Golden barked at Paltio, urgency lacing his voice.
"Paltio, move!" But the boy stood frozen, paralyzed by fear as he watched the queen's whip-like antenna lash toward him like a streak of dark lightning.
Golden didn't hesitate for a second. With a precise flick of his telekinesis, he yanked Paltio out of harm's way just as the whip sliced through the air where he had been standing moments before. The boy hit the ground with a dull thud, shaking off his daze.
"Hey, kid!" Golden snapped, his tone sharp but tinged with concern. "Are you already cowering? Because if you are, remember your friends are counting on you... Unless, of course, you've already wet yourself from fright."
"No! Of course not!" Paltio shot back, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment and irritation. He paused, lowering his voice as he tried to explain. "It was just… I felt something strange when I saw that whip. Like some kind of connection—I don't know..."
Golden narrowed his eyes, studying him for a moment before replying.
"That is odd. But now isn't the time to daydream. It's time to fight."
Paltio nodded, determination reigniting in his chest. This time, when the whip came hurtling toward him again, he leaped aside with newfound agility, narrowly avoiding the strike. His breathing was rapid and uneven, but his movements were beginning to align with the danger pressing down on him.
From her elevated perch, the queen observed everything with a mix of fury and impatience.
"Damn it all! Where are my guards? And where is my food? I can't expand my dominion like this! I need to feed!" she screamed, frustration boiling over. Then, with a guttural roar, she lashed her whip-antenna at Paltio once more, this time with even greater ferocity.
The prince twisted, ducked, and zigzagged, dodging each attack. But the whip was close—too close. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, yet he couldn't afford to slow down.
"Phew! That was almost the end of me," he muttered between gasps, wiping his face with his sleeve.
The queen glared down at him with disdain, her eyes blazing like burning embers.
"You wretched brat! Stop squirming so much. Can't you see I have to catch you to eat you? Queens don't play with their food, so cooperate and let me finish you off already."
Paltio clenched his fists, anger surging through him as he retorted:
"No, thanks. I'm not on the menu. Besides, I'm not ugly—you are. Big and hideous, you oversized cockroach."
His words struck like a mortal insult. The queen let out a shrill screech, filled with rage and offense. Before Paltio's eyes, her form began to shift: her carapace turned from deep brown to a sickly yellowish hue, and her whip-antenna sprouted razor-sharp spines that gleamed under the dim light.
"How dare you call me an 'ugly oversized cockroach,' you insolent brat?!" she thundered, her voice echoing like rolling thunder in the cavern. With a war cry laced with hatred, she hurled her whip toward Paltio with supernatural speed.
Golden acted swiftly, pulling the boy back with his telekinesis just in time. The whip struck the ground with a deafening crack, shattering the earth and leaving a deep gouge where Paltio had stood only a second before.
"That was close," Paltio said, wiping the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand. He looked at Golden, genuine gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you."
"No kidding," Golden replied, though his tone remained stern. Then, nodding toward the queen, he added, "Now tell me, what are you going to do? If that thing touches you, it's game over."
Paltio swallowed hard, but his expression hardened with resolve.
"I know. But I'm not giving up."
Golden crossed his arms, thoughtful.
"Stay calm, kid. Think carefully about your next move. I noticed something interesting when you called her an 'ugly cockroach.' She lost some of her composure and revealed a few weak points. You might be able to exploit that—but you'll have to be fast."
Paltio nodded slowly, studying the queen with newfound focus. His hands clenched into fists as he analyzed every detail of his opponent. He knew the next mistake could cost him dearly, but he also understood he had a chance—and he wasn't about to waste it.
"How?" Paltio panted, as the queen continued to lash out furiously in all directions, as if trying to wipe him off the map. Fortunately, Golden intervened each time, using his telekinesis to pull Paltio out of harm's way.
"Paltio, pay attention! I can't spell everything out for you. You need to learn quickly. Look at your feet—there's barely any ground left!" Golden warned urgently.
Paltio glanced down and realized Golden was right: only a small patch of earth remained beneath his boots.
"Yeah, you're right," he murmured, swallowing nervously.
