The larvae pups squealed and thrashed in the webs, their high-pitched cries echoing through the tunnels as they were dragged across the muddy floor. Adam picked up the pace, legs a blur, his web-lines trailing behind him erratically, dancing in a strange rhythm. Behind him came the thunder, the raging stampede.
The herd surged through the tunnel, their pale orange glow intensifying until it illuminated the passage in molten light. Their bodies pulsed with mana, spewing veins of fire from beneath their translucent skin. Each step trembled the earth; their mandibles clicked in a maddened rhythm that made Adam's nerves bristle.
"BWAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEH," They screamed relentless at the sight of the two pup's helpless situation.
"I'm sorry kids, but it's your parent's fault for making something this tasty!" Adam hissed, leaping over a narrow pit.
The lead larvae lunged, its body flaring with orange heat, and nearly snatched one of the bound pups dangling from Adam's web. He spun mid-run, thrusting a leg forward.
[Skill Activated: Mana Shield]
A translucent barrier flashed into existence behind him just as the lead larvae struck. The impact cracked the shield like glass, shards of blue mana scattering through the air. The fragments grazed their skin, drawing sizzling lines of light, but the beasts didn't even flinch. The next instant, they shattered the barrier entirely, leaving a burst of radiant debris in their wake.
It slowed them, only ever so slightly, but it was enough. Adam pivoted, dashing deeper into the unexplored tunnels, his mind racing. He couldn't spin new webs, the larvae pups would fall right into their parents' furious grasp.
He needed to trap them somehow. But how?
"Is it just me or is the air getting hotter?" It was not just him. The air grew hotter, unnaturally so, radiating from the herd itself. The glow of their bodies painted the walls orange.
Adam clenched his mandibles. "Now what? Are they going to shoot fireballs."
The thought of it worried Adam. "No, the kids would burn too. They wouldn't do that..." Yet this didn't comfort him, it only made his heart pound faster.
Ahead, he spotted something familiar. A bulge in the wall. The larva's corpse webbed tightly in place. The one he had left earlier.
Perfect.
He skidded to a halt, spun, and slashed.
[Skill Activated: Mana Slash]
The web snapped, and the dead larva fell, slamming into the tunnel floor with a wet crunch, its body blocking the path. Adam dashed. Believing he had finally stopped them. However, behind him, the horde collided with the body.
The corpse burst apart, splattering the tunnel in chunks of steaming flesh. The rotten and unappetizing scent of it filled the air. The herd slowed, disgusted by the wretched smell invading their nostrils, their glow flickering for a moment as they trampled the remains.
Adam grinned, mandibles twitching. "Hey! That was a perfectly good sacrifice you just ruined!"
He sprinted deeper, feeling their vibrations of pursuit lessen. The glowing light dimmed behind him but did not fade.
They were still sharp on his trail.
Bloodied. Furious and relentless.
Adam sprinted through the winding passageways, the captured larvae pups dangling behind him, frightened and like determined sirens. Their muffled, shrill cries echoed through the caverns. Sharp like knives against his hears. Every step Adam took made the pups bounce against the uneven ground, their bodies thudding and squishing like sacks of wet fruit.
"BWEEEE—EH—EH—EH—EH—EHWAA—" The pups wailed non-stop, even as they crashed against the muddy ground.
The sound reminded him of a memory. A school trip to the mountain side just on the outskirts of the city, as the bus drove over a rocky path, the constant bump-bump-bump rattled his bones. Only this time, it was the little ones being rattled.
Behind him came a roar, signaling Adam to look back. The herd of pale-yellow larvae thundered loudly as they caught sight of him, their orange veins blazing bright like warning signs.
He slipped. Surprised by the muddy floor.
"Woaah—ohaaa—hohah—"The mud splashed up around his legs as he scrambled forward, zigzagging wildly as the tunnel expanded into a large chamber, almost the size of a field. He gained some footing and like a streak of black lightning darted left, then right, then left again, forcing the herd to constantly change direction. As they slipped behind him.
Confusion spread across the herd as the larvae skid, crash, and collided with one another. Their screams layered upon one another like a swarm's chorus, a mix of fury and fear.
Adam could feel the heat nipping at his back. The walls ahead shimmered faintly. But beyond it?
A dead end.
"Of course it did…"
Adam didn't stop. He leapt.
[Skill Activated: Mana Shield]
He formed a layer of mana beneath his feet, its shimmering blue surface crackled beneath his feet, holding just long enough to serve as a steppingstone. He jumped again, using the momentum to propel himself upward, plunging his mandibles into the slick wall.
Thunk!
He hung there, panting. Below, the larvae herd screeched to a halt, but it was too late. Their bodies slammed into the mud wall and into each other, an avalanche of flesh and glowing heat. The impact splattered mud, steam, and the smell of burnt soil across the chamber.
The pups on Adam's back were still screaming.
He lowers them slightly until they dangled just above the writhing mass of their kin. He could see the herd struggling, thrashing, screeching, piling on top of one another in confusion. Their orange veins pulse weakened.
He slowly lowered them further. As they neared the swarm below, their frantic glowing dimmed further, cooling to a soft amber, then to nothing at all.
The noise lessened. The pups stopped crying.
Adam let out a small breath.
"Good… Finally, the noise stopped."
He dropped them carefully into the mass of their kin, then extended the remaining mana to create another barrier, one to encircle them, and another to roof over the entire herd. A blue membrane solidified, trapping the larvae together in a glowing cocoon of shimmering light and mud.
It didn't turn out the way he had intended. The shield was mishappen, some ends thicker, some thinner. "I should practice creating bigger shapes, for now, I hope this one holds."
Adam released his grip on the wall and landed softly atop the curved dome, the mud squelching under his feet. He peered through the translucent layer beneath him, the herd twisted and pressed against the barrier, glowing faintly, unable to break free, but no longer screeching.
"Well…" he muttered, his breath heavy, "that worked better than expected."
The tunnels were silent now, save for the faint hissing of cooling steam and the labored breathing of the larvae below.
He looked around, scanning the vast, chamber-sized cavern he'd lured them into. There were no clear exits besides the one he'd come from.
"Now…" he sighed, rubbing a leg against his head, "how do I take them home?"
Adam looked down at the soft glow inside and smirked tiredly. A glorious feast played in his minds.
"Welcome to the colony." He spoke.
He sat there a while, catching his breath, as pleasant memories to come invaded his thoughts.