Hantal was almost paralyzed in surprise as Senyak sprang up in a back flip with pinwheeling enhanced legs that cracked his unwieldy mandibles and sent a gush of clear internal fluids to spray in an arc following his ungainly bug body. He then flew away from Tanner and the unconscious female.

Landing on his rounded exo-plated back twenty meters away from where he had been, Hantal rolled over to his legs and circled back to Senyak to strike a decisive enhanced blow from his significantly greater body mass and multiple skeletonized legs–

--Hantal only caught a glimpse of Senyak doing an accelerated power slide coming out of nowhere from the right on his knees as he slid under the vermin’s marine-mammal-sized body. The glint of a golden-orange-glowing Earth Enhanced blade was seen for a brief instant before it sliced through most of the legs on Hantal’s right side. Their severed, multi-jointed lengths spasmed and sprang in random directions as the stumps sprayed large amounts of his clear hemolymph in randomly directed pulses.

Immediately losing his balance, Hantal veered off course. His left legs reflexively continued to push unopposed, rolling him on his rounded back. Gouts from his leg stumps now jetted directly into his eyes and gullet.

Now awash in the panic response of a giant insect that was unable to meet its basal instincts of flight in the face of its rapidly approaching demise, terror blanked out all conscious decisions for Hantal.

The uncontrolled movements of his still attached legs started barreling his body in circles, turning him into a 2-meter-long steam roller, plowing over everything in an asymmetrical ovalene path.

What sounded like a grunt from Joshua Tanner, and someone kicked the lower edge of Hantal’s shell, sending him spinning head to tail on his back like the hands on an out-of-control timepiece.

An internal cacophony of disbelief, confusion, and steadily increasing fear now had complete control as Hantal’s pleas for mercy filled the air with an overlapping rapidity of clicks, pops, and chirps. Still, somehow, Senyak’s calmly spoken words got through to Hantal’s mind.

“I wasn’t sure who or what was following us at first… And admittedly, we were busy. But with an Earth Attunement in a giant insect on a mundane Ark Carrier, now I’m absolutely certain it is you… I imagine you have been brought back here to expunge Joshua and me, correct?”

Hantal was in no position to answer in anything but the already ongoing random and uncontrolled cascade of insectile ratcheting that very accurately reflected the hysteria that had taken over his faculties.

Senyak apparently didn’t require a response. There were several more sharp pains on Hantal’s left side, and all the legs from there had been removed. Now Hantal gently rocked back and forth side to side as he looked at the far-off roof of Epsilon 97’s chamber. Even the anxiety-driven movements of all his leg stumps had little to no effect in changing this–

“Sen, I can see that you’re busy… but I really need that core. Now!” Joshua Tanner’s stress-tinged voice interjected itself to Hantal’s awareness.

Senyak responded in a serious and guiding tone. “He’s ready for you, Joshua. Visualize the core with your Aural sight. But understand, a being’s Essence-center is the place where the physical meets the spiritual in the heart of their cultivation. Just like the spirit’s presence in Alysa’s body isn’t enough, in and of itself, to form a spiritual/physical object. The core must be removed with both physical and spiritual simultaneous forces. I have absolutely no Idea how to do this… I just know it is true. Perhaps your special relation with physical matter iterations will help you here. Anything I can do to assist, please let me know.”

Alarm bells started going off in Hantal’s distracted mind. They are going to take my core?! They can’t take my core!! I’m still mortal! That will kill me!!!

Hantal’s chirping became a mixture of spitting and hissing, but this change had no effect on the conversation around him.

“Thanks, Sen. I do see the core, and I was thinking the same things. But I think I have it figured out.”

An extremely bright golden glow sprang up from out of Hantal’s sight line.

