Neeameth lets out a deep breath, her hand shaking her rifle higher up into her grip, "You lot, spread out and make sure the area is secure. Me and the big boy over here will go and check out what's over that crest for a short time."

One or two of the riders shrug their shoulders at the others. A few more shake their heads and comply, despite the remarks towards the marks on their uniforms. They must be her seniors in this valley-rider group or whatever it is? Why is she taking charge, then?

"Time to see where you are hiding, then. You damnable bugs..." I let out, heading ahead of her with initial speed. Adjusting my cloak again, I hide the wound on my leg. Equipment rattles and bangs until it is right next to me. Offering the source of the noise a quick glance, I catch the tail ends of a pout. We climb the hill and reach its top.

Going down into the unlooked forest, our footsteps slow down to prevent any crunching or twig-breaking. Neeameth breaks away from me to secure a vantage point, and I delve into the thickness of the woods. Sighing with some relief, I ease up on the cautionary covering of my body. Finding what appears to be an old road, I frown.

There's an old tree that has long since been uprooted blocking it. A boulder at some point was put into the crater. The roots are providing some shelter for the oddly placed stone, and I go around to it. Digging my claw into the earth, I gently heave the rock out of its ditch.

If I start making noise, will I draw the osibindah towards myself?

"Now if I was a bug, where would I be?" I ask, my mind sarcastically answering it for me as I throw the boulder away. Whatever idea was in my head, there's nothing in the crater. Tree smash apart and leaves scream in the wind as my handiwork crashes down. A noise of thought comes out alongside some chitters.

Sneering at myself, I slap my face again at the damning noise coming from my jaw. Somehow, it works. My body gets the message and my jaw bone things lock up. Keep quiet. I need to keep quiet. If someone hears me and there are no bugs around...

Moving close to some trees, I try to control my breathing as a noise lingers in the wind. Chittering from something that is not me. It's not me! There's-

My eyes narrow as the noise gets louder and louder. Closer and closer in a distance, not crossed by me. Making quick work in changing that, I leap out and sprint to the noise. Skidding up the ground as I halt, I find nothing and click my tongue.

Turning around with an attitude, I-

It's right here. Another osibindah, and it's standing right in front of me. Not just any bug, even. One of the spotted ones, the ones that were nearly always made of my people. My fellow Tobaballians.

I am not trapped like I was in the hive. Not lost in the depths of the dark maze of an underground. I am free to run and flee. Free to fight, free to act!

Yet... I am doing nothing. I'm utterly lost in the brownish spots peppering its mossy, pale, and green shell. My eyes follow its patterns all the way down its abdomen and then its legs. Coming to a stop right on the rings of rusted iron lodged near its ankles. I blink and my heart races, a hostile heat growing.

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Though this one is docile with me right now. This is very much one of the ones I kept having to fight in that arena. That which stands before me is one of my... One of my turned countrymen.

Fists are quick to form as it starts to jitter closer, a sinister innocence to its brainless eyes. Yet, I cannot find it within myself to kill the horrible creature. I do not want to kill another one of my brethren. Somehow, I'm even thinking I might be able to call out to it, to the man or woman it once was.

I do not want to break this thing's body open again and find another human skeleton underneath... No...

I must be going crazy, thinking I might be able to speak to it, "Hello...?"

The bug chitters meaninglessly at my question.

"Wh-What floor are you from? I'm a grounder, same as you!" I ask, pointing out the details that still linger so evidently on its legs. It doesn't even look that way, it just angles about at all the shitty rocks.

I start to step closer.

"What is your name!?" I nearly cry out, demanding such a simple answer. I grab the creature with my claws and pin it on a tree. Even with me shaking it violently, it does nothing. Nothing!

It's just chittering much like I am. Looking at me with a tilted head as if it knows me as a friend... How can it even recognise my current form!? How is it doing it!? Do I smell like the bugs...? Am I letting off something that I cannot see like this damnable magic aura!?

"WHAT!?" I roar at the creature.

I go quiet and sigh miserably.

"What is your name...?" I whimper, bringing it forward to gently smack it back on the bark, "Please tell me it! Please..."

My voice takes on a heave, and I keep trying to shake a response from it. I know the bugs can speak. I can, the earth shaman even spoke to me before I became a bug! So why cannot this also clearly special one do so too!? Why am I-

"Woah, you managed to catch one? Impressive." Neeameth remarks out of nowhere, sliding into view. The bug goes berserk. The creature roars and roars, thrashing its arms out with all it has. Neeameth keeps going forward at first, only to be struck by a loose arm.

Sense knocked into her, she remains on her knees. She starts to whimper to more than just a cut eyebrow. I can't hear anything other than these two. The bug is roaring and fighting; the woman is meek and afraid...

Be quiet... Silence!

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" I scream with all I have, my arms suddenly slipping. Unable to comprehend why my arms are crossed over each other, I blink. I blink at the pile of gore in front of me. Loud, erratic, hasty breaths escape me, barely hiding the chitters still ongoing from my own damn jaw.

I turn to face the still woman. This soldier-type turned emotional wreck. I blink and see Vapooliar for a flash of a second. She was like this when I found her, someone as powerful as her. Shivering and tearful...

Yet, unlike with Vapooliar, I do not move to comfort Neeameth. There's probably more to it, but I cannot think beyond the rationale of what I am right now. Maybe a bit as well with how I am soaked in fresh bug blood again. No one likes to be covered in blood.

Still... "Are you ok?"

She starts to calm down a little, the sound of galloping filling the area. It's the group from earlier. They must've heard me or sensed something was off. One of the riders helps Neeameth up to her feet, and he even has the gall to send me a foul-eyed look. I sneer at him and turn it onto the bug corpse, all squished and pooled in yellow.

A long, intense stare locks me up, preventing any further action. Bending down, I start to break apart its legs. Silent tears go down my face and I hold the pair of iron anklets in my shaking palms. Dropping down, I scrub them viciously clean of any blood, wiping it all off into the grass.

Upturning much of the dirt, it sticks to me like brown sugar on a pudding. Gods above, if only the reality was something this sweet. I can at least eat my misery away with good, tasty food. Being left to my thoughts like this, I can't focus on anything but...

I want these ankle bracelets cleaned. Cleaned of the bug filth. Cleaned and, in my safekeeping, out of that bastard earth shaman's claws! They need to be cleaned to a shine... No bug on them...