came from deep inside its throat while it crawled over to the destroyed eggs. Observing it carefully, I watched with disgust as it took the twitching fetus of an unborn Voidhal, cradling it in its arms with a sorrowful wail. The unborn creature had a light green carapace, clearly soft and undeveloped. Having enough of this shit show, I removed the Voidhal’s head before moving on. From that point on, every time I encountered the bugs, they would do nothing. Only staring and keeping themselves between their eggs and me. Since it greatly speed up my little trek, I didn’t go out of my way to deal with every single bug.

After a couple of dead ends and continuous maneuvering, I managed to find the right path. This entire place must be an enclosed valley or something, the mountain walls indicating as such. Judging by the color of the sky, the dawn would soon be approaching. As for the eggs, there were thousands of them. I knew they would all die once I took away the crystal and killed the Queen, but it was still quite a disturbing number.

Finally seeing the entrance back into the hive, I sighed and glanced back. The bugs weren’t following, ignoring me and tending to their eggs like drones. Something was definitely up. Taking this whole situation with a grain of salt, I carefully carried on and was soon back to claustrophobic, waxed up tunnels dripping with acid. There was no sign the explosion reached here and since the miasma was especially thick, I could only guess it was the reason the hive exploded previously. Note to self, don’t use fire magic around questionable mist.

This place was so fucking nasty. Why does it have to be so damn big!? It must have been around two hours since I entered and I still haven't reached the Queen. Although, I could tell I was getting close, her heat source was incredibly high, almost like a beacon. I was really getting impatient at this point.

Suddenly reaching a large opening, I was stunned to see more eggs. Keeping myself hidden for now, I observed the first irregular Voidhal I’d encountered in the whole hive. Not only was it completely red in color, it was considerably smaller. It stood at around 1 meter tall with three legs on each side and only two humanoid hands.

Instead of having a plier-like mouth like the others, it had some kind of tube sticking out. The stench of rot made me gag as I watched the thing dissolve a carcass with its acid before sucking everything up. With a bulging belly, it unsteadily wobbled over to a huge, pulsing egg. The egg was overflowing with vitality, much more so than the little ones. It’s deep crimson color pulsed as the irregular Voidhal connected its tube with the egg before depositing the contents of its stomach there. Just when I thought these things couldn’t get any nastier. The creature completely ignored the other eggs that stuck to the walls and floors, moving on to another animal carcass.

This must be near the Queen. I silently sneak across the nest, avoiding the red Voidhal. I knew it wasn’t the Queen, but its purpose was obvious. Stopping in front of the large egg, I gave a fiendish grin. No doubt this was an unborn Queen and the Voidhal its caretaker. I heard a panicked squeak behind me as the fat Voidhal stopped in its tracks. Those beady eyes stared at me, unmoving while its hands visibly shook. Giving a cheeky grin, I didn’t hesitate as I pierced the egg and crushed the unborn Queen’s head.

The red Voidhal toppled to the ground, vomiting the contents of its belly before curling up and dying. Suddenly, the whole hive erupted in enraged squeals mixed with deep sorrow. The nest began to shake violently as I heard the Queen's cries of anguish.

I knew she was very near now. Good. Having had enough of this place, I ran in the direction of the Queen. It really didn’t take me long as I finally came face to face with this completely abhorrent creature.

Her body was huge, around 6 meters tall with vivid colors of green, red and black. She looked nothing like her workers, the lower carapace was long like a centipedes, every leg seemingly as sharp as a blade. Almost every part of her glistened with disgusting slime. The upper torso was incredibly slim with three pairs of long, bony arms. The four fingers on each hand were unnaturally long with sharp, black tips dripping with acid.

Her face had a humanoid shape, with two long antennae and soggy tubes sticking out from the sides. The two tiny bulged out eyes were glaring at me with complete and utter hatred while her abnormally large mouth held a few sets of long, sharp teeth, bared in my direction. Everything about this thing was disproportionate and disgusting. But the small, shining orange rock on a waxy pedestal caught my attention. That must be crystal.

The Queen screeched loudly in rage suddenly, "Detestable... Apex... you... dare... kill... my children... I shall... rip... you to... shreds... and let my... children shit... on your... rotting... corpse!"

Stunned about the fact this thing could actually talk, I found my bile rise at the stench that finally reached my nose. The more I looked at her, the more sick I felt, my senses overwhelmed. I saw her body tense as she was about to attack me.

Not quite ready for a fight, I took a step back, on my guard as I quickly raised a finger and shouted, "STOP!" Surprisingly enough, she was stupid enough to stop. Keeping my finger up, I turn slightly to the side and puke, the culmination of my entire time spent in this hive finally coming out in all its glory. I couldn’t take it anymore, a man can only handle so much.

Once I finally finished, I looked up at her with an apologetic smile, "Sorry ‘bout that. You are so fucking disgusting that I couldn't hold it in anymore. We can start killing each other now."