Chapter 13: Sociopath

For the first five minutes or so after she latched onto the huge leaping spider, Rihelah was dragged around the inside of the jar in an endless circle while she tried in vain to chew a meaningful hole into the back of her opponent. However, each time she bit the spider would flail at her with its powerful front legs, knocking her around and preventing her sharp mandibles from gaining purchase.

Kaleb cheered while he watched the much stronger arachnid haul Rihelah around with very little effort.

Things shifted a bit in her favor as the spider began to tire after minutes of constant running. However, each time she tried again to bite, her tormentor shook the jar around until it looked like she was going to lose her grip. Then she would re-establish herself and try again. Eventually the spider tired far enough for her to remain in place, and she started eating her way into its back. The spider bit into the dried leaf litter below, wasting some of its own venom in a panic.

“No! Miss Leaper is the crowd favorite in this fight!” Kaleb's voice finally shone with genuine concern.

Fuck off, you petulant toddler trapped in a man's body! I am killing this fucking spider! So much the better if you cry about it! Pay in tears for your crimes and your psychosis, asshole! You deserve death!

She paused in her assault for a brief moment, her body tenaciously holding onto the status quo while she trembled in shock at her own thoughts.

Holy shit. Am I losing my mind? It's not okay to wish death upon people!

The spider took advantage of the situation straining hard once again while slapping at her with its legs. Kaleb cheered momentarily, but the spider tired again. Rihelah regained the upper hand, and so he resumed his concerned dialogue.

Fuck! Hold still, spidey, she exclaimed while careful to keep those thoughts to herself.

The vicious thoughts of a predator invaded her mind once again. She was calm and calculated. Her antennae snapped forward aggressively, seeking her opponent's weak-points. All prey must submit. Surrender to me and I will end it quickly. Struggle, and you only prolong your suffering. Rihelah struggled against and then pushed that voice down once more, trying to maintain her preferred sense of self. All the while she worked to tire her opponent out by expending as little energy as possible. She restrained while it struggled. Every once in a while she managed to scrape her sharp mandibles against its cephalothorax, and finally one of them sliced through. She bit down, opening a wound that oozed clear ichor, which she greedily slurped up.

Kaleb's shaking of the jar intensified as he spat angry nonsense. But Rihelah clung tenaciously to her opponent. She brought her mouth back into contact with the spider's body and bit again.

Despite her captor's efforts to assist his pet in its battle against Rihelah by shaking and tapping at the jar, she had managed to keep her body out of harm's way long enough to eat down into the back of the spider's cephalothorax, causing her opponent's strength to flag. Emboldened, Rihelah renewed her efforts to finish it off. The spider bit into the leaf litter once again and held on.

A wild-eyed Kaleb screamed something incoherent and high-pitched, and then her world turned upside down. Both Rihelah and the spider tumbled down the side of the jar and onto a filthy tabletop while still locked in mortal combat.

An enormous human hand came down and gripped the spider's body firmly but gently while the other brandished a long metal instrument. Kaleb used that to push against Rihelah's body, forcing her abdomen forward. The spider was finally able to use its front legs to pull her just close enough. It released the leaf litter and its huge fangs scraped against the soft chitin of her abdomen after it strained and found an angle where it could almost bite her at last.

Kaleb cheered when he saw the beads of that telltale amber liquid upon Rihelah's abdomen. Believing his spider had succeeded in biting into and envenomating her at last, he released his grip with a toothy grin of self-satisfaction.

Rihelah wrenched herself out of harm's way just before the spider summoned enough strength to bite at her again.

-6HP. Mature Leaping Spider Venom (Topical) (-4HP/30sec.) for 2 hours.

+5HP Minor Regeneration.

Minor Regeneration has increased to Rank 6! (+6HP/min.)

AAAHHHHH!! YOU PRICK!! I FUCKING HATE YOU!!

Rihelah forced herself to keep from screaming telepathically while a horrific burning sensation spread onto her backside as it was coated with venom that had poured out of the fangs and onto her. She hung on doggedly and continued chewing. Seconds later, the spider went limp and an exhausted Rihelah just managed pull herself free of its legs before collapsing.

You have defeated Mature Leaping Spider Level 42. Experience Gained.

