A sight, straight out of his wildest imaginations, brought to life right in front of him.
A wide chamber opened, glowing like a captured sunset. From the ground sprouted dozens of orange trumpet-shaped plants, their open flares pulsing with light. They released trails of golden pollen that shimmered through the air like embers. The scent hit him next, sweet, yet somehow drowned in spices, almost intoxicating.
And there, crawling across the floor, was a herd of strange creatures.
Ten, maybe more, pale yellow larvae, each twice his size. Their bodies gleaming with a faint oily layer. They weren't like the larva that hid amongst the walls. These had, an impossibly sharp looking, metallic barb on their tails and tiny, blinking eyes... Wait. Tiny blinking eyes!?
Adam was beyond confused, baffled, wondering if eyes were being tricked by some sort of mind control monster. But he wasn't.
They slithered slowly and deliberately, their "eyes" blinking, dragging themselves toward the glowing trumpets. Their long, flexible tongues reached deep inside the flowers, slurping up the amber nectar with wet, greedy sounds.
"Wow…," Adam whispered, his voice embedded in awe and horror.
Every few seconds, a bloom would burst, pollen cascading through the chamber like sparks of magic. The larvae responded immediately, shifting and twitching toward it, guided by instinct.
Adam's mind turned." Regardless... How can I take advantage of this."
The terrain was slick, the air dense with spores. There wasn't much to web, and with that many larvae clustered together, a direct attack could be suicide, he didn't know a damn thing about these alien-like creatures. His gaze sharpened.
"Those barbs look dangerous. But… their eyes. They have so many, yet all are small. Perhaps poor vision?"
He spotted one larva separated from the group, inching toward a fresh bloom. It was the perfect target. Adam considered striking but then stopped. "No. I don't know how they fight yet. Its still too risky for my liking." He was adopting a different strategy, than just blindly ambushing with his skills, and hoping he would stand victorious.
Instead, he chipped off a piece of mud, webbed it, and sling shot it towards the ceiling. It struck with a muffled thuck, scattering dust.
The larvae didn't react. Not even a twitch.
"So, they're either deaf… or just don't care."
And then, he saw something bizarre.
The isolated larva, the one drinking deeply from the flower, began to convulse. A bubble formed along its side, growing until it popped loose. A strange fleshy blister-ball that rolled onto the ground.
A familiar aroma filled the air, one he was most fond of.
Adam froze. His antennae shot upright.
"...It can't be."
He took a cautious whiff. His body stiffened.
"IT'S CHICKEN!??"
His mind screamed with joy. He barely restrained himself from shouting aloud. The larva moved away sluggishly, leaving the strange ball unattended. But two baby larvae, tiny, pale-yellow blobs, began to crawl toward it, squeaking softly as they followed the aroma.
Adam crouched low in the shadows.
"Just a little longer…"
When the babies neared the prize, Adam fired his webs. The silken strands whipped through the air, snatching the ball away mid-roll and reeling it toward him. The babies squealed in confusion, spinning in circles before slithering after the scent trail, straight towards Adam.
He ignored them for now. He held the ball in his claws, staring at it like a treasure. Tentatively, he bit into it.
His entire body resonated with a welcoming feeling.
The texture. The warmth. The flavor. It was unmistakable.
"Ohh muh gawd... mmmph... thiss… thissss tashhh egzactly like roashted chiggen…"
A shiver ran through him. For the first time since arriving in this cursed world, something felt right. It felt like home.
But his moment of bliss ended as he felt movement nearby. The tiny larvae had followed the smell straight to him. They bumped gently into his legs, then tilted their soft heads upward, only to meet the cold, gleaming eyes of the black ant towering above them.
Their squeals pierced the air. Adam moved swiftly and instinctively, webs flew, wrapping the creatures up like burritos.
But the moment he did, an overpowering stench burst from them. Some sort of defensive musk spread like wildfire in the air, so strong it burned his nostrils. The babies thrashed, shrieking in panic.
And somewhere in the distance, an answer came.
A deep, rumbling screech, like a horned beast's roar, echoed through the tunnels. The ground trembled as the herd stirred.
One massive larva, easily twice the size of the rest, turned toward the sound. Its tail-eyes gleamed with fury.
"Oh no."
It slammed against the stone and charged, dragging half the chamber with it. The others followed, a wave of pale-yellow bodies rushing toward him, barbs flashing in the orange light, pollen swirling through the air.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
Adam spread his limbs wide, mandibles clenching, eyes darting for an escape route.
The ground shook again. The herd was almost upon him.
"This… might have been a bad idea."