"Nin... Are you sure you can do this?" Vapooliar asks in concern as she stepped in front of me so she could serve as the blade to our drill as it were. I just nodded at her while my fingers tightly gripped the gun I was given by Heiya. A small smile was all I got from her at that point as she entered the tunnel we formerly escaped from, gulping as I followed them all through. Only Heiya did not go in before me, and that was because she was our rearguard, while I was our proverbial wagon.

As it was me they strapped to a piece of airship hull for the purpose of hauling the spare weapons and ammo drums.

Moving the straps about so they were not clumping up parts of my shirt before I properly began moving forward. My eyes taking one last look at the sunlight that lit up the world in the prelude to me fully entering the dark earth that had imposed itself over us for the past few days. I couldn't help but look at Heiya's father, the man clearly knew how to act with a sense of professionalism. The sheer amount of flexibility he had despite his seemingly rigid movements due to his injuries was astounding...

But, the fact our only source of light was the edge of Vapooliar's sword didn't sit well with me.

While outside it would've been this entrancing enigma that could catch the eye through a simple trap of curiosity. How it mixed with the dirt and stone walls around us gave it a very tainted feel. As if even the hive of the bugs wanted to devour that which reassures and provides hope. Shaking my head clear of such thoughts as an all too rememberable sound filled my ears...

That of suffering, they were the music and we had just walked into the face of the instrument itself. I had to try and keep a positive state of mind and not fall into the pessimistic traps that littered this den of fear. Turning my head towards Heiya every now and then whenever I felt the need to raise my gun at whatever sound entered my ears at a pitch that sounded close. I was not trained to decipher what I should've been worried about but surely she was?

I mean, I'd hate to make an ignorant assumption but she didn't strike me as the kind who liked being up close and personal. Her gun after all was my only real way into her personality at the moment as I never really got to know her. Luckily for me, she wasn't acting in a way that would spread alarm, just what she had explained she would do before we left. That being she would stay behind for a few steps and survey our rear before catching up and repeating it.

At least, until we reached the larger tunnels and chambers, it was still rather tight at the moment. Something Vapooliar wanted to deal with quickly so we were not left between a literal rock and hard place, or gnashing teeth and claws I suppose in this case. Running a hand along the wall just to see if I could feel any sudden vibrations, maybe I might find another group of whatever the bugs have captured? I would certainly feel safer knowing I wasn't dragging about a piece of metal.

Even if it barely seemed to weigh even a kilo... I could only blame the bugs for that as well. Speaking of bugs, Heiya's father was very insistent on keeping this little black-shelled bug with a blue shine on it with us, not sure why. He did give allusions to it being important, somehow, best guess is that this bug is a good luck charm wherever he is from.

Or, it was going to be a second pair of additional eyes for us, a bit like Vadei's ears. But no good luck charm had its shell look like a skull. Which is part of the reason why we weren't talking to each other to try and keep our minds in one piece. No deviations from our desired goal being permitted, escaping was all that mattered. They also wanted Vadei to be able to give out a warning as quickly as possible as she would have the quickest response if we were not talking about combat.

If we were? Probably Vapooliar, she was very capable of pulling off some terrifying speed if she wanted to. And the ease in which she could do it still scared me half to death. All the more reason to get out of these tight tunnels...

So Vapooliar can literally do it to the bugs, only scaring them meant excessive physical surgery. And blood, lots of it.

Holding a foot out behind me to put a stop to my cargo when Heiya's father signalled for us to stop. His hands suddenly alight with life as he patted down the wall we had stopped by. Pointing at myself when he suddenly gestured for me and began to make some form of pushing motion. Nodding once I figured out what he meant, an understanding that thankfully did not take long to grow.

Placing a hand onto the area he was patting and applying an increasing amount of pressure until the earth parted enough for a hole to form. Pulling my hand back when it touched something smooth and thin, heated too.

"There's something there..." I say as quietly as I could while maintaining at least a decent level of clarity.

"Describe." Vapooliar ordered while she squeezed by to get to the hole, her sword being positioned for a powerful thrust in case it wasn't friendly. Looking about cluelessly until I turned to Heiya who had her gun pointed right in my face. I am sure she had no intention of firing it at me, but, I put my hand on the barrel of her gun anyway. Just to get it out of my face as its presence made me very uncomfortable.

I then returned my attention to the sword-wielding woman. Who was now staring at me silently until she lowered her blade and looked through the hole. Her lips forming into a smirk once she saw what it was. Her hands quickly found themselves to the back of Heiya's father until they took the seed-like thing off of him.

"Aelen'?" Heiya asked as she returned her gun to being trained on the route we came down. We had passed a few turns it would seem and one could hear the chitter of bugs if one listened carefully. So it was certainly a good idea to keep a gun constantly aiming that way.

"Yes." she answered as she began to pull away at the dirt and make a hole big enough for us. Yet, I was bothered by something. These 'aelen' weren't making any noise at our actions and that worried me, were they apathetic to the problems they faced right now? Or were they a sub-species of the bugs and as such were keen on trapping us?

By all of the god's that would listen I hope not... Jaadagoren's flimsy honesty would have been better at this rate...

