The lower prison tunnels pressed in on them, narrow and damp, the ceiling weighed down with stone and silence. The air clung to Ari's throat—thick, earthy, with the faint metallic sting of dried blood. Each step echoed softly against the dirt-packed ground, the sound swallowed by the heavy dark.
Ari stayed a step behind Darren, antennae shifting restlessly at every distant drip of water, every faint vibration through the walls. Down here, even the natural hum of subterranean life felt smothered.
Something about this place… about him… Ari thought, unease prickling at the edge of his focus. My instincts keep telling me—stay on guard.
He exhaled slowly, breath tight in his chest. The memory of the ceremony flashed in his mind—the first time he'd met Darren. That same pressure. That same sense of something wrong.
Could he… could he really be tied to the prison break happening now? Ari clenched his jaw. No… maybe I'm just imagining it.
Ahead, a faint glow spread across the tunnel walls. Fungi grew in clusters, their pale light bleeding green-blue across jagged stone. Shapes moved within that glow.
Ari stiffened. Four figures stepped out from the shadow. Their postures were confident, deliberate, not the staggering of common inmates. As the fungi-light touched their armor, Ari caught it—three petal crests marked clearly on the left shoulders of each. Corporal level.
His antennae tilted forward. Their weapons gleamed faintly as they spread out to block the tunnel, eyes narrowing with hostility.
The faint scrape of steel against stone echoed in the silence.
Darren's voice broke it, calm… unnervingly calm.
"Looks like we've found some of them."
He raised his stinger spear in a smooth motion, his tone steady. "Let's quickly take them out, Lieutenant Ari."
Ari slid his mandibles free from their harness, the blades catching threads of fungi-light. He sank into stance, weight low, antennae alert.
Even without the abilities I've gained from the system… four Corporals shouldn't be a problem, Ari thought, breath steadying. And Darren's here with me. Together—this will be quick.
The prisoners gave each other a sharp nod. Then, in perfect sync, they lunged.
Ari stepped forward to meet them. His mandibles swept upward in a clean arc—clang!
The first four blades met his strike. The sound cracked through the tunnel, and both Corporals were blasted off their feet, their bodies flung back into the stone walls with a heavy thud. Dust shook loose from the ceiling.
Another came at his side. Ari pivoted smoothly, antennae twitching, and struck with a downward sweep. The force of the parry hurled the soldier across the tunnel, his back slamming into the rock hard enough to leave a faint dent.
The fourth tried to take advantage of the opening, rushing from behind. Ari didn't even turn—he twisted his wrist, caught the blow, and with a sharp push sent the Corporal flying backward, the man's body smacking into the wall with a grunt before sliding down.
The tunnel resounded with the echoes of impact. Their groans filled the air, weapons clattering against the dirt.
Ari's breathing was steady, his stance unshaken. His antennae adjusted minutely as he watched them scramble back to their feet.
Just as I thought. They're no match for me. His grip tightened on his mandibles. Even without the system's abilities, I can overwhelm them with the force of my rank alone.
He raised his blades again, preparing to finish them—
—when a sudden, wet crunch tore through his side.
His breath caught, eyes snapping wide.
A stinger spear jutted through his abdomen. Hot, piercing pain surged through muscle and exoskeleton alike.
He staggered, antennae trembling violently, and turned his head.
Darren.
Those cold, ruthless eyes. His hands firm on the weapon buried in Ari's body.
"You—!" Ari's voice broke in disbelief.
Darren yanked the spear free. Blood poured from the wound, dripping onto the dirt in heavy droplets. The force pushed Ari a step back, separating him from the prisoners and Darren.
Pain tore through every breath, but Ari's instincts still screamed. He clutched his mandibles tighter, forcing his body upright despite the gash in his side.
So I was right… Ari's mind burned through the haze. Deputy Chief Warden Darren… you're part of this.
Darren's laugh rolled low, echoing across the stone. It was cold, unnerving, stripped of any warmth.
"I've been waiting for this moment," he said calmly, almost conversationally. "Ever since the ceremony." His lips curved, but it wasn't a smile. "And now… it's finally here."
"You betrayed the colony… released those prisoners… why?" Ari growled through clenched teeth, blood running down his side.
Darren tilted his head, voice steady. "I don't owe you an explanation. And even if I did…" He shifted the spear lazily. "…you couldn't force it out of me."
Ari tried to step forward—but his body buckled. His legs seized. His arms wouldn't respond. He collapsed onto the dirt, chest heaving, eyes wide with shock.
What—what's happening to me…? I can't move!
Darren crouched beside him, the faint fungi glow casting harsh shadows over his face. His lips curved upward, but the expression didn't reach his eyes.
"I bet you're wondering why you can't move," he said, his tone smooth, almost satisfied, but every word carried weight. "Since I'm going to be torturing you slowly to death… I suppose you deserve to know."
He leaned in closer, voice low, deliberate.
"It's really simple. A venom with paralysis properties… extracted from the fangs of a giant tarantula."
Ari's vision blurred at the edges. Every instinct screamed at him to fight, but his body betrayed him, locked in place. Darren's presence alone made Ari uneasy, even more than the blades pointed his way.
The Corporals groaned as they dragged themselves from the walls. Their confidence returned as soon as they saw Ari flat on the ground, his body unmoving. The four prisoners circled, weapons raised, their steps crunching against the dirt.
"He's a Lieutenant, right? Let's kill him and get it over with. That'll mean less trouble for Captain Morvain and his Lieutenants," one of them said, mandibles bared.
"Yeah, you're right. Since the paralysis venom worked, it'll be no problem for us to take out the stronger soldiers in the colony with this method," another added, grip tightening on his weapon.
