From the ceiling Luna’s hover-drone drifted down towards the group; the bright white glow of its searchlight spearing almost too brightly against the grey darkness of the lair. It came to a stop at head-height before Eric, its bright beam of light sweeping the surrounding darkness, illuminating the last of the chitterer survivors as they scrambled into cracks and crevices in the lair’s walls in order to escape the charnel house that their greatest nest upon the face of the Stage had now become.

Eric tapped on the hover-drones back to get its attention and when it turned towards him, he signaled with his hand closing. The drone seemed to understand, because it turned off its searchlight and plunged the lair back into semi-darkness. Eric blinked, his eyes adjusting automatically to the reduced illumination, allowing him to see everything clearly, albeit in shades of black and grey. He then gave the drone the pre-arranged signal for it to go back to Luna and gather more of its companion drones for clean-up and collection.

With a quick waggle of its body the drone was off.

Everyone watched as the drone rose up to the darkness of the ceiling above them, finding its way into the outside.

< YEAH! > Cid suddenly shouted as soon as the drone was out of sight, startling everyone else. < That was a GREAT fight! Did everyone see…? >

Before Cid could continue Serra stepped forward and slapped the side of Cid’s helmeted head.

< Idiot! > The smaller woman growled, her gauntleted hands curling into fists as she faced off against her confused comrade. Eric grinned, safely hidden behind his featureless helm, watching the confrontation and trusting that Serra had her reasons for coming at Cid. < Were you actively trying to kill us all with your gun waving and cannon blasting? Did you even notice how hard Osar and I had to work to avoid getting killed by you? >

< I… what? I never… > Cid’s head turned towards Eric and Osar, and despite his helmet’s smooth front and menacingly V-shaped visor the two other men could sense his rising panic.

< I’m talking about the way you handle your weapons, soldier! > Serra said, her voice now louder and clearly angrier. Eric shook his head, leaving the silent Osar’s side and moving closer to the two, raising his hand to stop Serra’s tirade. The slim woman had often acted as his team’s de-facto sergeant whenever Bull was off doing something else, and had dealt with many of the team’s new recruits. He had no doubt that she could sort the scientist’s problems out, but Eric could see that a different approach would be better.

< That’s enough Jakobin, > Eric began, placing his left hand on Cid’s oversized right pauldron. < Remember, this is all new to Mr. Arth-Veda, which makes him a recruit. > Eric turned his head to regard Serra. < What do we do with recruits? >

After a moment Serra visibly regained control of her temper, unclenching her fists and taking a step back.

< We train and teach them, sir. >

< Excellent, soldier! > Nodding, Eric turned back to Cid. < You were right Cid, it was a great fight, but do you agree that there were some aspects of it that could be improved? >

< Yes, Primus. >

< Good, once we touch base, we’ll get you started on weapons drills and small-group tactics and work from there, ok? >

< Yes, Primus. >

< Very good, > Eric said, rapping his knuckles on the man’s pauldron. < Jakobin, take charge of Cid and get him started on the basics while we go through this lair, we green? >

< Green, sir! > Serra said, slamming her right fist on her left chest plate. Without another word, the fierce woman took hold of the battlesuit cowling at Cid’s throat and began dragging the man away.

< Listen here, you little… >

< We can all hear you, Jakobin. >

< Roger sir, just setting the tone sir. > Serra replied without missing a beat as the two of them moved away from their two other companions.

“You can set up private channels for interpersonal conversation sir,” Pig suggested, pulling up a window displaying various comms arrangements. Eric looked them over and selected two options, placing him and Osar in one channel while placing Serra and Cid on another.

You have been placed in a private channel with Osar Baratuu. Do you accept? Yes/No

Eric accepted and turned slightly to observe Serra and Cid. The two suddenly stopped, both of them turning towards Eric. Serra then returned Eric’s nod before facing Cid squarely. Almost immediately the taller man staggered back a few steps, hands rising to his helmet. Eric’s smile widened and then began walking back to where Osar stood.

By the way he stood, Eric could see that Osar was still injured, or at least feeling the after effects of having been injured. The big man looked up as Eric approached, and he clearly favored his right side and leg as he straightened up.

< Are you out of healing potions? >

< No, Jad-Os, > Osar answered quickly. < But that last blow cracked several ribs and my right leg, and healing potions can only do so much. >

Eric winced at the Urgan’s words, remembering the pain of injured bones. < You should have let Serra take a look at you before letting her walk away with Cid… We need you in top shape my friend. >

Osar nodded but did not verbally reply to Eric’s words.

