*( mood song: " Ex Hex - New kid")

Back at the ambush site, arrows kept raining down as Erik and the elders bunkered down on a nearby tunnel, having to just defend two sides that way.

As they were fighting though, a green color seemed to keep disseminating in the water, the enemy soldiers then stopped shooting without notice and started fleeing in all directions in a panic.

Erik: "they stopped... I wonder if they retreated..."

Rose: [they seem scared of something, running away in all- RUN! WE NEED TO GET AWAY!]

Erik: [what? what happened?]

Rose: [they are closing in from all directions, thousands of tentacled worms, I believe they should be head gulpers Anhuka mentioned]

Erik: [alright, in what direction do we run?]

Rose: [...they are coming from all directions... huh? that's weird]

Erik: [what is it?]

Rose: [a group of crabmen is coming from a side tunnel, but... they seem to be killing the shadow claw soldiers as they come... what do we do?]

Erik: [they might be coming to help? anyway we will hear them out, if they are friendly and help us hold the line, this would be much simpler, and if they are enemies we will just blast them to pieces] he then yelled "okay everyone, don't panic but the enemy seems to have used something and it has attracted thousands of monsters from all around, we will stick to this tunnel as it will be easier to defend, we will set charges on both sides and blow them up if needed, also a friendly group seems to be approaching"

Inky: "how do you know they are friendly?"

Erik lied saying "I have a sonar device, it can use sound to map the caves and then detect movement, and they seem to be killing the shadow claw soldiers, and as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend"

Inky wasn't completely convinced but nodded as they set charges of nitric acid and ethanol as they went down the tunnel in the direction of the rebel reinforcements.

*kra...KRAAA.....* a rumble started slowly but soon got louder and louder, as reptating worms started flooding the cave where they had previously been and also started appearing in bifurcations and from a crack on their current tunnel, but luckily they were barely one or two meters long so they could still step over them.

Erik: "come on! run faster!"

They sped up faster through the poorly illuminated tunnels, the lights from their helmets and some fluorescent algae and animals being the only sources of light.

Rose: [they have smelled us! they are starting to go down this tunnel, they will reach you in 10 seconds!] showing Erik an image that made his face blanch, leeches 6 to 8 meters long flooding the tunnel like a tide.

A rumble of screeches coming from the darkness behind them as Erik turned around and shot a sodium harpoon to the darkness [set the charges now!]

*BOOOOM!!!* the tunnel walls reverberated as a pressure wave of water threw them forward.

Erik shouting: "now don't take your helmets off, it could erode your gills if you breathe it in" the algae on the walls indeed seemed to glow less.

Rose: [that won't kill them, they will dig through the rubble]

Erik: [yes but it will fry their sense of smell and breathing, making them tire faster, and with hundreds of carcasses from the dead worms they will spend some time eating those, how far are we from those rebels?]

Rose: [they have cleared a tunnel of the shadow claw soldiers encirclement and are now fighting the worms, we will reach them in 5 minutes as they are also on the move]

Erik: [great, we will soon break away then] "we will soon see the possible ally group, be ready to release pheromones, we want them willing to die for us if necessary".

Rose: [Erik, they broke through! they are also inside the walls!]

Erik: [alright! I will keep the rear, cover the flanks and the fron-]

Rose: [careful!] but she was late, a two meters wide mouth emerging from the ceiling and half sucking Erik inside as easily as sucking spaghetti.

Inky: "Erik!" luckily for him, the elders and Rose's minions turned around as they held his legs.

Erik: "fucking worm!" Erik pulled his shoulders up and then his elbows to the side, with both hands on his chest, he grabbed a sodium grenade and pushed it deep inside the worm, as it immediately started to bubble and heat up in contact with moisture, the flesh walls inside the worm squirmed in pain as the pressure loosened up, finally being pulled out by the feet as the grenade blew the worm from inside out.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

There was no time to rest though, so he quickly stood up "Everyone, continue running!" inside asking [how far?!]

Rose: [just around the corner! run!]

Crossing the corner both groups came into view, as Erik didn't stop and just commanded them "TAKE THE FRONT! WE WILL SHOOT FROM THE BACK!"

Some of the rebel soldiers frowned as they came closer, one about to grab Erik's shoulder, but he sidestepped while grabbing his wrist, twisting it inwards and tripping him forward "TAKE YOUR POSITION ALREADY SOLDIER!"

te big rebel big soldier looked at Erik's avatar crab face mesmerized for some seconds, in part due to the big amount of pheromones released and stuttered "Y-YES MA'AM!" and swiftly held his position forming a shield wall with bone tower shields on both sides as Rose's minions and the elders git into position to hold on there, squirming noises getting closer from both directions.

One of the rebels, a scarred crabman carrying two swords came then close to Erik "well then mysterious lady, you seem to already know us but we don't know you, I hope you ain't planning to use my men as bait cause-"

Erik: "SHUT UP, I don't fucking care who you are or your motives, this is not the moment, you just need to know that we don't care if we die, we will be back, and if you kill me or hurt any of my family then... hehe~ I will be sure to enslave your entire race for generations, so you better not have any funny ideas understood?" he saw him nod "good, now hold the line, they are coming~"

As worms came closer and into the light from their flashlights, the rebel soldier blanched, before they could complain or despair though, sodium harpoons whistled through the water, soon embedding into the living mass, Erik also hurling a grenade while the elders shot their explosive pellets shotguns.

