We pressed down the hall carefully despite it’s rather mundane appearance. A choice presented itself to us, we could go left or we could go right. Both ways curved around so the rooms at either end were out of our line of sight. KEEN OBSERVATION wasn’t acting up so we decided to go left. The hallway curved around to the right and we entered a room that seemed to be a breeding ground for Creeps. As we finished cutting them down we also determined that this room was a dead end.

We headed back to the other hall and followed it around to another room that was a lesser version of the dead end room. Creeps swarmed us again and we murdered and looted the bodies as we went. The Creeps never seemed to get much stronger, but we were. Everyone was on the verge of level 15 and I was quickly closing in on 17. At the other end of this room a hall opened up that descended deeper into the earth. At the bottom of the ramp it curved off to the right and ended in a heavy looking pair of doors set in the black stone wall.

“Dude. This isn’t ominous at all, is it?” Phil piped up.

“Probably a boss room.” Hawkings added.

I arched my eyebrow at that and addressed my party “Maybe, everyone ready?”

They nodded and I turned to Phil, “Do it.”

He walked forward and shoved on the doors and they slowly opened. Scheel slid up next to him and pushed the door further and everyone filed in behind them. The room we entered was far different than what we had been through before. The room was shaped like a hexagon and was well lit. Heat rushed out through the open doors and displaced the cooler air behind us. At each corner of the room a granite trough filled with flowing lava poured down from the ceiling and drained into a hexagon shaped hole in the center of the room, lava aqueducts. Two sets of doors were set at opposing angles on the far side of the room.

The most distinct feature of this room was the floor being covered in slimy alien looking eggs that stood around a meter high. They were clustered most densely along the lava flows and what was inside would shift and cause the eggs to wiggle sickly. Whatever had deposited these eggs was not currently present. KEEN OBSERVATION buzzed in my brain and my eyes were drawn to tiny divots in the floor and ceiling that looked like some kind of animal tracks. Tracks that were pressed into solid stone.

“Fuck.” Valley whispered and was soon echoed by everyone that had ever seen how this movie ends.

“Yeap. Not good.” I intoned.

“Where’s momma?” Bradley voiced the question everyone was thinking.

Junipher stood to the side with her spear about to touch one of the eggs. My hand shot out and spun her around to face me. The look on my face spoke volumes. She stared at me with a bit of fear, seemingly startled by my touch, then she calmed and smiled at me, “Sorry, I wanted to see if there was any reaction to our presence.” I looked over her shoulder and saw that the egg was shaking violently and cracks were forming along the shell. I nodded my head and she looked back and gasped. “Oh my, that’s not good.”

“No, it’s not. I had been wondering if we could sneak past them. I don’t think that’s an option now.”

“We can try destroying them from range, cut a path to one of those exits.” Dick suggested.

“Will probably have to do that, but, what about whatever made the tracks in the ceiling?” Bradley pointed out another item on my building lists of concern.

“I’m pretty certain we start killing eggs, momma will come out pissed!” Valley added another of my thoughts from the back of the group.

Fuck me, no good choices. I could probably get across by myself using my new ability. Then that leaves me to fight the entire dungeon by myself. Fuck that.

I let the group discuss the situation for a few moments longer then interrupted them. “We really don’t have a choice here. It’s clear this was designed to force a bigger fight. So we need to clear a path, we may need to nuke everything in here from orbit before we proceed.” The last comment got some chuckles that eased some of the indecision and tension. “I suggest Dick take the lead on this while Bradley and myself make judicious use of explosive rounds to clear the flanks. Any objections or suggestions?”

Everyone shook their heads then Hawkings spoke up, “I would suggest we simply clear each section of the ‘pie’ completely, that way we don’t have to worry about whatever creepy crawly pops out to bite us in the ass.”

I thought about it for a moment and shrugged, “Sounds good to me, alright everyone, let’s do this, Dick? If you would be so kind as to get the party started?”

Dick looked at me, smiled, then stepped forward and muttered “WAVE OF FIRE!” Instantly a wave of flame extended out in front of him in a tight arc that incinerated anything it touched. The white-yellow eggs exploded from the sudden spike in temperature and spewed yellow slime everywhere. I watched the contents of one of the closer eggs smack onto the floor and was confused at what I saw.