With the instincts of a veteran commander, Eric sensed that the Urgan was working up to tell or ask him something, and Eric decided to give the man time to work through his thoughts. Meanwhile, to occupy himself, he decided to look out over the battlefield, seeing the carnage surrounding him clearly for the first time.

Tiny droplets of floating blood, ichor, and greenish acid hovered over much of the enclosed space, suspended in the weak gravity along with bits of flesh, stone, and chitin. Many chitterer bodies of all sizes covered the cracked stone floor, the larger bodies clustered around the Behemoth while smaller ones were at the edges, most of whom had been killed by their own kind. For many of those in the middle, Serra’s acid deluge had consumed almost everything organic, leaving variably-sized nuggets of several different types of metals, as well as several gleaming cores.

Eric crouched down to collect one of the cores, using his black-armored gauntlets to pick up the lopsided, green and yellow orb from the pool of viscid acid and flesh-derived slime that it was resting in.

You have obtained an advanced Chitterer Guard Core (Champion Beast Core).

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Aspects: Body, Metal, and Water

Do you wish to make this your Root Core? Yes/No

< That core alone would net you five hundred Imperial Marks from any reputable trader in most of the major trade stations Jad-Os… more if you went out of your way to trade in the more remote areas. > Osar had limped over to another pile of chitterer slurry and deftly picked up another Champion core. < And Serra just killed scores of these creatures with a single ability. >

< Her abilities do seem to be extremely powerful. > Eric conceded, before depositing the core into his ring and standing up. His gaze was drawn to the huge bulk of the Behemoth they had killed. He walked over, placed both his hands on the massive body and disappeared it into Vashanka’s ring. He wondered how much more free space the ring had?

< It should be beyond her! > Osar exclaimed, answering Eric’s question with a tired chuckle, despite the pain from his damaged ribs. The big man remembered his worries about Serra’s choices harming her foundation but, judging by the power she had just exhibited, it seemed his fears had been unwarranted. < Ifni help me but her proficiency and skill using those abilities of hers are just uncanny! I’m just happy she is on our side, Jad-Os. >

< Me too, Osar, > Eric admitted, looking at where their two other teammates were still engaged in conversation. Serra was now speaking less animatedly, and Cid’s downturned head seemed to be an indication that he was at least beginning to see the error of his ways. Eric stuck a hand inside the body of one of the larger, more lobster-looking chitterers, drawing out another Champion beast core. He gestured with his ichor-smeared gauntlets, indicating the entire room. < Do we have enough storage devices to collect of all of these bodies? >

< We may still have enough space Primus, > Osar said, walking over to one of the more intact bodies, a beautiful specimen with what looked like intricate patterns on its carapace. Though the former Legionnaire’s darksight didn’t let him see the pattern’s colors, he recognized the recessed optical sensoria on the underside of each plate as valuable crafting materials. Pleased, the Urgan placed a hand on the carcass and willed it into his ring. < We do need to start processing most of the beast bodies we have in storage to free up more space. >

< It’s a shame these guys didn’t have too much to loot except their bodies and their cores. >

< I’m sure there’s more to find around here Jad-Os, > Osar assured his oath-holder, straightening up and stretching. < We just need to find the nest’s midden and nursery. >

After about ten minutes of collecting some of the better-quality cores and bodies, Eric abolished the private channels and called Serra and Cid over.

At Eric’s request Serra strode confidently towards them, gliding forward with deadly grace clad in her strangely contoured battlesuit while Cid followed half a pace behind her, his bulkier battlesuit and shoulder-slung hand-held cannon making him look like Serra’s bodyguard.

< Everything sorted? > Eric asked as the pair approached.

< He knows the score, > Serra answered, jerking a thumb at Cid. < The puke has promised to try to do better next time. >

< It’s a good start. > Eric said, at almost the same time as Osar addressed the downcast scientist.

< We all need to become accustomed to working with one another friend Cid, > The big Urgan offered kindly. < It is nothing that a few simple team missions will not fix. >

< I agree, Osar, > Eric added. < But I suggest we wait until we get an atmosphere over the Stage before we practice group maneuvers so we can get accustomed to fighting together in normal gravity. >

< Are we ready to head back to base then, Captain? > Serra asked. The lack of ambient light had somewhat obscured it, but Eric now noticed that Serra’s battlesuit emitted a very faint, very subtle glow, but it was enough to allow their adjusted vision to compensate for the surrounding darkness. Was that a unique property of her suit? Had it always had that property or was it a recent development? Intrigued, Eric examined the battlesuit more closely than he had before.

On the surface, the suit was very similar to those that the rest of the team wore; being a collection of intricately crafted and articulated armored plates held together by a tough, woven-fiber or leather-analogue under-armor. The biggest change from yesterday had been to the suit’s color scheme: Where before her primary colors were dark red and gold, now it was muted gold and ivory.

