The continuous clop of hooves echoed through the dusty plains as Kai and the rest made their way towards the vermal larvae occupied mines.

Kai was having conversations with Actra from time to time about what they were about to encounter. His details were accurate and efficient so that Actra would know how to go with it. He already looked forward to seeing the old Mage's powers first hand.

Kai’s hold tightened around the horse’s lead rope.

“I sent a scout down there so we would know what exactly we’re dealing with. The scout's report mentioned a segmented nest," Kai explained. "Multiple chambers, like a twisted beehive."

Actra, his face unreadable beneath the shade of his hood, nodded slowly. "Logical for such creatures.”

“The main entrance we saw earlier is likely just the tip of the iceberg,” Kai continued, his gaze fixed on the horizon where a plume of smoke billowed into the sky. It was probably coming from the settlements where a few guards were stationed. "The Queen will be holed up in one of the deeper chambers, surrounded by her eggs. We'll need to clear out the lesser larvae first, but that's where things get tricky."

He paused, glancing at Finn and Finnigan who rode behind them. Their faces were neutral, the nervousness was no longer there. Kai soon brought his attention to Actra. "These things are fast, agile. Engaging them in a prolonged fight could be disastrous. The less harm that we bear, the better for us."

Actra nodded. "Leave the crowd control to me, then," he said, his voice was weary due to his age but firm. "I can create a barrier, effectively pinning them down for a short time window."

Kai nodded.

“Maybe [Stasis],” Actra said again. “Whatever the situation calls for.”

Kai’s eyebrows raised. "[Stasis]? That's an advanced spell.”

“You underestimate me if you think I can't do such a spell.” Actra looked at Kai. The hood didn’t cover his lips, which had turned to a faint smile. “Besides, down there, we won't have many options. Would need to do what we can to lower their numbers.”

Kai nodded. He would need to reach at least another circle to be able to do such a spell. Knowing how much mana it costs, even if he could, he didn’t want to spend it all before they could encounter the queen.

"And the Queen... how do you plan to handle her?" Actra inquired. "The queen relies on a heightened sense of mana perception instead of sight. We'll be at a disadvantage the moment we get close to her, unlike the larvae. She’ll feel it, and it won't be pretty."

Kai straightened in his saddle.

"I'll deal with her myself," he declared, his voice leaving no room for argument. "My experimental spells are designed to disrupt her mana flow, leaving her vulnerable to a killing blow.” He rethought everything he had planned after scouts got the information he needed. “If there's anything you can do to assist…"

The sentence hung unfinished in the air.

Actra stared at him for a long, lingering moment. He looked like he was surprised. He finally pursed his lips together. "Very well," his voice was neutral. "I will try and back you up whenever necessary."

Kai nodded curtly.

They moved forward without any words. The mine openings were miles away. And, it wouldn’t take long for them to reach their destination at the pace that they were going.

***

The mine opening loomed over them. They arrived earlier than planned.

Kai dismounted, his face grim as he surveyed the scene.

He gathered everyone around him, his voice echoing in the silence. "Listen up," he said. "The scout's report was seen by you all. We're dealing with a multi-chambered nest. Actra will take point, using a shield to block off their charge. If need arrives, he will use a stasis field to control the lesser larvae. It will hold them for a moment, enough for us to plan our attacks. We need to be swift and efficient— eliminate the smaller ones before they overwhelm us."

Kai explained knowing that some of the guards weren’t that knowledgeable about spells.

His gaze scanned the group, landing on the nervous faces of the guards. "Stay close, follow orders, and keep your eyes peeled. Once the shield goes up, eliminate any larvae that comes your way. Gorak, Raven, Finn and Finnigan, you're with me. We'll focus on breaking through any internal barriers and making our way towards the queen's chamber right after we attack the smaller ones."

A chorus of grunts and nods confirmed their understanding. The soldiers, Enforcers, mercenaries, Kai, Killian and Actra. They all had different things in mind, but one goal hovering their heads. Kai gestured to Killian and Actra, who moved to the front of the group.

As they moved towards the tunnel, he felt like the tension was thick like a blade hanging heavy in the air.

They entered and a surge of mana formed an orb of light in his palm. The darkness of the tunnel vanished in an instant.

Kai could finally see everyone’s faces. But the most interesting thing was Actra’s surprised look next to him.

“The structure of the spell is perfect. Remarkable mana usage, how did you-”

Kai cut him off with a curt shake of his head. "Practice," he said gruffly, casting the orb down the tunnel to illuminate the area.