*BOOM!* the multiple explosions made the rebel soldiers flinch, soon staring in awe at the mutilated mess that used to be an undefeatable enemy, a second volley soon being shot and mowing another wave as the shield wall stopped any small ones passing through and easily butchering them.

The rebel leader turned around and observed Erik's calm face, thinking 'these women...I guess Krander was right about them...'

--- back at the shadow claw tribe ---

The general and three commanders had arrived unscathed, with only their private guard surviving the ambush, now they kneeled to their king.

General: "it was unfortunate, but those crab women scaped, all due to a traitor!, if we had released the lure potion earlier and gave our brave soldiers the order to retreat sooner they would have survived, we bravely fought our way out as we waited till the last moment, but their deaths won't be in vain as now those intruders will know that the mighty death claw tribe is hunting them down!" he saw the king frowning "and that our mighty king, will soon give them the honor of being his concubines! those savages would fall to their knees in worship if they saw your magnificence my king"

The king smiled satisfied "hm hm indeed, I'm sure those savages have never seen a beauty such as mine..." looking at his reflection on a nearby polished shell "but... you still lost an entire battalion, 600 men have died in your ambush, according to your report, most died due to those worms, but some surviving soldiers said it was those women's weapons?"

The general coughed "surely you jest my king, there's no way the mighty shadow claw army could be defeated by some women"

the king tapped his armrest and a lascivious smile appeared on his face as he scratched his ample belly "so... tell me about those women, how do they look?"

General: "well, soldier reports said they were shiny and that even arrows did nothing to them"

The king spat to the side "then they ain't soft! what a waste of time!"

The nearby commanders saw the king's mood sour and soon said "not necessarily my king, they could be wearing some kind of armor like the fire tribe"

The perverted King's mood soon improving with those words "yeah... that's right... hehehe~ I will strip them of those armors and make them my new wives" his small dick poking a tent in his robe, he then waved his hand, telling the others to go away as he deluded himself on his fantasies.

--- Somewhere on a hidden cave ---

Erik and the elders emerged on a big cave the size of 4 football fields, glowing algae dropping from the ceiling and giving the place a gentle cyan glow.

Erik looked around, asking the rebel leader "what is this place?"

RebelLeader: "it is our home, anyone who wants to live in peace is welcome here"

Erik: "why don't the other tribes discover you?"

RebelLeader: "well, this used to be a bug's nest but we plugged the tunnels and then planted spies on the nearby tribes, making them think this place was still dangerous with false reports, but... times seem to be changing though"

Erik: "anything weird happened recently?"

RebelLeader: "well, we have lost contact with spies on the deeper tribes... and supplies are short these days" he extended his arms "everyone you see here are refugees or seekers of peace who have joined our crusade"

Erik looked around, seeing stone houses and cave houses all around, but the people in general seemed malnourished.

Erik: "can't you just hunt or steal food from nearby tribes?"

RebelLeader: "we did so several times in the past but hunters keep disappearing or getting injured, some even leader monster packs or enemy soldiers way too close for comfort on their escape, but... let's go talk to my house"

After several minutes walking, they reached a cave house carved into the stone wall, crabman warriors chiseled into the stone on both sides of the bug rectangular entrance.

Erik: "quite impressive, but isn't it a bit extravagant?"

The rebel leader chuckled "well, thanks for the compliment but I did all that myself, carving helps me relax" and took the elders to a big round table and gestured for them to sit, as the 30 Rose's and rebel soldiers waited outside.

RebelLeader: "now tell me... what are your true intentions?" his face growing serious.

Erik: "what do you mean?"

RebelLeader: "don't joke around, you are clearly well fed beauties and with mysterious weapons too, what would you even need from this dump?"

Erik: "alright, I shall tell you, but first can you tell me why the shadow claw tribe wanted to attack the rock claw tribe, it can't be just because of the hybrid crab women right?"

the rebel leader sighed "well... alright, according to our spies the shadow claw tribe had been doing a deal with one of Trutk's lieutenants for a rebellion in exchange for half the females they had been giving him hallucinogen mushrooms to give to those still loyal to Trutk and weaken them without them noticing anything wrong, most of the guards were already addicted so the plan was about to succeed, but a group of demons came and decimated them, I know they send an army but it never came back, they were crushed by some kind of Abyssal apparently, and now they are weakened so the fire tribe seems to be preparing an army, their armies are smaller, but much better equipped, they covet the shadow claw alchemists and their potions, now your turn".

Erik chuckled lightly to that "alright, then I will tell you, have you ever heard of a building very deep on the tunnels, with lights, controls, and near molten rocks?"

RebelLeader: "hmmm doesn't ring a bell, but we have some elders refugees from the lower tribes, they tend to made up fantastical stories though, so hear them at your own discretion"