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Kai looked to his right, seeing Actra’s squinted eyes and straightened arm— making vines emerge from the floor, spiralling and writhing around the remaining guards and mercenaries to protect them.

Killian and the other Enforcer who were far away from the blasts, scrambled for cover behind massive rock outcroppings, their shields raised high.

The explosion slammed into the queen with a battering ram force.

A shriek tore from the queen’s mouth, unlike any he had heard before. Atheum stones hit the queen’s frontage continuously as it tried to dodge. Due to its massive body, there was nowhere to run, but Kai couldn’t help feeling like the queen might still survive the explosion and escape.

Even now, he could see parts of its body trying to regenerate.

He took one glance around. The space was clear as the guards had moved behind.

He didn’t spare another second before he emptied his mana reserves. More bolts tore through the air to hit the remaining mana stones.

They blasted with an ear-deafening noise.

The queen’s previously berserk stage was halted with more and more stones pinning it down as the ceiling fell. The lower long, segmented body was bruised with inky dark blood splattering everywhere.

It kept screaming, trying to shield itself somehow, but failed. For a moment, its eyes locked with Kai who saw vulnerability in them, but he matched it with cold focus.

He grabbed his spear and putting all his strength into it, aimed it at the queen.

It streaked through the air like a shooting star, and slammed into the queen’s exposed chest— the very spot where the explosion had ripped away a section of its protective flesh.

SCRRRRRHHHHH!

A final, ear-splitting shriek erupted from the queen’s maw and it took a few steps back. More stones fell from the ceiling on it.

The queen’s segmented body convulsed, buckling beneath the immense weight. Kai’s entire body shook with the crash as the larvae queen slammed to the ground, its lifeless body twitching spasmodically.

Silence descended upon the chamber, broken only by the ragged gasps of Kai. He found himself sighing in relief.

A moment passed, and another.

Kai’s hands were on his knees as he waited for the dust to settle. His mana reserves were run dry due to all the spells he used back to back. He knew he’d lifelessly fall to the floor if he used another spell.

Soon, the vision became clear, revealing the queen motionless on the ground. On top of it, large glistening stones cut through its very being, aimed around its throat, eyes, chest and lower back.

Kai took an unsure step forward.

The remaining larvae, their inky black glow flickering erratically, seemed to sag, their movements lethargic as if their life force had been sapped away with the queen’s demise.

He let out a shaky breath. They did it. They survived.

Boots clicking against the cold stone made him turn his head. Actra was accompanied by two guards who were looking shocked at what had transpired.

Just as a flicker of a smile touched Kai’s lips, he paused.

From the corner of his eye, he saw something launching forward.

A single, segmented leg twitched on the ground— a lone larva, seemingly unharmed by the falling debris, surged forward with surprising speed.

Its mandibles gnashed, targeting Actra and two guards who were momentarily caught off guard, their focus solely on the aftermath of the battle.

A primal scream tore from Actra’s throat as he saw the lone larvae surge towards them.

Panic flared in his eyes, his staff trembling in his grasp.

He fumbled with an incantation, a hastily constructed spell meant to blast the creature back.

But the larvae, fueled by rage for the queen’s death, ignored the sputtering vines and jumped straight at them. By the size of the vines, it was clear that Actra mana reserves were low.

He shoved the two nearest guards forward, his voice cracking with fear. "Defend me!" He stumbled backwards, his boots slipping on the dusty floor.

The guards, caught off guard by the sudden movement, hesitated for a precious split second. It was all that the larvae needed.

With lightning speed, it snapped acidic goo at them.

One guard crumpled instantly, a sickening spray of crimson blossoming on his chest. The other guard, his face contorted in terror, raised his shield in a desperate attempt to defend himself.

But the larvae’s acid was more dangerous than fire, tearing through the metal with a sickening screech.

Killian, his nose flared and eyes stern rushed forward in front of the struggling guard. His longsword, a blur of silver, cleaved through the larvae in a single, brutal motion.

The creature twitched once, then lay still, its ichor pooling on the damp stone floor.

Once he made sure it was dead, Killian spun on Actra, his eyes blazing with barely contained rage. "What in the hells was that?!" he roared, his voice echoing through the cavern.

Actra scrambled to his feet, his face flushed crimson while he shook his head to cover his shame. "What?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

"Those were ordinary guards!" Killian bellowed, gesturing at the fallen men. "You are a Mage. How could you put them in front of the larvae instead of dealing with it yourself?"

"They were there to protect me. That was their responsibility and that’s what they did," Actra said, sneering.

"And your duty was to kill the larvae and you clearly failed in that." Killian scrunched up his face and glared.

Actra opened his mouth to retort, but Kai stepped between them, holding his hand up to stop the conversation.

Kai saw Actra visibly relax.

He looked down at the fallen guards, his eyes going over their lifeless forms and blood that was streaking towards his shoes. Then, his gaze met Actra’s.

"You didn’t have enough mana for another spell," Kai stated flatly, his voice devoid of accusation, but heavy with disappointment.

Actra shrugged. "Yes, the battle took a lot out of me," he mumbled.

Kai shook his head. He had seen the flicker of fear in Actra’s eyes, the way he had prioritized his own safety over the lives of the guards. It was more than that.

"You panicked. Even if I agree that you don’t have a lot of mana, you have enough tricks to deal with the larvae yourself." Kai said, calmly. "You risked the guard’s life to buy yourself more time, rather than dealing with them and protecting the men," he paused. "That’s an act of an incompetent Mage."

Actra opened his mouth, no doubt to argue, but Kai cut him off.

"We’ll discuss this later," Kai said, his tone leaving no room for debate. He slowly walked up the slope with the help of Killian and surveyed the remaining guards, some injured, others shaken but alive. "Let’s get them patched up. We need to get out of here."

