The boom from above was followed shortly by another and this time the sound of some sort of triggered alarm.

“Shit,” I said, “We’ve got to move. Take the stairs and don’t stop unless you see an enemy.”

Jack opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off with a knife hand through the air. There was no time for second-guessing. He clenched his jaw and shouldered past me, following Pam down the stairs.

We raced down several flights and Pam passed in front of the door to the level. I nodded and Pam eased open the door, crossbow raised and ready.

Two Hive warriors stood in the hallway and they made a sound of surprise as our party emerged from the stairwell. I wasted no time, lifting my spear and hurling it at the first warrior. It slammed into his chest, knocking him back. The second tried to fly, but in the confined space of the hallway, there was nowhere to go. A crossbow bolt in the wing him tumbling down where he was instantly set upon by Rob and Nat.

I charged the warrior now impaled by my spear. He hissed at me, trying to slash me with a clawed hand but I didn’t give him the chance. I gripped the spear like a handle and dragged him across the floor towards me. Then I lifted my foot and gave him the New York cockroach treatment.

Ding!

You have slain Hive Warrior level 4

Garret made a retching sound in his throat as I pulled my foot free of the gooey mess that had been the warrior's head.

“You’re gonna have to get used it,” I said, slapping him on the back. Garret looked a bit green but he nodded and soldiered on. We rounded the corner and I spotted a kiosk near the elevator. There the map of the ship itself was fully visible.

I scanned the deck plan for what I was looking for. When I spotted it I pressed a finger to the screen.

“It’s here,” I said. “The entrance to the VIP quarters. It looks like there’s an elevator access in the center of the ship.”

Garret groaned.

“So we have to go up,” he said, glancing at the ceiling as another crash sounded above, this time much closer.

Pam frowned.

“Sounds like we may not get the chance.”

She was right. The sounds were getting louder now and among the heavy crash shakes I could recognize a sound that gave me chills. Human screams.

Rob raised his sword and shield, stepping towards Pam who now had her crossbow trained on the stairwell door. Whatever was coming was large and heavy and judging by the scraping sounds coming from above, it was also armored.

The pounding of footsteps came from behind the closed door to the stairwell. I lifted a hand, reaching for the magic. I felt the hum of power surge through my veins and straight for my fingertips as a spike of sand began to form. At first, it was slow, gaining speed and glowing with a faint golden sheen.

I focused, trying to will the sand to solidify. Each individual grain seemed to glisten in the poor lighting of the hallway. My pulse jumped when the door to the stairs flew open.

A man and a woman burst enough, the woman nearly falling over in her haste to get through the doorway. The two of them were covered in cuts and bruises, and the man had a nasty-looking gash on the side of his head.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

At the sight of us they froze like deer in the headlights.

Pam lifted her crossbow, as a sound between a roar and a screech echoed down the stairwell. The man swore and slammed the door shut, throwing his back against it. I let the spike I was holding out in front of me slowly disintegrate.

The woman was breathing hard, her hands on her knees.

“We’re good,” she said between breaths. “It can’t fit down the stairwell.”

There was a moment of silence as we processed this. Then I asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“What’s It?”

The woman shook her head.

“The Hive Lord and his… pet. I saw it in the bestiary but believe me when I say the real thing is so much fucking bigger.”

“The bestiary?” I was gratified to see I wasn’t the only one looking stumped. Jack’s mouth had fallen so far open I could count his teeth. The man leaning against the door laughed.

“That was my reaction when I found out about ten minutes ago. It’s a tab to the left of your status window.”

“No shit,” I said, whistling when I saw the words BESTIARY in bold text. A window popped open, divided by a glowing blue line in the center. On one side were pictures of various creatures, and on the other was an accompanying picture.

I mentally scrolled, shaking my head as I saw just how many entries there were. Most of them were greyed-out silhouettes with 3 question marks as a description. Apparently, there was no shortage of nasty beasts to encounter in the multiverse. Lovely.

I scrolled to the top under “newly unlocked” and found what I was looking for.

Insects of the Hive:

The Hive is an insectoid and arachnid race that specializes in parasitic behavior. The Hive establishes nests in new worlds, where they quickly reproduce to gain an advantage over their unsuspecting foes. In a matter of months, a Hive infestation has the capacity to wipe out entire worlds, rendering its population down to minimum sustainable capacity. At this time the Nest’s queen will begin sending scouts in search of a new world to consume.

I grimaced and scrubbed a hand over my head. An infestation? A goddamn infestation of killer bugs and god knows what else. Earth was in for a hell of a time.

I scanned further down the page until I saw the image of a Large Horned bug man with two sets of arms and a lethal-looking spear. I selected it mentally and watched as the description opened in front of me.

Hive Lord:

The Hive Lord is a lesser agent of their queens. They are responsible for leading scouting and war parties, as well as seeking and finding suitable flesh for harvest. Once an appropriate location for culling is found, a Hive Lord will unleash a Bio-Reaper to find and collect live specimens for the blood harvest.

I stared in horror at the picture of the creature accompanying this nightmare description. The Bio-Reaper looked to be the size of a bus and resembled a cross between a crab and a beetle. Its long forelegs ended in sharp swordlike points that jogged my memory.

“Ah hell,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. “I think I encountered this guy before on the deck when everything kicked off.”

I closed the screen and was met by the horrified faces of the rest of the party. Apparently, I had been the slowest to read this new information. The newcomers stepped forward, expressions as grim as at a funeral.

“It’s been chasing us,” said the woman. “If it wasn’t for our natural speed buff’s then I don’t think we would have made it. Perks of choosing the Rogue class.”

The stairwell above had fallen silent, except for the steady drip of liquid. I had a pretty good idea what that liquid was, but chose to keep that to myself.

“These bastards are harvesting people,” I said shaking my head. “Jeez, it’s something straight out of a horror story.”

Pam bit her lip, scanning the surrounding area.

“I don’t like this,” she said, hefting her crossbow. “If it’s been chasing you then chances are it wouldn’t just give up its pursuit.”

The man shrugged, dabbing at the side of his head with his sleeve. It came away red.

“Hey, it’s the end of the world,” he said. “I don’t question the little things.” He grimaced and glanced around.

“Is anyone here a healer?”

At the silence, he sighed.

“Seems to be an ongoing shortage. Looks like Nobody wanted to take the risk of a non-combat class. We just have to hope things are different on land. I mean, we have cops, military, and engines of war. How bad can it be?”

At our grim expression, his shoulders slumped.

“We came across one of the Hive warriors and he spoke some English,” explained Nat. “He said this is happening all over Earth – that it was all predetermined. They’ve been preparing for this.”

From inside the elevator, metal creaked. I glanced at the closed doors, frowning.

“I thought the main elevator wasn’t operational…” Nat trailed off when another deeper creak sounded. I swore.

“It’s in the elevator shaft!” I shouted but that was all I managed before the doors blew open.