Arcen stretched his limbs after he got out of the meat storage.

  He paced around the campsite for a bit, wearily observing the rest of the chamber. He had to get started somewhere. He was still paranoid about Morgav. Zuhara sounded quite confident about his escape, but that didn’t reassure him at all.

  Actually, she said Jelly checked the floor?

  He couldn't imagine how a toddler could do anything like that. He didn't know how many chambers there could be in a floor, but the diameter of this tower was at least three kilometers. It would be impossible for Jelly to just physically check the whole floor by herself.

  Can I trust any of them about that?

  It didn't matter. He had to help Zuhara. If Morgav lost an arm and was captured that easily, he had to be weak.

  Arcen could defend himself with Mirage Blade if it came down to it. He could slam that asshole with a Worm Pit and Ball Lightning for good measure.

  He watched the hive of the fireflies high above on the ceiling. It was just as busy as it was when he first saw it. Thousands of insects the size of tennis balls weaving their way in and out of the holes. The glowing nodes had a pattern to them, a pulse that rippled from the hive in the center. The chamber's lighting fluctuated with it, brighter and dimmer every fifteen seconds or so.

  Now, How do I catch them?

  He looked around the campsite. There were no nets to catch them with. Mirage Blade wouldn't be much of a help. Ball Lightning would, but he didn’t want to find out what happens when they’re all pissed. Besides, Zuhara needed juice from their glowing sacs. Lighting bolts would fry those things to ashes.

  Far in the distance, he spotted a trail of fireflies descending from the hive, and another twisting trail that climbed back up. They were collecting something from there, like ants bringing food back to the nest.

  He started making his way there through the dried mushrooms.

  As he walked, a blue glow emerged to his right from a hole nearby. Jelly had followed him from the camp.

  “You want to catch them too?” he asked as she caught up to him, tottering on her tiny legs as she slowed down.

  “Yum!” she said, pointing at the direction they were heading. “Jelly eato!”

  “You want to eat them?”

  They didn't look appetizing at all. Their luminous green-yellow sacs looked acidic. He remembered what she gave him for food before he fell asleep—jerkies dipped in a lethally hot chili oil.

  Of course she wants to eat something like that.

  Jelly hopped across several small mushrooms and landed on the back of his head.

  “Hey, what's that for?” he tried to grab her.

  She avoided his hand like an eel, and slid down on one of his tentacles like it was a playground. She sat on his shoulder, pointing at the direction.

  She wasn't heavy, but this oddly felt like breaking some boundary that he shouldn't have. He still didn't like being touched, even if Jelly was nothing like a human. She was cold, wet and very soft.

  “I'm not your taxi, Jelly!”

  “Tassi?” she raised an eyebrow.

  I just taught her a new sound.

  He couldn't decide if he really wanted to put her down. Her general cuteness had put her somewhere close to Gollum in his mind, and he let that little bastard stay on his shoulder all the time.

  “You know what, I'll be the taxi... ”

  The fireflies were much harder to catch than he thought.

  He started encountering them way before reaching the point in the distance where they were gathering. Their wings sounded like motors up close. He tried to snatch one out of the air but it moved in ways a flying thing shouldn’t. It was vectoring like a rocket with engines pointed in six different directions.

  He heard the second one to his right, idling on a small mushroom. This time he was faster, and he felt the burst of wind on his fingers as it slipped away over his shoulder.

  “How do we catch that, Jelly?”

  He asked, looking around for a new target. She was still on his shoulder, somehow keeping the balance through this effort. It wouldn’t have been hard, because she weighed less than a water bottle.

  “Jelly?” she asked. Her squeaky voice sounded a little different.

  What is she doing?

  He strained his neck to look at her. She was eating the bug that just flew over his shoulder.

  “Jelly what the hell?!”

  She was eating it like a fresh grape, luminous green liquid splattering on the lower half of her tiny face.

  “Yum!” She offered it to him like it was a bun.

  How did she even do that? I didn’t hear her catching it!

  The bug had vanished over his shoulder, and there had been no sound of struggle. He imagined catching one would be like ambushing a hummingbird. Jelly had somehow snatched it out of the air, killed it and was eating it quietly.

  He touched the luminous sac of the firefly with his forefinger.

  “This better not be poison or something,” He said, dabbing his finger on his lower lip. He sneaked a little taste with the tip of his tongue.

  It was cold, like a refrigerated cola. It tasted like lemonade with a bit more zest, and a tablespoon of MSG. It had an after taste of pepper that warmed his mouth even with the droplet that he tasted.

  “What’s with you and spicy things Jelly?”

  “Jelly eato!”

  The tickle at his throat came back, urging him to try a bigger lick of the glowing insect juice. It was a taste combo that made his mouth water except for the pepper part.

  His mutant instincts had decided the price was worth it. He smacked the remaining bit on his lower lip and the pepper hurt just right.