The situation was dire, but something inside him began to stir. With a flash of cunning, he shouted at the queen:
"Hey, bug lady! You're so weak!"
The provocation hit its mark instantly. The queen let out a piercing shriek, a mix of indignation and pure hatred.
"It's your end, insolent brat!" she roared, preparing for another devastating attack.
The whip shot through the air like a streak of dark lightning, hurtling straight toward him. But this time, before the blow could land, Paltio quickly scanned his surroundings. His eyes fell on his boots. Without hesitation, he stomped his heels twice against the ground.
A blinding flash erupted in the cave, flooding the space with intense light that temporarily disoriented the queen. It was the moment he'd been waiting for.
"Now, Golden! Throw me!" Paltio commanded with determination.
"Where, kid?" Golden responded, noticing the queen's whip racing back toward them, ready to obliterate the last mound of earth they stood on.
"At the beast's chest! Quick!" Paltio shouted, no time left for explanations.
Golden didn't need more. With the precise motion of his telekinesis, he launched Paltio toward the queen's massive torso. The boy flew like a projectile just as the whip smashed into the ground, pulverizing their final refuge. The queen, still blinded, rubbed her eyes frantically as she struggled to regain control of her whip-antenna and retract it to its resting position atop her head.
"Where did you hide, brat?" the queen bellowed, squinting through her blurred vision. Then, with a satisfied smirk, she muttered to herself, "I must've crushed him when I struck. Well, no more food for me until my subjects bring new test subjects."
Meanwhile, Paltio had managed to cling to a ledge on the queen's chest—a branch-like protrusion jutting out from her carapace. He hung precariously, gripping tightly with both hands as he fought to keep from falling from that dizzying height.
"Hold on tight, kid! You're way up there," Golden warned through their mental link, concern lacing his voice as he assessed the prince's precarious position.
"I know, I know…" Paltio replied mentally, trying to stay calm as his arms began to numb from the strain.
"And now, what do we do?" Paltio asked, feeling his fingers starting to slip.
Golden let out an exasperated sigh.
"Well, you were the genius who decided to climb all the way up here. So tell me: what's next, oh brilliant one?"
"I only thought about getting here! After that… nothing," Paltio admitted, frustration bubbling within him.
"Typical of you, kid," Golden muttered, though his tone remained sarcastic.
At that moment, the queen reverted her whip to its original state—spineless—and began carefully sifting through the rubble below, searching for any trace of the young intruder.
"Paltio, according to Pax, to defeat this queen, you need to destroy her production factory: the stinger where the Curchacos emerge," Golden reminded him, his voice tense.
"Great, but that's way down there," Paltio responded, glancing downward with a knot in his stomach. His body dangled perilously, and he could feel his muscles beginning to fail.
"My hands are killing me… I can't stay like this much longer. My arms are shaking," the boy whispered, struggling to maintain his grip as the icy wind whipped against his face.
"Then there's no other choice," Golden said with a resigned sigh. "I'll give you a bit of my energy, but only five percent, kid. Last time I gave you twenty, and I think that was too much."
"What? That was only twenty percent?" Paltio's eyes widened in astonishment. "I can't even imagine what it'd be like if you used your full power…"
Golden smiled with pride, crossing his arms mentally.
"I'm strong thanks to years of training and the power granted to me by Avocios, the great creator. But let's not get sidetracked. Now, are you ready?"
"Yes, I'm ready," Paltio replied, determination gleaming in his eyes. "Go ahead, give it to me."
"Alright, but make sure you can handle it, kid. This kind of power isn't something just anyone can manage."
"I'll endure it, seriously," Paltio assured him, though his voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.
"Alright then, take this," Golden said, and a surge of energy coursed through Paltio's body. In an instant, green bindings began forming around his hands, completely encasing them like gloves all the way to the tips of his fingers. Their radiant green glow matched perfectly with the suit he was wearing.
"Wow! This feels incredible," Paltio exclaimed, flexing his fingers as the fatigue instantly drained from his arms.
"Excellent. But listen carefully: this power is temporary, kid. We've got about twenty minutes at most, so hurry up," Golden warned.