It looked like a little yellow ‘roley-poley’ then it twitched and uncurled and I realized it was a creature of nightmare. Fucking Arizona centipedes. FUCK! ICK! Shivers ran down my spine as I watched more of the unborn creatures smack the floor smoking and twitching. When Dick’s wave of fire burnt out Bradley and myself got to work cleaning up the stragglers with SELECTIVE AMMO: EXPLOSIVE.

“Oh that’s disgusting.” Scheel muttered behind me.

I eyed the hole at the center but nothing emerged so I motioned for Dick to continue and we hopped over the low lava aqueduct thing and he let loose another WAVE OF FIRE that caused the eggs on this section to behave much the same as the last and Bradley and I repeated our last performance. As we were finishing up with the second section the ground began to shake and a deafening screech erupted from the hole in the center of the room.

A thing of nightmares emerged rapidly from the hole spraying bits of stone and lava as it latched onto the ceiling and turned to assess us. I did the same.

Xokar, The Indomitable, Corrupted Massive Arizona Centipede, Level 20***

Xokar flexed her dozens of legs down her nearly 20 foot length. Her tail ended in two massive scorpion style stingers. Her head was set with two large teardrop shaped compound eyes and a pair of massive pinchers at the opening of her mouth that twitched in fury. Black oily armored plates extended the length of her body interlocking in a nearly impenetrable wall of chitin five feet wide. Every foot tip was a weapon capable of piercing the dark granite the room was made of.

She focused on the three of us that had been eradicating her young. Dick already had a fireball hanging in his hand when she emerged and her eyes locked on him as the vehicle of destruction she needed to eliminate. She arched her back and opened her mouth.

“MOVE!” I dove to the right and Bradley left, which left Dick to fend for himself. SHIT! He launched his fireball at the same time she spit a yellow steaming loogie at him. He began to move too late and the spit struck him mid thigh and he immediately screamed as he tumbled face first into the ground. His screaming didn’t stop there though, and when I looked at where he had been hit the reason became apparent. Xokar’s spit was acidic and was quickly dissolving his leg as he screamed and cried in pain.

I rolled to my feet and flicked the selector switch on the AK to full auto and began to dump rounds into the monster. Anything that hit one of those armored plates was deflected, only a handful of shots penetrated and that only caused her to flinch in annoyance.

“ARMOR’S TOO THICK ON TOP!” I yelled over Dicks wails and my gunfire to Bradley.

“FIGURED AS MUCH!” He yelled back. He began falling back to create distance and I began to move to pull Dick out of danger when Valley rushed forward thinking the same thing. The centipede wasn’t having that though and quickly covered the space and knocked Valley back into the stunned group and scooped up a screaming Dick. I was just about to unleash a volley of explosive rounds but now I wasn’t sure what to do.

It held Dick in front of us like a human shield and it’s head rose up behind him and swayed menacingly at us. Dick had been perforated several times by the centipedes rapier like legs and was now bleeding from a dozen or more holes in his body. His head lolled to the side and he looked at us with tears flowing freely to mix with the blood that bubbled from his face. He’s gone. FUCK! I raised my rifle to end his pain and his eyes locked with mine and before I could pull the trigger he screamed.

“IMMOLATION!”

His body seemed to explode with fire. Xokar screeched in rage and pain but didn’t let go. I watched in horror as I realized what he had done. The ability was powerful, but it was a one use thing. His chest glowed with heat and fire, then his body began to char and cook. This lasted for about three seconds, then he collapsed into ash and Xokar uncoiled with a patch of her own underside carapace having been melted and charred as well.

She flung a pair of acid loogies at me and Bradley but we were fast enough to avoid the attacks. She began to charge forward when Phil appeared in front of her using UNSTOPPABLE ADVANCE. He smashed her in the mouth with his shield and swung at her face with a flurry of attacks. Scheel rocketed forward a second later with her leg extended and caught the centipede in the side, then launched into the air and dropped down on the monster's back with a wicked looking axe kick. She began to work her section of the monster attempting to damage its vicious looking legs.

Hernandez charged the other side of the giant insect and unleashed a series of point blank shotgun blasts. Xokar flinched and twisted to swipe at him with a scorpion tail, which he managed to dodge just barely. Junipher tried to pin it down with SEIZING ROOTS and frowned when the creature broke free almost immediately. “I can’t control its movement.” She stated flatly then charged in with her spear whirling rapidly. She began a melancholy song I had never heard before. The effect on Xokar was immediate, she turned her attention to Junipher and began lashing out with everything she had. Phil intercepted and forced her attention back on him, though Xokar’s attacks seemed to slow.