Rihelah received a level-up notification but she was too distracted to look as Kaleb growled something at her. He reached into a nearby container and took something out. Rihelah had no strength left to try running when his other hand pinned her down and then something hard pressed against her momentarily before stabbing all the way through her thorax from above. Brilliant pain surrounded the cold object now running through her, and she trembled in agony.

-16HP.

“THIS... is what happens to all naughty bugs who are not supposed to WIN! But you lose anyway, because I am your GOD! HAH!!” Halitosis from Kaleb's plaque-varnished teeth assaulted her as he held Rihelah up via one end of the long, tarnished metal shaft he'd driven clean through her. She could see its roughly-sharpened tip coated with her own ichor. In a rage-fueled panic, she reached with her forelegs to grasp at Kaleb's enormous hand. The movement only succeeded in eliciting additional pain from her injuries. She went still as her mind filled with thoughts of tearing the man to pieces.

-4HP Mature Leaping Spider Venom (Topical)

The pain increased again. It was all Rihelah could do to keep herself from screaming at him telepathically, for fear of being squashed flat if the crazed man ever found out she was sapient.

Why?? Rihelah sobbed silently to herself as the pain in her abdomen continued to build while the horrid, cold-yet-searing wound in her thorax continued to ache and burn horribly. She watched the expression on the cruel man's face while the purest hatred she had ever experienced swelled in her heart. She wanted him dead. No. That wasn't all. She wanted him to suffer horribly, to experience all the pain and anguish he had visited upon her. And then she would see him dead.

That would be justice, and a fitting end for a mindless savage like him! Amid the terrible pain, her rational mind had given in. Rihelah stopped fighting against her violent thoughts, since she now understood that Kaleb was a barbaric thug who could not be reasoned with. Her thoughts turned to ice. This man is a disease, an infection that needs to be cured.

Kaleb looked her over for a few seconds with obvious disdain in his eyes, then grumbled to himself. “Hmph. I hit this one off-center, but it doesn't matter. I will get more of these, and then you can go into the chamber pot with all the other filthy shite! But for now...” He walked across the room and drove the metal pin into an empty space upon a large cork board holding numerous other insects. All of their legs were folded underneath in that characteristic way she had seen so many times. There were scratches beneath many of them where tiny foot-claws had pulled and strained in vain as they sought to break free. All had died. Rihelah's frustration, panic, loathing, and dread all reached new heights as she realized her situation.

Kaleb pressed the pin down until the folded end of it flattened Rihelah forcibly down against the board. Then he brought his face low to the surface and looked at her with wild eyes as he spoke with the most terrifying tone she had ever heard from a man, “You are going to die by my hand, because all bugs deserve death. Spiders are our friends, because they kill things like you!”

-4HP Mature Leaping Spider Venom (Topical)

+6HP Minor Regeneration.

His eyes grew cold and his tone colder still, “Since you were so annoying, I almost wish you were one of those filthy enkelyn. It would make this part more satisfying. For me. The only good thing about talking bugs is the way they squeal in surprise just before they are stepped on. Gaining their trust is almost too easy, since their tiny brains cannot reason out subtleties or understand politics like a true human mind. Inferior creatures...” Rihelah didn't miss the fact that he clenched his fists multiple times, and hard enough to make audible sound while musing to himself about sapient arthropods.

“Now, after work I am going to see about buying more of your kind from Old Man Viago. Because of you.” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “Because you misbehaved; you disobeyed... as a result, they will all face my wonderful Miss Tesla. This is your fault for defying your God. You disgust me. You are nothing. Just some filthy, tiny, disgusting abomination. Die now. Die in agony. If you manage to survive Miss Leaper's bite, then you can starve to death... Right. Where. You. Are. I personally hope you live as long as possible...”

Rihelah's fear and anger reached fever pitch and the mental beast within took hold of her thoughts. You will regret allowing me the chance to escape, human...

Kaleb walked over to a weapon rack on the wall, removed a sword and shield, then stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Rihelah's murderous thoughts calmed somewhat after he'd gone, and sorrow overwhelmed her amid her terrible pain. Her limbs went limp, her antennae quivering slightly while they drooped over the front of her face.

What... the fuck is wrong with that human?? Did an arthropod kill his entire family? Why would anyone DO something like this... so cruel... It hurts... so bad...

And so little Rihelah wept in silence, impaled against a specimen board while her regeneration fought against the venom leaching through her chitin.

