Chapter 104: The Buried Nest

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: The Buried Nest

Darkness swallowed the chamber. The luminous runes along the walls vanished into the shadows, leaving the sound of splintering stone as the only indication they were even there. Arin heard something grinding against the edge of the hole, and the wet squelching that made his skin crawl, and then another sound answered from below. Then another. Then dozens.

"Nisha!" Rayan bellowed. "Already doing it!" A flash of mana flared from the tip of her staff, and white light bloomed to reveal the chamber once more. Arin wished they hadn’t.

The thing that had been burrowing its way out of the floor was only the beginning. It had a slender, pale body encased in overlapping plates of black, with six long limbs attached to its narrow torso. It had no discernible eyes on its smooth head, only a narrow vertical slit of a mouth lined with tiny teeth. More of them scurried out behind it, and Saira’s stomach turned.

"That’s disgusting," she muttered. One of the creatures shrieked. More answered, and the chamber erupted in a cacophony of sound. "Formation!" Rayan barked. Dev plunged his shield into the floor.

The first creature lunged, and sent the warrior staggering back with the sheer force of its impact, but Rayan’s blade cleaved through one of its limbs and Tara sent an arrow whistling past Dev’s eardrum, embedding itself in the monster’s skull with a satisfying squelch. The thing crumpled to the floor, and three more took its place.

Arin exhaled. "Dungeon Authority Reinforcement!" The mana in his veins flared as he drove his blade into the chest of the nearest abomination. Its black plates were tough, but he forced his weapon between them, and the creature’s shriek filled the chamber as it grabbed his arm with two of its limbs. Two more shot at his face, but Saira’s weapon removed the problem.

"You’re welcome," she said. "I had it," he replied. "You always say that after I save you." They didn’t have time for this. More things were pouring out of the hole, and it wasn’t their numbers that worried Arin. It was the fact that they were fast.

Ayan stepped forward and lashed out with a jet of fire, but the blast only took out a handful before the things scurried away to either side of the chamber. "They’re avoiding the fire!" Adnan yelled. "Then don’t let them!" Arin snapped.

The mercenary charged forward, his weapon punching through the ribs of one of the creatures on the wall, and Rayan sent the thing tumbling to the floor with a well-placed strike. Nisha raised her staff. "Stay down!" A blast of mana erupted from her, and several of the things on the ceiling lost their grip and plummeted to the ground.

Tara’s fingers danced along her bowstring. One. Two. Three. Every arrow found its mark, and Arin was surprised to find that she’d grown significantly faster since their first expedition. A creature dropped behind her, and Arin found himself moving before he could think. He grabbed Tara by the waist and pulled her out of the way as a set of claws shredded the floor where she’d been standing.

He brought his weapon down, and the monster’s skull split open. Tara gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks," she said. "Later," he replied. She still managed to smile despite the chaos. "Still doing that, I see." "Doing what?" "Saving people before thinking."

Arin opened his mouth to retort, but something slammed into him. He hit the floor. "Arin!" Tara cried. The beast pinned him to the ground with four of its limbs. Its mouth opened, and Arin stared into a horde of teeth. "Okay," he muttered. "Dungeon Manipulation," he growled.

The stone beneath the creature’s legs shot up to meet them, and it sailed into the air. Ayan snatched it out of the way, one of his hands closing around its neck. Snap. Ayan tossed the thing aside. "You should pay attention," the mercenary said. Arin stood. "I was," he said. "Just poorly."

Another wave of the creatures flooded the chamber, and Dev turned to the hole. "How many are down there?!" The figure on the throne finally deigned to answer. "Thousands," it said. Everyone turned to stare at it, Rayan looking particularly annoyed. "You could have mentioned that earlier!" "I did not believe the nest would awaken this quickly," the figure replied.

Arin turned back to the battle, blocking another swipe from one of the things. "You knew there was a nest?" "Yes," the figure said. Arin shoved the abomination away from him. "And you thought that wasn’t important?" "It was sleeping," the reply came. "Well, it’s not sleeping anymore!"

Another one of the creatures hurled itself at the throne, but the figure raised a hand, stopping the thing midair. The creature’s body folded in on itself before falling to the floor. Arin narrowed his eyes. The figure was strong. That changed things. "You’ve been able to do that this entire time?" Arin asked. "Only within this chamber," the figure replied.

Arin wasn’t fooled. It was convenient, but not nearly convenient enough. Arene spoke. "Arin." "I know," the young man said, already piecing it together. Something about the situation didn’t make sense to him. The figure on the throne had said the dungeon core no longer took his commands, but he could manipulate the things within the room. Maybe not directly. But he had some influence over them.

And the horde of monsters was pressing in regardless. Arin forced the doubt from his mind. Survival first. Questions later. "Everyone, move away from the opening!" Arin called. They didn’t need to be told twice. Arin spread out his senses, filling the chamber with the sensation of the dungeon. It wasn’t as useful as seeing it, but it was enough for now.

Floor. Walls. Broken pillars. Mana channels. The hole. He focused on its edges. The buried nest was linked to the chamber by a narrow shaft beneath their feet. If he could collapse it... "Arene," Arin said. "Yes?" "Can I seal the opening?" "Possibly, but the structure is unstable." "How unstable are we talking?" "If you apply too much force, you may collapse the whole chamber."

Arin gave an unenthusiastic smile. "So normal unstable." "I dislike your definition of normal," the woman said. Arin raised both hands. "Dungeon Manipulation," he intoned. The floor quaked and groaned, and the monsters screeched in alarm as more of them tried to climb the opening. "They knew," Adnan said. "Then kill faster," Arin snapped.

Ayan reformed one of his arms, scales knitting themselves into his skin and lengthening his claws. He waded into the mass of monsters, slicing two of them open with a single swipe, and Saira spun on the balls of her feet, her weapon finding the legs of another pair before Rayan could dispatch them. Dev loomed over Nisha, who was already gathering mana, and Tara came to stand beside Arin.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Closing the nest." "Can you?" Tara asked. "Ask me when it works." "Reassuring," she said. The ground shuddered, and large chunks of stone around the edges of the hole began to slide inward. The creatures shrieked and writhed, scrambling to get out, but Ayan blasted a jet of fire at them, and the shaft began to collapse.

Something hit the pile of stone from below. BOOM! Arin barely had time to brace himself before the ground beneath him gave way. Another impact sent him sprawling. BOOM! Something bigger was coming. Arene said, "There is another presence below." Arin gritted his teeth. "How big?" "Large," the woman replied. "That’s not helpful," Arin snapped. "I don’t have measurements," Arene said.

The ground cracked open, and a massive arm shot up to fill the space. Dev gaped. "That isn’t one of the little ones," he said. No, it wasn’t. Even the black plates covering its skin were thicker than the things scuttling around its legs. Another arm broke the surface, and the little monsters scurried back, away from the opening. Arin realized with a sinking feeling that they weren’t the main attraction.

They were just another layer of defenders. Something else waited in the heart of the nest. "Everybody back!" Arin bellowed. The ground exploded outward, and a massive creature dragged itself into the chamber. It was vaguely similar to the things swarming around them, but every aspect of it was bulkier. Four thick legs supported a broad chest, to which eight long limbs were attached. Its head was hinged horizontally to reveal three mouths, all devoid of eyes.