It was not the time for explanations about his powers.

Kai could once again feel as if the mines were closing at them as it was an extremely narrow path for a party of their size.

But he kept his feelings for himself as he walked. The others were equally nervous, masking their thoughts with a grim face.

Kai saw their eyes keep looking around the small space.

Soon, they reached the slope entrance.

It had been sealed by a makeshift barricade to avoid any larvae coming out.

“Remove it,” Kai ordered.

Two guards from behind walked to the front and peeled it off.

He looked at Killian and noticed how the man’s stern face was on the dark slope beneath.

Anything can happen, but I need to end it as soon as possible, Kai thought to himself. If there was one thing he wanted, it was to finish their task at hand, while trying to keep every soldier alive.

If he could, he would have simply thrown poison bombs inside the nest and let the larvae die a slow death, but their bodies were immune to most types of poison. The only legitimate way to deal with them was to enter the nest.

He shook his negative thoughts as soon as they came and took a deep breath.

The guards already made way to tighten the rope on everyone and secure it around a few rocks they found inside the mines. They made easy knots on the ropes so that if they wanted, they could remove them to move freely.

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The entire thing was planned beforehand, so they moved with efficiency.

They started their descent, the uneven ground slick with moisture and the oppressive stench of larvae filling their nostrils.

Kai sensed the mana fluctuation once again, this time even stronger.

The flickering light of Kai's orb danced across glistening tunnels and writhing tendrils, revealing the grotesque nature of the nest.

Finally, they reached the bottom, stepping into a vast chamber pulsating with a sickeningly bitter odour. From the shadows at the far end, a low rumble echoed, sending shivers down their spines.

Actra, his eyes gleaming with a strange light as he stared at the Atheum around the chamber, turned to Kai. “The Atheum here is in large quantities. No wonder such a huge nest got formed. If we can harvest it, the gains would be uncountable.”

Kai nodded curtly, his eyes locked on the distant shadows. "Then let's hope we can eradicate this nest efficiently," he said, his voice laced with a steely determination. "The Atheum can be harvested later."

A tense silence hung heavy in the chamber, broken only by the soft scrape of boots against the damp ground.

Suddenly, a cacophonous cry pierced the air, ripping through the hushed whispers. Kai's head snapped up, his gaze following the line of a guard's terrified scream.

On the slick ceiling, a writhing mass of segmented flesh detached itself, raining down a shower of glistening acid. It was a vermal larvae.

With a swift flick of his wrist, Actra conjured a shimmering barrier, deflecting the acidic projectile harmlessly to the side.

"Get on guard!" Kai’s voice echoed in the cavernous chamber. The guards started moving while removing the ropes with practised movements. Soon they took positions.

Beyond the shield, they saw more larvae crawling down. Their sickening acid goo was spat one after another, reaching every possible end of the shield. Their multifaceted eyes looked down on them.

They launched themselves as if they were looking at the guards as their next meal.

The Atheum’s glow showed their full figures. Inky black. Large eyes. Segmented body.

Ugh. They are ugly!

The guards all huddled behind Kai, waiting for his order.

Actra’s barrier kept the larvae from spitting acid straight at them and approaching closer.

“Anytime now, they’ll break the shield!” Actra yelled.

The acid that they spat was already melting parts of it.

Kai waited, mentally noting how many of them were there. At least fifteen. Twenty at most. He made a plan in his mind, silently casting a spell structure for a fireball. His mana started rushing in his veins, ready to take on the monsters.

The time he took wasn’t only for him, it was for everyone to prepare their minds before the charge begins.

He looked at Killian and the knight looked back at him. A brief silent conversation, and a nod followed.

“Now!”

Actra broke the spell.

The larvae jumped forward.

The guards from behind rushed in unison. Their swords and shields in their hand. Kai threw a bolt perfectly aiming at the larvae in the front.

Raven’s arrow went in next, finding itself right in the middle of its head. The larvae let out an ear-piercing noise.

Bran dragged his spear, the touch of its butt giving off sparks as it connected with the stone on the ground and started stabbing the larvae over and over. His awakened muscles were stronger than normal guards, and the spear dug deeper into its body, splattering blackened blood all over.

With a final hiss, the larvae fell on the floor.

Kai’s hands were quick to throw [Firebolt] at as many larvae as he could.