Moving through this hole was uncomfortable, not because I had to crouch or bend awkwardly. Rather, it was because I had these soulless and emotionless eyes of dirt-ridden creatures just staring at me as I crawled. Their barely lit faces were caked in blood and some even seemed to have just been corpses who died wide-eyed. Shivering at the sight before focusing on Vapooliar as she brought the seed-thing before one of them,

Only to see her be disappointed by the weakness of the response she got. She tried with another, and another... She even tried offering one of them one of our spare guns but was met with more frustrating silence. None moved an inch or twitched a far lesser distance.

"This is one of your young, why aren't you willing to fight for it!?" Vapooliar asked in frustration as she pulled one of them up roughly. Her answer being a painful cough from its clearly dry mouth that was barely moisturized by the blood by came from their cracked lips.

"W-we're too weak," said one of them behind us, "the osibindah cut off our antenna and left us broken here, o... Occasionally dragging some of us off to be eaten as we aren't good enough to be carriers." they answered before entering a coughing fit. I suppose that also answered why I could see the outlines of what looked like bones lying about. We must've been in what the bugs might of called the 'bruised fruit bowl,' food that was edible but undesired.

But I was doing the world a disservice by thinking of them in such a way... Yet, I guess that explained why there were no bugs to be heard or sighted in this chamber.

Even if I made up such a conclusion on my own along with its reasoning...

"Fine... Do you know where we could find someone of use?" Vapooliar asked the weak creature urgently as it fazed in and out of consciousness. All we got was a finger point towards the exit before they fell down either dead or exhausted. Grimacing at that before I began taking our stuff towards that direction, shaking my head when another headache came rolling by.

It was abrupt and sudden as many others but headaches didn't usually leave your head with clarity and a plan...? Simply dismissing it and walking up the path when we were sure that the area was at least temporarily barren of bugs. It was also barren of other life, much to our disappointment as it was now clear it was an incomplete instruction. I could only worry for Vapooliar as she seemed to be very dependent on the idea of us arming the prisoners of the bugs.

I just hope she wasn't letting this get to her as despite the professionalism she was trying to display. She was still letting off slight shakes and shivers whenever a fresh batch of noises came by... I was tempted to rest a hand of assurance on her shoulder but I refrained when angry yelling echoed down towards us. Actual words, not chitters...

Words!

Only Heiya's Father, however, would go ahead for now, as it was just safer and better to do so. As he could use his smaller size to scout the area before either coming back with haste as bugs were near. Or, the all-clear to move ahead, which is what I wanted to hear the most. And we were in luck, for the latter option was our truth so we followed him on up when his hand beckoned.

And this area was also devoid of bugs... We knew they were here as we could hear chitters in the distance, be they echoed or muffled but despite how much... Cleaner this area was there was still no bugs. Not even a single guard bug which just confused me absurdly as they had much healthier 'stock' here.

Humans, luckily, so no strange things to expect for now.

"Valkinvar...? Is that you!?" this individual said in some joy as he jolted up from their former position and stuck their hands out through the rusted bars they were stuck behind. Vapooliar was certainly enthused at this as it seems we just found our own little Anvil-Peak here in this section of the hive.

"Where are the bugs soldier?" Vapooliar blurted out as she readied herself for any potential attackers.

Only to be left astonished... We all were.

"None! They just seemed to disappear from our sight... However long ago it was!" this soldier answered as he and many others left their cage after Vapooliar easily broke the bars and moved the stone holding them in.

"I need you to be more specific, soldier."

"It must've been at least a cycle ago!" another one answered as they shook their legs about, it must've been very relaxing for them as it looked very tight in that cage. It was strange to look at a prison with bars, single solid walls were much more common for criminals back home, cages were symbolic, walls broke that symbolism harshly. For there would be no hope, only your sentence.

"Any idea if there's some kind of illusion going on?" Vadei suddenly asked as she cowered closer to Vapooliar. While I didn't understand what she meant, I could very much get her fear as this was odd. Why would a prison, holding pen or whatnot that was packed with armoured men be unguarded...?

I mean, they didn't strip me when they found me so I suppose the bugs don't care... Yet, still.

"If it is then we'll be ready, you lot, grab what you can, we're getting out of here." Vapooliar explained and ordered as she took up a frontal position that was now reinforced by a few of these individuals while the others backed up Heiya. I could only get curious due to this, was Vapooliar some form of an officer? Either way the gods must've been smiling upon us for this was a lucky find! Enough trained men to drain me of the cargo I had been hauling or at least the majority of it.

And despite their initial confusion at the weapons they got over it with some even passing what I assumed was an inside joke. Something about how the drums were eerily similar to something called a boom-pike? I couldn't figure it out but I could let out a breath of relief when an aged man with a scarred eye and ill-kept beard began to walk beside me. I couldn't figure it out, but I guess the sight of a clearly experienced soldier did much to calm one's nerves.

Somewhat.

He didn't seem to appreciate the staring too much and just glared at me with his one good eye. So I turned away as to not invoke his wrath, "Say, wah'd a kid like ya do ta get the Valkinva's attention?" he asked me out of the blue as we passed through and by more empty tunnels and chambers. No one liked it so I could at least try and distract myself...

"I... I helped her escape..." I answered nervously, he just rolled his eye at me.

"Sure ya did." his hand gently backhanding my upper arm as he shook his head at how little bulk they had. I couldn't help but be annoyed, at the same time, though, I could kinda grasp why. The proof very clearly didn't paint me as a saviour of any kind, even if it was mostly luck on my end.