-----

After his harrowing experience involving the leaping spiders along with that giant reptile and its young, Michael had found himself a hiding spot, clinging to a vertical grass stem while trying to appear as if he were part of the plant.

What am I doing?! Every single minute that passes with me hanging here is a minute wasted! I know what I have to do... I just...

The memories were fresh. He thought of the female mantis and her disappearance at the hands of that aged man, but each time Michael felt motivation to take action it was crushed by the fact that he had completely lost control of his last fight; by how that enormous lizard and its young had made him feel so utterly insignificant.

He argued with himself for hours while wary of the other creatures that came and went. Potential meals and kills passed him by as he hid amid the foliage. None of the events around him were surprising to him, except for the lack of one. There hasn't been any sign of Edana. I was certain she would be out hunting for us by now. Maybe she doesn't heal quite so quickly as she claimed. That must be it. Still, I can't be too careful after...

The disdainful stare of that young lizard appeared once more in his mind and Michael shuddered. He could still hear the crunching of chitin while it looked at him as if his entire life's destiny had always been to end up inside its stomach. As if being its food were his rightful place in the natural order. And in that moment, he had known it would happen. That he stood no chance at all of escaping his fate. Until fate intervened in the form of another, larger predator that had noticed the commotion.

What good is human intelligence when I am just a tiny insect? I have no hands to build or use tools. I may win more fights than a comparable mantis on Earth by comparison due to my understanding of anatomy and grappling coupled with this body's natural ability and instinct, but ultimately I am far too small to make any difference in the world of humans. She was taken, and there is nothing I can do about it...

While Michael trembled in frustration, he noticed another arthropod around half his own size as it stepped onto and then slowly climbed upward along the same stem, from directly below. The drab green interloper's shape reminded him of a grasshopper, but its thick front legs were lined with large spines, its large mandibles clearly made for a carnivorous lifestyle. Oh fuck, that's just what I need right now... a damned katydid!

As it neared, the trespasser revealed its reason for selecting that particular stem by slowly raising its front two legs while creeping forward, obviously hoping to pin Michael down and eat him.

I can see right through that bullshit! Fuck off!

Michael struck first, using his improved pounce skill to launch himself downward before his opponent was ready. He impacted its compound eyes with the hardened spines that tipped each of his forelegs, violently smashing them in and causing both to burst while simultaneously knocking the katydid almost completely off the stem. He struck again from its side while it scrambled to maintain its grip upon the stem, seizing it behind the head and just forward of its long hind legs.

His enemy's mandibles snapped at the air while its spiny front legs reached for him, raking against Michael's head and thorax. A deep pair of scratches were gouged across his left compound eye from the relatively large foot-claws of its left front leg.

-4HP.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

His eye healed immediately. Michael's mantis brain and body reacted almost autonomously; his forelegs straining this way and that, head swiveling to target the offending limb with his sharp mandibles. It was a little uncomfortable to bend his neck as far as was needed, and he wasn't keen on the idea that one of his eyes might be damaged again, but he did finally manage to latch onto and sever that foot without taking further damage. The katydid lurched hard, its jumping legs attempting to launch it away from him, but Michael doggedly hung on and used the opportunity to hold his attacker-turned-victim out and away from the stem. It kicked at the air a couple times before switching tactics, rotating and now kicking toward him with its hind legs instead of trying to leap to safety.

Michael quickly adjusted his hold on his prey after one of those violently-flailing legs came close to striking him directly in the eye. His right foreleg now clamped over and crushed into the thickly-muscled femurs of his prey's hind legs, rendering them useless. He resumed his work, quickly latching onto and biting through the middle leg's tibia. After that it became a simple matter of chewing through its head and thorax until it expired.

You have defeated Bold Bushcricket Nymph Level 8. Experience Gained.

Michael ate a few bites from its well-muscled hind legs, discarding the rest after deciding the taste wasn't all that great. Blech! Too oily... It seems this “bushcricket” is this world's equivalent of poorly-made school cafeteria food. Michael took a moment to wipe his palps clean with his forelegs' tiny inner brushes.

Hmm. I didn't level from that one. Ohh, right. I leveled before...

He pulled up his earlier notification, slightly annoyed to find that the lizard's intervention had apparently robbed him of a lot of experience from the two spiders it had finished off and eaten.

Stalking Reaper Mantis has reached Level 13! +5HP, +2MP.

HP: 133/133 (+10HP/min.)

