Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

We can only speculate as to the exact nature of Giant's lair. This gigantic edifice seems to defy all laws of logic, and yet it stands above all of Bugaria, a reminder of a world that existed before us. We can only hope that whatever titan created it is truly not around anymore, as such power would be a threat to all bugs.

And yet... Part of me wishes I could speak with one, if they even were capable of such. The hindsight they must've possessed...

- Dr. Antshent, esteemed archeologist under Queen Elizant I, The Unknown past of Bugaria

Panic was spreading across the roach village. The intrusion of that strange wasp, barking orders as if he ruled the place, only to then run off after starting a fire with magic was quite bad. The pack of deadlanders that fell upon the village in the wake of that intruder, was even worse.

 Scorpions were rampaging thanks to the wasp’s magic setting their pen on fire, forcing some of the survivors to quell the flames instead of fighting the monstrosities. In the midst of it all, the roach elder was fighting off a deadlander beta while barking orders.

“Ray ! Let Rina take care of the scorpions and help us extinguish the flames!” commanded the Elder, trying to coordinate as best she could. “Reed! Get back up and help Raaz hold the gamma off!”

“B-but elder! The pillar is unsteady! If could fall any-“ Reed tried to argue. A single glare from the elder convinced him to stop second-guessing her immediately. Leaving the barely-standing crystal pillar behind him, he darted forward to help his comrade.

The roach charged the monster pinning his comrade, jamming his spear into its single, horrible eye. It screeched, tumbling away from Raaz just enough for him to regain his composure. However, being blinded didn’t make the gamma easier to defeat, as it was now flailing about, spreading its dangerous spores everywhere.

*CRASH*

Surprised by such a commotion, Reed turned back to where the pillar was, only to see a recent, gaping hole at the edge of the cliff. Meanwhile, ignoring this distraction, Raaz picked his bow back up. He knew that a single shot to the creature’s lower, unprotected abdomen was enough to paralyze it. He slowly took a numbing arrow. He slowly, carefully pulled the string back, ignoring everything around him but his target. Breathe in, breathe ou-

A monstrous, deafening roar rung through the Giant’s lair.

Every single bug, whether lesser or awakened knew what that meant. This roar… was Omega’s. Someone, or something, had riled it up.

The deadlanders all immediately skittered as far and fast as they could, obviously not willing to bear the brunt of the titan’s anger. The scorpions all frantically gathered back into their burnt-down pen, trying to make themselves as small as possible. As for the roaches, their honed survival instincts made most of them quickly dive for cover. However, some were left utterly petrified.

Sounds of the great watcher thrashing and more frantic screaming arrived from below. As the last few roaches still in the open began to make a run for it, the ground started shaking violently.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity. Everything around the poor bugs fell apart. The very ground was almost toppled, the constructions shattered and broken beyond repair and a number of the villagers were trapped underneath all manner of rubble and giant debris. But as quickly and destructive as it came, it suddenly stopped.

Vi was VERY reluctant about entering Giant’s lair. Those howls absolutely came from inside, and she REALLY didn’t want to meet… whatever could make those.

“Come on, Vi !”Kabbu said, trying to lift her spirits. “I know that scream was… quite threatening, but the whole of Bugaria hangs in the balance ! We’ve got to press forward !”

“I KNOW ! But.. that was SO loud ! What are we dealing with here ?!” Vi shouted back. She had an inkling, but didn’t really want it to be true.

“We suppose given the place it must be… gigantic.” Replied Leif.

Vi glared at him, only answered by a sly smirk from the moth. Impending danger was no reason to let the bee go scot free.

She sighed, and relented. “FINE, fine. Besides, I really wanna give that jerk a smack, so… let’s go ! And no take-backs, even if YOU guys are scared !” Huffed Vi, crossing her arms and moving towards the lair.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take the lead !” Exclaimed Kabbu, running after Vi, himself followed by Leif. She knew she’d be fine if those two were there, they’d always been fine before.

Still, she couldn’t get out of her mind that… Well, this was Giant’s lair, after all. Every explorer knew that this place was the most dangerous in all of Bugaria. Rumors spoke of mutated bugs, weird monsters and huge… things, all wanting to devour unprepared adventurers. Just the thought made her shudder.