I surveyed my team and saw that Hernandez had managed to catch a stinger to the ribs and Valley was currently pulling him aside to treat his wounds. Scheel was backing off and heaving heavy breaths, clearly out of stamina. Junipher’s song had slowed the big bitch but not enough to take the fight out. I watched Hawkings as he held a ball of purple and black energy in his hands and waited for Valley and Hernandez to create some distance, then he launched his attack that struck one of the stinger tails.

At first nothing happened and I wondered just how useful bringing the kid had been, then the tail seemed to sag a bit. Then it simply smashed into the floor behind it. Xokar jerked violently to avoid an attack from Junipher and Phil, and then screamed as it ripped its own tail off. Puss colored blood sprayed from its ass end and it spun in place. Bradley and I nailed it with a pair of explosive rounds that shoved it across the floor through a clutch of eggs. It glared at us and attempted to spit but Phil was there and blocked the attack with his shield. The shield hissed and smoked but didn’t dissolve like Dicks leg had.

“WE NEED TO GET IT ON ITS BACK!” I yelled.

“I can reduce its weight, then Sumpter could probably knock it on its back.” Hawkings suggested calmly.

“Do it!

Hawkings concentrated for a moment and his hands glowed in that unnatural purple black of his magic “MASS MANIPULATION!”

The energy in his hands transferred across Xokar’s body and suddenly her movements seemed awkward. Phil and Scheel repositioned to the side of her and charged opposite ends with their respective skills. The impact was rather explosive as Xokars now significantly reduced mass was smashed sideways across more of her eggs and left her crumpled belly up against the far wall.

“Where it was melted, it’s guts are showing.” I flashed a deadly smile at Bradley and he returned it with a nod.

Another pair of explosive rounds smashed into the exposed weakness created by Dick’s last breath. The combined attack separated the centipede in half and sprayed the walls with acidic blood. Some landed on Scheel and she yelped. Valley called her back to be healed and everyone bagan to relax thinking the battle was won. The rear half twitched and jumped mindlessly lashing out at anything in the room. The front half of Xokar roared in contempt and charged my position with unbridled fury. The three of us scattered just as she arrived and smashed into the wall behind us.

I spun in time to see her rapidly charge me and barely had enough time to summon my ballistic shield and get it in front of me. I let my rifle drop on its sling and hang from my shoulder as I braced for Xokars impact. I was shoved firmly against the wall and her mandibles wrapped around my shield and I screamed in pain as they pierced my thigh and shoulder. She pressed harder trying to tear at me but my shield kept blocking the terrifying hole of her mouth from gaining purchase on my soft flesh.

Phil attempted to charge back but was unable to navigate the trail of steaming acidic blood she left on the ground without stepping in it. Junipher and Scheel were busy securing Xokar’s ass end, while Bradley was rolling to bring his rifle to bear but didn’t want to shoot for risk of hitting me. Hawkings was in much the same situation not wanting to crush me with his magic. Guess this shit’s on me then.

I fumbled for my plasma pistol and tried to bring it to bear on the bitches face but couldn’t get it in position without losing the arm attached to an angry front saber shaped leg.

I activated CHEAP SHOT and kicked up with my free leg into her chitinous chin. She reeled back and I winced when her mandibles were violently removed from my thigh and shoulder. I smashed her in the eye with my shield and she spun and side stepped. Bradley unleashed a plasma round that managed to penetrate her thick armor on what remained on her body. She spun further and now faced Hawkings who tossed a GRAVITY SPIKE into her head. She collapsed face first to the granite and I took that as my cue to finish this bitch. I dropped my ballistic shield and jumped onto the back of her massive head and pressed my plasma pistol to her brain pan.

“VITAL AIM!” My hand shifted slightly and I pulled the trigger. The pistol hissed and snapped and the bolt of plasma plunged through the top of Xokar’s head and out the bottom. Her body twitched and then went slack underneath me. I slid off her carapace and limped over to Bradley and Hawkings.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Bradley mused as he surveyed the remains of the battle. Hawkings just stood there with a big goofy, too pleased with himself, grin.

Everyone else was getting treated for wounds and acid burns and I decided I should probably also be seen to. Junipher appraised me with worry in her eyes and immediately began to sing her healing song. We finished recovering from our injuries, wiped out the rest of the eggs then moved to inspect the sets of doors that left this room.