MP: 76/76 (+4/min.)

STR 20

AGI 23

INT 25

Half-expecting to be ambushed while reading his status, Michael felt a little tense despite his active camouflage. But all the other nearby creatures were busy focusing their attention and efforts elsewhere, including a pair of black and white striped beetles now attacking one another over the discarded bushcricket.

Well, I was able to win that fight. Maybe I could find another to-

The lizard's gaze entered Michael's mind again, followed by the inevitability of its mother's power. His tentative motivation retreated immediately, and he felt anxiety flooding back in. And so he remained motionless, flipping back and forth between making excuses for and against what he knew he must do if he wished to help his friend. Most painful of all was the fact that he knew he was wasting time, but simply could not summon the willpower to make himself act.

-----

Rihelah's regeneration had reached rank 10 by the time the venom wore off, and were it not for the fact she was still impaled alongside the dried husks of other arthropods, she might have found some joy in the fact that rank 10 had added a 90% reduction to the duration of simple poisons and venoms.

Once her health had returned to almost full and her abdomen recovered from the spider's venom, Rihelah turned her head as far as she could toward the right.

That... fucking bastard! She had a solid view of the filthy, irregular metal pin running down through her thorax just forward of her abdomen.

It looks like it went through a lot closer to this side... She turned her head all the way to the left and confirmed her suspicion.

I have to get out of here to survive. If I stay here, that psychotic incel will undoubtedly continue his asinine, sociopathic external monologuing until I expire. I can regenerate. If I just pull hard enough, it might split that part of my thorax open far enough for me to pull free... If I can endure all that pain from before, then I should be able to-

The sound of human voices and footsteps approaching caused Rihelah to freeze up. In a panic, she did her best to approximate the posture of the dead insects around her. A moment later the heavy wooden door was pulled open wide to reveal a terrifying but familiar human shape silhouetted against the evening sky. Kaleb stepped into the small house, followed by a human girl who appeared to be in her late teens.

“-eally find a shiny new abomination, Kaleb? Can I see it? What does it eat? I bet it eats other bugs because you like watching 'em fight! How many bugs did it fight already?! When do we get to go home to Freeland? I miss my friend Timain. He says he wants to marry me some day, but I never wanted to... Besides, momma told me I could be with you since I'm of age.” The girl skipped along, following Kaleb inside.

"Kaleb, I'm sick of that stale old bread you get from the Watch! I hear Rugar's men shot two filthswine! Let's join everyone at the mess hall! We can have fresh stew for dinner toni-"

The man rounded on her and pulled the door shut, pinning her against it while he pressed himself to her, “Be silent for just one moment, Heika. That mouth of yours is always open! If you never shut it, that little thing might die of fright!”

Heika folded her arms and pouted, but she stopped talking. Kaleb gave her a slight smile, then moved to put his weapon and shield back on their rack. He walked to a standing wooden basin, and Rihelah heard water sloshing about for a moment.

He shook his hands to dry them, gestured toward Heika. Without a word she washed her hands as well. “The washwater is smelly, Kaleb. You shoul-”

“What did I say about quiet?” The raised his hand as if to strike her, causing the girl to yelp and flee from him playfully while he smiled. She ran over to the board where Rihelah was pinned and hovered her face far too close for comfort while Kaleb stoked the smoldering fire in the hearth. Yellowish snot hung just inside her right nostril as her bright green eyes took Rihelah in. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a bun by a strip of leather. The reek of her breath was awful as it rolled repeatedly across Rihelah's antennae, though not nearly so bad as Kaleb's.

Rihelah held perfectly still. The young woman reached a hand toward her, but recoiled when Kaleb clicked his tongue. “Don't touch. That's the only one I have for my collection. When Viago finds more, then I might let you have one. If you behave...” He grinned at her, and Heika looked at him mischievously before running to him and pulling him close.

“It's pretty. I want one...” She whispered as they embraced. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her swiftly across the room fell atop her upon the fur-lined bed, mostly hidden from Rihelah's view behind a stout wooden wardrobe.

Rihelah was happy to be spared a clear view of their activities, though she wished she would soon forget the mating sounds of that man whom she hated.

I cannot believe that damnable psychopath actually has a lover! ...Wait. It actually makes sense in a sick and twisted way. Most of the men who hit on me during my university years were creeps who just wanted to fuck, and though I never fell for their bullshit, other women often did. Looks like humans suck in this world, too.