He reached into one of the bags filled with portions and retrieved a vial filled with a shimmering, green liquid.

As he uncorked it, a faint glow emanated from within. "These are called life potions," he explained, his voice calmer now. "There’s more inside the bags. Make sure it’s of this exact colour before you give it. Think of them as potions for vitality. They’ll help stabilize the wounded. Might not completely heal everything, but should be strong enough to get you all back to the castle."

Killian nodded and ordered Feroy to tend to the wounded immediately. A few guards who could still walk came forward to take the potion and distribute it among everyone.

"It’s over," Killian’s voice came, looking over the guards who were getting the potions.

Kai nodded at the words.

The cavern made his voice echo and soon before they knew it, a ragged cheer erupted from the survivors.

It was a cheer with exhaustion and relief. Kai nodded at everyone while taking a glance around.

The Enforcers, their once pristine armour was a mess of dust and gore, slumped against the cavern walls. Nelson was looking at his calf where a small chunk was burnt. He felt Kai’s eyes on him and looked up with a faint smile.

The others were sitting by an adjacent wall, talking among themselves.

"That was a good one, eh?" Bord’s gruff voice cut through the cheers.

"It was. Almost thought I wouldn’t survive," Gareth said, right next to him. "Never knew I would return to the mines like this."

"The mines making you remember old times? Want to return to being a miner?" Bard asked with a grin.

"Nah, money is not enough and if I returned, you would brag about having the most kills after Feroy. I can’t let that happen."

Everyone else laughed and snickered as Bard frowned at Gareth.

Opposite them, Gorak had his arms tightened in front of his chest. As always, he showed no expression at the win, but he kept glancing at Finn who was getting bandaged by Raven.

"Don’t move. It will be okay. You already drank the potion," she spoke quietly, crouching to see Finn’s knee. A larvae had attacked with an acidic ball and his skin had peeled away completely.

"I’m alright, don’t worry!" Finn said through a hiss.

A lot of guards were in similar situations, sitting on the ground, tending to their wounds. The potions helped them immediately, but there were still others who were critical, needing support to stand up.

"Let’s head back to the city soon," Kai straightened up in his position and looked around. "We survived and won the battle against the queen larvae and the guards need to rest. We shouldn’t stay in the cave for long."

Killian nodded to him and looked at the guards. "Start walking the same way we came," he said while signalling the group to walk through the exit. "Help those who can’t walk. Let’s get some fresh air."

***

With a final, lingering press of his boot onto the queen’s cracked carapace, Kai gritted his teeth and pushed himself away.

The rhythmic groans of the wounded being carried out echoed faintly down the tunnel.

He wanted to join them and find his way to his bed to rest his body. But there were things he had to do before he could get out of the nest.

Although they had killed the queen, its eggs remained. The last thing he wanted was more of these larvae to spawn just because of his carelessness.

Leaving the faint glow of the chamber behind, Kai ventured deeper into the twisting tunnels.

The air grew thick and stale, the acrid tang of decay clinging to his throat.

The familiar sight of bioluminescent fungi painted the walls in sickly greens and blues, their pulsating glow casting grotesque shadows that danced at the edge of his vision.

Every skittering sound, every rustle in the darkness, sent a jolt through him.

Unlike the earlier battle, there was no roar of defiance to precede an attack here. Just the unsettling silence, broken only by the rasp of his own breath and the crunch of his boots on the rocky floor.

He stumbled upon abandoned chambers, filled with the last remains of the larvae’s food.

Skeletons of unfortunate creatures— giant rats, armoured beetles, even the desiccated remains of a massive cave bat— picked clean and bleached white.

For a moment, he wondered where they had come from. He couldn’t see any other opening in the tunnels, leading outside. Were there simply more nests here other than the larvae nests? That seemed likely.

He didn’t linger on these thoughts, deciding to send a scouting team to find if there were more nests around later.

For now, he had to find the eggs. Therefore, he walked.

Minutes bled into an hour, measured only by the burn in his legs. He fiddled with a chunk of a mana stone he had grabbed from the Atheum that was on the floor. Its light was dim, but enough to show where he was headed.

The tunnels seemed to twist and turn endlessly, a cruel labyrinth designed to sap his will.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity spent traversing the bowels of the earth, he squeezed through a particularly narrow passage and emerged into a new chamber.

This one was different.

Eerie emerald light pulsed from the ceiling, emanating from large, mana stones embedded in the rock.

They glistened with a slow, rhythmic beat, like a malevolent heart. But it was the sight at the centre of the room that chilled him to the bone.

Nestled amongst the pulsating stones lay a clutch of eggs, each the size of a sparrow’s body.

Their surface shimmered with a faint ethereal glow. Kai could almost feel the writhing mass of segmented bodies and annoying acidic spit balls within, waiting to burst into existence.

His hand twitched, a ball of fire forming instinctively at his fingertips, wanting to blast every one of them off. His mana has recovered enough to finish them off.

His eyes stared at the eggs for a while before he took a final look around the chamber. It was then that something came into his view.

On the side, on top of a pile of Atheum, a leather bag was placed.

He blinked his eyes, wondering if he was even seeing it tight.

"What’s a bag doing here?" Kai cautiously approached the bag and picked it up. The leather was cracked and worn, like the hide of an ancient beast. It had clearly been here for years.

He untied the fastenings, a puff of dust erupting as he peered inside. Nestled inside was a single, leather-bound book. Its cover was marred with grime and mildew.

He opened it up and froze. In faded lettering, there were lots of sentences written on it and he slowly read out the first of them.

"I’m hoping my research into the larvae bears fruit and Sonia grows big with the Atheum here."