-----V-----

My group huddled together around the crackling fire. Some had skewers with meat that they took with them in crude coolers. No one seemed to want to eat the kypseli bugs, neither did I.

We could see the first hive burning in the distance. Its smoke billowed but was starting to quiet down.

We ate our food, and once again, Braxton was sitting on the side with nothing on his plate. I started to walk up towards him.

„Gunslinger, don‘t you have a stomach?“ I asked wryly and thought I saw him twitch faintly.

„I might, I might not. I‘ll let you decide,“ he responded.

The hell? Is this some sort of a strange riddle? What was he, not human?

„What about your face, do you have one? All I have seen is your mask.“

I could see the back of his head, he did have skin and hair, so he must be human.

Braxton didn‘t respond, he just kept staring into the distance.

„We are about to have company,“ Braxton said and gestured into the infected-snowy plains.

Squinting my eyes, I noticed lights coming our way. It was quite foggy, so it was hard to see the figures up ahead.

I went back to the campfire and alerted the others. They brought out their artifacts and made sure they were full of zettra power. Then ranged weapons were aiming while close range weapons were out and shining.

„The lights are fiery, but it could be an illusion and they are kypseli with natural red bioluminescence,“ Franek pointed out.

We waited for the kypseli, we waited for a battle. But as they kept coming closer, I was starting to hear that disgusting noise of squelching muck. They were definitely not kypseli.

We lowered our weapons when we saw them coming out of the fog. They were humans, six in total, most likely one of the other extermination group. But what happened to the rest of them?

Some had ripped clothes, armor were dented, a man was holding his friend up that had blood around his thigh.

„What happened?“ Franek asked as they came closer.

„The kypseli ambushed us, right when we were about to finish the last hive. We were fools for falling into the trap. And it was obvious too, no kypseli were in sight,“ one said, likely the leader of the group.

„It‘s good to see some of you have survived, come on, you can help us clean out the rest of the hives, it‘s too dangerous to go back when you are too few.“

The man stepped a way to talk to his remaining group. Most of them agreed, but the man with his bleeding leg wasn‘t having any of it and wanted to get out of here. I could see that he would only fall if no one was holding him.

One of our group members seemed to want to leave as well. He was one of two who held a rifle. I heard he wasn‘t with Wilmer, so that was good, but we are going to have more people to deal with now.

With a little bit of arguing left and right, they finally decided that those two will go back, they were certain the path back would be safer. Franek didn‘t want them to go as only a pair, but there was nothing stopping them from doing so. Sure Franek was the leader, but these artifact hunters and the soldiers weren‘t actually going to take orders from him, he was only leading them as the most experienced one in fighting the kypseli.

So the two man left, their torch disappeared through the fog, and who knows if they will make it or not.

„Rest up for now, we will continue in an hour to the second hive,“ he told the newcomers. „And hey, aren‘t you Ivy?“

I suddenly noticed Ivona flinch when the name was brought up. Ivy, I remember back at the start of the noble‘s quest, that one of the names that were brought up for the artifact hunt was someone named Ivy Rihru. I didn‘t really think much of it then, but she has the same last name as Ivona‘s.

They talked for a bit, then Ivy seemed to have noticed Ivona. Their eyes locked for a moment, then they were keeping a distance from each other.

„Did you notice it as well?“ Amara asked besides me.

„Yeah, they are likely sisters, and they don‘t seem to like each other,“ I responded.

„Ho-Hoh, we should get that girl on our side, then when the battle begins, it will be interesting for what little Ivona would do.“

„Indeed it will,“ I agreed.

----------

We finally started moving again, and the irritating sound came back to destroy my ears‘ will to live. I‘ve talked a bit to Chase about the newcomers, and they all seemed to be on Franeks‘ side, that is just great, but Ivy is a different case. She is on his side sure, but Ivona is as well, so what will she do if the battle against Wilmers‘ group and Franeks‘ begins? Will she fight with her sister that she doesn‘t seem to like? Or join our side?

I walked up to Ivy, and she noticed due to the yuck in the ground.

„You want something?“ She asked with a not so friendly tone.

„Yes, actually, I want to know if you and your sister there have something against each other,“ I said simply, keeping my voice low so no one will hear except for her.

„Oh great, you can stop talking to me now,“ she said and started moving faster.

What was her deal? She just ignored me and left. . .

I started moving at her pace to keep up.

„Come on, I really need your help. Ivona isn‘t exactly fond of me after an incident. And she really wants to kill me.“ I wasn‘t exactly sure if she wanted to kill me, but I knew for a fact that she wanted to take the shield.

She heard my words and suddenly slowed down.

„What do you want?“ She asked with irritation.

„Here‘s a question, if a battle against me and her began, whom would you fight for?“

She was taken aback by that, but only a little. She had the same composed face as her sister, and they were rather identical. With their green eyes and light brown hair, that was basically it. Ivy held a bow, while Ivona used a crossbow. Ivy had a green cloak around her, Ivona used leather armor. Ivy had quivers around her hip, Ivona used straps with holsters that stored her arrows around her body. They were quite different actually.

„Whom would I fight for? You, then.“

Huh, they really seem to hate each other. What happened in their past? Now I am quite curious.

„Is something going to happen?“ She asked quietly.