“Can I paint the preserving fluid on that pretty little thing, Kaleb?” Heika whispered low after they had finished their bedroom activities.

“No. That one is still alive. It has to suffer, because it killed Miss Leaper.” He said coldly.

Heika replied much louder, “No! I liked Miss Leaper! The little shite has to die right now! Please, let me smash it! You can get another, right?!” The bed creaked once.

“I said no. One more time before we sleep. Get that dirty little body over here, wench.” The bed creaked louder, the girl yelped playfully, there came the loud sound of kissing, and then the bed started creaking again.

These people are insane! I have to get out of here while they are distracted...

Rihelah braced herself against the cork board with all six feet, then pulled as hard as she could toward her left. Pain erupted in her thorax where she was impaled as her own strength began to rip her apart. The hard chitin of her carapace started to give. The pain increased suddenly and savagely as she tore her body free from the cruel metal spike, opening a large wound upon her side in the process.

-37HP.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

Fuck!!

Her regeneration dulled the pain somewhat as it closed up a sizable portion of the wound. She felt a sickening tug and looked back. Part of her innards had remained wrapped around the spike. Worse, she knew she would have to cut those in order to break free, since the top of the pin had been folded into a T shape.

Why?! I can't do this! Not after I have already...

She felt nauseous, but when the bed across the room suddenly began creaking faster she steeled herself. With no small amount of willpower, Rihelah turned back toward the spike. Her mouth reached her own entrails and she readied her mandibles to do their gruesome work upon her own body. She hesitated, but the grunting of her wicked captor kept her keenly aware of the true danger.

If I stay, I die. There's no choice! You can do this, Rihelah! Survive... Do it!

Kaleb's grunting reached fever pitch as both humans began vocalizing louder. Rihelah knew she was almost out of time.

I have to! I HAVE TO!!

Her palps tasted her own flesh, and she nearly vomited at the thought, though her body almost reacted automatically. With a swift motion, her mandibles closed and her legs gave out at the pain.

-12HP.

Trembling with adrenaline, Rihelah turned her head away from the wound as it oozed ichor, vomiting almost immediately. But she was free.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

The flow of ichor slowed and the pain dulled slightly as her body retracted her innards and partially healed itself.

I need to get outta here before they notice!

Rihelah ran to the edge of the wide shelf upon which the specimen board lay, then climbed the rough wall toward the nearest window. To her dismay, the shutter was closed, the uneven gaps that leaked air into the room too narrow for her to squeeze through.

Fuck!

She looked at the other window, only to find its condition essentially identical to the one she currently stood before.

One possibility remains...

Rihelah ran down the wall and leapt to the floor. Her abdomen ached a bit more when she landed, but she took no further damage from the impact.

She scurried swiftly beneath the furniture upon the filthy wooden floor, doing her best to avoid their notice as she went. Half-way there, she could see Heika's naked upper half gliding up and down above the bed, her eyes squeezed shut in concentration. Snot had begun to run down toward her lip, glistening a bit in the firelight.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

Gross... That girl has horrible taste in men! Then again, after the things she said, they're both awful! I hope they never have children! A curse upon his foul testicles and her wretched womb! But at least she's not looking... Time for me to fuck off out of here!

Rihelah sprinted toward the door and saw to her relief that the hinges held it plenty high enough above the threshold for her to pass beneath.

“Kaleb! The shiny-creepy thing is getting away!” Heika leapt off the bed, still nude, and her feet began to pad across the filth of the cabin's floor.

Rihelah had made it outside by the time she heard Kaleb's muffled, angry complaint about Heika leaving before he had finished. The forest's edge lay 25 meters away across open ground amid the waning twilight. But for a creature her size, that distance seemed like a kilometer or more.

Shit! Too far!

She ran to the left and began to climb the bark-covered side of the cabin. She could see other, similarly-constructed log cabins lined up about 10 meters to either side of Kaleb's, with more beyond those.

“Kaleb! Get your lazy, smelly arse up off that bed! That shiny bug is escaping!” Heika yelled again.

“WHAT!? Nonsense! It's pinned to the- FUCK! CATCH IT!!” Kaleb cried out in disbelief that turned to furious indignation after he looked over at the cork board.

The door swung open to the left, almost smashing Rihelah when it crashed against the bark just to her left. She could feel the structure vibrate slightly from the impact as she continued to run upward.