They were greeted by a dark, gloomy… cave. The air was dense, as if a thousand beast laid hidden amongst the shadows. Giant debris laid everywhere, the kind that was so often used by the ant kingdom for construction. It almost looked like a trash heap. A gigantic trash heap.

“This place gives off an intense, violent aura.” Whispered Kabbu, looking ahead.

“We can feel magic in this place. It’s quite faint, but all round us.” Shuddered Leif.

Vi didn’t quite listen to her teammates. She didn’t feel that tense since she decided to leave her hive, all those moons ago. Gripping her beemerang tightly, she slowly advanced. She didn’t notice a bud sprouting from the ground behind her.

“Team Snakemouth ! Ve-“

The pink bud didn’t have any time to react before it was smacked by a hastily-thrown beemerang, to the utter dismay of the green beetle. Vi did notice what she hit, of course, but it was a tad late.

“O-OH, hum..! S-sorry, Venus…” Meekly apologized Vi, deeply blushing.

“(ouch) I-it’s ok Vi.” Replied the godly bud. Venus was well aware of the state of mind such a place could put bugs in. Shrugging itself off, it spoke: “Listen guys, I’m not gonna be able to help further up. My buds can’t reach deep within this… land.”

“Worry not, lady Venus !”Kabbu butted in. “We are aware of the dangers of these lands, and shall proceed with the utmost caution !”

“Listen, you’ve heard of all the dangers, but there’s more happening in there than the wasp king trudging through. There was a lot of commotion just now. Something is not right, so… Stay extra cautious, guys.” Warned Venus.

“Something unusual even for his land we’re in ?” Asked Leif. The bud nodded.

“Venus, is it that scream we heard before ?” Asked Vi, with worry apparent. The bud nodded again.

“Team, we must not lose hope !”Kabbu exclaimed.” Whatever beast lays ahead, whatever devious traps bar our path, we can overcome them ! The swamplands and the forsaken lands are terrible places, and yet we pulled through. We will do it again, I am sure of it !”

Kabbu’s confidence and positivity perked the group back up, and after a quick talk with Venus, they pressed on into the darkness.

As they advanced through the dingy lair, little was happening. The atmosphere was oppressive, and Kabbu was sure he’d seen forms moving in the dark, but they proceeded silently, unimpeded. After seeing another shadow seemingly moving in the dark, he whispered:
“Team, I believe something is following us.”

“Guh- If you weren’t the one saying that, I’d be sure you’d be trying to prank me!” Quietly replied Vi, clearly shaken at the thought.

“No, we agree with Kabbu. Something is lurking, we can… hear it ?” Remarked Leif, turning to a barely moving shadow.

Vi and Kabbu turned only to see a single wasp spear fall. Something DID move.

“Ya wanna fight ?!” Shouted Vi. She pressed her hands on her mouth in horror after she realized her mistake, but a low rumbling behind them signaled it might’ve been too late.

They were suddenly bathed in light, as if a thousand spotlights had suddenly focused on them. Frozen in shock, none of them moved for what seemed like an entire moon.

Eventually, Kabbu turned to face whatever was the source of that light, only to be met with a gigantic, blue eye. Bigger than all three combined, it stared at them unblinkingly. Even the swamp beast’s monstrous frame was nothing compared to… whatever that was.

The other two followed the beetle, discovering the titan. Vi was utterly petrified with fear, and Leif prepared a shield for his team… Although he was quite sure it wouldn’t be enough.

The eye was slowly scanning each of the bugs. Feeling like he had to do something, Kabbu confronted it.”S-stand back, beast ! You shall not bar our path !”

Upon hearing these words, the eye suddenly darted forward, getting incredibly close to the group. Kabbu braced himself for an attack, Leif summoned a bubble shield to protect his friends, and Vi screamed, launching the beemerang with so much haste she misses the giant target.

And then… nothing. The attack never came. The entity simply stared at them.

“(…We believe it can understand us)” Whispered Leif.

“(C-come on, d-don’t say stuff like that !)” Replied Vi. “(We gotta escape somehow !)”

Kabbu looked at both his teammates. Vi was panicking, trying desperately to come up with an escape plan. Leif was much more composed, but he could see them tremble slightly. He had to try something. If this beast truly understood them, then maybe diplomacy could work ?