"That's enough, gunner." Vapooliar commented after she apparently heard the response this man gave to me. I assume he wasn't called out by his name because 'gunner' sounded like a job, not something you'd name a child. This one soldier, however, had a much different uniform compared to the others, more cloth and belted while the others had some kind of metal ringed coat on. Situation aside, those must have been their currently dreaded moment.

Having to clean such a uniform if we got out of here unscathed enough...

We soon found ourselves stumped by choice a short while afterwards as we had reached some kind of intersection. Everyone was soon cautiously looking about while the soldiers ignored the sights of what looked like ruined versions of their armour. Something broke it apart from the inside though... And I was gagging at the mere thought of what it looked like on the inside. And, to top it all off, what made it worse is that I couldn't attribute the smell of this place to just the miss hidden beneath the riveted rings.

"Does anyone have an idea of which path to take?" Vapooliar asked in worry as she must've known very well how dangerous such a position was. Attacks from behind, while you had your attention focused on an attack on your front, was just the kind of hammer needed to break the mind of a soldier. And while Vapooliar was met with the deafening sound of silence, I felt the urge to go down one of these routes, a headache preceded it so one should've reasonably dismissed it.

It didn't leave my mind in spite of my attempts to ignore it... So I just indulged it and walked forward down this path only for Vapooliar to suddenly tug me back harshly.

"No, no, listen! Can you hear? Wind!" I tell her quickly, to them it must've seemed like a normal answer but to me, it felt off. I had no intention of saying that yet I did, so why did I...?

Now wasn't the time to be caught up on my frustrations, however, so I just went with it being little more than a heat of the moment response. It was true though, the barely audible sound and ghostly touch of the distant wind could actually be felt if one was to expose enough skin. Vapooliar just smiled at me, as if I was somehow her saviour once again, and while she tried to maintain a stoic face in front of her soldiers. Me being close to her showed that she was just one action away from crying in joy.

Her nightmare was nearly over and I seemed to have come through for her.

So we went down this tunnel with the utmost haste that our bodies could do. Mind, caution still soaked our movements but we were all still eager to leave this place. But, my gut felt weird, the sort of weird one got when they were anticipating something great. It wasn't for us nearly being out of this hive, that much was clear to me.

It felt foreign this anticipation and it only made me slow with fear. As if the nightmare was only truly getting itself into motion...

"Huh? Where's the exit!?" one of the soldiers exclaimed in frustration as they walked ahead of us and faced us. His face bright with confusion, we all heard the sounds of fresh air blowing in and the build-up of light as we came down here... Were we delirious? So desperate to escape that our minds betrayed us?

"Valkinvar... What no-" that same soldier began to ask before a large worm made of stone crashed into him from the side and pulverised him against the wall of the chamber. Looking on in fear as a sickly-brown aura began to light up the chamber and the sound of stone moving filled our ears. The chamber soon being drowned out by the roars of bugs and gunfire as the remaining soldiers immediately responded to this attack with bolts of focused fury and yells of vengeance.

Little of it registered to me until Vapooliar blew apart the stone in front of us so she could charge at whatever was creating that ominous light. A quiet gasp of shock leaving her lips as she froze before an unusual bug that had entered our gazes. Its body glowing with dangerous power and it made sure you saw the sick trophies that made up the armour of it.

A coat of metal like the soldiers that were fighting so hard to live, yet, instead of fresh craftsmanship, it was much worse. As instead of riveted rings it was crushed helms that were both rusted with age and fresh with still present lubricants. Grease and blood were all over those crushed helms...

Yet, despite their dwindling numbers, the bugs barely looked like they lost many as they would not stop coming from the walls. But, they also weren't attacking, yet, the soldiers and Heiya's lot kept going until all could be heard was the sounds of cautious reloading and quiet chitters. All of us soon looking on hopelessly while everyone but me and Vapooliar backed back into the tunnel. Why I wasn't backing away I wanted to know badly as I was just shivering in fear at the horde that stood before us.

"You." the glowing bug told me with a fat, crooked finger pointing towards me, "Come to me."

Vapooliar moved herself in front of me as her own green glow grew, "You'll touch him over my dead body!" she growled out as Vadei forced my frozen body back into the tunnel only for me to fall over on to the still attached airship piece. Ignoring the cracking sound my impact made and the feeling of that strange insect as it crawled into the back of my shirt while the armoured bug let out a distorted laugh.

"We broke you before. We can do it again." it simply told her as the other bugs charged her with wild abandon and bloodthirsty roars. Some were gunned down by the soldiers who had managed to reload but it was Vapooliar who brought majority down with a single emerald blast that drowned out the brown of the bug. My mind flashed with memories of what it was like before I escaped, this blast was so similar to what saved me. The only difference being it was much more controlled, an anger that had a place to focus itself on to.

"You never broke me, bug! You merely dragged in someone else's work!" Vapooliar growled out as launched herself at the bug. The true scale of this chamber becoming clear as her light devoured the darkness that hid the vast area that formerly hid underneath it. Covering my face with both my arms as a violent explosion of invisible force washed over us all and shook the tunnel into a state of collapse.

We panicked, one way was collapsing in on us due to the blows exchanged between the stone worms of this bug and Vapooliar's sword and the only other way out was the tunnel that was revealed by her power. It was in fact the way out as the light of the afternoon tried to impose its weak will into the cave.

"MOVE!" Heiya's father yelled as everyone tried running through the booms and falling earth. I did not move from my spot, frozen in fear and forgotten by the urgency of everyone else. With some either screaming in pain at the sudden boulders that trapped them or in fear of having lost their way. It would seem most of them managed to get out through this path, I did not know who or how many...

