Hatchling Red had slowly been gaining power with each bug she slayed. The bioluminescent biome teemed with far more than just Rock Bugs and the Giant Mosquitoes. Glowing slugs the size of a thumb could be seen hiding underneath rocks. Those that made the mistake of hiding beneath a Rock Bug were left until more came along.

When the bundle was ripe enough, the Rock Bug feasted on these glowing slugs. But not before Red could get her hands on them!

“Slimy. Chewy. Ugh… What’s with that repulsive taste?” She held a handful of these small slugs which had clouds of green and blue swirling within their gelatinous bodies.

One by one, she dropped them into her mouth like they were grapes, sinking her teeth into their disgusting bodies as her belly begged her for a meal.

*Squelch*

*Squish*

*Splatter*

“Uuuuuuu. I’m drooling. Are people supposed to eat these things? Hey, Rock Bwug. Hwow cwom ywou cwan weat wis? (How come you can eat this?).”

As expected, the Rock Bug in question didn’t answer her. Instead, it lightly rammed her shins in response to her having stolen her meal.

“OUCH! I’m not allowed to take your food, but it’s ok to take mine!? You greedy little bug. I bet you taste better than you look – HEY! STOP THAT!”

It rammed her shin again, causing her to collapse into a shallow pool of murky water. She laid there for a short while, staring up into the boundless ceiling. So far, she had eaten a few dozen medium sized bugs, namely Giant Slugs which were hardly any trouble. In fact, they were the easiest prey, but had the most putrid flesh.

As a result, her stomach roared like a dying engine, yearning for subsistence.

“I wanna see the sky.” She muttered, spitting excess mucus from her slimy meal. “I’m tired to seeing blue wriggling stars. But those idiot wolves are there. The only choice is to keep eating to get bigger. Stronger. Hey Voice. What happens if I continue to get more levels?”

Hatchling Red had indeed grown since her last major encounter with the Giant Mosquito. Again, it wasn’t anything substantial, but it was certainly noticeable.

Status.

< ACTIVE SKILLS >

(O) Huntress’ Slash [9/10]

(O) Punch [1/10]

(S) Friends! [2/10]

(E) Appraise Object [4/10]

The Voice didn’t respond. She was left to sort through her hazy thoughts alone in the company of the echoing drips, and the soft scuttling of the Rock Bugs. She had already explored a good portion of this cavern, and it seemed to open up to other multiple areas, some that were devoid of light.

She grabbed a nearby handful of stringing Green Glowworms and sifted through them like they were strands of hair.

“… what’s so different between you and me?” She asked the Glowworm, which only responded with its writhing movements. “We both eat. Live in this world. You were born under here in the dark. I think I was too. So how come we don’t speak the same language? Do you also have a Voice in your head?”

A sudden sentimental tone crept into her voice as she lost herself in that haze.

“… I miss the Workers of that Site. They used to come talk to me when I was held inside of my containment unit. This place isn’t any different. And it’s cold. Creepy crawlies everywhere. Is this the price of freedom? Little bugs, are you happy the way you are?”

Her crimson eyes sparkled with a faint light.

The bugs could never respond. This was the way things were. Red felt somewhat sad that worms could only amount to worms. She didn’t know exactly why she became like this all of a sudden, but just for a moment, there was a glimmer of blue in her eyes.

“Wolves will be wolves. That’s how things will always be. I need to get stronger. So I can hunt down that White Wolf once and for all!”

She proclaimed, slicing the air with her knife as she sat up, dripping from head to toe with muddy water.

“Don’t underestimate a huntress! Everything’s been too weak so far.” Her eyes moved to a darker section of the cavern; a tunnel leading into yet another area where the loud buzz of many Giant Mosquitoes undoubtedly resided. “I want food. Better food. I want to eat wolves or something. Green Glowworms. You’re going to help me get through.”

* * *

She harvested handfuls of the Green Glowworms and piled them into small grenade-sized balls. A test throw revealed their effectiveness in illuminating a good 10-meter radius around them, but at the cost of killing the little colony of helpful critters.

They splattered, throwing bioluminescent juices across like a bloodstain. Meanwhile, as she chased and murdered several large, chunky flies, a strange thought came across her mind.

“These are called flies, right?” She poked at the carcass of a giant, beady-eyed insect called a ‘Giant Fly’ with the tip of her blade, gutting it with a casual swipe. “Does that mean there’s an insect called a Walk out there? What a straightforward name. I like it! Reminds me of me! Red. Vengeful Red. Hey Voice! Hey, listen! Do you think that if we were to take off its wings, this would be called a Walk?”

< Unknown… >

 The Voice displayed an abnormal message unbeknownst to Hatchling Red. The kind that one would associate with a face palm. With her preparations made, Hatchling Red braved into the dimmest parts of the cavern with nothing but her blade and sharpened wits…

… as well as an army of Rock Bugs.

“You know, you’d all be pretty intimidating if you did SOMETHING other than just steal my meals!”

< (O) Huntress’ Slash I [0/10] >

< Follow the bloody trail and deliver a guaranteed Critical Strike when using bladed weaponry. The bloody trail will extend to two additional identical entities >

< COST: 150 MP >