Clouds rolled in, and a gentle drizzle turned to rain. Soothing sounds of pitter-patter created a tranquil ambiance for introspection and relaxation. But now wasn’t the place nor the time for that.

The bats came first. Thousands of them swarmed the night air, flying fast, blotting out the stars. The hum grew louder. One of them landed on the stone wall and I realized they weren’t bats at all, but some kind of a beetle with an oily-black carapace.

Rats came out of hiding, scurrying about in plain sight as if anticipating a feast. I couldn’t believe that it was possible for the village to have so many. The smaller, faster bugs had arrived first. They littered the roofs and the ground, crawling about the place aimlessly. Fights broke out with the rats.

The lake’s surface churned as if alive. The night air smelled acrid and sickly. The buzzing of wings changed to the chittering of mandibles, and a monstrous bug crawled up over the stone wall and halted out of range of the pyre.

* [t1] Xel’Hust Raptling [Gray]

As large as a wolf, its grotesque form was nightmare made flesh. Massive insectoid limbs were adorned with razor-sharp claws and jagged spines. They propelled the hulking frame forward with an eerie grace. Its chitinous exoskeleton of mottled greens and browns shimmered in the dim light, glistening with a toxic sheen. From its hideous mandibles dripped a viscous ichor, staining the earth with a noxious trail. Its multifaceted golden eyes gleamed with a predatory hunger. Antennae twitched and writhed, sensing the slightest movement in the air.

More and more arrived, forming a perimeter around us and the brightly glowing pyre. I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins, pounding in my heart. It startled me how calm the villagers were, surrounded as we were by the growing threat.

Off to the side, the orphans sat in a clump with Amelia watching over them like mother goose over goslings. They whispered in low voices among themselves while playing some game.

Ivy stuck her arm out of the slit with a grin on her face. Underneath an unsuspecting bug out in front, an intricate crimson circle lit up. It expanded out in size and brightness. Just as the bug was about to move aside, Ivy closed her hand. The circle flashed bright, and with a roaring woosh a column of flames gushed upward.

The bug made a step before collapsing. Steam rose up from the remains, sizzling and hissing. Liquids spurted out between its joints. Its carapace was charred, and turning red. A nauseous stench wafted in the air, making me gag. Its friends pounced on the meal while it was still hot. They ripped it apart, devoured the remains down to the carapace. Seconds later, they were back to jostling around as if nothing happened, as if their buddy hadn’t been cooked alive. Ivy fired up another, and the process repeated.

What were the bugs waiting for? What was going through their tiny insect brains? Not much, I assumed. They kept their distance, but were still within range of my wands, though not by a lot. I decided to join in with my heavy ivory wands, and aimed for the front row. The wands whined up to full power, and unleashed short bursts of five projectiles each.

The red-tinted shots impacted the bugs in a wide spread, hitting multiple targets. Two were killed in an instant while injuring several more. Other bugs sensed weakness and pounced on the wounded, devouring them. I had to thank them for the help as I still got the experience points. I didn’t stop and shot another couple of salvos.

Villagers looked on eagerly. The insect remains had their golden eyes still socketed. The gold they contained was there for the looting -- if we survived the night. Soon enough, those capable of magic joined in. All manner of magic went on display, though quite a bit weaker than what my [Power Shots] could do. Darya took opportunistic shots with her bow, and Ivy continued to incinerate the bugs with a gleeful look on her face. The night was still young, and the setup the villagers had seemed to be working.

“This isn’t so bad.” I whispered to Darya.

She nodded with a serious look on her face. “Let’s wait and see.”

Unfortunately, the waiting was cut short. Stomping reverberated through the ground. In the darkness beyond, something massive was moving out of sight past the walls. I only caught the glimpse of the spiked carapace dominating over the ten foot high stone walls.

* [t6] Xel’Hust Brutalorg [Triple Skull]

Everyone stopped shooting and casting spells. Men hurried to the north side of the circular fort, peering out of the narrow openings toward the walls. A wave of whispered voices and gasps rippled through the crowd.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Bulls?” I asked Darya.

Darya’s face was pale, and her eyes showed fear. “No. Much worse.”

Over the top of the walls, I could see the giant creature lurch forward with booming steps as it went on attack. Screeching sounds erupted, a burst of bugs scurried over the walls to safety, away from the behemoth. Something was viciously torn apart and pieces flew up into the air, peppered the area. Everyone ducked as a large chunk landed right inside the circular fort next to the pyre. It was a bug, sliced cleanly in half. Whatever the ungodly monster was outside the walls, I wouldn’t want to be near it.