One of them broke into a run, blade raised high. Ari could only watch from the dirt, body unresponsive.
Crap… I can't move… His teeth clenched as his eyes shut.
Clang!
The strike never landed. When Ari opened his eyes again, Darren stood over him, stinger spear raised, blocking the blow.
The prisoner snarled, eyes wide with anger. "Why the hell did you stop me?!"
Darren didn't flinch. "I don't remember ordering you to act on your own. Stand down." His words carried an unsettling calm, his smile faint but empty, a curve that never touched his eyes.
The soldier bristled, mandibles tensing. "I don't take orders from you. I answer only to Captain Morvain and the Lieutenants. You're nothing but scum in this colony. Remember that."
Darren's expression shifted. For a breath, silence pressed into the tunnel. Then his body moved in a blur.
The prisoner's eyes widened too late—Darren's spear rammed straight into his gut. The sound of tearing flesh filled the chamber as blood spilled down the shaft. The soldier coughed violently, spitting red, his body going limp on the weapon.
Darren ripped the spear free in one smooth motion, then delivered a savage kick that launched the corpse across the chamber. It hit the wall with a heavy crash before crumpling to the ground.
Darren straightened, eyes scanning the others. "So. Anyone else want to oppose me?"
The three remaining prisoners froze, fear flashing across their faces. "…No," they answered together, voices trembling.
Ari lay helpless, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, blood pooling beneath him. Crap… Darren… was he always like this? So ruthless. And yet… I still don't know the true reason behind his betrayal.
The tunnel air grew heavier. Every passing second only deepened the dread clawing inside Ari's chest.
The tunnel fell silent after the corpse hit the ground. The three remaining Corporals kept their distance, weapons still in hand, but Darren's presence alone froze them in place. None dared to move without his signal.
Ari lay on the dirt, chest heaving, blood pooling beneath him. His vision swam, edges blurring, but he forced his antennae to twitch—desperate to keep some sense of awareness.
Darren's boots crunched against the packed soil as he approached. He crouched down beside Ari, resting one elbow casually on his knee. The faint fungi light caught his face—serene, almost too serene for the chaos around them.
"You're probably wondering why I betrayed the colony," Darren said, voice low, calm. He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with quiet amusement. "Why I released those prisoners. Why I chose this moment to strike."
Ari's throat tightened. His jaw clenched, but his body refused to respond.
Darren leaned in, gaze locking onto him. "Shall I tell you? Or would you prefer to guess while I carve you apart?" His lips twitched upward, but the expression was hollow.
Ari tried to speak, but only a broken rasp escaped.
Darren chuckled under his breath, then continued, tone slow and deliberate.
"First… it's because of the Queen's judgments. Unfair. Biased. I've served this colony faithfully for years. I've bled on the front lines. I've watched comrades die in the dirt while I stood beside them. I've carried every order, every burden, without complaint. And for what?"
His voice sharpened, mandibles twitching with restrained anger. "Ari. You. A newcomer. An outsider. Barely four months in this colony. And somehow… you climb past me. Straight to Lieutenant. While I—after everything—remain shackled as a Sergeant."
Ari's antennae trembled. So… that's it…? His breath stuttered, pain spiking through his side.
But Darren's eyes darkened further. His tone shifted, bitter, almost trembling. "And then… there's her. Valeria."
Ari's chest jolted at the name.
"I—" Darren's voice cracked slightly, anger barely contained. "—I feared the front lines. I ran. I abandoned my duty. And a few comrades… died because of me." His mandibles clenched. "After that, she stopped talking to me completely. Completely."
"I had never once seen her smile. Not once. Not in all the years I knew her." Darren's voice cracked, bitterness spilling out. "But the first time I saw it? It wasn't for me. It was for you. You—someone who barely knows her. Someone who didn't earn it. That smile… the only one I ever witnessed… and she gave it to you."
He spat the words, venom dripping from every syllable. "You. You rise in rank. You gain her trust. Her warmth. Everything I wanted, everything I bled for—handed to you."
His chest rose and fell unevenly, rage slipping through the cracks of his calm mask. Then, slowly, he straightened, forcing a chilling smile back onto his face.
"So yes. I've been waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. To make someone pay." His grip tightened on the spear. His voice lowered to a growl. "And it won't stop with you. I want this colony to collapse. To rot from the inside. To tear itself apart until nothing remains but dust and corpses. That will be my victory."
Before Ari could process, Darren thrust the stinger spear into his leg.
A scream ripped from Ari's throat, raw and violent, echoing off the tunnel walls. His body convulsed as the venom surged deeper, amplifying the paralysis.
Darren twisted the weapon. Flesh tore. Pain exploded. Ari screamed again, the sound tearing his voice ragged.
Darren yanked the spear free, blood trailing after it. He crouched low again, eyes locked on Ari's, voice calm once more—too calm.
"I'll have so much fun with you. Slowly. Meticulously. Killing you piece by piece. Every scream, every twitch, every helpless look—you'll give them all to me."
Ari's teeth clenched weakly, blood dripping past his lips. His mind screamed against the weight of the venom, against the suffocating helplessness. I should have trusted my instincts… I knew something was off about him…
His antennae twitched faintly, the only part of his body still obeying. I have to survive… no matter what… I have to.
The three Corporals lingered close by, shifting uneasily, their weapons trembling in their hands. Darren's presence kept them silent, as if even they feared the monster now crouched over Ari.
The tunnel felt colder, the silence suffocating. Ari's heart hammered in his ears, each beat reminding him how close death pressed in.
And Darren's grin only widened.