“Creature, if you understand us, then I humbly ask that you let us pass, for we ar-“

A ground-shattering shockwave, accompanied by a disgusting *crunch* interrupted the beetle, making the explorers jump out of their shells. They turned towards the source of the noise, and found quite a gruesome scene.

Some sort of bug creature had been crushed by what appears to be a hand the size of a manor. Sickly-green hemolymph had been splattered everywhere.

“T-that looks like a deadlander, if memory serves…” Remarked Kabbu. He had seen depictions in the ant library.

“More importantly, WHAT IS THAT ?!” Screeched Vi, pointing at the giant appendage.

Leif didn’t speak. The sheer power of whatever crushed that deadlander would’ve easily broken through their shield. If that hand belonged to the same entity as that eye… It wasn't easy to picture such a large scale for the moth. They’d be as big as the whole of Bugaria.

As the hand retreated back into the darkness, the group focused once more their gaze on the eye, which looked almost… pleased ? It glanced at the group of bugs once more before retreating to the dark, leaving team Snakemouth to the pitch black of Giant’s lair once more.

“So… we’re in Giant’s lair.” Said Vi.
“Indeed.”
“And we just encountered a giant thing. Is it ITS lair we’re in ?” Questionned Vi.
“Yes, we believe we just encountered a giant.”

The encounter had left the group with a lot of questions regarding the place they found themselves in. Thankfully, Giant’s lair now seemed devoid of any obvious danger. The group sometimes saw the remains of deadlanders, their bodies crushed. They could sometimes hear the telltale crashing sound of the giant slamming its hand on the mutated beings.

“I know these deadlanders are dangerous beings… But I can’t help but feel bad for them.” Admitted Kabbu.”This giant ends their lives so ruthlessly…”

“This giant does us a favor, Kabbu. Besides, we’d be in a bit of trouble if that thing was hostile.” Replied Leif.

“I just hope the Queen and our fellow explorers are safe…”

Thanks to the lack of any hostile bug, they quickly traversed through the desolate locale. They soon reached some sort of tall, white construct. What appeared to be a great door was open, leading inside the apparently powered machinery.

As they stopped to gaze at the impressive building, they heard the sound of steps behind them.

“Team Snakemouth !” Cried Maki “Finally, we caught up with you.”

“Ah, Sir Maki !” Exclaimed Kabbu, happy to see another friendly bug.” I hope you didn’t have problems with deadlanders on the way ?”

“We fought no creature on the way, my explorers.” Spoke Queen Elizant II, a tinge of worry in her voice.”We did find the remains of several mutated bugs however, mutilated beyond reasons…”

“I’d expect nothing else from the Snakemouth brutes.” Smugly remarked Mothiva.

“SHUT UP Mothiva ! It’s that giant who did that, not us !” Hissed Vi.

“… A giant.” Slowly questioned Maki. “You saw a giant in this place ?”

“Uh, yeah ! It was HUGE, and it just started splattering all the deadlanders !”

As Kabbu looked somewhat embarrassed for Vi’s outburst, the rest of the group fell silent.

“Hmph, can’t be right. Giants disappeared long ago.” Hissed Zasp. “Besides, you do understand what it’d mean for Bugaria, right ?”

“The implications are frightening, to be sure.” Replied Elizant II.” However, I trust team Snakemouth. We will simply have to redouble our efforts at caution.”

“My queen, I believe that giant to be… sentient, or at least intelligent. It did not attack us, despite catching us off-guard. It seemed as if it got curious whenever we talked.” Explained Kabbu.

Another silence fell upon the group, one that didn’t last long.

“Ok, ENOUGH with the awkward pauses !” Shrieked Kina, making half of the group jump in surprise. ”Giant or not, that wasp JERK is still gunning straight for the sapling ! So I’m gonna climb that… white whatever, and I WILL drag you all if I need to !”

And with that, Kina started walking towards the fridge, dragging Maki with her to prove a point, much to his displeasure. With the issue of gigantic beings seemingly pushed back in relevance, the queen and her explorers pressed on.

Back at the roach village, things were quiet. Deadlander Omega had been spotted moving about, which could spell disaster from the roach colony, especially after the cataclysm that just took place. Most bugs had split and hid, to avoid big groups that the dreadful giant would easily dispatch.

