When Frank woke up Diana was already gone. He rose on his elbows and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. She was snoring softly in her regular spot. Frank shrugged internally, no way he was going to ever understand women in general and this one in particular. If there was any fallout from this situation it was a problem for future Frank.

When he stood up Mia caught his gaze from across the room and smiled knowingly, then she gave him a long distance high five. After she checked if Diana was still asleep. Frank chuckled.

Guess even life threatening monsters and meeting literal aliens doesn’t stop the drama.

During the breakfast Diana acted normally and didn’t mention anything so neither did he. He had no idea whether it was the right move but he decided to wait and see. Instead he turned his mind to more life threatening issues. Last night they agreed to follow Hunter of Prey. The others were convinced but honestly he didn’t know which way was better.

Wait and see again I guess.

While they prepared to leave he stopped and took in the room. The makeshift beds, the crude table, the firepit by which they shared so many meals.

“What is it Frank?” Mia said as she noticed his look.

“I have a strong feeling we’re leaving this place for the last time.”He sighed.

“I hope it's in the good way, as in we’re going home” Mia said smiling at him. Her hopefulness was infectious.

"Yeah, me too. Just feels strange, you know? Like saying goodbye to a nightmare and a safe haven at the same time." He tried to put his feelings into words

“It's different for me. I always felt trapped here, and this place is a part of that.“ a subtle tremor ran through her body, ”A bit of comfort to make us stop searching for the exit.”

“Good to leave it behind then, one way or another” Frank said in an usually somber tone.

“One way or another.” The corner of her mouth rose slightly. “We just need to be careful, right?”

“Always, Mia, always” Frank exhaled through his nose a bit faster.

Their preparations complete and goodbyes said they took off to find Hunter. Once they jumped down the hole in their hideout Hector asked. “How are we going to find the bug?”

Before anyone could answer they heard the telltale scuttling of legs. “You don't need to find the bug, mammal. Follow me.” Hunter of Prey went forward and when they stood there stunned he turned back in an almost human gesture, the only thing missing was a pair of raised eyebrows.

“Why don't you follow?”

“We don’t understand.” Frank said, trying to keep to the structure of statements first, questions later. ”Why do you assume that we agreed to trust you?”

“I heard you talk,” Hunter responded.

Frank exchanged looks with the others, Diana was right the night before. Well, it doesn't matter now.

“Let's go then” Frank said with a shrug.

Finally they took off, Frank actually felt a surge of excitement, it felt as if they were actually making some progress. Maybe they could get home and he would be rid of this Aspect. It would be a massive relief, he wouldn't have to worry about something taking control over his actions. But to get to that point they still had to get to the pyramid alive so he started paying more attention to his surroundings.

Frank realized he recognized the ruins that surrounded them. Hunter of Prey was leading them down the same way they used the day before.

“Why are you leading us back to the nest?” Diana asked beating Frank to the question.

“It's currently the safest way. You cleared most of it. We will enter through there and continue underground from there.” The bug sent.

“Didn’t you say there were dangers in the deep dark?” Hector asked, clearly suspicious.

“Yes. They are just crazed animals. With my senses we will be able to avoid them.”

“So just another way we are dependent on you.” Hector asked.

“Yes.” Hunter of Prey evidently didn't see a need to elaborate.

“Didn't we collapse the whole place?” Frank asked.

“Possible but unlikely. It's a network of tunnels so we will probably find a way through. Besides, the nest has self regenerating capabilities. If you don’t destroy the biomass it will just rebuild in time.”

Frank shuddered, he looked at Pain and Killer, no way he could deal with a goddamn regrowing building with a pair of daggers, this was so far beyond him it was no longer funny. It felt like they were barreling forward without knowing what new monstrosity they would encounter next.

One foot on the pedal, one in the grave. Business as usual.

As they got closer to the nest the scent of decay intensified. The air seemed to thicken with the stench, and Frank struggled to keep his breakfast down. The nauseating blend of metallic tang and rot, was almost too much to bear. Mia started coughing and threw up her breakfast but motioned for other not to stop. They all covered their noses and mouths with rags, which smelled marginally better.

“Damn i thought i got used to bad smells during our stay in this lovely city but this is next level” Frank tried to distract himself and others.