I just could not tear my eyes away from what was going on above. They were just locked onto the battle that raged on ahead and the woman who was fighting so very hard so that we could live.

Yet I did not pay back this effort... I just sat in front of rubble like a crying baby wanting its mother. I was too scared to move and bound by the mindset that I was trapped by the rubble on my airship piece even though I was only a single movement from freedom. I just sat there and dishonoured someone who was spilling blood and sweat for me.

They moved with supernatural agility and bounced around the stone worms with the air seemingly exploding about her person. While her blade cut any stone near her down into fine powder that would've coated the ground and me were it not for the seemingly endless grip of the bug. The two went on like this for what seemed like forever until a sudden punch to the gut sent Vapooliar crashing into the ground. Her cry of pain seemingly waking me up from my fearful trance.

It was a cry of pain and despair so very close to what introduced me to her and saved me from a fate of being caught clueless in this hive. So I began to tear off the harness that bound me and slowly get up as the pressure I was now beginning to feel was absurd! It was as if I was walking through the earth itself with how much effort it was taking me to move.

My breathing picked up rapidly as I forced my way through this pressure. Unknowingly calling upon the strength that I found within me due to Vapooliar and soon running forwards towards her. Somehow successfully picking her up along with her sword despite my pace and sluggish movements. Only to fall flat on my face and dropping her by the entrance when a fast-moving orb struck me straight in the spine, seemingly disabling me.

She got back up just after that occurred. My final image of Vapooliar being her frantically trying to reach for me so she could get me out but she was too slow. For the bug she just fought forced her away by blocking off her path with what seemed to be dozen of its stone worms. Her cries for me being all I heard from her before the only noise that entered my ears made itself known via a foot to the back.

Explosions shook their way through the stone the bug blocked out Vapooliar with before it had the ground beneath me and it swallow us so we could escape her wrath. Somehow working up the strength to roll myself over and face the bug as it dropped its crude staff and clutched various parts of itself in demented pain. A series of sudden twitches seemingly devoiding itself of this pain as it turned to me after picking up its staff again.

"Come with me." the bug seemed to ask as it tightly grabbed me by the neck and spontaneously created a sloped tunnel for it to drag me down. Trying my hardest to not break down in tears as my mind was flooded with memories of how this all started. Of how I groggily woke up with a carapaced grip on me and the unloving dark of the deep earth surrounding me. I didn't try to resist in spite of the tremendous strength I was either cursed or blessed with such a short time ago.

Even injured as it was this monster would still be able to snap my neck clean with nary an ounce of effort being exerted by the bug.

Soon looking up when a strange noise entered my ears, it had the chitters of a bug but the screams of a woman in pain and tears. Whatever it was, I could only pray that I didn't have to look upon it for I did not wish to see any more horror. I only wanted to see Undwote's pack find me so that the God of Death could embrace me and end this terror that plagued me so. Soon collapsing into the soft and wet ground beneath me and slowly trying to get up as the bug walked away from me after it had dropped me.

Shivering as the moisture in the dirt made itself known not to be water as it stuck to my fingers in various strings. Soon trailing behind the bug as it seemingly guided me to what must've been a hidden chamber in the hive. My mind could only think of one thing, queens, bug queens to be exact, was this the source of the noise? It was the chitters of the queen bug?

Why was I being brought before the queen bug!?

Yet, we did not come before a queen. Instead, I came to a stop next to the armoured bug as it chittered something to the strangely patterned bugs we arrived next to. Ones that also stood on this ringed platform made of stone and reinforced dirt I now found myself on. My mouthing slowly becoming loose when my eyes saw the bracelets that covered the ankles of these bugs in particular...

What was this...? How did my fellow citizens of Tobaballe end up here...? Did something happen to Iishar and her expedition!?

Panicking as I tried to back away, "You were only failure, I will make you obey." the armoured bug told me as these patterned bugs began to pulsate with a force that I couldn't see but could feel. The pressure they were giving off being more than enough to get me to freeze up once more as the armoured bug put its claws onto my chin. Its strength forcing my skull to move easily and it turned my head about for some reason.

"Kill him." he suddenly ordered as he backed off, screaming in pain as my arm was twisted by one of the other bugs in the process of them throwing me over the platform. Slamming into the slimey, bone-ridden floor formerly below and trying to get up while clutching my arm. Only narrowly avoiding the feet that aimed to crush my head with enough force as to crater the ground I was formerly on, crashing into a wall nearby as the force carried me far. Only barely avoiding the fist of another bug with a sudden application of my mysterious strength which sent me rolling along the curved walls of this chamber.

Emptying my stomach over the face of one of these bugs as a clawed hand clasped my face with one of its claws positioned right over my eye before it drove its fist into my gut. It felt like a lot of things, pain most of all, but I couldn't shake this feeling that the creature was frustrated that its fist did not pierce through me like a spear into a wild animal. Watching with watery eyes as the bug I vomited on backed off so it could clean its face. All to be rid of the acidic bile that dripped from its patterned carapace.

Taking this moment to get up as I was filled with this sudden urge to fight, the urge to tear them apart for daring to threaten my life... I did not like these urges, they were far too similar to what happened when I was training with Vapooliar a few days ago. These urges were too powerful for me to suppress, however, and my mouth let out involuntary growls as my vision started turning yellow and my body twitched violently. A guttural roar leaving my throat as I charged the bug that was cleaning its face and digging my hands into its roaring head.