"Understood. And how do I use them?" Paltio asked, still marveling at his new hands.
"First, jump over there," Golden instructed, pointing toward the queen's stinger.
The boy swallowed hard as he eyed the distance and height he had to overcome.
"It's so far… If I don't make it, I'm dead."
"Relax, trust me—and trust the gloves. Let them handle the rest," Golden replied calmly.
"The gloves?" Paltio repeated, confused.
"Yes, exactly. And stop asking questions. Just go already."
"Alright, here goes… Though I still don't get how a pair of gloves is going to save me from this madness," Paltio muttered to himself, glancing at the immense gap and the deadly fall awaiting him if he failed.
"By the way, don't scream while you jump, or the queen will spot us," Golden added just before Paltio leaped.
The young prince took a deep breath and pushed off, looking more like a flying squirrel than a battle-ready prince as he soared through the air with a mix of grace and desperation, depending on the perspective.
When he neared the target, Golden intervened again.
"Keep the gloves facing forward!"
Paltio closed his eyes, trying not to think about the fatal drop surrounding him. With one eye barely open, he murmured,
"Oh, for Avocios' sake… This is going to hurt so much if it doesn't kill me first."
Just as it seemed he wouldn't make it, Golden used his telekinesis to gently nudge him toward the stinger. The gloves emitted a bright glow before firmly adhering to the queen's tail.
"What happened?" Paltio asked, eyes wide open as he realized he was securely stuck to the stinger with no risk of falling.
"Well done, kid. Now climb," Golden commanded.
"Didn't you tell me these gloves could stick to things?!" Paltio protested, still processing what had just occurred.
"Well, technically, you didn't ask," Golden responded casually, amusement evident in his tone.
"Of course, I didn't ask because I didn't think it was relevant!" Paltio grumbled, though he wasted no time starting his ascent. He swallowed hard and began climbing slowly, feeling each movement bring him closer to the critical point.
Finally, he reached the top of the queen's tail. From there, Paltio raised an eyebrow and looked toward Golden.
"And now, what's next, Golden?"
"What you need to do is raise one of the gloves," Golden explained urgently. "Then, as if you're cutting something, bring it down where you're perched—in this case, onto the stinger."
Paltio didn't hesitate for a second. He raised his hand, adopting a firm stance as though wielding a knife or preparing to deliver a karate chop. With determination, he brought his hand down forcefully. The glove began to glow intensely, and upon making contact with the queen's stinger, it sliced through cleanly, as if cutting through a slice of cake.
Meanwhile, the queen continued to frantically search among the rubble.
"Hey, brat! Are you already dead, or can I still eat you? There's nothing here!" she growled, thrashing her whip-antenna furiously as she scoured every corner.
Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream echoed throughout the cavern. It was the queen who felt an unbearable pain coursing through her body. Her thunderous roar reverberated beyond the cave, reaching even the outside world.
"What is that boy doing?" Toco-Toco muttered as he dodged the guards pursuing him. At the sound of the commotion, all the Curchacos surrounding him halted their pursuit and abruptly turned toward the source of the cry.
"Oh no! I can't let them interfere, meow; if they do, the kid will be in trouble…" the cat thought quickly. With feline agility, he positioned himself in front of the thousands of Curchacos rushing toward the queen's chamber.
"There are too many! I won't be able to take them all on… Meow! But I can block their path. I hope the boy can finish off that monstrosity…" he said to himself, making an instant decision.
Without wasting a moment, Toco-Toco drew his weapons from his belt and began attacking the rocks forming the entrance to the queen's chamber. With precise and rapid movements, he cut through the structure, triggering a spectacular collapse that completely blocked the access.
"Well, that should do it," the feline said, satisfied but panting heavily. However, before he could catch his breath, the Curchacos surrounded him, glaring at him with fury.
"Quickly! Kill that cat and then clear the way! Our queen needs us!" some of them shouted, ready to attack.
Toco-Toco gritted his teeth, knowing he had no other choice.
"Damn it… In the end, I'll have to fight them to buy time," he thought, taking a defensive stance. His eyes gleamed with resolve as he assessed his enemies.