The sound of Heika's feet padded across the dirt outside. “I don't see it! Does it fly?” Kaleb's feet followed after.

“It has no wings, you witless harlot! Use your brain! It's on the ground, and it reflects light! Take a torch with you!” Kaleb ran back inside, followed by Heika.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

The pain eased considerably as Rihelah barely dodged a fuzzy-looking, zigzag-patterned spiderweb just before she reached the crude soffit. Without slowing she scurried outward, toward the edge of the roof. She witnessed a naked Kaleb as he burst out through the door holding a well-fashioned torch in one hand.

Ahh! Can't un-see! Disgusting!!

Heika's naked self followed close behind, and the two ran about searching the ground while Rihelah reached the edge of the roof and climbed upward once again.

The steeply-angled, thatch-covered roof was relatively easy for her to climb, but it left her in plain view of the humans in the event they ever thought to look in her direction. She continued scurrying as fast as possible, then slowed and squeezed herself down into a rut where thatch had been less-tightly bound to the roof.

All the while, Kaleb and Heika ran about, calling out to one another in their frustration. Another pair of humans with torches and chuckled at the naked pair while they continued to search for Rihelah.

The man, in a full suit of dark armor and wearing a short sword at either hip, stopped to chuckle and remarked with a deep, chocolatey voice, “Lost the other half of your sad little man, eh private Kaleb? Put that tiny thing away before you scare even your own scrawny woman into another man's arms! Unsightly! Consider yourself called early for first-shift duty tomorrow!” The man then laughed aloud while the well-dressed woman covered her mouth and giggled.

“Yes, Paladin Rugar.” Kaleb called out submissively while saluting with his fist over his heart. The couple continued laughing as they left.

After a couple more minutes of searching, Kaleb called out to Heika, “Get your sloppy little cunt back inside, girl. You lost it because you were too slow!”

Heika yelled back, “Piss and shit upon that questionable sausage of yours, Kaleb! The crawly thing got away because you didn't pin it down straight!” Heavy footsteps crossed the dirt before Rihelah heard a loud slap followed by sniffling from Heika.

“I said get inside! Listen when your man speaks, girl! You owe me for losing my property! On the bed! This “questionable sausage” is going where it hurts! No cream! Just dry and fas-” The door slammed behind them and the voices became muffled. Rihelah heard the sound of further slapping, and then she heard Heika begin crying aloud while Kaleb kept yelling.

Amid the disturbing cacophony from inside the cabin, she could just hear the creaking of the bed start up once more alongside Kaleb's shouting and Heika's pained wailing.

Fucking rapist! That disgusting man must die! No. This is no time for that, Rihelah! To the forest!

Bursting out of her hiding place she stumbled slightly, then ran down the roof once more and leapt for the ground upon reaching its edge. She failed to keep herself upright while she plummeted and landed forelegs-first on the dirt, tumbling a few times before she righted herself and continued her mad run toward the forest and freedom. Ahead lay a line of odd wooden poles driven into the ground around halfway to the first of the bushes that had not been cleared.

When she got a little over half-way to the edge of the forest, just past that odd line of wooden poles, she noticed what looked like an assassin bug nymph to her left that reared up as it noticed her. It started to give chase.

Damn it, you inconvenient asshole! Couldn't you at least wait until we reach the bushes before trying to stick it to me? Wait. What the hell? That's the kind of humor my father used to engage in with his work friends. Crass, low-brow toilet humor... And yet here I am, a scientist who... Bah! Just focus on running!

Fortunately for Rihelah, she was much faster on her feet than the assassin bug, and it gave up the pursuit after about ten seconds. To her relief, she reached the first of the bushy foliage without further incident and ducked past the leaves. She stopped in place, looked around for a moment and, seeing nothing dangerous she began her usual mantis-walk, swaying and moving slowly while she continued forward to put some distance between herself and the human settlement.

I never imagined I would feel more at home hiding in a forest, than inside a house. Funny how life is so different for an arthropod. I never imagined...

She shook her head slightly. No. I need to get out of my own head and pay attention. Focus upon what I need to do. Survive first, then find a way to learn magic! I can ponder the difference between my two lives after I find some sense of security.

-----

Michael tensed up when he saw lights approaching along the ground. He huddled closer to the grass stem, flattening himself in an effort to be more difficult to notice.

