As the moments passed by, Buddy grew more anxious and fidgety. Its eyes darted from one corner to another, twitching. Buddy returned to its look-out job, watching the horizon on a roof. Hero attempted to calm it down by accompanying it with its look-out duty, but it did not stop Buddy from shaking any less.

An hour had past, and nothing of alarm had come. The food queue had halved, but Buddy's anxiety had not. Hero was concerned, and while he did not know what kind of danger Buddy's gut feeling was implying, it did not hurt for them to be cautious.

Tesla propped a ladder onto a wall to climb up to the roof. They wore an unconcerned face.

"Relax, Buddy-pal. Maybe it's just your stomach warning you of your upcoming starvation."

Buddy was about to retort when a rumble was heard. "See. You let yourself go hungry, and now you got a rumbly tummy," Tesla pointed out.

"But Tesla, that wasn't my stomach," Buddy stared at Tesla. Sparkles of confusion and fear found within its eyes.

"If it wasn't your stomach, then what wa--" Tesla's question stopped in the middle as a louder and larger rumble was heard, shaking the very earth the town stood upon. Scraping and scratching noises were heard accompanying the rumbles, and soon star-shaped cracks appeared in the streets throughout the town.

Hero unsheated his bronze blade, and held it firmly in his hands. Buddy shook uncontrollably, and hid behind Tesla who themself expressed a face of terror. Quick townsfolk brought out their weapons, wary of the upcoming subterranean menaces.

The cracks grew, and out burst in a pillars of dust giant locusts with crystal wings that blurred in their flight, golden eyes that leaked reddish fluid, and giant beetles that sported arms stout like pine trunks, a horn ready to bulldoze walls, and angry viridian eyes lacking feeling. They buzzed, and began to terrorize the town, causing chaos and mayhem.

The brave warriors that faced the invaders, and struck them with their weapons of choice, but the shells of the insects were thick and hard; striking them with their clubs and blades was akin to trying tear tank armor with only a kitchen knife. The townsfolk were merciless impaled with the scythed appendages of the locusts.

Moly wrestled with one beetle who towered above them, standing at twice their height. The beetle, even with its cracked shell leaking watery blood, fastly pushed back Moly whose feet began to dig into the dirt and pavement with the forces at clash. Moly sang some strained chants as they fought the chitinous beast.

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Metaphor shot blue magical missiles the locusts and beetles, while Stripe shakily held a shovel, and stood behind her, watching out for insects that strayed too close. The missile would explode into watery flames and mist, as it carved craters onto their shells. However, for every locust and beetle she downed, two more would march.

Hero jumped into battle, slicing through the shells of the insects like there eggshells. He downed several locusts, and sliced appendages and pink fluid littered around him as more would charge toward him.

One beetle came rushing to him in challenge. Hero firmly held his claymore, and struck at its side, but alas! His blade became stuck in the gummy flesh of the beetle.

The beetle forcefully flicked Hero, sending him flying across the street, and crashing through a wooden store front. The beetle charged with its horn pointed towards Hero, but fortunately, he was swift and agile enough to dodge the charging insect. It charged with enough force to tear down the concrete wall and the next one behind him.

Then, there was flash of lightning and thunder. The locusts were flying away, and all the beetles were slain, crushed. Hero breathed out in relief as another ordeal was taken care off, until he heard them.

"Help! Somebody help!" It was a high-pitched voice coming from a small falling violet apple-slice sized lizard-- Amethyst. Before the poor little creature could hit the ground, a locust dropped to catch their falling prey. Amethyst went mute, muffled.

It struck to him, the locusts were abducting people. In their appendages was silky capsule-shaped bags roughly person-sized, all uncomfortably wriggling as if something was struggling within. Hero sweated worry; terrible fate was about befall to them. He ran towards them, towards the open hills.

"They're taking people with them!" Hero shouted.

Hero ran towards the fleeing insects. Some folk whose friends and loved ones were snatched by the locusts ran alongside him. Tesla, Metaphor, and Stripe all gave chase to take back the people that were snatched from them: Amethyst, and Buddy.

The insectoid kidnappers fleeted over the hills, and past a wall of wood and green. They had come far, and had come to the threshold, the boundary of Hillland. The pleasant grass and gentle slopes were replaced with lush foliage and proud trees. A wall of wood and leaves separate the fair hills from the labyrinth of trees.

Forestland, the next land beyond the threshold, the land of wild wood and deep lushness, where the soft breeze of Hillland gave way to still ghostly air. High above the treetops of this verdant wood flew the fleet of sack-carrying locusts, and just beyond the threshold, following behind, were intrepid and brave folk giving chase to save their fellows.

Before the last locust could disappear from view, a bolt of lightning cracked the air, and the sound of thunder broke. Zap and thud. The forked electrical discharge succeeded in striking a locust or two which drop ungracefully to the forest floor.

Hero looked behind him, looked for the source of the lightning. It was Tesla, and their hand was smoking. All of them stopped before the threshold between Hillland and Forestland, gawking at the feat Tesla just did.

"Dude. Did you just shoot lightning from your hands?"