It had been a few hours since connection with my main body was lost, with Jasemine heading back to the tunnel, her gift proving very useful. Yet it mattered little, the relay equipment having been thoroughly destroyed, smashed in the same cave in that sealed our route in and out of the tunnel. We were stuck together with what Melnie had classified as a Gigatoad, and the winged serpents that Jasemine named Slitherwings. Both were apt names for the creatures we found to be inhabiting this expansive network of catacombs.

We also discovered that the Slitherwings were cautious of the Shroom Stalks, the spores appeared to cause immense irritation on their sensitive skin. Something we found when one of the creatures crashed nearby, injured but alive, thrashing from the rash which began to form beneath its scales. The human’s put it down soon after, running extensive tests and assessing it for diseases, I of course assisted Augus in this process, unbeknownst to the others. These tests primarily used for the purpose of analyzing the viability of the creature as a food source, which proved fruitful. If the venom glands were carefully removed, then the flesh could be cooked and made safe for human consumption. These glands were found to be located behind and just below the creature’s eyes.

“Just be calm Augus, steady your hand. Carefully insert the knife at the base of the orbital bone. Slowly… be careful. Now take the knife and slowly trace the outer edge, then we can remove the eye and get to the glands behind them. Remember, there should be a collection device on your envirosuit, it resembles a circular pad. Once the glands are removed, place them on the pad and the gel will seal and harden, vacuum sealing the sample.” Luckily the sensors on Augus’s suit were functioning without issue, which allowed me to guide his movements. By connecting directly into the subsystems within his helm it was simple to color code areas of importance and depicting the angle of approach.

“AL, if you can do all this, connecting to our suits and splitting yourself. Why haven’t you assisted everyone? If all the surveyor and collection teams were equipped with your assistance, would there even be any deaths?” I had yet to get used to that nickname of his, but in some ways found it endearing. After all humans do things like that, shortening names of those they accept on friendly terms, or something along those lines. Honestly, I have yet to fully comprehend human functions and social intricacies.

“Augus, if I was there all the time to hold your hand, then how would you learn? How would humans grow? There are many things you must learn on your own, through experience, find ways to arrive at solutions that even I am not wholly aware of. In that way, we both learn and advance… Also, if I am to be honest, you are an experiment. I didn’t know if this would work… or if your brain would fry. Full disclosure your chances were very high of it working, seventy percent to be exact. Without higher tech systems, like a full suit of power armor, the basic helms are not capable of housing one of my familiars. I used your gift and the neural link to compensate for the remainder.” Augus’s hands predictably stopped when I disclosed the bit about his brain and frying. Understandably his body heat rose and sweat gland production increased alongside increased oxygen intake.

This lasted for an instant before a massive spike in brain wave activity was detected, a sign of gift activation in mind users. Which often would coincide with an increase in metabolic functions, discerning the unusual brainwave activity from something akin to a seizure. Considering the previous data, the thirty seconds of spiking activity would translate into approximately three minutes of real time. What the mind users had begun to call colloquially as Bullet-time, picking it up the phrase in one of their old-world simulation dives.

“AL, I’m not exactly pleased with you not telling me about this… but I can’t deny the value. If you weren’t here that Slitherwing would’ve taken a chunk out of me too. Seeing how we’re attached now, I’m fine with learning how this will work long term. Just please keep me informed of things next time, that’s all I ask.” Augus continued his work, removing the eyes and securing both glands for further study.

“I will attempt to do so if there are no constraining factors. For now, you should inform the others that you can begin cooking the flesh for intake.” It was well within my rights as the protector of these humans to simply deny the boy’s request. I owed nothing to him, he and his people lived due to my whims, thrived under my protection alone. Yet, I found myself sympathizing with these short lived, organic beings.

As the humans consumed the Slitherwing flesh they had trouble hiding the looks of surprise and outright enjoyment. Apparently, the creature’s meat paired well with the human palette, this information provided a new avenue for growth, as the large quantity of Slitherwings provided an ample source of protein. If Melnie and the remaining members were able to escape the cavern future expeditions would be required, the danger of the Gigatoad would need to be resolved before any large-scale foraging operations could take place, however.