“If it comes this way, we’re all dead,” Darya whispered, looking more terrified than I had ever seen her before.

It was still another three hours until midnight, and even with [Measured Savagery], I feared it wouldn’t matter in the least. The Brutalorg rampaged about outside the walls, sometimes getting close. Its distance to us could be measured by the looks of terror in the villagers eyes. Nobody dared to move, and some hunkered down low to the ground to be out of sighed.

Then everything changed in an instant. The tumultuous churning of the insects outside had ceased entirely. No screeching, no chittering.

“What the hell?” I asked Darya.

But Darya was staring out blankly. All the villagers had stopped moving as if frozen in time. The distant stomping of the Brutalorg went silent too. Outside the circular fort, nothing moved.

Out of nowhere, a distinct feeling of being watched came over me, sharper than before. I knew which direction to look at immediately, and this time I saw it. Over the lake, a leathery form floated in the distance. An eldritch monstrosity larger than the giant turtle and with an eye like a blood moon. It bobbed in the air with a multitude of tentacles lapping in the water. Its orange-red iris was split in half by a vertical pupil.

It was staring right at me.

The feeling intensified a hundred fold as if it was burrowing into my mind. I couldn’t shake it. The eye blinked, and a rumbling tone boomed inside my head, like a whale speaking. I clenched my jaws as my mind reeled from the mental assault. A flurry of images flashed before my mind’s eye in rapid succession.

A horde of bugs.

A monstrous nest.

A hatchery.

A village seen from above.

Underground tunnels and passages.

Just as quickly, the pain and images ceased. A moment later, the massive eye had vanished as if it was never there. I jolted awake and aware as all the sounds in the world rushed right back. Of children crying, and adults trying to quiet them down.

I didn't have a moment to process the images, or what had just happened to me. Outside the fort was utter mayhem as the massive form of the Brutalorg crashed through the walls, flinging and trampling smaller bugs in its wake. I held my breath and clenched the wands tight in my hands.

Built stout like a rhino, but bigger and fatter than a 16-wheeler semi-truck, it moved on four powerful legs. It was armored with thick plates of overlapping carapace, and armed with absolutely massive tusks that would put any elephant to shame. Nothing could survive in its path and nobody sane would venture out of the fort and try to stop it. I certainly wasn’t ready to face something so overwhelmingly powerful, not now, and not even with [Measured Savagery.] It was force of nature.

It lifted its massive head and roared so loud I felt it thumping in my chest. It stomped its feet, shaking the ground and the fort. It charged straight for the fort, right at us. Still shaken and confused by the mental assault, I stood frozen in a delirious, dream-like state. Its massive hooves thumped the ground as the monster drew closer and larger.

“Huh,” I said. “That’s not good. I think we’re all going to-”

Everyone panicked, yelling erupted. They ran to the sides. Just moments before impact, it suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. It slid forward as its momentum carried it a few more yards to cave in the roof by smidgen. It stood frozen for a time, then turned and walked past the fort without going right through it. While gruesome death was averted, looks of horror passed between the villagers.

Instead, the Brutalorg moved straight for the village center. People shifted around the fort to watch its movement in terror. Others whispered prayers. It stomped out of sight into the village, and while we couldn’t see what it was doing, the cracking of timber, tumbling of stone, collapsing roofs, and occasional clatter of metal told a horrifying tale of destruction.

***

Milu was upset with herself. Try as she could to control the big ugly bug, she only managed to keep it under control for a short time before scaring it away.

At least she managed to stop it from squashing every biped huddled up in the small fort. What were they all doing there anyway? It didn’t make any sense. Bipeds never made any sense to her. They were always mucking about in the dirt outside their homes, or in the puddle next to their village. Why? At least they had each other, and that’s what she envied about them.

To her shock, she had found her experiment. He was alive and well. How it came to be that he lived was beyond her. She had tried to greet him, but he seemed upset at her for some reason and wouldn’t talk back. Milu didn’t recall causing any offense to him, so why the silent treatment? She hoped he received her message about the coming danger. Strangely, it didn’t look like they were taking things seriously.

On this night, nothing made sense to her. She floated back by her lonesome self to her quarters on the third level, and started up the dough making contraption. She would have loved to share her lovely cookies with some friends, but things didn’t always go her way.