The other bugs did nothing to help their fellow bug and just eagerly waited for their own turn to fight me. With excited chitters and snapping jaws coming from them as the yellow-ish blood of the bug in my grips squirted out violently as I tore apart its skull. And, like when I came back to my senses with Vapooliar, I came back to my senses now too. The reason this time being the split human skull that was hidden beneath the now pulped bug head.

Such events were nauseating and I was becoming increasingly light-headed. I could only collapse on whomever I just murdered and wait for the inevitable as my closing eyes only saw approaching bugs.

"Stop." was the last thing to register in my mind before my eyes closed fully. I could only hope I did not feel anything from this point onwards. But no howls were entering my ears, so my fears would not be leaving me at any point for now.

.

.

.

"NIN!" Vapooliar once again screamed at the collapsed entrance as she swung her sword once again into the stone. The blast of force contributing to the build-up of pain that led to her collapsing in it. Her hands clutching her bleeding gut tightly while she whimpered. It would seem that her fight had strained a rather fresh injury.

Turning to Paps for an answer on how to proceed only to be left with nothing as he was currently speaking to one of the soldiers. Topics such as where they planned on heading now that we had escaped the clutches of the osibindah hive. Of course, it was only wishful thinking to think we escaped, we were still at one of the many entrances after all. But, at least we knew that we were in the lands at the base of the mountain they made their home rather than in it.

"Paps!" I called out to him so I could have his attention. He ignored me so I just walked up to him and tugged at his arm as surely his own daughter was more important than some wind-people we met mere hours ago. A scowl coming from me with it being directed at the soldier he was talking to while waves of explosive force once again started going over us. Impatiently waiting before he finally turned his attention to me.

"What?"

"Aaare you seriaus? We need to get Vaaapaaliaaar ta stap befare she gets the bugs baaack an us!" I told him in agitation while pointing at the human who was currently tearing apart enough earth to awaken cabboths that hadn't fully developed yet.

"No. We just leave." he told me as he made sure all of his equipment was still functional and clearing out any pebbles and rocks that landed in his or my own head and back spines. Forcing his paws off of me and backing off away from him so I didn't have to put up with his overprotective behaviour at the moment.

"Paps! We caaan't just leaaave her like this!" I reiterate as I approached the once again collapsed Valkinvar. Putting my paws on her as I pulled her away from her sword so we could at least get her to calm down before we did anything like leaving this place. We at least owed her this much for being the core reason we could get out of the hive alive.

"Get off me!" Vapooliar urged as she weakly tried to escape my grip, clearly having expended more energy than she thought she had. I did let go of her, however, just not in the way she wanted. Instead of letting her go free, I put her against a lone tree that was near the entrance of the hive and left her against it. Placing my bolt-action down and unbuttoning the overalls she had on so I could inspect her injury.

"Sward injury?" I ask as I saw the rather thin split in her skin the was gurgling out a notable amount of blood. Putting my paw against the injury to steady the bleeding as Vapooliar struggled under the injury, clearly not appreciating the severity of it. While I was certainly no doctor, I could tell she was on the luckier end of being stabbed, it seemed to miss anything of note beyond apart from what felt like a clean snap through the base of one of her lower ribs. Looking around to see if there was anything I could use to close the wound and just let her body do the rest.

Alas, the only item that could do it was her sword and the problem with bringing that near her is that she would try and get into the hive again to save the Tobaballian for whatever reason. Why she had such affection towards him was still unanswered, so I could only guess it was her emotional trauma that caused it. Even if she tried to come across as a stalwart guardian when she wasn't breaking down because someone's words wedged apart the cracks in her mental fortitude.

Luckily for me, Paps was already on to it and was dragging the sword over to me.

Putting a bit of my cloak into her mouth so she had something to bite down on as Paps approached, "Dan't graaab it." I told her as I moved around to grab the other end of the sword so it was not scraping along Vapooliar and causing more injuries to her.

It was awkward to grab the parts of the blade not lit up with potent magic but Paps was strong enough to make up for the lack of weight I could deal with as we put it against the injury. Using one paw to carefully pinch the injury together as the heat from the concentrated magic fused the skin together again. A sharp hiss leaving Vapooliar as the injury was dealt with.

Quickly moving the blade away from her when she forced herself back up after spitting out the bit of my cloak she chewed up. I tried to get her back down but was forced back when her adrenaline-filled body tried to slap me away with more force than was necessary. At this point, I could only try and keep the sword away from her as her distraught eyes looked upon the hive entrance.

"Valkinvar, isn't it about time we went back to Thurn's Forge? We're still at war last I checked." one of the soldiers asked her as they stepped forward to help her, only for them to be pushed to the ground by an angry Vapooliar.

"If you want to throw away your lives for a lost cause then so be it... I'm not going... The Theocracy is doomed." she snapped out in an increasingly defeatist tone as a hand rubbed her face. Her mind clearly filled with thoughts about whatever happened prior to them ending up in this hive.

"You can't be serious! We swore an oath to our people and Waionr himself to defend our homes! We and especially you cannot just turn your back on it all!" they retaliated back with as they got back up. His offence at the words Vapooliar just spoke evident as he tightly clutched the gun he had picked up from Nin.