“Guess we killed enough of them that they didn’t immediately clean up the corpses” Diana said.

“Stop talking about corpses, it makes it worse” Mia pleaded with a weak voice.

That was when they rounded the corner and saw the aftermath of the battle the day before. Frank remembered he thought it was bad the first time they went through this place. This was so much worse. The grotesque tableau of centipede carcasses, in various states of dismemberment and rot looked like something generated by AI prompted with ‘insecto-phobe nightmare fuel’. Frank tightened the scarf around his face, attempting to filter out the assault on his senses as he pressed through the battlefield.

He stepped over broken bodies leaking fluids that he really didn’t want to think about. Their footsteps were sloshing in a thin layer of said fluids. The smell alone was enough to make him feel lightheaded. The view made it hard to focus.

They approached the entrance to the nest, Hunter's words were proven true. Frank distinctly remembered he had to crouch to get out last time they passed this doorway. The growth pulled pieces of rubble and placed them in the right spots.

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As they walked the corridors the fleshy mass seemed to pulsate with a rhythmic beat, reminding him of a heart.

“Home is where the heart - and walls - grow. ” He mumbled to himself. “Sweet baby Jesus, how is this shit even possible?”

Some of the walls were discolored as if necrosed, the surrounding growth was in the process of digesting them. It was a surreal journey, navigating through the remnants of the collapsed and regenerating fleshy labyrinth. Decay and regrowth fighting for dominance.

As they delved deeper, the fleshy growths lining the tunnel walls were more and more active. The fleshy webs they cut before, now were like tendrils reaching out, trying to reconnect. He cut them with disgust to prevent them from brushing against him. The shadows the growths cast made everything look as if it was moving, damn everything was moving. The walls themselves were trying to stop them.

That was the last straw for Frank, there was only so much horror a human brain can process. He felt himself grow numb and detached, like he was playing a video game. His mood improved by leaps and bounds.

"I always wanted a house with a personal touch, but these guys are getting a bit handsy” He said as he cut a tentacle that was about to brush Mia’s hip.

“Thanks” The Ranger looked at him with worry in her eyes.

There was nothing to be worried about though. Everything was just one big joke. Who even came up with the idea for this place was so over the top horrific he couldn't take it seriously no more. Frank started whistling. Diana silenced him with one look though, he mouthed ‘what!?’ but she didn’t deign him with a response.

Hunter of Prey abandoned the main corridors soon afterward and they went down increasingly narrow tunnels. They had to backtrack a couple of times to go around when rubble closed their path forward. However it was never a bit setback and they continued on their way down.

Down always down.

According to Franks very precise calculations they went ‘way fucking deeper’ than last time, they were under the main chamber. The tunnels changed again.

The walls were still pulsing, probably sending whatever it used for energy upward to fuel the regrowth. Some small bluish lights appeared on the walls that reminded Frank of small deep see fish that he saw at an aquarium once. Only this time they were swimming inside the growth that surrounded him. The effect should chill him to the bone but instead he just watched in interest.

The tunnels also became narrower, they had to walk single file now. Hunter was leading them with Hector following close behind then the women and Frank closing their little procession.

Like a little lovely school trip into the heart of darkness. Oh hello there colonel Kurtz, when did you grow that extra pair of tentacles, they sure compliment your mandibles.

He giggled to himself. Fortunately quiet enough for Mia to not hear him.

When he passed another side corridor he heard a guttural sound echo through the passageway, sending a shiver down his spine. He froze instantly and turned his head towards the darkness of the tunnel. Frank strained his ears, the ambient hum of the living labyrinth hushed, giving way to stillness.

Drip.

Something large and fluid just fell in the corridor.

His instincts screamed danger, and he felt the weight of something monstrous lingering just beyond his field of vision. He went to investigate, obviously. Something about being careful flickered through his mind but he dismissed it without thinking.

Frank melted into the shadows, he felt in his element. The tunnel led to an elaborate archway with some boring bug reliefs, Frank ignored those too. Going through revealed a larger room bathed in a dim, sickly green glow. Frank edged into the space, looking for something interesting.

Oh boy would you look at that.