  “I like it too, somehow.”

  “Like! eato!” she offered again. He took it, bit a small chunk off, and handed it back to her. It had the texture of a half boiled egg yolk, as cold as ice. This wasn't something he could keep eating like a meal, it was sensory overload in many ways.

  He stalked towards the point the fireflies were gathering. It was a clearing between three giant fallen mushrooms. The constant hum of their wings sounded like an array of industrial fans and their lights combined to give off a yellow-green light as strong as a light bulb.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Something was off about the clearing. There were several things and spots the fireflies were interested in. It looked like a trash dump.

  Where did those come from?!

  He couldn't see what specific things the insects were gathering on. It had to be some sort of food, perhaps a dead creature. They were covering it from every angle, hundreds of them struggling to get a piece of whatever it was.

  He idled for a moment, thinking about how to kill or capture a bunch of them at once. Just one net would've worked wonders. One swing here and he'd have caught a hundred of them.

  He wasn't sure about walking in there and starting a fight. These things were multiple times the size of hornets. He hadn't seen any pointy sharp things yet, but he didn't want to find out what these things look like when they're pissed.

  I should try hitting them with Detonate.

  This seemed way better than trying to swat them out of the air. Detonate could easily kill one of them and they wouldn't have an attacker to retaliate against. He had to use destroy from far, somewhere well hidden from these insects.

  If I can target one right.

  “What do you think?” He whispered at Jelly, after setting her on the ground. He'd found a small gap in a fallen mushroom where he could see the clearing from a slit in the wall. Jelly didn't look too pleased about their current position. She looked wary and kept glancing at every insect that flew around them.

  She nodded sideways.

  “We've got to catch some. I'm going to try. Get ready to run.” He made sure he had an exit route. There was a fallen mushroom nearby with a small gap that could be covered easily. He could retreat inside if the fireflies chased after him.

  He wanted to see what these insects were.

  ╭────────────────────╮

  ︶╯ SKILL ╰︶

  ????

  REVEAL

  ╰─────────╮╭────────╯

  ╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯

  It didn’t seem like they had any special powers that he needed to worry about. He trained his eyes on the most concentrated gathering of insects ahead.

  ╭────────────────────╮

  ︶╯ SKILL ╰︶

  ????

  DETONATE

  ╰─────────╮╭────────╯

  ╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯

  The fireflies scattered immediately in every imaginable direction. All sorts of debris flew off the floor, swept by the force of their wings.

  Through this chaos, he saw one dead, unable to get off the ground and several others that couldn’t fly anymore.

  He trained his eyes on the fat ones flying low. A group of them were trying to fly away with the carcass that they were eating.

  ╭────────────────────╮

  ︶╯ SKILL ╰︶

  ????

  DETONATE

  ╰─────────╮╭────────╯

  ╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯

  The detonate hit right between the sac and the body, splattering it all on the ground.

  Some of the stray insects found him. They buzzed in through the small gap he was staring out of. They were almost too fast for his eyes to keep up with.

  ╭────────────────────╮

  ︶╯ SKILL ╰︶

  ????

  DETONATE

  ╰─────────╮╭────────╯

  ╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯

  ╭────────────────────╮

  ︶╯ SKILL ╰︶

  ????

  DETONATE

  ╰─────────╮╭────────╯

  ╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯

  He missed one of them and an insect made it in. Arcen spazzed out trying to slap or kick it out of air. It buzzed past Jelly once and that was it. She was a blur of blue for a moment and reappeared with a dead insect crunched between her tiny teeth.

  A third one had made it in while he was distracted with the second. He managed to hit it off the air this time. It bounced off a wall and spiraled out of his hiding hole trying to fly with a broken wing.

  He quickly checked his hand against the blue glow Coming from Jelly. He had four needles sunk into his palm at various angles.

  “Eh! where do these come from?!” They stung as if they were red hot. He pulled them out one by one and rubbed his palm. The puncture wounds were already beginning to swell.

  Shaking his hand, he grabbed a dry piece of wood off the floor. Slapping them with his hand had been the wrong move. He stepped out as the insects scattered.

  Something caught his eye as he walked into the clearing. It was on the floor, covered with luminous green liquid from the insects that were wounded by his first Detonate.

  Is that-is that what I think it is?

  A human hand, severed above the elbow. A piece of bone stuck out, splintered at the end. It was disfigured by the insects taking chunks out of it but he knew it was human. He recognized other items scattered around the clearing beyond it. Bloodied bandages. A ripped leather jacket.

  He'd seen that jacket before.

  This is Morgav's arm?!

  “Jelly!” He yelled, and immediately felt the cold touch of her tiny hand on his lower leg. It was hard to tell where Jelly was at any point. She was too quiet. Zuhara told him that he wasn't on the floor, but Arcen needed proof. He just didn't know how to get it from Jelly.