“... I’m going to flood my enhanced short sword with my Essence like this–”

The light became strong enough to hurt Hantal’s light-sensitive eyes as a sharp pain pierced his anterior section. This was quickly followed by what seemed to be a scalpel cutting into his soul. The tragically terrible feeling of being emptied of everything that mattered engulfed Hantal. Everything in him that had strength, or the power of life was forcefully pulled away from him all at once–

“...Got it! I’m out!” Joshua Tanner’s foot fell, and he ran away over the hard ground, apparently carrying with him the only important part of Hantal’s being.

Shocked into a fading silence, Hantal could only hear Senyak’s words as if from a long distance. They no longer held meaning… Nothing held meaning anymore as the previously hated being presented himself into the sightline of the now completely pacified, giant cockroach.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Sen appeared calm and collected with his unsheathed weapon at ease, but still easily accessible.

“... It makes perfect sense that you have been sent to me. You are a Test of Insight—a Gift of Redemption, and a Promise of Acceptance on behalf of my family.” Sen’s brows rose as he seemed to legitimately try and explain a concept likely to be misunderstood. “... You see, we Marztenaks are guardian warriors charged with protection through the perfection of combat. Because of my individual failings and unpreparedness, you had stripped me of my honor and dignity. And thus, my purpose.”

A considering expression creased Senyak’s features. “... If I hadn’t learned from the mistakes of our previous battle, you would certainly have been able to sneak up on Joshua and me. Then destroy us to gain whatever had been promised–” Senyak leaned in and spoke under his breath while nodding knowingly. “... I suspect you were offered restoration to your previous status. It's what I would have asked for… Make no mistake, that promise was real. My grandfather makes no idle threats and even fewer idle promises. Nor does he need a weak heir. Had you defeated us, it would have been the final proof of my—our unworthiness.” Sen leaned back to a straight position. “... I am indebted to you for the pointers and insight gained in our previous combat. For that, I salute you. You may be just another fallen enemy on my path, but your life and death held meaning. May you rest in that truth and find peace.”

Senyak bowed formally at the waist and for a moment dropped out of Hantal’s sight line before coming back into view, this time with a contented smile.

Hantal’s vision was narrowing and very blurry at the edges. The non-stop spasms of its legs had all but stopped.

Sen continued. “Without redeeming myself against you I could never move forward to my true purpose of ruling the Polar Neutral Iteration. So again, I thank you for making yourself so readily available to me. Though I suspect that it was the promise of your returned Immortality which made you throw your conniving caution to the winds and attack me flat out as a novice child would…” Sen again bowed. Rose up and leaned in again as if taking Hantal into his confidence “Perhaps you wonder how I knew to expect you? Never have I nor anyone close to me mistaken me for one of unique intelligence. However, I do learn—particularly from my mistakes. I admit that your new body threw me off for some time, but eventually, even I began to realize what was going on. You see… giant insects have thirteen-chambered hearts, which are very easy to discern from other organisms if you possess the proper situational awareness m and are listening for all threats when you enter a new area. Your carapace is hard, which is a blessing and a curse as you leave six very easily distinguished footprints in a track pattern that is impossible to miss if you are looking for it. You followed us to the Star Gen service station and then followed us as we left… I was never going to miss you … or let you sneak up on us.”

Sen stood and a dangerous gleam came into Senyak’s eyes that even Hantal’s fading awareness recognized.

“I would not allow you to win—not ever again. You represent a promise of acceptance back into my role as Heir… proof that I will never make the same mistakes that my lax arrogance led me into again.”

Senyak Marztanak, sole-seeded heir of the Marztanak Hegemony, lifted his blade over the lower portion of the insect's head. In one quick enhanced chop he decapitated the wretched creature. Still, Sen finished the ongoing discourse with his now defeated opponent. It was only proper to do so ...

“Believe me when I vow that I will never let my guard down to an adharmic– to an evil mother fucker like you again.” Sen bowed a last time to the dead bug’s unmoving body.

So ended the path of Hantal Brundox, a giant mortal cockroach.