The middle of a room had a large depression the shape of a bowl in it. However that was not the interesting part, the creature inside was. Frank once read about rat kings, rats with their tails tangled together that still managed to survive. This was something similar, if you threw in giant centipedes and more than a bit of Lovecraftian horror. And a hydra.

So many legs.

The Centipede King, as Frank dubbed it instantly, looked like at least a dozen Aberrations joined together by their behinds. The hydra part came in from the fact that the ‘necks’ were thinner than normal centipedes, probably because they were tasting the air high above and not doing the usual crawling on the ground. The place where all the necks joined looked like an unholy amalgamation of entwined legs and armor plates. Like the twisted tails of rat kings, the centipede's legs became an inseparable mass, moving with an unsettling synchronicity.

Still hidden in the shadows, Frank started to circle the monster. It was obviously in pain with open wounds visible on its necks. The rogue noted that the different heads snapped at each other from time to time.

Snap.

He was so focused on the heads that he didn’t notice a small piece of bone that snapped as he stepped on it. The sound was extremely loud to his ears. He slowly raised his eyes from his shoes and looked at the Centipede King again.

Plese please please, be fucking deaf.

All the heads were turned his way. With multiple roars sounding at the same time they struck at him like twelve very angry scorpion tails. Frank used Blink, to teleport straight onto the monster's back. He swiped Dusk and Down to cut one of the heads off.

The monster roared in pain and confusion as its head fell down to the ground lifeless. Frank ran upwards one of the monster’s necks.

“I’m a freaking anime hero” He shouted, letting his arms hang behind him.

He had to abandon his run to dodge one of the other heads snapping at him, he jumped off of the monster with a backflip. Frank landed in the corner of the room but the Centipede King didn’t attack him right away. It consumed the head that Frank cut off.

Right before his eyes the stump started regrowing, Frank laughed.

“Fuck at least you paid attention in physics class! This just means I have to kill you faster than you heal!”

He threw his daggers towards one of the centipedes that was watching him, however it chose the same moment to strike at him. The blades would miss unless Frank did something so he Controlled Dusk and Down. The twin daggers changed their trajectory midair and struck the head from below, piercing right through, then they flew back into the rogue's hands dripping ichor.

“Come at me Bro!” Frank shouted. He shook the blades and Blinked forward, right back onto the closes head.

“Take this!” He stabbed down with all his strength piercing the armor and burying his daggers deep in the monster brain. One of its brains. At least two heads rushed him with open maws trying to end the fight in a single bite. He saw both of them come and timed a perfect Wheel Kick to the side of one of the attackers. His kick was strong enough to knock both of the head off course and bought him enough time to recover his weapons.

“This is too fucking easy!” He cackled maniacally.

He jumped down to take a better position for his next attack. Five Hydra heads lunged at Frank in a coordinated frenzy, the snapping jaws converging on him in midair, each head aiming to claim his life. Frank danced between the Hydra heads in midair, his reflexes the only thing keeping him one step ahead a painful death. He threw his daggers again and even Controlled them to hit him with the handles to change his course. Frank was growing desperate to dodge the last head so he used Blink to teleport a couple of meters away.

Still in midair he stuck his tongue out at the monster “GG easy you ugly fuck”.

There were six heads attacking him.

He never even saw the one that bit off his right arm. Frank cartwheeled through the air, with a sickening thud, he collided against the wall, multiple bones and ribs breaking upon impact, the whole thing happened way to fast to do anything else than scream in pain.

Dazed he managed to raise his gaze, there was something wrong with his right eye he couldn't see anything through it and the blood covering his left one didn’t make matters any easier.

It didn’t stop him from raising his left hand and flipping off the monster.

Talking hurt but he wouldn't die like this “at least I won't have to pay those overdue library fines.” The head that struck his chest was just a blur.

Drip.

Something large and fluid just fell in the corridor.

“Hey, everything okay?” Mia asked. She was standing a couple of steps ahead of him, looking back. “You just stopped.” He was back in the corridor, just before he went off alone.

What the fuck just happened.

Frank blinked a couple of times and shook his head. “Yeah I'm fine” .

Did I just imagine all that?

He took a step forward when a searing bolt of agony shot through his chest and right arm. It was as if someone ripped his nerves out like cabling from the wall. The rogue shouted and fell down. As soon as he hit the ground the pain was gone, leaving only a tingling memory.