Fayne grew anxious as more days passed and the drone count increased. It was hard to tell each worker from the other, but she assumed there had to have been some twenty or thirty of them scurrying around accomplishing tasks. She expected them to multiply, but what she saw next sent a chill down her spine and threatened to dismantle her carefully laid plans.

As she impatiently stared out the entrance to her chamber, she noticed something dart by at impossible speeds. Again, and again, figures would leap too fast for her to identify.

“Darian?” she called out, and in seconds he had appeared in her door.

“Fayne,” he replied, seeming to relish in the use of her name.

“What was that? The things jumping down the corridors?” her hands moved without instruction, flicking through the air to emphasize the motions of the creatures she had seen.

“Prowlers,” he remarked with pride. “They find food,” his mouth moved in a way that Fayne had associated with grinning, “Food for you. Not friend food, animal food,” his claws bounced around in the air, though she wasn’t sure what exactly that meant, it seemed that he was mimicking the movements of an animal.

“May I… See one?” she dared request, not sure why she was going this far, but knowing that should be an escape, she would need to know what dangers awaited her on the surface. It was clear that Darian had truly been gearing up for a surface excursion and as thrilling as this was, it could spell disaster.

“Yes! Come!” he cheered, unclear as to if he meant for Fayne, or the ‘Prowler’ to come to him. Decided not to chance it, Fayne remained in place and soon another breed of alien creature came into view.

The beast that slipped into view had a body that was both sleek and powerful, with a central, segmented thorax covered in a matte, iridescent carapace that seemed to constantly shift hues to blend seamlessly with its surroundings. It stood on six long, jointed legs ending in clawed tips, clearly able to climb walls and hang from ceilings much like she had seen the drones do. Two additional shorter limbs, mounted near its head, served as what she believed to be manipulators for securing prey and grappling their prey. The beasts before her were ideal ambush predators, and Fayne knew in her heart, that anything wandering the surface unprotected, would stand no chance, should they be caught unaware.

The creature's sleek form seemed to ripple with latent energy as it adjusted its stance, its carapace shimmering to mimic the dull, organic tones of the hive walls. Its multiple eyes glimmered against the bioluminescent light, something Fayne had known to be a predatory feature.

Fayne found herself rooted in place, her heart pounding as she observed the Prowler. Every inch of its form was designed for efficiency: from the spiked limbs poised to grip prey, to the powerful hind legs, ready to launch it into a deadly leap.

“It is... impressive,” she said, forcing the words out through her tightening throat. “You’ve been busy.”

Darian tilted his head, assessing her words, “They are… perfection,” he said simply. “Strong. Fast. Silent. The surface... full of dangers. They will keep us safe.”

Fayne swallowed hard, her mind racing. She couldn’t tell if Darian truly believed the Prowlers were for her benefit or if he simply saw this as an opportunity to flaunt his growing hive’s capabilities. Either way, the creatures were a terrifying addition to her plans. If these things patrolled the surface, escaping wouldn’t just be difficult. it might be impossible.

“Safe,” she echoed his words, her voice faltering despite her efforts to steady it. “Are there many of these… Prowlers?” the word caught in her throat as she began to panic, afraid of his response.

Darian regarded her for a long moment as if weighing her question. “Many… No. Needs of the hive are high, food… vital,” he nodded at his statement, “Four Prowlers,” Darian finished, satisfied with his response.

“Do they hunt together, or alone?” Fayne dared inquire. A pack of these creatures would be horrifying, but maybe one or two, yes, one or two wouldn’t be impossible.

“Sometimes… alone. Sometimes pack,” he admitted. “Depends on prey. Large… small… many… few. They learn. Mostly, they watch, they scout.”

“They learn,” Fayne repeated under her breath, a chill crawling up her spine. These creatures weren’t just predators, they were adaptive predators, and of course they were. Everything about this monster screamed adaptation. She clenched her fists, feeling the sticky residue of the mushroom jelly still coating her palms. The sensation grounded her, but it didn’t quell the rising fear.

She needed to adjust her approach. If the surface was truly swarming with these horrors, her escape plan would require more than stealth. She’d need timing, and above all, she'd need Darian’s trust to keep the Prowlers at bay long enough for her to make a break for it.

“Thank you for showing me,” she said at last, her voice soft but deliberate. “It… makes me feel safer, knowing you’re looking out for me.”

Darian tilted his head again, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her skin crawl. “You… safe. Always,” he replied, the strange cadence of his speech somehow amplifying his words. “Sunlight… soon.”

“I can’t wait any longer,” she declared, taking this moment to really push her agenda, knowing that if he kept spawning new terrors, she would never be free. “Please, you have to take me to the surface!” one final plea left her lips as Darian seemed to be stunned by her urgent request.

“Fayne… I…” Darian was interrupted.

Before he could finish, Fayne staggered dramatically, clutching her stomach as if struck by an incredible pain. Her breathing quickened, and with a theatrical sigh, she let herself collapse against the wall, sliding to the fleshy floor.