I wasn‘t exactly sure if I should tell her this much, she could as well just be trying to get information for Franek. Oh what the hell, I have done worse decisions in the past. And I am fairly certain that she is not going to spill it to the others.

„Wilmers‘ group and Franeks‘are going to fight each other while we are in Smittis, and I am with Wilmer. And I want you to join us.“

„What will I gain for joining you?“

„Eh...“ ah crap, of course she won‘t fight for us for free. „Well. The nation is going to need a new ruler, and Wilmer is trying to make that happen. The Dynami Empire is on the verge of attacking Stratos. And Stratos will fall if they can‘t get any reinforcements from Simul or Oxy.“

„And why do I care?“

I glanced at her, and she really didn‘t seem to give a damn about her country. Does she even live in Stratos?

„If the dynami manage to take over Stratos, then they would most likely go for the other countries, then you won‘t have anywhere to flee.“

She thought for a moment, then she caught her voice.

„Fine, but if any of you try to kill my sister then my arrows will point at you,“ she said sincerely.

„Don‘t worry, I‘ll tell the others to point away from her, but it should be fine to tie her down so she wouldn‘t shoot at us, right?“

„Of course, that would even be better, then I can take her with me.“

I don‘t care what she will do to her, but thankfully our number has just risen. We now have ten, while they have... sixteen. The two guys that left were most likely on Franeks‘ side, so then it changes to fourteen. I think we might actually be able to fight against them if the soldiers here aren‘t that well trained.

I walked up towards Amara, and she most likely knew what I was saying towards Ivy.

„Was it a great idea to tell her?“

„No, but why the hell not?“

„You‘re crazy, and I like it.“ I could have sworn that I saw her helmet smirk.

----------

The day went on without trouble, no kypseli were in sight. The only battle we were fighting was against the ground itself, and I believe the yuck is winning, I feel my ears just wanting to bleed. Thankfully, though, that is not going to happen, it‘s just an annoying sound.

The second hive was close, and its entrance didn‘t have any guards, which was rather odd. Franek once again said some speech before we would go forth with our artifacts glowing with the intent of extermination. Everyone roared when he finished with an epic „Charge! For the might of Stratos! Drive off the infestation!“ And even Amara went along with the guys with a battlecry. We couldn‘t really go in with stealth, so this was fine, I guess.

Right when the entrance was a few steps away from us, the ground suddenly shook and emerged the kypseli from the ground, completely surrounding us.

I cursed and pointed my blaster at the nearest one. It was to close for comfort, and my shot only took apart some of its carapace. I fired a second shot with the same conclusion. It screeched as it bared its pointy legs at me, and thrusted forward. Franek suddenly came with his artifact sword and took off its two front legs, then spun like a graceful dancer and aimed for its head. And that was that for the kypseli, more were still left. Why the hell would he even help me there?

I didn‘t say thanks or anything, I just continued fighting to clear out the swarm.

An artifact hunter slashed at a kypseli with a mace, but only to get jumped by another. He screamed as they feasted on his corpse. Other hunters came to save him, but they were to slow, the man died.

Tentacles gripped Braxton from the ground, and he lost one of his blasters. He frantically fired rounds at it before he would not be able to breathe. The kypseli tightened its grip, but Braxton managed to hit its eyes and killing it. He fell with a thud... no, actually it was more like a ‚squish‘. The solid ground was beneath all this shit-muck.

I noticed a kypseli creeping behind Ivona, and she didn‘t seem to notice, and it was getting ready to pounce. I considered for a moment, should I save her? Or should I not? Ivy would most likely not help us if her sister died right here.

„Goddammit,“ I muttered and aimed my blaster towards the kypseli.

Ivona noticed me and her face seem to say „What are you doing?!“ But I ignored her and fired at the kypseli, it fell after my rounds pounded its face and turned it to scrambled eggs, but with blood and gore instead of actual eggs. Ivona looked ready to shoot at me but noticed the kypseli behind her.

„You can thank me later,“ I said and turned towards my next target.

The soldiers turned to their flamethrowers and scorched the kypseli, and the fight was toning down. But we did lose a second man, he was a big man and held a war hammer, he was taking down a kypseli left and right, completely shattering their carapaces. But he lost his footing and slipped, only to be torn apart by the bugs.

The fight for the entrance ended. We gathered ourselves and healed our wounds, the hive was right next to us, and we already could hear screeches coming from the inside.

We stood tall, and Franek took the lead down. The hive was similar to the first one, the walls glowed with muck. The soldiers bearing the flamethrowers were next to Franek, their flame was ready to scorch anything going our way, and some kypseli did end up running at us, but were taken care of easily.

Then an image of a nightmare emerged. We entered the main structure of the hive, and eggs were all across the floor, and the egg layers continued producing their brood. But the eggs. . . they were all hatched, every single one that I could see were broken from the top, and kypseli larvae jumped out of them, some didn‘t even look like they should be ready to have been hatched. Their carapaces didn‘t look matured enough, and their skin showed muscles, and even blood dripped as they scuttled towards us.

„What in the hell is all this!?“ I yelled.

„I don‘t know! Just burn them!“ Amara called back.

The flamethrowers spewed out, and the screeches just kept pounding my ears, it was much worse than the muck I walked on.