"In case you didn't know, soldier... But we were decimated by the Jhermonikrans! A new weapon we have never seen before wiped you out to a man in some cases! To top it all of, the very thing they have a reputation for then swept through the rest of you!" she pointed out with an accusatory point as she summoned the sword back to her. Hastily stepping out of the way so I didn't lose my lower paws to the suddenly alive blade as it entered her grip.

"WE LOST BECAUSE WE DISHONOURED THE TENANTS OF WAIONR WHEN THE GUNS FIRED ON THAT BANNERMAN!" this soldier yelled back with a chorus of agreement following that statement from the other soldiers who seemed intent on going back to war. Some were standing aside from that group, however, clearly torn between what they saw as the truth and their honour.

"TAKE THE SUPERSTITION ELSEWHERE! WE LOST BECAUSE WE FAILED AS AN ARMY TO BE PREPARED!"

"How in Thurn's full name can you be so blind to it, you're a Valkin-"

"I AM NO VALKINVAR!" she yelled out in tears as she threw the sword down the path some of these men were planning on taking. The blade soon disappearing into the distance with its location only being seen due to the debris the impact sent flying. Her actions becoming incredibly timid as she left the soldiers her alone and disappeared into the forests that filled one of the many paths we were presented with.

Vadei who had spent this period in silence immediately went after her for some reason, a few of the soldiers even followed her after shouts of 'Traitor!' and 'Scum!' filled our ears. Which way me and Paps were going I could only guess as we would've been lost either way. The only difference of note being who accompanied us, and while we were with Vapooliar and Vadei for convenience... It felt sort of weird to just leave them after going through what we did together.

We planned it out and looked out for each other in the build-up to this and now we were about to just cut ties like it was a simple deal. Just something between me, Paps and some customer of ours or those who hired us. I know I shouldn't have felt this way about the situation, but I just wasn't sure how to process it. Regardless, I went with whatever Paps chose as I was ultimately more familiar with him.

And to my disappointment, he went with the soldiers intent on returning back to Thurn's Forge.

I could only guess that he wanted to try and find those that we had formerly employed in our last and failed run of delivering magically blank humans. The Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding having been our destination, all the way up in the mountain-state of Thrurstradtur. Or, he wanted to try and cut a deal with the soldiers on the side of the Seven-Peaks who were apparently winning this war in full force now. Be it due to godly intervention or just flat out incompetence on the side of Thurn's Forge.

Making sure I had everything with me as we walked down the path we chose, briefly looking back towards the hive with my mind focused on Nin. What happened in those last few moments? The founder of that hive specifically desired Nin but for what reasons? Did it have something to do with him suffering from Sudden Induction?

I could only hope not as that was a terrifying prospect.

An osibindah that was empowered beyond even the norm amongst the average wind-person in their younger years. To have such power buffed by the natural physical capabilities of the bugs could only cause issues. As such, flight would be my mindset once again, as I had spent far too long sleeping in an area tainted with death and overlooked by predatory insectoids.

Catching up to the group only to stop once I saw the lack of the aelenvari seed. It would appear we lost it or Vadei grabbed it in the confusion as I doubt one of the soldiers cared for such an object. Paps would be disappointed as we could've easily used such an item to procure supplies from the districts populated by settled or exiled aelenvari should we have found any. Grumbling to myself as I caught up once again, Paps was going to be forcing a lot on me once we got into the city.

I just wished it wasn't under siege as that would make our lives needlessly hard at the moment. But I bet we could deal with it, we just survived far worse than some artillery pieces firing upon one of the greatest cities in the land. Of course, this was assuming the Seven-Peaks were willing to do such an action as their history of sieges when it came to what was considered one of the 'Seven-Peaks' was rather uneventful.

"Hm, maaaybe we cauld trade these soldiers for supplies?" I quietly asked myself while I had the safety of being at the back of the group. Old habits died hard I guess.

.

.

.

"Why are you following me, you lot?" the so-called former Valkinvar asked as she turned to face us with a grim expression on her face. She clearly wasn't keen on hearing our petty excuses so I just kept it simple for me and the two fellas's who left the group with me.

"Safer in numbers." I answered with the usual gruffness I spoke with while the oxfuine seemed to wait for their turn to speak.

"The other group had more people with it..."

"True, but non compar to the safety ya provide." I tell her as her face curled up in disgust.

"Don't lie to me. Now be quiet... Vadei has yet to answer..." the oxfuine just shook a little when the Valkinvar turned their attention to her, her hands tightly clutching the brown stone she had been hauling with her since we parted from the others.

"I-I just feel safer travelling with you..." she answered as she backed up a little due to the Valkinvar's glare.

"You just don't want to be around the slaver runners anymore." the Valkinvar spat out sarcastically as she and we by extension began moving again. Turning my attention towards this Vadei to see if I could strike up a bit of conversation as neither my compatriots nor the Valkinvar seemed to be in the mood to talk.

"So what ya carryin'?" I asked the young oxfuine as she adjusted her grip on whatever it was.

"It's a seed." was all I got from her, it would appear that she didn't want to speak either but dammit I did and I wasn't just going to walk through the woods in silence with only the magic in the air being my entertainment.

"Bit big no? You plannin' on plantin' a fully grown tree wit that?"

"It's an aelenvari seed, sootface." she answered with agitated teeth bared. A short and brief chuckle all that I needed to deal with her insult as it was a rather bad one at that.

