The size of the tunnel slowed Mason's enemy. Though not by much. At first he could only hear it running ahead, huge claws raking dirt and stone as they propelled the creature forward. He followed at full speed, knowing his foe was intelligent, and expecting to be ambushed.

He wasn't disappointed.

The tunnel wall crumbled, several giant beetles smashing through, these also crackling with arcane energy. Mason struck the first out of instinct as much as anything. It exploded.

[Apex Predator activated: Arcane Affinity]

[Apex Predator activated: Removed from enemy [Arcane Beetle x5] Arcane Affinity]

[Title activated: First Blood]

Mason couldn't do much to react except close his eyes. Heat and force knocked him against the other side of the tunnel, ears ringing, struggling for a moment to breathe as his skin tingled with something like numbness. Other explosions followed, and if he'd had the time and air he might have laughed as he expected Apex Predator just fucked them all.

But then came the pain. A burning rippled up and down Mason's whole front, so sharp and intense he felt himself shaking as he gripped the pommels of his swords. It faded quickly, at least, and he opened his eyes to get his bearings, only to see a giant claw reaching straight for his face.

He slashed and rolled as the mantis struck. It was hunched and facing him, body filling the tunnel as it reached and tried to close a pincer around his head. His blade tore off a chunk of the thing's exoskeleton, and he avoided the first blow.

The insect shrieked but kept grasping, pincers snapping with incredible speed as Mason ducked and slashed and sometimes just caught or pushed them away. It pulled its arms away, and for a moment Mason and the creature just stood across from each other staring.

The mantis turned and fled again, and Mason chased.

Insects skittered all around him in the walls and tunnels, following, watching. They didn't attack, and he suspected it was for the same reason the scent on the air had changed, as the mantis' pheromones leaked like the pus from its wounds.

He'd been right—these insects weren't mindless drones. Their behavior hadn't been some grand strategem, some cunning plot. They'd probably never been attacked like this. Challenged like this.

They were afraid.

Afraid of him. And for what they'd done, what they were still doing to this tree, and the people they'd caught. Punishment had come. And they were right to fear.

* * *

Mason caught his quarry in another, much smaller cavern, with only ant-size tunnels leading in or out as far as he could see. It had backed to the far side, then turned with its claws raised as if ready to strike.

Mason stepped inside slowly, inspecting the cavern for danger or tricks. He could see eggs in the corners, could smell rotten meat and vegetation and a far more intense odor of the mantis. He was certainly in its lair.

With every step he felt stronger. Even if the creature grabbed him now, he felt he could take it and keep slashing until his enemy was dead. He paced slowly across the room, but stopped when he heard more skittering from the little tunnels.

"They won't save you," he said. "I don't care how many of your little friends you bring."

The creature just stared with its black, empty eyes. Then a small cluster of the dog-like ants came into the room in lines. Mason didn't see the point or understand why until he saw a flash of color, and a very un-insect-like shape. The ants were carrying people.

Mason realized he was holding a breath until the creatures lifted them up as if in display. Two women and a man, all young, all strangers. He slowly let out the air in his lungs, cutting off whatever piece of humanity in him might let the cruelty stop him.

"This isn't a negotiation," he said as he kept coming forward.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The mantis raised a claw, and with blinding speed, cleanly severed the first young woman's head. The others screamed.

Mason advanced without a word, swords ready, about to activate Aspect of the Cheetah and charge to maybe save the other two when he heard human feet shuffling behind him.

"Willy? Sarah!?"

Mason's feet froze as he heard Becky's voice. The remaining two people looked behind him, recognition and maybe love, horror and hope all flashing in their increasingly familiar eyes.

"Ah feck," muttered Seamus.

For once, Mason and the Irishman agreed.

* * *

Mason didn’t know which was stronger: the urge to protect, or the urge to kill. But he was guessing he was about to find out.

Becky and the others came running up behind him, and as the mantis raised its arm Mason held them back. One look at Becky and he knew he wasn’t going to reason with her here. He needed to get this under control, and he needed to do it fast. He looked at Phuong, who met his eyes and at least seemed to understand.

“This thing is smart,” Mason whispered. “It might be able to hear us, even now, and understand our words.” He glanced briefly at the giant insect, but having a completely dead face was something of a poker advantage.

“Those are my cousins,” Becky said, her hands in her hair.

For now Mason ignored her. That he had to try and save them was just a fact he had to accept. But how the hell did you deal with a hostage taker when his only demands were ‘leave and don’t kill me’? Oh, and when he communicated with clicks and shrieks?

