Narrita entered the cave first. Miwah followed right behind, keeping an eye on the line of Ghenkans that continued to board their ship. 

"I hope Tamma and Aurrie make it onboard safe," the seamstress whispered, the echo of her voice travelling a few feet within the cave.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Tamma's a good shot. And I've got a feeling that Aurrie can back up her talk. You should be more worried about us, Miwah. We've killed Ghenkans before. But I don't know how we'll deal with the Insectus Queen," Narrita said with nervousness. 

"We run. And we hope that Tamma and Aurrie can commandeer the cannon," Miwah whispered.

"I know that part. But I'm more concerned what we're going to do if they aren't able to seize it by the time the Queen comes flying at us."

"Let us hope that the Queen has a taste for barbarians over Purifiers."

"That would be a nice stroke of luck, eh?" Narrita stood over the dead larva and kicked one against the wall. "Nasty little things."

"Keep going straight. The Queen's nest should be further down that way." Miwah looked towards the long tunnel at the other end of the cavern.

"So, I'm the one that has to lead, huh?" Narrita whispered, her smile barely visible in the cave's dim lighting. 

"If you would rather me be at the front, I will switch places. I just assumed that whoever was the fastest should be up front. And you are the one with longer legs."

Narrita waved Miwah away with a wave of her hand. "I was just making a joke, Miwah. I plan on letting Pierce be bait, anyway. He's the only one that'll be able to come back if he doesn't survive."

"Ah, I see," Miwah said as she returned to her position behind the bandit. The two ventured further into the cave, both taking careful steps not to alert the killer insect that lingered within. It wasn't long before the strong scent of blood returned. Both girls curled their noses but maintained their steady pace.

"Is that where it came from?" Narrita whispered as she pointed to the destroyed stalactites and crumbled debris that lay scattered across the rocky floor. 

"Yes," Miwah said with a nod. She paused and angled her head towards the cavern ahead. There was a low hum along accompanied with uncomfortably loud chittering. "It is there!" the seamstress mouthed to the bandit. 

Narrita moved closer to the wall and crept to the noise. Miwah trailed on the other side of the cave with her weapon held in one hand and her other clutching the stone of her Beacon. Narrita did the same, her steps becoming smaller and smaller the closer they approached the nest. 

Miwah peered into the remains of the hive first. The Insectus Queen sat on the ground with her towards Miwah. Her long wings fluttered rapidly just inches above its body. The insect's head bobbed up and down as it munched away at something on the ground. And to Miwah's left was the Queen's exposed underside. 

Purple veins scattered across black flesh pulsated. Narrita stepped closer to the edge of the opening, only to take several steps back upon getting a better look. She winced and turned her head away, placing both hands in front of her face to shield her eyes. 

"What is wrong?" Miwah whispered as she dashed next to Narrita’s side.

"That thing..." The bandit placed a hand on her chest and covered her mouth with the other. "It's eating... the Governor..." Narrita gagged in silence before looking Miwah in the eyes. "Sorry. Was a bit more gruesome than what I'm used to."

"We will make it pay," Miwah said almost silently. "I saw the exposed section."

"Closer to your side of the cave?" Narrita said as she looked towards the left.

"Yes. Did you plan on transforming and having Pierce attack it?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind," Narrita whispered in return. She took a few steps towards the nest and pressed her Beacon against her heart. There was a bright flash as the bandit's Ensemble magically appeared. Once the bright flash was gone, Pierce stood right in front of her and let out a loud hiss as his tongue shook between his lips.

"Shush!" Narrita muttered as she clamped the snake's mouth shut with both hands. 

"I think you have already caught the Queen's attention!" Miwah blurted out as she pointed to past the pair. The Insectus Queen faced them, her body half turned and her mandibles dripping a crimson red liquid. 

"There goes our sneak attack!" Narrita shouted. She nudged Miwah in the opposite direction as she started to take off. "Run!"

All three started to flee as the Insectus Queen slowly lifted itself off the ground. The buzzing echoed through the rest of the cavern as the bug's wings picked up speed. A loud screech roared through the empty space of the tunnel. Pierce trailed behind the others; the uneven ground made slithering difficult.

"I can't lose Pierce already!" Narrita cried as she turned around to see the snake struggle to keep up. She quickly turned around and raised one hand, making Pierce do the same.