"Oh, I beg a thousand pard's your Fluffiness, I wasn't aware telling me of my profession was considered barby enough for ya! Or do I need to use that tail of yours to clean out one of me cannon so me face ain't gettin' so sooty?" I responded with happily as she hid her tail at the thought of it being stained with used powder and the stench of ignition.

"Do such a thing and I'll claw your eyes out!"

"Oooo, the pup's got teeth."

"Now, now, Rolant, don't start doing your sapping duties now." said one of the miserable sods that followed me, Envo I believe his name was. One of the ones who was manning the barricades before it all went to the Pack of Seven. Lucky one he was given the mess those arcane guns did to all of our lines when the enemy started firing and the shock cavalry charged in.

"Mayhaps if you lot learned to breathe a sigh of relief once in a while I wouldn't be bombing your walls then?" I told the pikeman as they tried to find a stick long enough and thick enough to hold. Seems some soldiers found odd sentiment in weighty poles designed and manufactured to be disposable. Odd bunch pikemen were.

"With all due respect, Battcomm, not everyone has had a service as long as yours to learn how to breathe such relief." he told me and I just could not stop myself from gagging for his words made me sick.

"Hey, I should've retired at least twenty cycles ago, but nooooo! Gotta keep them vets on for fighting the insignificant battles." that last bit certainly got them riled up.

"It wasn't insignificant! We were holding the flank for our main force so they could squash the Jhermonikran's just like we always... Do..." his defiance fizzling out like a blown-out fuse once he reached the end.

"Boy, you saw firsthand how badly we did. A victory so clean the worst they experienced was a non-combatant being pulped by a gunner who thought they were Waionr's champion or some rubbish like that." I told him plainly as surely he would now see that if we lost that badly then a more dedicated attack on the main front would've ended just as bad? If not then I could only feel pity for the last bit of shine his mind had. War regardless of how glorious the victory did a lot to dirty the soldier. It's why so many did it for their loved ones and memories of them. Because that was all they had to try and clean the grime of blood from their newer memories.

"It wasn't some random gunner, it was the Grand-Thoucomm wanting to make a point." the Valkinvar pointed out with a depressed tone as she recounted what happened before the initial barrage from the enemy that decimated our lines.

I could only laugh at this, the one who tempted the wrath of the God of War was Mr Stubborn himself? Now that was a nice thing to hear, he wasn't a bad officer but I just found him insufferable with how much he stuck to his history for reference on how to act. You needed to be forward-thinking if you wanted to be a successful officer, one who could exploit the mould you fought in or break it and remake it anew. Just like who led the Jhermonikran's at that battle.

Of course, it was bound to happen at some point, both sides just throwing bodies at each other in either fanatical charges or unwilling advances. It has a habit of birthing a leader who wanted to do things differently, be it the Jhermonikran founding wars which saw former beasts of burden turned into the most feared cavalry units on the continent. Or, those damn brassheads and turning the pastime of children into an army destroying weapon.

Groaning as I looked up into the sky when we passed by a more open area. Warfare was changing fast at the moment and old men like me had no place in it. My experience might save a life or too, sure. But, my aged mindset would get far more killed.

Magic had always played an integral in warfare from the simple case of training the common infantrymen and grunt into being able to use their physical magic better. Or, like with the Valkinvar, enlisting the women who showed a talent for casting their fancy spells and techniques. But now the weapons themselves were becoming magic-ladened and the simple sciences just couldn't keep up with the power the winds could carry with them. Of course, some had been preparing for this a lot longer than the current governments that ran our lives.

Tales of the great forge-pit beyond the lowest peaks at the border of our continent being the most important of them.

But that meant building water-going craft that weren't recreational or made for our many rivers and lakes, surface or otherwise. And we just weren't trained for this kind of construction, warfare had long been determined by the land and trying to break down those who decided to hide up on their peaks. A stubborn way of war for a stubborn people who saw leaving their peaks as a great sin. Honestly would've preferred living in a hamlet in the ravines and valley's as opposed to the mountain-states themselves.

Being able to see your neighbour's house physically when you got up in the morning rather than when you were invited to see it sounded much nicer...

And once I was done thinking about that, I realised that not much had been spoken since I laughed at the Valkinvar's information. As such, it was just the occasional glance at any wildlife that eyed us cautiously or ran away from us to pass the time. A quiet some of us were thankful for but the oxfuine was not very happy with it and wanted answers for some details. So I watched her as she caught up with the Valkinvar and began asking her questions.

"So what do I do with this, Vapooliar?" oh? A first-name basis? Now, this was worth listening in to even if it was as short-lived as our escape seemed to have been before the path ahead cleared up.

"Just look after it, Vadei, just look after it." she told her in a sorrowful tone while seemingly moving to take it before she stopped herself. I could only assume this 'Nin' was involved with it. The scrawny boy who had been pulling our gear, or rather, what would become our gear.

And with that said, another period of silence that lasted long enough to see light turn to darkness with a rise in the wishes of people wanting to rest. So we did, albeit, with only the currently full moon giving us decent light we had to move ourselves to this open ledge that overlooked a nice view. Surprised there wasn't a ravineer town out there, had plenty of seemingly arable land and a small lake with a waterfall feeding it next to it all.

Hm, could even try to establish that town here now that I decided to use this opportunity to finally get my retirement perhaps?

"What's that?" the other soldier that wasn't Envo asked. His hand pointing out towards the horde of dark figures that left the darkness of the woods and entered the more open plains before us. With what must've been thousands of little lights occasionally flickering amongst them as more appeared.

