I nudged Bailey, who was still happily licking his spoon. “You think they know we’re here?”

“Who…? What’s that?” Bailey blinked, finally pulling his attention away from the spoon. He followed my gaze and looked down the side of the building. The Kavriades’ eyes burned with an unsettling intensity.

It is like being stared at by a living, breathing, multi-eyed ocean.

“Maybe they’re just looking at something else. We should probably go,” I suggested, already moving towards the other side of the roof. “Hey, you don’t think they know we just ate their unfertilized… you know…” I trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.

“They shouldn’t… we’re a good distance off. They didn’t even react when I took them,” Bailey says, glancing nervously around. “Unless…” He trails off, hurrying to catch up. He peers over the edge.

We’re surrounded. Millions of eyes stare back at us. Suddenly, a low rumble echoes through the air as the Kavriades unfurl their wings. The entire swarm begins to rise, a living wave surging up the side of the building.

“You never mentioned they could fly!” I exclaim, my voice rising in pitch.

I grab Bailey by his bag and the scruff of his neck, leaping from one rooftop to the next. We sprint towards the largest building in the city, the Kavriades pursuing us like a relentless, buzzing tide, rapidly closing the distance.

“What do we do?!” I yell, Bailey dangling precariously in my grasp.

“Hold on tight! Don’t let go!” Bailey yells back. “Aaaagh!”

We reached the largest building, and I dropped Bailey unceremoniously onto the ground. “This way!” I shouted, pointing towards a nearby door. We burst inside and slammed the door shut behind us, bracing against it with all our might. We could feel the Kavriades slamming against the door in relentless waves. It's like they're trying to turn the door into pulp.

“I thought they only ate plants!” I exclaimed.

“Just because they eat plants doesn’t mean they can’t squash us flat!” Bailey retorts, his eyes wide.

“I’ll be fine! You’re the one who’s gonna get squashed! Are they afraid of anything?!” I ask, panicking.

“I… I’ve no idea!” Bailey replies, his voice laced with despair.

“Give me that small jar!” I demand. Bailey shoves the container of tiny green pearls into my hand. “You go first! Get deeper inside, find a hiding spot. I’ll lure them away. I’ll be fine!” I toss my bag aside and yell, “GO!”

Bailey glanced back one last time before scrambling inside and slamming the doors behind him.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Alright, let’s see if these overgrown grasshoppers can catch me.

I popped the jar of caviar-like pearls into my mouth. Heavenly… I timed it perfectly, waiting for the lull after a particularly enthusiastic wave of slams against the door. Then, I burst back outside.

“Come and get it, you overgrown salad munchers!” I shouted, a bit of green ooze still clinging to my lips. “Seconds are served!”

I leaped to a neighboring rooftop. The massive swarm followed, a buzzing, rumbling, biting, ripping mass of green fury. They swarmed around me as I stood perfectly still, like some sort of statue.

Nothing. Still nothing… no feeling, no pain… absolutely nothing. Huh. Well, that’s… anticlimactic.

Disappointed, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to test this body’s limits. If I couldn’t feel them, might as well see what I could do.

I closed my eyes, focusing my mind. Images of every anime and kung fu movie I’d ever seen flashed through my head. From explosive energy blasts to gravity-defying leaps, my brain was a whirlwind of awesome fight scenes.

I couldn’t use magic, unfortunately, but plenty of my favorite anime didn’t rely on it. A certain bushy-browed sensei and his insane taijutsu sprang to mind. If he could do it, surely I could give it a try.

With epic background music playing in my head – something suitably dramatic with lots of chanting – I prepared for a limit test. This time, my focus was solely on speed and accuracy. Killing these bugs wasn’t exactly difficult; a solid hit to the head did the trick. The problem was doing it while being swarmed.

I focused my vision on one creature at a time. My enhanced reaction time and reflexes made everything seem to slow to a crawl. The Kavriades’ movements became sluggish, almost dreamlike. With pinpoint precision, I began systematically punching through their heads.

I threw punches as fast as I could, my fists extending and retracting like pistons, ripping through the air with whip-like cracks. The heads of the bugs I hit, and even a few unfortunate souls behind them, exploded in little bursts of green goo before my fist even connected.

My fists blur, becoming little more than afterimages, and I’m pretty sure the air around them is shimmering from the friction. I must be breaking the sound barrier, which is… undeniably awesome.

“Asakujaku!” I roar, my middle school syndrome making a triumphant, if slightly embarrassing, return.

I’m so glad Bailey isn’t around to see this. Although… strangely enough, despite the sheer number of bugs I’ve pulped, my hair hasn’t even flickered.

Then, I smell burning smoke, followed by a sudden burst of bright light that blasts through the swarm.

Whoa… definitely not me…

"Run!" Bailey’s voice cuts through the air. A couple of flaming Molotov cocktails arc through the air and explode amongst the bugs, sending them scattering.

The flames roar, temporarily clearing the area around me. Through the thick smoke, I scramble back to Bailey, and we bolt back indoors. The creatures don’t seem keen on pursuing us into the building anymore.

I turn to Bailey, a worried frown creasing my brow. “I told you to run! What if they came back for you?!”

"I...I think...I seem to recall they weren't too fond of fire," Bailey mumbles softly, looking a little downcast.

Seeing his crestfallen expression, I instantly regret my harsh tone. “Hey, no, it’s… thanks,” I say, softening my voice. I walk past Bailey, grabbing my bag and changing into some fresh clothes.

“Come on, buddy. This place looks like some kind of important building. Let’s check it out,” I say, turning back to Bailey with a reassuring smile.

Bailey’s face lights up. "I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" he chirps, hurrying forward with a wide grin. We enter the building.