The lights continued to approach from many directions, shadows traveling and criss-crossing over the foliage as they moved. Eventually he recognized them. Fire ants. I wonder if that's Araza's group... Maybe I could go with them!

[-ichael! Are you out there?] A familiar voice called out.

Wait. That's... Sika's voice? I think? But I haven't heard or felt any human footsteps...

While the ants continued to draw closer, the terrifying sound of a six-winged dragon fly approached. Edana's terrifying, glowing form passed overhead. The telepathic voice sounded again.

[Michael! It's Sika! I'm sorry I left you alone on the log! We are here to bring you to safety! Please be alive! Michael?]

How does she know about that, and why does she know Sika's name?! She is able to mimic voices! That sly witch! I will not fall prey to this!!

He kept himself huddled in place while the ants marched all around. Soon he could hear their voices calling out for him as well. Unlike before, there were many hundreds of them in view, and they just kept coming. Other arthropods fled ahead of their advance, none daring to challenge the swarm of magical ants.

How?? Why? Has she forced these ants into servitude? Or are they ants from a different nest, one with a different queen?

Edana passed over the meadow repeatedly, moving closer on her second flight. She seemed to be flying a pattern to cover as much ground as possible.

A particularly large ant came into view eventually, and a different, gruff female voice spoke into his mind. [I can see you hiding there, strange one. Are you Michael?]

The huge ant moved directly toward him and Michael shook instinctively in abject terror. This is it. Her minions are going to find me, and I won't be able to flee. They are all around me!

[I would appreciate a response. If you are enkelyn, speak now. If not, I will have my ants collect you for sustenance. I am Xochi, First General of Nytalis. I speak for our queen, and I bid you speak immediately.] The huge ant continued moving directly toward him until it was close enough to bite him in half if it so chose.

After a moment, Xochi spoke again, [I need a worker here to collect this food.]

[What food? Have you found him??] “Sika's” voice called out, and that dreaded shape descended to hover just overhead while orbiting slowly. [Yes! That's him! That's Michael! Oh, thank Auronox you're safe!] The voice sounded far too kind and happy. Michael shook in horror at the realization there would be no way out for him.

[I see through your disguise, Edana! Using these ants to gather me up! You'll never take me alive, witch!] Michael exclaimed as he leapt away from the huge ant and began running as fast as he could through the grass in a bid for freedom.

[Impolite! Legion! Collect the small fleeing enkelyn! Do him no harm!] Xochi's gruff voice called out. The response was immediate, ants from every direction converging toward Michael as he fled.

[You met Edana? When?! Please tell me she hasn't harmed you, Michael??] The concerned-sounding telepathic voice of “Sika” called out through the foliage as she followed directly above him with ease.

[I see through your bullshit! Fuck off and leave me alone! I won't let you hurt her again!] Michael yelled as the ants quickly drew closer, cutting off his avenues of escape with horrifying rapidity and incredible teamwork.

[In the name of Lady Sika, I bid you stop, impertinent one! How dare you insult a daughter of the Oaken Throne?! Halt at once, or I order my legion to take you by force.] Xochi's irritated voice warned.

[No! Do him no harm, General Xochi! He is confused and scared. You need only stop him from running, lest he run into danger in his panic. Bring him to me and I will explain things once I can land without crushing anyone. Michael, you need to calm down. I am not Edana, and nobody is going to hurt you! Edana is in our custody in Nytalis. I took her there myself just yesterday. She cannot hurt you any longer.] The kind voice spoke once more from above as the ants closed in.

Michael froze in place and turned off his camouflage before showing a threat display to the ants surrounding him from every direction. He knew it was a futile gesture against others ten times his own size and more. Moreover, he knew they had fire magic. He deflated and shrank back against the grass beneath him as they continued to close on him.

[Stop! Why? Why are you doing this to me?? I just wanted to live in peace! I... have to rescue her! She was... taken...] Michael's voice grew shaky as he pleaded for his life.

[Who was taken?] The voice that sounded like Sika spoke again from above as Michael was collected by one of the ants. He dared not fight, lest the ant cut him in half.

Michael panicked as he was carried upward in the ant's mandibles. [The other mantis! The one you imprisoned in your tree! I was there! I overheard you! M... monster...] His voice wavered as he was delivered into the six powerful legs of Edana, who had inexplicably grown to near twice her previous size.