Darian’s reaction was immediate. He propelled himself toward her, reaching the body of the human woman in a flash, his claws hovering uncertainly over her prone form. “Fayne!” His voice trembled in her head, unfamiliar with what was occurring before him.

Fayne groaned softly, letting her body go limp. “It’s the sun,” she whispered, forcing a faint quaver into her words. “I… can’t… without it…”

Darian wasted no time. Removing himself from her thoughts, he appeared overwhelmed with activity, and in moments he had summoned all nearby drones, their skittering limbs responding as fast as he had when she collapsed.

“Clear the tunnels! Prepare the ascent!” he commanded telepathically to his subjects. Glancing back at Fayne, she was still crumpled against the wall, and he wasn’t sure how long he had. The Prowlers vanished, by camouflage or by leaping away, they were too quick to tell, while worker drones swarmed to widen and smooth the pathways.

In a surprisingly gentle motion, Darian scooped Fayne into his arms, his segmented limbs curling protectively around her. His pace was deliberate but swift as he carried her toward the upper reaches of the hive. Fayne dared not open her eyes, but from the sound of movement, it was as though every worker had been redirected for this particular task. With how fast Darian was moving, it shouldn’t have been possible for them to pass through the barriers he had placed between her and the surface world. She wondered how efficient these drones really were.

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The air grew fresher with each step, the organic warmth of the tunnels giving way to the crisp scent of soil and vegetation.

Finally, they emerged onto the surface, the sunlight cascading down in golden rays. Fayne blinked rapidly, pretending to adjust to the brightness even as she internally celebrated her success. It was a beautiful day, the sky a clear endless expanse of blue, with a soft breeze stirring the grass. The air was filled with the gentle hum of insects and the distant calls of birds, far from the cold skittering of the Vescarid hive..

Darian hesitated, keeping Fayne cradled in his arms as his many eyes darted around, scanning for threats. “The sun… Is it good?” he asked, his voice tinged with worry..

“Yes,” Fayne murmured, her tone soft but firm. She let her head rest against his chest, feigning exhaustion to maintain the illusion. “It’s… everything I needed.”

For a moment, Darian remained still, his insectoid form standing foreign in the bright light. Then, carefully, he set her down on a patch of soft grass, his claws retracting slightly as he watched her with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

As Darian carefully set her down on a patch of soft grass, Fayne’s fingers sank into the sod and dug deep into the cool soil. She leaned back, closing her eyes and letting the sun’s warmth flood her face. Her skin tingled as if awakening from a deep slumber, and she drew in a deep breath, savoring the clean, earthy scent of the air. It was as though every fiber of her being reached out to soak in the life-giving rays.

Her muscles relaxed in a way she hadn’t realized was possible, the tension she carried dissolving with each passing second. She stretched her arms toward the sky, palms open to embrace the sunlight, while the faint rustle of leaves and the chirping of unseen birds filled her ears. A smile, small but genuine, spread across her face. She felt wholly alive in a way she hadn’t since… possibly ever?

Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, tears that she dared not brush away. She couldn’t remember the last time she had truly appreciated the sheer beauty of a day like this. “It’s perfect,” she whispered to herself, voice trembling with raw emotion.

Darian stood a few paces away, his ridged form a stark contrast against the serene backdrop. His gaze never left her as if he were studying her reaction. “The sun… heals you?” he asked, unsure of how to translate her reaction to the surface.

“Yes,” Fayne replied, not looking at him but instead at the endless sky. She let her fingers trail through the grass, marveling at its cool, earhty texture. “More than I can say.”

Her back wiggled against the earth, soaking up the sun’s energy from overhead. The warmth on her skin, the light in her eyes, the life teeming in the breeze, it was all intoxicating. She closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling in steady breaths, feeling as though she were tethered to the earth and sky at once. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was free, if only for this moment.

Darian watched in silence, his claws flexing absently as he processed her reaction. “Fayne,” he said finally, his voice laced with sorrow, “I am sorry.”

Her eyes opened, meeting his gaze, his words breaking her trance and filling her with dread. “Sorry for what?” she almost regretted asking.

Darian’s voice in her mind softened, allowing a sense of vulnerability to pierce through his usually unreadable demeanor. “Sorry… for keeping you here,” he admitted, head and therefore his eyes lowering as if burdened by a weight he could no longer justify. He paused, claws twitching against his side as if the decision physically pained him. “You… do not belong below.”

Fayne’s breath caught. For days, she had rehearsed possible escape plans and steeled herself against the despair of her captivity, but she had never truly considered the idea that Darian might simply let her go. “What are you saying?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“You will go.” was all he had to say, either unsure how to articulate his thoughts, or feeling no more needed to be said.

For a moment, Fayne could only stare, unsure if she’d misheard. “You’re… serious?” she whispered, rolling over to her stomach and propping herself up, ready to take off if this were all some sick joke.