“Leader this tastes delicious, if we can get this back to everyone else then we won’t need to eat that disgusting crawler meat anymore. I mean this is even better than fish, and fish is amazing!” Phenix had always been a gourmand, the boy was never satisfied with the standard meals, often escaping into simulations to learn the methods of the ancient humans.

He had started experimenting with forgotten methods of cooking, accessing the kitchen, and processing the materials himself. His skills had grown to the point that other humans schedule times to sample his experiments, instead of the standard processed fare. It wasn’t the most efficient system of processing materials, and much ended up wasted, yet even if it was irksome the way the humans rejected my carefully processed meals, their smiles and looks of contentment helped ease the rejection.

“Melnie, unknown creature spotted!” Frankyl who had been on watch quickly delivered the message using the short-wave communication system built into the helms. The team on alert after the run in with the Slitherwings rapidly moved into pre-designated positions, with Augus taking up position atop the Shroom Stalk and acting as the designated sniper. Jasemine activated her gift and ascended the towering fungi as well, her role to observe for stray Slitherwings and neutralizing them or alerting Augus.

Phenix, Melnie, and the remaining survey member took up positions at the base, while Frankyl rushed back from his forward position. The fire and body of the diseased Slitherwing was left where they were, as the illumination from the bark of the burning Shroom Stalk provided more than that of the base level bioluminescence. Team members dug in, taking up position on elevated mounds they had piled up to provide a stable firing platform, their backs to the stalk and every rifle trained in the direction of the threat.

“Here it comes, prepare to fire on my command.” Melnie whispered in her comms, her eyes trained on the swaying Shroom Stalks in the distance. Whatever it was, it could muscle the Shroom Stalks out of its path, making a direct path to our location.

Around a minute later the interloper finally came into view, it resembled a crawler, but different. Instead of hundreds of fast-moving legs spaced close together, this creature had stubbier legs and less of them with more distance between them. Not to say that its leg count wasn’t numerous, just not anywhere near as many as the crawler and its variants had. It also was not flat, possessing a slightly more bulbous shape, and could curl itself up into an armored ball to defend itself.

That was something we learned when Frankyl’s leg slipped and caused some of the mound he was standing on to collapse onto the ground below. The creature picked up the sound and immediately curled up, this action is what stayed the team’s hand, they could tell the insectoid was passive, lacking any predatory instincts. This deduction was proved moments later when the creature unfurled itself as slowly lumbered its way to the fire. Inquisitively probing it with its feelers and shying away from the heat at first.

However, the creature was unusually curious, soon becoming accustomed to the flames and seemingly settling itself near the source of warmth. After taking some time to warm itself next to the flames it waltzed over to a nearby stalk and began to take chunks out of the dead fungi, consuming the substance. Then it simply trundled back over to the flames, digging its front digits into the dirt, and creating a ditch in which to settle its bottom half.

Following a more in-depth search of old records regarding insects that existed during the ancient era, a family of creatures like this existed. Other than the fact that it was hundreds of times larger, so it made sense to use a variation of that and just call them Millipode.

“Well, would you look at that, seems we have got a guest joining us for the night. We’ll stay up here for the night, take turns on watch. It doesn’t seem like it’s a danger, but I’m not taking any chances.” Melnie decided to leave the creature alone, assuming when the fire died out it would leave. They in turn would spend the night on elevated ground, keeping an eye on the creature and sleeping in shifts, remaining on alert for threat of the ever-present Slitherwings.

Everyone seemed to agree, none wished to harm the lumbering giant, its presence nearby providing a small measure of calm. Yet that calm atmosphere was soon shattered, as a few hours into the night the sound of gunfire erupted, waking the few who were resting. The target of the attack was not the passive Millipode, but instead a new insect which was quick to target the larger creature.

These new assailants were defined by the massive vice-like mandibles which were equivalent to the size of their flat looking heads. They resembled old world army ants, other than the fact that they were about a quarter the size of a human adult. Luckily bullets seemed to be very effective, as they lacked a chitinous exoskeletal armor, their forms streamlined for attack and not defense. But what they lacked in individual strength they made up for in numbers, as no matter how many they killed more would erupt from below ground.

This would be the beginning of a long night, with many more to come. The Ants had come for the Millipode, but the battle had in turn attracted even more. With every death their pheromones marking the area, resulting in an ever-increasing swarm.