[Be at peace, Michael. We shall be in Nytalis soon, and all will be explained. You are in no danger.] The too-kind voice spoke as he was carried into the air while the ants began marching back from whence they came.

Too terrified to even speak, Michael simply awaited his gruesome fate as they neared Edana's lair and... passed it by, rising high above the forest.

What is... happening? She isn't crushing me, and I haven't been frozen yet...

The enormous dragon fly accelerated to an unnatural speed, and Michael was forced to tuck his antennae down to prevent them whipping painfully against him. The forest passed below them as if he were in a small passenger aircraft from Earth.

Holy shit! She must be going 250 kilometers per hour!

[Let me know if I am moving too quickly for you. Some complain of their antennae suffering damage at higher speeds.] The kind voice spoke again.

Is it... possible this is actually not Edana? No. No! Sika was a human! She's evolved! That explains the size increase, and she's just giving me false hope before she starts torturing me!

His captor began to descend, and Michael could see the glow of multiple fires ahead. They soon passed over a strange barrier of leaves and descended into an odd “town.” Michael's confusion grew.

His captor flew in through the window of one particular lamp-lit dwelling where a beautiful young girl was tied to a chair while sleeping, tear-stains clearly visible upon her cheeks and tunic. Bile rose in Michael's throat at the sight, just as he was deposited on top of a table.

The huge dragon fly moved to one side and began to change before his eyes. Michael was spellbound as that creature grew to many times its own size, morphing rapidly into a humanoid shape. After just a couple seconds, the familiar shape of Sika stood before him with a kind smile.

[H-how?? Where? Why is...] He looked between Sika and the girl lashed to the chair while backing away slowly.

“It's okay, Michael. You see? Edana is right there, and she cannot hurt you any longer. She is bound by glow-worm silk.” Sika pointed to the girl who was tied up.

[I don't... understand.] Michael stammered.

“I am ashamed of what my sister has done, Michael. It is likely you do not know that she... murdered sixty enkelyn here in Nytalis before she fled into the forest. An entire patrol of fire ants were killed by her. I finally located her yesterday when I noticed she had frozen several trees with her frost magic. She was slightly injured before I apprehended her inside that tree. She actually fought against me at first, her own flesh and blood!” Sika glared at the sleeping girl.

“She tried to change her voice, hissing her words in a cheap attempt to pretend she was someone else! As if such a cheap act could fool her own sister!” Sika's voice grew louder and angrier with each word. The girl on the chair woke up and began sniffling.

“You can stop the innocent-act any time, sister. At least have the decency to admit your crimes before I bring you back to Hearthwood!” Sika sounded tired and annoyed.

“B... but I didn't... I would never... lie...” The young girl started to weep.

Michael recognized the voice as Edana's, but her character was entirely different.

[She can also turn into a dragon fly?] Michael asked?

“Of course. When she is not bound by glow-worm silk, that is. Her powers are sealed right now. She is my younger sister, and... I am... so ashamed...” Sika began to cry herself.

[Edana... Is that really you?] Michael asked, thunderstruck by the whole situation.

The little girl took a bit to collect herself before she replied shakily, “Y... yes. I... Who are... What... kind of... enkelyn... are you?” Her blue eyes shone with despair mixed with utter lack of recognition while she looked at Michael.

[You imprisoned her, calling her “My Kill...” You really don't remember that? Or when I attacked your eyes so we could escape from your tree? If that's really you, how are your eyes already healed? Do you have some kind of regeneration? How is it someone can do such terrible things and then just... Seem like a completely different person? Your voice is the same, but... This is really strange.]

The young girl sat in the chair sniffling, with tears streaming down her cheeks while she shook her head.

[If this is truly an act, it's actually pretty amazing. I was a stage performer for years and...] And I need to shut the fuck up! Holy crap, I almost told these strange people that I came from another world!

“Charzi said... you were only 24 days old! How can you... have been a stage performer for years?” Sika sniffled a little while she looked at Michael askance.

You'll never talk your way out if you lie about your age. [Because... I am 24 years old, not 24 days. Charzi misunderstood.]

“A twenty four YEAR old enkelyn?! That is absurd! You are so tiny, and even large enkelyn who aren't queens rarely live past twenty years at best! Is there something you aren't telling me, Michael?” Sika looked incredulous, and that expression was accentuated by shadows from the lamp-light when she stood up and walked toward him.