Crete watched in slow motion as the beetle charged towards his siblings. He watched as one of the triplets stumbled and fell, before being saved by Vito. He also watched as that very same Vito was flung across the room with his abdomen caved in and green blood flowing out of his unconscious body.

 

For the first time since he was hatched, he felt angry. Angry at the beetle for harming his relatives. Angry at the termites who didn't give them any information of the dangers of this "Feeding Chamber".Finally, Crete was angry at himself. Angry at the fact that he was unable to put together, from the obvious signs that something unusual was happening, and most of all angry at his helplessness towards this whole situation.

 

In that anger, he found strength, his legs pumping more rapidly than his body should be able to sustain. His senses elevated and he was able to perceive changes in the environment to a much finer detail than his 7 in the perception stat should warrant.

 

Blood boiling, Crete madly dashed toward the beetle, who was now arrogantly turning around to charge once more. In this angry state, however, his mind and thoughts felt the clearest they've ever been.

 

All the while Crete was madly dashing, he analyzed the situation. "Vito is out of it, and the shock of that could incapacitate the others..." he concluded. "I need to recover the morale and end the battle as soon as possible otherwise he might not make it"

 

A plan of action formed itself in his head as the beetle got closer. Concentrating his focus, he registered that the outcome of this battle and whether or not it would result in casualties would depend on this next move.

 

The beetle noticing his rapidly approaching presence tensed up and prepared itself for an attack instead of charging. Not stopping at the increased difficulty because of this though, Crete continued with a renewed laser focus.

 

Time slowed as he was only meters from the beetle. 4 meters, not yet, 3 meters, not yet, 2 meters, not yet. 1 meter-NOW, He hit it with the ole sidestep and attempted to dislodge another of its limbs. "Go take care of Vito now!!" Crete shouted to the nymphs that had frozen up, and a moment later they burst into action.

 

Great, one step down he mentally cheered himself on. The beetle, not one to be easily taken down, snapped its head in his direction and attempted what Crete assumed was a headbutt. Step two down, seeing the beetle take the bait he was pleasantly surprised.

 

Predicting this counterattack, Crete took advantage of its limited ability to rotate quickly and tensing his legs leaped over the incoming head. While descending, however, he turned his body at an abnormal angle and nicked the appendage that Amore failed to dislodge, and with a satisfying CRACK, it fell to the ground.

 

The beetle discerning its current physical condition concluded it was only a matter of time before it was turned into food at the rate this fight was progressing. Half of its legs were cut off and it was severely unstable on its left side, it attempted to retreat to the still wiggling large pile it came from while releasing a loud "SCREE!!".

 

Crete acutely felt a change in the beetle's posture even before hearing the sound it released, and in a preemptive measure darted toward it moments before it started running away. He swiftly approached it and in one motion jumped onto its back and using his hooked legs found purchase in the split that ran down its back.

 

"Wait, this split looks oddly like protection for wings-" realizing a moment too late, however, he felt the back of the beetle begin to open up and two pairs of equally dark wings revealed under. "OH CRAP!!!", were the last thoughts he had before the wings spread out wide and almost knocked him off its back before he was able to grip one of them and hold on with all the strength he could muster from his legs.

 

However, he was knocked off soon after when they started vibrating furiously he felt his grip loosen and release, but in a moment of quick thinking he used his mandibles and he took two of them with him. The beetle feeling the unwelcome guest on its back slice off the right side of its wings was beyond furious.

 

Taking advantage of the situation, it used the only remaining leg on that side and slashed Crete with the full force of its indignation behind it. Observing the rapidly approaching razor-sharp appendage, Crete despaired for a moment before deciding to ultimately sacrifice 2 of his legs instead of the abdomen the leg was aiming for. The beetle's leg detached with an unsettling SNAP.

 

With the removal of his two legs, a crippling pain occupied their absence. For a moment Crete questioned whether or not this was worth it, but the understanding that if he didn't fight this beetle now, while it was weakened and freshly evolved, he and the other nymphs would probably cease to exist in this chamber.

 

Bearing that responsibility, he felt the pain being suppressed slightly and looking at the cause of that pain take off a few feet from the ground before tumbling over and crashing face first, he resolved to deal with the loss of limbs later. Limping over to the severely weakened beetle, Crete quickly moved to remove the remaining appendage on its left side that allowed it to still stand up stably.

 

His mandibles closing in, he felt the panic the beetle radiated and to his misfortune, it used its wings to bat him to the side while it recovered its stability. The beetle finally being able to balance its left side and stand firm, locked its eyes with the now barely standing Crete.

 

Their eyes locked with one another. The beetle noticed the struggle, pain, and tiredness in its opponent's eyes, and all the panic and nervousness it felt drained away, complacency and mockery replacing them; as it felt its victory was near.

 

Crete felt as if he could see the feeling of superiority and almost certain victory develop in the eyes of the beetle. Quite frankly, he agreed with it, knowing the state of his body it felt almost impossible to put up any resistance..., and looking back to see if the nymphs would be able to be any help he noticed the grubs madly wiggling towards him.

 

Ah- the SCREE was a call for backup, the reason why the other nymphs didn't come to his aid clicked in his mind. The line of beetles only being barely held back by the full effort of the nymphs, and a still unconscious and deteriorating Vito lay between them and him.

 

Crete concluded they wouldn't be able to reach him in time and he was somewhat happy, maybe they would be able to escape, as it didn't look like this beetle had much time left either.

 

It had been losing blood since the start of the battle, and as Crete observed the blanket of its blood that coated the surroundings, he was sure it wouldn't last much longer. He wasn't much better off though, because although he was lost less blood it was extremely detrimental to him to lose the amount he had because of his smaller size. He could feel the cold grasp of death looming ever closer, and quickly looking at the state of his health, the minuscule total of 5/25 confirmed his fears.

 

He watched as the beetle so confidently limp closer and closer, the feeling that his end was near getting even closer and closer. He was so tired, so weak and he felt helpless. For a second he almost gave up too, but Crete was reminded of the same situation he was in right before he hatched. Death inched so familiarly close the last time too, but he didn't give up then and he wouldn't give up now.

 

Making himself look as weak as possible so the beetle's guard would be down, he wobbled before righting himself and standing again. Seeing this the last vestiges of caution were wiped from the eyes of the beetle and it approached Crete directly, with its legs poised to land the final blow on his head.

 

Biding his time, Crete calculated the distance between the beetle's head and his mandibles, every step it took, the more severe his blood loss and the closer death came. 4 steps more, 3 steps more, almost, 2 steps more, almost, 1 step more, but then the beetle stopped, wobbling itself, the consequences of losing so much blood becoming more apparent.

 

It wobbled for a few seconds before flapping its wings and righting itself and deciding it was time to end this and go recover it took that final step, its leg poised, but poised it would remain. Because, the moment it took that final step Crete bounced into action, the threat of death so close acted as fuel for his muscles. He felt his mandibles widening and tensing like never before, before contracting at a speed that was a blur even to his own eyes as a sickening CRUNCH and SNAP served as a signal of the beetle's life coming to an end.

 

Its head, the victim of the attack, visibly caved and as the ends of his mandibles touched each other, part of its face fell off, exposing brain and other vital matter. He witnessed the body freeze up, the leg poised and ready to take his life, loosening and its whole body hit the ground in a dull THUD, and with the crashing body came notifications that he was too tense to read during the fight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Criteria met*

Achievement <To go beyond oneself> gained. Grants a bonus of 1 extra stat every level up

 

What the fu-, were my last thoughts as my consciousness faded away and as I inwardly wondered if I had an M complex...