“(What if the deadlanders come back ?! We’d be backed into a corner !)” Cried Reed, visibly shaking. The two roaches were huddled between two fallen rocks, right next to the frigid ascent. Thanks to some fabric, nothing would be able to spot them from above, but anything walking past would be able to spot them easily.

“(Speaking this loud will almost guarantee that. Now shut it, I think I can hear something.)” Replied Raaz, visibly exasperated.

The two bugs readied their weapons, ready for any danger that might notice them. Faint, but many footsteps could be heard.

“-if that giant caused all that devastation…” An unknown, female-sounding voice rang out. More intruders, like that wasp.

“Real intelligent, mmmh~ ?” Another voice said, in quite a devious tone.

Another shrill voice made itself heard quite clearly, shrieking something about divas.

“(Ok, we can’t let them catch the others. On my signal, we’re rushing out and capturing the closest one.)”Whispered Raaz. “(Maybe that way they’ll stay away.)”

“(B-but ! We don’t know how many there are !)”Pled Reed.

“(I will NOT let another one of these outsiders destroy everything we hold dear.)” Hissed Raaz.

A single glance at Raaz’ fiery gaze convinced Reed that whether he’s help or not, he would do it. Bracing himself, he prepared his spear.

“Vi, calm down !”Another, more imposing voice made itself known. “This destruction does look recent, but as for the cause, we cannot assume anything for now.”

Those intruders were almost in front of their hiding spot. With a tap of his pummel on reed’s shoulder, Raaz sprung into action, shortly followed by the other.

“That is true, Kab- ELIZANT !!” Cried Maki, sword drawn near instantly.

Raaz and Reed had jumped and quickly held the ant at sword point. “Not one more step, intruders ! If you wish for this one to keep living, you will leave these lands !”

“Roaches !?” Exclaimed Vi. “Hey, leave Lizzie alone !”

“We’re not g-gonna let you strangers attack our village again !” Shrieked Reed.

“As if we’d do something like that. Now release the queen, or be frozen.” Warned Leif, raising his ice-shrouded hand in warning. Raaz responded by pressing his sword against the monarch’s neck, forcing the moth to back down.

“My explorers, lower your weapons. I believe we can solve this situation with diplomacy.” Softly spoke Elizant II. Heeding her words, most of the fighters lowered their weapons. Only Maki stood defiant, his sword at the ready.

“… If you two attempt anything against her majesty, I will make you regret it.” He grumbled, lowering his sword.

“Now, my roach friends, we mean no harm to you or your ‘village’. “ Explained the queen. “I am Queen Elizant II, ruler of the ant kingdom. That wasp that attacked your village is most likely the wasp king, who declared war on my kingdom and visited atrocities upon my people. We were pursuing the usurper when you ambushed us.”

Raaz could feel Reed panicking more and more. They wouldn’t be able to hold this façade for long. And if they weren’t lying…

Before he could formulate a plan of action, Reed dropped his spear, stepping back. “I-I can’t do this Raaz ! They’re so many an-and, and they’re royalty and they look so much stronger than us and-“

Reed stepped back, seeing the glare his companion shot his way. With a heavy sigh, Raaz lowered his sword, letting Elizant free of his grasp.

The queen immediately turned around, slapping the roach hard enough to send him to the ground. “That is for holding royalty hostage !” She scolded, pointing at the downed roach. “Now, for proper introductions. You already know my name and title, and these fellow bugs are members of my Explorer’s association.”

“H-hum, I’m Reed, and this is Raaz. We’re from the, uh…” Started Reed, unsure as to how to mention his village, when all that was left was ruins.

“… The roach village. Or what’s left of it.” Finished Raaz, massaging his hurt cheek.

As they traveled through the ruins of the village, both groups explained their situations. The explorers were quite surprised that the roaches had survived, even more so in the deadlands. Reed was excitedly recounting the adventures he had within Giant’s lair,  getting Vi and Kabbu’s attention very quickly.

“… and then Omega spotted me ! I had to run so quickly I just collapsed when I reached the village !” Told Reed. At seeing the puzzled faces of the listeners, he continued: “Oh, Deadlander Omega is that huge eye…thing. It’s SUPER dangerous, and if it spots you it tries to screw you by dropping stuff on you. You probably saw it, right ?”

