Now that the fight with the undead hydra was over, Nathan was able to retrieve his blade. He walked over to the mass of flesh, finding the hilt of the sword in the midst. With a quick yank and slight use of his power, the blade slid free. A quick shake removed any gore still stuck before he sheathed the sword and went back to the two others.

"There's a god of impulse?" Caleb asked as he bounced back over to Alex.

"Pretty sure there's a god for everything now," Alex commented. She turned to Rocket as he dashed back. The giant cat was mewling in excitement. "No Rocket I'm not going to throw you again."

Rocket sulked, going over to Jim-Jam to be consoled. The other large cat licked at his companion in solidarity. Alpha had the best games but she never let them play for long. Soon, both Kit and Butterwhiskers appeared on top of the larger cat's heads.

Nathan turned to look at the scene. "you have some unique pets miss…?"

"Alex. That's Rocket, Jim-Jam, Kit, and Butterwhiskers. Sir Purrsalot's the last of them but he's sleeping." Alex answered.

"And I am Sir Caleb, Paladin Nathan," Caleb said performing his most humblest of bows. "I am a simple undead such as yourself, supporting my fellow man in jolly cooperation."

"You certainly have a unique friend," Nathan said to Alex.

"We really only met recently." She answered. "We found evidence of a hive mind."

"A hentai one." Interjected Caleb.

"And we were on our way to clear it." Alex finished.

"I know! You should join us!" Caleb said, clapping Nathan on the back.

The paladin startled. He hadn't realized Caleb was so close. He knew he was around, but Nathan couldn't see him at all with his power. "How come I can't see you?"

"What are you, blind?" Caleb said as he waved a hand in front of Nathan.

"Yes," Nathan answered. "Though my power compensates for the most part."

"Ah shit. I'm sorry. I was joking good sir paladin." Caleb turned to Alex. "Do you have a shoe I can put in my mouth or something? I’d use my foot but I'm not that flexible."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Nathan chuckled. "It's okay. I don't really fit the whole blind man stereotype. And yes, if you'll have me I'll travel along."

"Heck yeah!" Caleb cheered. "And then after we kill this HHM, we can go questing to find your sun!"

An explosion sounded in the distance, turning everyone's attention away from Caleb's antics.

"That's in the direction we were heading," Alex said. "Maybe someone else is already fighting that hive mind."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Caleb said, jumping onto Jim-Jim. "Let's go!"

The Palug looked uncomfortable with Caleb sitting on him. It didn't help Caleb was trying to use him like a horse.

"If you don't stop messing with Jim-Jam I will drag you along by Jim-Jam's tail." Alex threatened. Caleb stopped, he knew she'd do it. He learned that certain people got a look in their eyes when they meant something.

Alex brought Rocket up beside Jim-Jam. She directed Nathan and Caleb to sit on the Palug while she rode the Mishipeshu. All three of them rode off towards the explosion.

It took only minutes to reach the area. Both cats could reach insane speeds on flat ground and there was none better than the plains in the U.S. The group rode up to a peculiar sight. A woman dressed in combat fatigues was hacking into a giant antlion-like creature. Her sword swung into the monster, slicing flesh and shaving off exoskeleton. The creature itself didn't react, ignoring the large wounds appearing on its back.

The three made their way forward as the woman brought her sword down into the head of the monster, killing it. Alex and Caleb stopped, thinking the fight was over. Nathan kept going forward, jumping off Jim-Jam and sprinting to the woman. His power saw there were more of the creatures under the ground, all of them converging on her.

Nathan tapped into his blessing, encouraging the Antlions to impulsively exit their ambush. Three more of the bugs burst from the ground, spraying dirt in blinding clouds. Nathan unsheathed his sword, slicing straight into the first bug he reached. The sword carved into two of the antlion's legs, making it stumble and crash into the dirt.

The woman, blinded by the clouds of dirt, stood, sword at the ready. One of the antlions burst out of the cloud, only to stop right before the woman. With a quick strike, she pierced the head of the creature and severed the brain. The bug shivered, then fell still.

Alex and Caleb, the last to react, both charged forward. Caleb hollered as he rode Jim-Jam while Alex sniffed out the last antlion. The two cats bounded over, riders on top, and surrounded the bug. Caleb jumped off Jim-Jam and dove at the creature, hands outstretched. He caught the two giant mandibles in each hand as he landed.

"I always wanted to wrassle a bug." He said in his best southern drawl.

The giant antlion snapped its powerful jaws, attempting to cleave the moron that jumped right into its mouth. Instead, the jaws collided with Caleb's body and did nothing. Caleb hooked an arm under each mandible and heaved.

Nothing happened.

With the monster distracted, Alex positioned both Jim-Jam and Rocket at the legs. Powerful swipes dismembered the antlion and it fell to the ground, stumps bleeding. From there, Alex directed Rocket to the creature's head. Sharp claws swiped, gouging into the exoskeleton. The antlion struggled, desperately trying to remove Rocket.

"Hoh god!" Caleb exclaimed as the creature's head bucked, almost sending him flying. He held on, legs flopping. Finally, Rocket's claws struck something important and the Antlion went still. Caleb let go of the jaws and stood, shaking.

"That was worse than every carnival ride I've ever ridden." He said.

As the rest of the dirt settled, the three turned to address the woman. She sheathed her sword and stood, walking over.

"Thanks for the backup, but what are you all doing this far from the cities." She demanded.

"We're on our way to kill a hive mind that appeared recently. It uses nanotechnology and the drones are shaped like women." Nathan answered.

The woman nodded. "Saw one of those earlier, it was absorbing one of the kills I made. I was going to report it to the cities but got ambushed before I could make the call. Here, let me grab my gear and I'll help."

"I can take it if you'd like," Alex said. "I can store a lot in this satchel." She opened her pack and stored Rocket to show what she meant. "I'm Alex by the way."

The woman looked over. "June, and no thanks. I have a system in place."