"What are you doing, Narrita?" Miwah shouted as she paused to turn around. She quickly placed her Beacon over her heart and transformed as well. 

"I'm going to at least try to get Pierce to do some damage before the Queen takes him out!" The bandit poised the fingers of her right hand to mimic a snake's mouth. She then moved her wrist and Pierce matched her movements. The Insectus Queen stopped flying, instead engaging in a duel with the summoned snake. 

The Queen closed its pincers just as Pierce lowered his head, narrowly avoiding the bite. Narrita then extended one hand and twisted her wrist, making her familiar squeeze between the narrow gap formed by the wall and the bug's body. "The weak spot should be somewhere there, Pierce!" Narrita shouted. The bandit then closed her fingers, making the snake plunge his fangs into the exposed side.

The Queen made a high-pitched roar as she tilted her head back. Narrita smiled as she kept the hand commanding Pierce closed tight. "Just keep holding on!" She looked at Miwah and pointed towards the cave's entrance with her free hand. "All right. Now we keep running!"

Both Miwah and Narrita continued to run as fast as they could, ignoring the deceased larva and foul odors of the cave as they sprinted to the moonlight of the outside. The Queen's screeching remained incessant as it resumed its pursuit, but at a slower speed and with uneven movement. 

"Looks like your plan is working, Narrita," Miwah said as she looked over her shoulder. The distance between them and the Queen increased with every passing moment. 

"Think Tamma and Aurrie managed to get a hold of that cannon?" Narrita asked as they neared the door. 

"Doubt it. If they did, Yalch would be here."

"Let's hope that this Queen has a taste for Ghenkan flesh then."

Miwah exited the cave first with Narrita right behind her. Both darted in the opposite direction of the Ghenkan line, avoiding their attention as they hauled the last bit of their stolen goods across the beach. The Queen came fumbling out of the gave a few moments later, still screeching. Pierce kept his fangs stuck deep within the side of the insect, his body dangling several yards in the air. 

The Ghenkans turned around, dropping their loot as they looked at the two battling creatures. The Queen flew in a circle, desperately trying to get is long mandibles around the snake. Pierce flailed around, biting harder so his teeth would get buried deeper into the Insectus’ body to stop him from plummeting. All the barbarians still on the beach held their weapons, ready to attack as they watched the hovering duel come slowly down. 

Pierce's body slowly lowered, tearing of a chunk of the Queen's flesh as he descended towards the ground. He soon tore off an entire chunk of the Instectus' side, taking it with him as he came crashing into the sand. 

The Queen spiraled down, landing on the ground in front of the snake. Once floored, Ghenkans came rushing in with weapons drawn as they shouted their war cry. With the barbarians focused on the wounded insect, Pierce went slithering back to Narrita's side with a piece of the Queen's flesh still clenched in his jaws.

"You did a good job, Pierce!" Narrita said as she patted on the snake's head. He spat on the black hunk of flesh on the ground in front of Narrita's feet. Both her and Miwah stepped back as they watched the purple blood seeped between the sands of the beach. It still palpitated despite being dethatched from the Queen herself. 

"I see Pierce does not have a taste for insects..." Miwah said with disgust as she turned her head away from the bit of meat. 

"Oh, he does," Narrita said as she carefully caressed the back of Pierce's neck. The snake coughed up another bit of the Queen. "But that doesn't look like a normal hornet."

Further down the beach, the battle between the Ghenkans and the Queen raged on. The bug hovered just above the reach of the Ghenkan's weapons. They lunged forward with their steel blades and axes, missing the exposed area by mere feet. In between stabs and thrusts, the Insectus Queen lunged forward, picking up the closest Ghenkan between its mandibles before snapping them shut. 

The barbarian died instantly; his limp body thrown into the crowd of his comrades as they continued with their onslaught. Miwah and Narrita watched from the cover of the cave as the Ghenkan's numbers slowly dwindled each time the Insectus retaliated. 

"Come on, Tamma and Aurrie," Narrita whispered as she poked her head past the cave wall. "It's now or never!"

"Just have patience. Tamma has not let me down before," Miwah said quietly as she stared at the boat by the shore. 

Narrita sighed as she continued to watch the Insectus cut the Ghenkans down like a swath. "Let's just hope she doesn't start now."