The two explorers looked at each other with a puzzled look. “I guess we saw it ? Did nothing but splatter other deadlanders though, so I dunno what’s up with that.” Answered Vi, a bit confused.

“Ha, good one !” Laughed Reed. Shooting a quick glance at the pair quickly darkened his mood. “What do you mean, it attacked the other deadlanders ? Splattered them ?!”

They nodded, leaving the poor bug with a multiple of questions.

“… and that’s why we were hiding before you barged in.” Explained Raaz to Maki, still glaring at him. “We don’t know where the others are, but we’re supposed to meet back at the plaza in a couple of hours, to regroup once the heat has died down.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’re just easy pickings for the smaller deadlanders, then ?” Questionned Zasp.

“Better to fight them than to be found out by Omega. Damn beast’s unpredictable. Could toy with you like you’re an aphid, or crush you without a second thought.”

“I suppose Team Snakemouth simply got lucky, then…” Pondered Maki aloud.

“If they met that monster and survived, yes. By the way, stopping that wasp is nice and all, but what’s his end goal here ?”

“The Everlasting Sapling. That wasp thirsts for power, and.. he…” Maki trailed off as Raaz darted away, leaving the group in the dust. “EVERYONE ! Follow me, quickly !” He shouted.

Raaz was sprinting, pushing himself to his limits. The safety of the village, of the sacred sapling rested on his shoulders in this moment. Reed, as well as the strangers were lagging behind, but it didn’t matter. He had trained his WHOLE life for a moment like this.

He had done it. Finally.

Years of bitter survival, of humiliation and suffering. Decades spent scraping by, living in a world that seemed to spite his every actions. No longer. The sapling was HIS for the taking, and none of those fools would stand in his way again.

He surveyed his surroundings one last time. The shining blue barrier holding his goal hostage was the only thing worthy of his attention, as there wasn’t a soul on this plateau but him.

Donning the mask, he grabbed the ancient tablet and pushed against the shield, as it instructed. The barrier fell. Only a small metal pod sporting an ancient lock. was left. His prize most likely inside. As he got closer, he assembled the ancient key, ready to open it, when something caught his eye. Or rather, he noticed a small glint in the distance.

Instinctively, he dodged, the numbing arrow aimed at his heart now only grazing his left arm. Other forms started appearing in the distance. One of the foolish roaches joined the unknown archer, while-

HER.

That WENCH has followed him all this way in these BLASTED wastelands, her lapdogs following behind her.

No. She wouldn’t stop him. He was steps away from the sapling. Grabbing the key, he opened the ancient pod before the explorers got too close to stop him.

“NO ! HE’S DESECRATING THE SAPLING !!” Roared Reed as he ran towards the wasp, desperately trying to stop him. Raaz was trying to line another shot, but the pod was in his way.

As for the explorers, Team Maki was running in front of the others, only beaten by the raging roach, ready to dispatch the villain as quickly as possible. Zasp was following shortly behind, darts ready. The others weren’t quite as quick, lagging behind.

Reed was the second bug to discover the current state of the sapling, wilted beyond recognition. He could read surprise on the king’s face, but that mattered little. Whatever this meant, he had to stop the wasp, and charged him with a mighty warcry. He was quickly swatted aside, a single swing of the tyrant’s axe sending him reeling backwards.

The wasp king immediately reached for the last, brownish leaf of the dying sapling and ate it without a second’s notice. He didn’t even finish swallowing it when he parried several strikes from Maki’s sword, stepping back to avoid a dive kick from Kina.

“Give up, usurper !” Commanded Maki, readying for another assault. “You’re outmatched AND outnumbered !”

A glint in Hoaxe’s eye made him dart backwards, grabbing Kina and Zasp with him. A pillar of flames sprung from the ground, several times larger than any he’d seen being summoned before. Landing several centimeters back, he didn’t notice the three fireballs that erupted from the vortex, each targeting one of the explorers.

Team Snakemouth and Reed saw in horror as the three bugs were hit directly by the blazing projectiles. Maki was still standing, but the other two had collapsed from the terrible hit they endured.