Darian nodded, his rigid body language betraying an inner turmoil. “No harm. Just go.” His claws flexed absently, his words halting as though he were pushing them through great resistance. “You are… free.”

Fayne’s lips parted, but no words came. Whatever emotion she felt now was utterly foreign, almost surreal. Her arms trembled as she pushed herself to her knees, tears spilling down her cheeks unbidden.

Darian took a step back, his towering form casting a shadow over her. “Go… return to your hive”, and for once, she perceived his words as sorrowful. His once authoritative voice seemed to quaver in her mind. The feeling of his true intent was almost scary, as he exuded the desire for her to be gone. Sure, it wasn’t hostile, but it was clear he needed her to leave, and her body reacted on its own.

With shaky legs, Fayne rose, the sun’s warmth bolstering her as she took her first steps away from the hive. Every breath of fresh air filled her lungs with a vitality she hadn’t felt in who knows how many days. She paused to look back at Darian, who stood motionless, a sentinel between her and his hive entrance.

Each step felt like a reclamation of her life. Fayne reached out, letting her fingers grace the rough bark of the trees around her. She breathed in the heady scent of wildflowers that filled her nostrils, and the earth beneath her feet was firm and alive. She paused in a clearing, lifting her face fully to the sky, and let the sunlight pour over her in waves. Her skin soaked it in greedily, and she spread her arms wide, as though embracing the world itself.

And finally, out of all the things she could do, Fayne laughed. It was soft and breathless at first, then louder, a joyous, liberating sound that echoed through the forest. She fell to her knees, running her hands over the grass, whispering a quiet thanks to the sun, to the earth, to whatever god had allowed her to be free. Standing to her feet, she marched back into the woods.

Fayne wandered for hours before coming across a road. She had been so preoccupied with the concept of freedom, that she failed to navigate in any meaningful direction. Once she hit the road she realized what needed to be done. Pulling up her mini-map, she surveyed the surrounding area and saw where the fog had lifted along the path she and Ranger had initially taken. The thought of Ranger made her sick, she still wasn’t sure what had happened to him, but figured if he would be anywhere, it would be in the town they had been heading to.

Before that fateful decision to enter the hive, they had actually been quite close, no more than an hour's walk from the first town outside of the tutorial region. Fayne brought up her friends list and sent a message to Ranger before noticing he was currently offline.

“Did that asshole seriously quit as soon as he died?” were her first words as a free woman. Then it hit her, she was no longer in the hive, maybe she could log off? Still walking toward town, she opened the menu, shifted down to the log-out button, and pressed it.

“Unable to log out while enemies are near,” the familiar voice chimed.

After a series of expletives, Fayne looked around for whatever enemies it could be referring to. There was nothing out there, nothing that could interfere with her logging out on the main road heading from the tutorial to the second village. This was absurd. That was until a rapid movement caught her gaze, just beyond the tree line. Her heart caught in her chest as realization hit. Fayne knew she should be afraid, but at this point, she was just pissed.

“Get out of here! For god's sake, let me log out!” she shouted at the trees before the faintest sign of movement indicated that something had been displaced. A flicker of movement caught her eye, a ripple in the shadows above, high in the canopy. The exhaustingly familiar beat of her quickening heart took off in a race. She searched the trees for what she had seen, but by the time her gaze returned to where she thought it had been, it was already gone.

Her hand tightened around her trusty staff, the weapon that had done little to protect her in the caverns, but always gave her comfort in having. The trees swayed gently, their dark green leaves casting dappled light on the bark, but there, just for a second, she thought she saw it once more. A shimmer, as though the air itself bent and twisted around it.

And then, it revealed itself.

The creature emerged slowly from the cover of a high branch, its segmented thorax gleaming faintly as the last rays of sunlight hit its iridescent carapace. The hues shifted, matching the bark around it before blending into the deep green of the surrounding foliage. Six long, powerful, jointed legs gripped the tree with ease, their clawed tips digging into the wood as it moved with predatory silence.

Fayne’s breath caught in her throat as she recalled the creature's most recent creation. “A prowler,” she finally choked out.

The prowler clung to the tree for a moment, its lithe, sleek body tense with coiled energy. Two shorter limbs near its angular head flexed, their spindly digits twitching as though testing the air. Violet eyes, faintly glowing, pierced through the dim light, locking onto her with cold precision, as though calculating how far away she was.

It began to move. Slowly at first, its legs shifting to adjust its grip before it leapt effortlessly to another tree and then another, darting thankfully a bit further into the forest. She kept her eyes on where it had been, but by the second jump, it was too hard to track, the thing was impossibly fast and never once made a noise.

She stood there, in complete silence, unable to move as she stared off into the distance, certain it would come back. Out of sheer force of will, she drew her hand up to the interface, an trying again, she pressed the log out button. To her blessed surprise, everything went black.