Speak with Nature was the only possibility, so Mason prepared to try that. He wished he could plan some kind of ruse with the others, but there probably wasn’t much time, and he honestly didn’t know if this thing could understand him. He decided he had to risk it. And to trust the others, or this wasn’t going to work.

“We’ll only have a moment,” he whispered. “Becky, you have to shield your cousins.”

“I was tryin’ with you before,” she said, “it wasn’t workin’. I don’t think I can…”

“It was touching me. It’s not touching them. You have to try, Becky. Can you do that?” He met her eyes, knowing in his heart the damn power might not have a chance—that maybe the mantis could slice right through her shields no matter what, and if it did and she felt responsible it might crush her. But he saw no other way.

She nodded, and he smiled.

“The second I say the word ‘go’, we charge. Act like we’re just trying to kill the mantis. Throw everything at him. Then Phuong and I will get your cousins back. Any questions?”

“I’ll try blowing the wall behind it. Shrapnel might hurt the bastard,” Seamus said, and Mason nodded his approval.

When the others said nothing, he unsummoned his blades and stepped forward, eyes locked on the mantis’ still raised, deadly claws. He activated Speak with Nature.

[The others want your captives. Give them to us, and I won’t kill you today. That’s the best I can do.]

The black, dead eyes didn’t even twitch. Mason stood and waited as long as he could tolerate, no movement at all from the insects or their leader.

A strange warble echoed from the far side of the cavern, as if projected from somewhere else and sounding down the little tunnels. With Speak with Nature active, Mason understood.

The human lies. They’ll kill you anyway. Slaughter them all, starting with the captives.

It seemed this giant mantis wasn’t the ‘leader’ after all.

“Go,” Mason yelled, summoning his blades and activating Aspect of the Cheetah. He heard Rebecca cry out in panic as the mantis struck. People were screaming, purple shields flashed and fiery missiles streaked across the cavern, blasting chunks of dirt and rock just as Seamus planned.

For Mason, there was only his target, and he supposed he answered his earlier question. Becky’s cousins had tried to run and gone down, and he had no idea if they were alive or dead. He couldn’t be distracted.

The mantis would run if it could, he knew, no matter what that ‘voice’ said. If they gave it a chance and a path, it was going right back down the tunnel it came from. As soon as it struck it looked back to Mason, beady eyes locked on his path. It shrieked and he could smell its fear. He tried not to take too much pleasure.

Then he was leaping over a rock formation with Claws aimed. It couldn’t kill his friends or Becky’s family if it was dead.

The mantis lashed out with its much superior reach, but Mason was ready. He used Predator Strike and hacked the claw with all his strength and speed in the air, finally cracking through the carapace with enough force to sever the thing to the joint.

He flew through a spray of pus, straight into the creature’s chest, jabbing his other blade to the hilt. It screeched and tried to pull away, twisting and turning as it seized his back with the other claw and crushed.

He was forced to grab the pincer and keep it from cutting him down to the spine. Already the serrated edge was a few inches into his flesh and maybe guts, the pain excruciating. He roared and pushed the claw apart, then twisted and wrenched until the edge snapped off in his bloodied hands.

The mantis panicked. It flailed at him with injured arms and broken claws, too frightened or clever to put its head anywhere near him to try and bite.

But Phuong was on him now. The old soldier rushed its flank with a sword crackling with energy, crying out as he slashed at the huge insect’s legs, spraying carapace and goo.

The mantis tried to turn, tried to wave the wreckage of its arms at both of them, but failed to hold off either. Mason and Phuong ran up the creature’s long limbs hacking off pieces until it got desperate enough to bite.

Predator’s Strike was re-charged, and Mason was waiting.

He slashed down and gouged the thing between its eyes, taking off enough of its face that one black eye slopped to the ground. He heard the arcane shield crackle and die. Not that he cared. Two more swipes and it was done.

[Corrupted Giant Mantis killed. Group experience awarded.]

The mantis fell, and Mason and Phuong both leapt to the ground and slashed at a few of the dog-ants until they fled in panic back down the tunnels, no attempt to take Becky’s cousins.

Mason didn’t know if they were alive or dead. He turned with wobbly legs, knowing he’d lost a lot of blood and was still healing. For Becky’s sake he hoped her family was alright.

But his objective hadn’t flashed. The dungeon wasn’t finished. Whatever was corrupting the tree was still ahead.