  Just seeing Morgav's arm made him feel ten times less safe in this chamber. He turned to Jelly, trying to ask her what he wanted to know. They both stared at each other, unable to communicate.

  She can't understand all the words I need her to understand!

  “Jelly, um, do you remember the guy without an arm-” He gestured at his arm, pointing at the severed arm behind him. Jelly stared at him curiously, but it didn't look like she understood anything. “How do you know-”

  Jelly just kept staring blankly at him.

  This is pointless.

  He gave up. He had to talk to Zuhara about this, not Jelly. Conveniently, he had a reason to wake her up. There was enough dead insects to get juice out of. This would help her wounds, and in exchange he'd earn his chance to talk for a bit.

  “Jelly?” She asked as he turned away. She looked disappointed because he shouted her name for nothing.

  “Oh nothing, let's just go.” Arcen said, pointing at the insects. Jelly couldn't carry more than one. He picked the most intact dead insects by their limp limbs, fitting as many as he could in one hand. He had to finish off some of the half dead ones by beating them with the plank.

  He gathered about twenty. That seemed to be at least two liters of the luminous green liquid that Zuhara wanted on her wounds.

  The hand that he got stung on felt numb and hot. Noticing this, he decided to rush back to camp as fast as possible. Whatever poison it had was spreading slowly.

  “Come on, Jelly.” He patted his shoulder. She dashed up in a blue blur and sat on his shoulder, munching on a piece of green sac.

  She can't get enough of it.

  Her taste buds had to be fried from all of these strong flavors she was shoving in her mouth at every opportunity.

  “Let's go, then. That's all.”

  “leggo!” Jelly said cheerfully through a munch. She was chowing down on that sac like a cow that found bubblegum.

  He headed back to camp, hurrying along the same path.

  He wanted to talk with Zuhara right away but he held off, remembering her words before she went for her nap. She'd told him not to wake her up until she wakes up.

  Maybe I can do something that wakes her up.

  Jelly ran to Zuhara as soon as he came back. He followed her into the tent, trying to see if Jelly would wake her up. She didn't. She disappeared under Zuhara's blanket, forming a third lump under her sizable chest.

  Zuhara didn't even flinch or open her eyes. She rolled to her side, holding Jelly against her chest.

  There goes that.

  He looked around the tent and found the cooking utensils tucked in a corner. There was a bowl, a shell that came from some sort of fruit. It already had dried green stains.

  Must be the one she wants her juice in.

  He took it outside, washed it in the black water down by the tent. The water was actually tainted black. He took a closer look and saw particles in it like black sand. Zuhara was using this for drinking. There was a small tank secured between a couple rocks that collected water.

  He checked the tank contraption and found cleaner water in it. He washed the bowl again with better water. He couldn't tell if the pond water was bad. Specially since she was going to put the insect juice on her wounds. He wiped it clean for good measure and let it dry by the dying embers of the campfire. When it was ready, he squeezed the insect sacs into the bowl, using his hands to get as much juice as possible out of them.

  Just few days ago he'd been an employee at Helviter. Here he was now, juicing insects in the middle of a tower.

  I never would've guessed...

  The numbness on his right arm had spread. He couldn't feel whatever he was touching anymore.

  ╭────────────────────╮

  ︶╯ SKILL ╰︶

  ????

  RESTORE

  ╰─────────╮╭────────╯

  ╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯

  He remembered. He looked at the four swollen holes on his palm and activated it. The holes closed, leaving behind four lumps where they used to be. His hand still remained numb.

  That didn't fix it.

  He decided to ask Zuhara when she's awake. He'd brought back twenty one fireflies. The bowl fit eight. He placed the bowl inside the tent and took the remaining insects into the meat storage. There wasn't any other place to keep it and tossing them away felt like a waste.

  “You're back?”

  He jumped when the threaded walls of the meat storage spoke in a sleepy voice. It was Zuhara. She was somehow awake inside this domain of hers.

  “Yes, got your firefly juice.” He said, placing the dead insects on the floor.

  “Come back. I'm up now.” She yawned and grunted. “Bring one of the Screylla drumsticks. Hungry. For you too. Bring two.”

  and what the hell is a what drumstick.

  “Which one are you talking about?” He asked, trying peek through rows and rows of preserved meat hanging from the ceiling.

  “This one.”

  A bundle of meat hung lower as she spoke. It was all drumsticks, each one as large as a chicken. He wasn't sure if he could eat all of it. He took two out of the cluster as he was told to and went back to the tent.

  He opened the tent, flinched and closed it immediately. Zuhara was lathering green liquid on herself. Her back was turned to the entrance but she was clearly topless. Jelly was busy doing her best to apply the green juice on her back.

  “Come in, what are you scared of, Octopus man?” Zuhara laughed.

  “Tell me when you're done—”

  “Just come on in. I don't mind what you see.”

  He opened the tent reluctantly.

  Next chapter on Monday.

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