He saw Bord struggling to get his sword out of a larvae’s body, but he didn't have to move to save him.

With a rush of mana, vines tightened around its body, giving room for the Enforcer to take out of the sword. Looking next to him, Kai saw Actra moving around vines that rose from the around, binding and holding the larvae in place.

Bord gave a curt nod to him and went to the next larvae.

Kai stepped back from the middle of the fight to observe where he was needed the most.

These were small larvae which the Enforcers and mercs could easily take down.

If he could, he wanted to preserve his mana for the queen and as he raked his eyes around, he saw everyone in sync, harming the larvae one after another. Their rotations were well rehearsed and it seemed like having two Mages with them was definitely a moral boost.

Suddenly, his eyes squinted at Gareth who cut off one larva’s limbs. “Gareth!” Kai yelled.

Behind him, a larvae was just about to spit acidic goo before he moved to the side.

Kai sent a gust of wind, sweeping the larvae off the wall of the cave. Gareth brought his sword and quickly walked around the fallen larva.

He stabbed it right in the face. Once, twice, thrice, and again. Kai sent a final [Firebolt] at the larvae burning it to the ground.

A painful scream came from the monster as the rancid smell spread.

The mercs right next to Gareth were taking turns at three larvae. Actra flickered his wrist and cast vines around those larvae, holding them down.

It gave them enough time for the warriors to move in while Raven fired her arrows, piercing through the larvae's skins.

Like that, they kept killing more and more larvae.

As Kai was thinking everything would go as planned, he felt a tremor.

Looking at Actra, his stands were on the floor, sending tremors through the whole chamber. Kai recognised the spell as a 2nd circle one. It was quite handy even if the radius wasn't big.

Thankfully, in this chamber it did the job.

The ceiling shook, the larvae falling off the ceiling alongside rocks. As they hit the ground, the distance between them and the guards lessened, making it easier for the guards. The larvae who fell could no longer spit acidic goo from above.

Gorak hit one larvae’s head with the spiked club he brought with him, but a few more came to surround him.

Kai cast a [Cinder circle], hitting the group of larvae with a flaming vortex.

Gorak looked where it came from, and continued to move onto the next larvae without any reaction as the group burned to their deaths.

Actra was helping a lot of the guards who shielded the mage from any larvae that might get too close, but his spells weren't nearly enough.

The amount of larvae overpowered the guards and mercs and as more and more closed in, charging up at the guards, Killian quickly moved to the next part of their plans.

“Potions!” Killian barked an order garnering everyone’s attention.

The guards were quick on their feet, forming a formation that they’d practised.

With ease, they took out potions from their pouches and launched them towards the larvae who were crawling up to them.

They exploded on contact with their bodies, consuming the larvae as a whole, and giving a putrid smell. Just like Kai had expected.

The larvaes screamed, getting away from the guards and slamming into each other as the flames burned their bodies.

The portions were the guards' biggest bet. Two of the explosive potions were given to each guard and healing draughts were kept in batches with a few of them, ready to help anyone that gets injured and can't continue.

They had also been given instructions to use it scarcely and in smaller ranges since they can't let the explosions get to the Atheum or the ceiling might just fall on them.

Though more of the potions remained, Killian was smart not to use them entirely.

As the fight again turned in their favour, Kai swiftly walked behind a guard’s shield and started making up a spell structure.

“[Astrum Inferno],” Kai whispered as the spell structure of an inferno drew in his hand. He pushed mana and cast the spell, blasting off a group of larvae who had just recovered from the explosions from the potions.

As soon as the inferno pushed the larvae back, a group of guards plunged their spears into the body of those that had survived.

Kai took one look at the surroundings. The larvae count had decreased dramatically. The potions had worked.

Only four of them were left, and they could easily take them do-

BAMH!

A wall to the left broke. The dust hit their nostrils as guards coughed and backed away.

“Cover!” Killian commanded.

Guards with massive shields walked forward the group and waited for the dust to die down.

TSSF!

A huge ball of acid flew out, hitting the wall behind the huddled fighters. It was twice— no, thrice the size that was spitted by the larvae who were dead on the floor.

Fuck!

Kai’s eyes widened at the monstrous larvae who crawled from the broken wall. If the larvae they had defeated were akin to toddlers, these were like adolescents. And the worst part was that the fully-grown adult was still to come.

“How big can they get?!” Ansel’s voice came loud next to Kai.

For a split second, everyone in the chamber thought the same thing.