* * * * *

Sen spun a full 180 degrees and bowed deeply to his waist and held it to the Clone who he knew would be watching. The Clone’s visage momentarily formed in the mists above the small clearing in the trees Sen was standing in. It nodded back in approval at Sen’s performance and acknowledged his redemption and acceptance back to the family. By the time Senyak had returned up from his bow It had disappeared.

* * * * *

Josh ran back to Alysa and the Spirit’s side. They were both quiet, but he could hear Alysa’s short interval breaths so they both must still be here.

He set the glowing golden ball the size of a softball on Alysa’s abdomen. I really don’t want to have to cut her with my short sword, was Josh’s preeminent thought as he pressed it down with both hands over her navel and willed with his entire Intent to move it into her abdomen.

Apparently, with the help of the friendly neighborhood spirit, this time his hands were just fine.

The core sank into Alysa's abdomen but…Josh could tell that for some reason, despite its great size compared to his and Sen’s cores, it was empty. Josh immediately started pumping what was left of his free Essence into it. He tracked the progress with his interface.

Physical Health Status:

5000/1286

Spherical cultivation units.

Free Essence:

1200/424 → 399 → 374→

Spherical cultivation units.

Too soon, his free Essence was gone. Leaving the core still sitting in its place but less than functionally full. Without losing a second Josh broke down the concentrated Essence he had already dedicated to his core and sent it to her as well. As his Essence flowed, he could tell through his Aural sight that the core was circulating his Essence, and he could see with his Aural sight rapidly growing meridians that branched off carrying his Essence to her disintegrating tissues. Her organs immediately started healing, and her unconscious body took a sudden deep breath as if for the first time in a long time. Seeing that his Essence rushing to her heart, brain, lungs, and limbs was having the desired effect, Josh stepped up the transfer rate. Pushing it faster. Faster! Faster!!!

...But the damage to her body had been extensive. When his freshly filled Essence pool had run dry again, Alysa still needed healing...

A quiet warning went off in Josh’s mind that at some point he would need to stop. Giving all his Essence away like this was placing his own spirit in jeopardy. If he completely emptied himself... the result could be worse than death…

I simply don’t care! Was his immediate and furious response to whatever part of him was in doubt of his commitment. Josh had already decided he wasn’t in the business of listening to a warning like that today! Alysa, Sophie, and now some helpful neighbor spirit’s fates were entwined. If he needed to sacrifice himself for them...Then so be it. Between him and them—or at least Alysa and Sophie, there was absolutely no contest. His last layer of dedicated Essence crumbled as he cycled it into the woman’s newly formed core with no interrupt—

A large hand pulled Josh’s collapsed shoulder back and away from Alysa’s resting body.

“Have you so quickly forgotten that you are not alone, brother?” Sen’s words were warm and full of their own steely conviction.

Through lidded eyes and fading consciousness, Josh watched as Sen placed his hand on Alysa’s abdomen–the cultivator’s own Essence beginning to flow into her and moving to complete the work that Josh had not yet finished.

“Fascinating,” Sen whispered, as if in awe. “You’ve truly outdone yourself this time, Joshua Elias Tanner.” The cultivator looked as if he was attempting to see through the woman, to the very center of her being as his whispered words clung to the light breeze. “Absolutely incredible…”

Tears fell from Josh’s stinging eyes as he gasped out a muffled thanks to Sen for standing in the gap and picking up what he might have dropped. He watched as Senyak’s gaze turned to meet his own with a small smile of understanding and a steadfast nod.

“I’ve got her, brother. You’ve done your part. Sleep and let me do mine.”

At his brother’s words, Josh realized that they would not fail. Alysa and Sophie—through her, were safe. There was a strange lightness in his chest as he realized that he fully trusted his brother at that moment.

The short man gently slid Josh’s limp form down beside the woman.

… Even with the life of my daughter. Josh’s last thought allowed the truth of his realization to sink in as his mind blinked in and out of awareness...

Then, he fell into the bottomless black again, and this time, he didn’t fight it.