"Aelenvar' caravan by the looks of it." I comment to the curious soldier. All of us soon moving towards the ledge of the area we were resting in so we could get a better look at it. Moving off to the side so I could get a better glance at the caravan and nodding with a slight smirk as I saw a much brighter collection of lights approaching. It was like watching a large beast crawl its way through the trees and crushing them under its bulk. But in this case, it was a bunch of plant-people cannibalizing their distant cousins so they could move on by.

And in typical Aelenvari fashion the caravan looked like a thorned flower if you looked at it a certain way. Soonturning my attention from the caravan and towards the Valkinvar as she seemed to perk up at the presence of this caravan. Her back loaded with a sleeping oxfuine who was now getting annoyed by the fact she was suddenly moved while she tried to sleep. Watching as the Valkinvar just marched onwards towards this caravan as it seemed to be coming to a stop in front of the lake.

"Looks like we're going to be busy." Envo innocently said as he instantly perked up at the thought of finding an aelenvari caravan. Some boys just couldn't keep their spears down enough it would seem. But, I suppose watching their dreams of beautiful women turning them down as the mountain-state dwelling aelenvari were much different to the caravan ones would be funny. At least, that is what I have heard.

The main difference being they had a warrior caste who could bring a tree down with a single solid swing from their barbed chains that they used. Oh, and the fact they weren't all happy to sell themselves off to whoever could potentially give them a child. Which, all, admittedly, was just rumours I heard. Talk and so on, I had no idea how the reality might actually be.

But, I was hoping for a me that would be having a lot of fun watching the dreams of this soldier collapse as his easy-to-access relief was snatched away from him. The reality that there was bigger game for these women to lock their legs around having snatched them all away. In this case, actual male aelenvari as rare as they were.

Which, unsurprisingly made it a case of no wonder some boys romanticised these beings, to be the sole male for what must've been hundreds of beautiful females per each one? Waionr's pride could only wish it matched the pride some of these women had for their beauty. But not all flowers liked being picked, thorns and poison were abound amongst them and you could only enjoy the results. Good or bad.

Smirking at the conversation Envo was having with his fellow pikeman as the Valkinvar led us down the slope towards this caravan.

"Where are we heading now...?" Vadei asked with a yawn after she stopped fiddling about in the Valkinvar's grip. Her hands no longer full of the unborn of the aelenvari as the seed had been moved to the Valkinvar's grip. However, I was quick to move and take it off of her when it became clear that she might've dropped it too. Like, I knew these were buried underground in the aelenvari's secret 'pots' as it were but that didn't mean they would be safe from abuse. I got no thanks for doing it but I could not care in the grander scheme of things.

"Somewhere safe." the Valkinvar simply told the tired oxfuine as we went down the slope that would take us to this safety. The haste in which she moved with however only made me think that she may have been wanting to go here in order to barter the life of her friend for the seed. It was rather risky if that is what she wanted to do as the moment they saw it be endangered the entire caravan would descend upon us as we might've just harmed a chance for them to get a new male in their caravan. If it was the seed for a male though...

Well...

I guess we would see...

But, provided that what this Nin boy told me earlier about how he saved the Valkinvar from whatever situation she was in then I am sure he could find a new way out. Or, at the very least, survive long enough for us to find him if we ever went through with the proposition to save them. I very much doubt we'd get to such a stage... Bug hives as developed as that one rarely show much love towards the captives.

As long as the bugs were exterminated was all that mattered. Victims sort of took a backseat due to a cruel sense of pragmatism. You would have taken many losses clearing out that hive so why waste resources trying to clean up those who were deep inside?

I could not even answer that question, honestly.

But that was the future, and I just wanted an excuse to use that lake to clean myself as I was sure I saw little pockets of water trapped by rocks. Right towards the edge of the lake we were looking at. Could easily heat that up into a bath if I was to somehow able to get access to someone with knowledge in fire magic. That was extremely wishful thinking, however.

I was more likely just going to have to set up something to heat it all up or just deal with cold water. Yet, at the same time, I just did not want to put the effort into making such a device. But, I wanted to be wishful at the moment as sometimes a sootface like me wanted to not be a sootface for even just a little bit. It may have been something you got used to.

But, well, everyone hates feeling dirty at the end of the cycle. Well, honest ones anyway. I have unfortunately met quite a few who will spit in the face of cleaning yourself based on faulty logic. Stuff like how they would just get dirty again and so on.

And then I'd just work myself up into a fury because the guns I looked after would just get dirty again too! Didn't suddenly absolve me of my duty to maintain them and the same applied to the individual! Yet, I guess some really did just stick to Apahthein because he encouraged such behaviour.

Rather, he did not expect anything of you and came to represent such concepts. The realms of dereliction and apathy were his after all even if the god likely did not care for them at all. And while I cannot call myself a particularly harsh officer, sometimes I felt like I just needed to be just to get the right behaviours into some of our men. Especially the non-formal ones as unlike those who tended to be in formation, they had more time to develop odd habits.

But, maybe that was just me getting old and so used to a certain way of doing everything. Gods was I getting old... In another cycle and age I might have already killed myself based on old concepts of survival. To willing give yourself up to ensure your grandchildren had room to grow...

And, admittedly, I was not sure if me still being around was a good thing. After all, the stubbornness of the elderly might be a reason we were now here out in the wild ravines and valleys. Rather than, well, within the walls of a city partying away a recent victory.