However, Serra’s crowned helm, shoulder-length gauntlets, chest- and back-plates, and even her articulated thighs and greave-boots now all looked to be made out of a gold-colored ceramic composite fitted over a supple ivory-colored metallic-mesh that still allowed her to move freely while providing maximum protection. Gone were the tiny snake-like scales that had once decorated the armor plates, replaced by smooth, rounded curves. Only the bulky, matte-black exoskeleton that was the Voidwalker shell marred her newly configured battlesuit’s clean, elegant profile, adding a pugnacious look to the entire ensemble.

Eric’s Dragon Sight showed pale white aetheric energy slowly circulating through microscopic channels and glyphs carved and woven into the various parts and components of the armor, and there appeared to be more of them, even more than what he could see on his own advanced suit.

< Captain? >

< Uh, sorry, Jakobin, > Eric stammered, diverted from his intense scrutiny by Serra’s repeated question. < How did you manage to change your battlesuit’s configuration? >

< Part of the suit’s package, Captain! > Serra happily announced, striking a pose with one arm extended and the other holding her hammer ready to strike. < Do you like what I did with it? >

< It is… distinctive. > Eric said diplomatically, although he could not deny that he largely approved of the aesthetics that Serra had chosen. < And to answer your question, no we will not be going back just yet… Osar says we need to find two rooms that may contain loot; the nest’s midden and its nursery. >

After a quick discussion about what signs to look for, the four people fanned out, but it was Cid who a few minutes later called them all together.

The scientist was standing beside a sloping ramp that led into a smaller chamber, its surface marred by huge scratches gauged into the permacrete. Within the chamber they found, in orderly rows, several hundred one-meter high translucent eggs, some of which showed movement as the developing larvae shifted in their amniotic fluids. Beside each egg was a carefully-prepared metal studded shell, ready to receive the newly-hatched chitterer larvae.

< Gather them all up, my friends! > Osar encouraged everyone as he made his way to the foremost row. The big Urgan sounded ecstatic as he bent over the first egg and its partnered metal shell, quickly gathering them into his storage device. < The spatial devices will kill the larvae but keep them fresh to be sold or cooked! >

< Cooked? > Cid asked incredulously even as he quickly moved along one of the rows.

< Yes, friend Cid, > Osar replied happily. < I know an ingredient broker who would pay one hundred marks for each egg, and the metals on the shells are highly sought after by smiths and crafters! This is a great treasure my friends! >

Eric joined in the harvest, intrigued by how delicious chitterer larvae would have to taste if it commanded such a high price, but somewhat disgruntled by their ‘loot’ so far. Thankfully, Osar had assured them that there was bound to be more and better treasure for them to find.

They cleared the room in less than twenty minutes and returned to the main lair, where they spent another ten minutes until it was Osar’s turn to call them all together. The passageway Osar showed them was narrow and smeared with a thick, hardened crust.

< This, is a chitterer’s midden my friends, > Osar proudly announced, pointing out the literal layers of hardened shit that stuck to the wall’s and floors. < Chitterers are scavengers, and their smaller members are tasked with exploring the surrounding area and bring back everything they find to the nest. Only the largest, toughest, most advanced ten percent of the chitterer population have mouths, and only they get to eat. >

As the big Urgan spoke Luna’s drone emerged from the tunnel that he, Serra, and Cid had used to enter the lair, followed by a group of drones carrying three spatial chests among them. Eric waved the hover-drone towards them, and the rest of the strange little cavalcade followed after it.

< The chitterer elite eat everything they are given, > Osar continued, gesticulating animatedly as Luna’s drones gathered at the entrance of the midden. < Their digestive systems are very efficient, and everything that is organic, which unfortunately includes beast cores, or things made of normal metal is digested and used to either create new eggs or increase the density and protective capabilities of their personal shells. >

The drones set up two of the spatial chests by the midden entrance while five of the larger ones moved to the center of the lair with the last of the chests and began placing the scattered bodies of those that Eric and company had not collected into it. The smaller drones began moving into the midden chamber, led by the original hover-drone, which had once again activated its headlight to show the way.

< However, chitterers cannot digest magically-crafted metals or materials, > Osar’s voice was heavy with excitement, as the one of the smaller drones emerged from the midden carrying what looked like a shit-encrusted spatial ring. < Meaning that this massive shit-pile, a collection of excrement that possibly took several decades to compile, might very likely contain our largest treasure haul yet! >

Eric and the rest of the team looked on with both fascination and disgust, as one by one Luna’s drones emerged from the noisome tunnel, carrying literal treasures from the years of shit that they had all been buried under.