“SIR MAKI !!” Screamed Kabbu, getting in front of the injured mantis. “This ends NOW, fiend !”

As the vortex dissipated, the four fighters got a better look at the wasp king. He had transformed into a hybrid of wasp and plant, sporting wings of wood and leaves. His eyes glowed green, illuminating a wicked smile.

“Let’s dance, you vermin.” He gloated, creating a great barrier of green flames around him and his enemies, encasing the bugs in a fiery arena.

Yin looked at the green barrier, terrified and whimpering. The queen was doing her best trying to reassure the poor pupa, but it served little purpose.

“I can’t believe Zasp had the AUDACITY to leave me behind ! He’s gonna get killed if he rushes into danger like that…” Hissed Mothiva, her voice trembling slightly.

Raaz was hitting the barrier with his sword, trying to get in, weaken it, but it only scorched his weapon. He could see that a fierce battle was raging inside, but he wasn’t able to discern much. Defeated, he collapsed.

“Take heart, warrior. Team snakemouth are amongst my finest, and are aided by an artifact that wards them of magical fires.” Reassured Elizant, placing her paw on his shoulder. “With your roach friend, I’m sure they’ll succeed.”

“And if they don’t ?! That… monster has consumed the sapling ! He holds near infinite power !” Raaz lashed out. “If your explorers die, my friend dies with them, then us !”

“I believe in them. They’ve bested evil across all of Bugaria.” Retorted the Queen.

“WE SHALL STOP YOU RIGHT HERE, YOU FIEND” Taunted Kabbu as he avoided yet another fireball.

“The whole of Bugaria couldn’t stop me, beetle ! Neither shall you !”

“That’s so unfair, he just heals whenever we hit him” Complained Vi, catching her beemerang.

Hoaxe laughed at the pathetic struggle those bugs were offering as he launched another wave of deadly fireballs.

This was new. All of this was new, really. But THIS was REALLY new.

A green dome, almost magical in its appearance, was spread across most of the table. It went to touch it, see what it was all about, and its finger was ingulfed in green flames. It was quite painful.

Roaring in pain, it reached for anything nearby that could be used as a blunt force object. Grabbing an old and rusty pan, it swung at the magical sphere. The impact created a flicker of sorts, which seemed like a great invitation to the being.

Armed with a number of improvised weapons, amongst them the aforementioned pan, a half-rotted rolling pin and a dusty pot, he started wildly swinging at the magical shield.

Hoaxe roared in pain as the barrier around the exhausted bugs started flickering. Using this window of opportunity, Vi and leif started battering the king with attacks, while Kabbu and Reed each split on a side, ready to unleash a devastating pincer attack.

The usurper almost seemed to shrug the explorer’s attacks, and yet was somehow suffering greatly. His eyes started to glow brightly, sharing that same flicker with the wall that surrounded them.

“We believe he’s overusing his magic !”Screamed Leif, redoubling his efforts at distracting the king.

“You heard that Kabbu, roach guy ?! GO !” Followed Vi, launching another dart at the king.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the two fighters lunged at the weakening Hoaxe. The two struck almost simultaneously, critically injuring him.

Screaming in pain and rage, a green pulse emitted from his body, pushing back the other bugs.

“LEIF ! WHAT’S HE DOING ?!” Shrieked Vi, unsure on how to process what was happening. Leif smirked in response, giving the unnerved bee her answer.

The scream quickly turned to a whimper, as his body fell to the ground, unconscious. As the green energy seemingly left his body, the barrier that held them prisoner dissipated.

Reed immediately rushed to the pod that once contained the sapling. It was nothing more than a pile of ashes, reduced to nothing during the fighting. He fell to his knees, speechless. Meanwhile all around him, the explorers were frantically moving about, helping the injured bugs.

“ZASP !!” Screamed Mothiva, running as fast as she could towards the downed wasp. “I- Don’t you DARE leave me behind like… like t-that again…” She started sobbing, gathering whatever Zasp had on him in order to treat him.

Queen Elizant was behind her, carrying Yin with her. She managed to wiggle out of her grip and land next to Maki, worried about him. He was hurt, but conscious, and beamed to Yin.

“It’s ok, we’ve won.” He beamed, petting Yin. “We finally got him, thanks to team Snakemouth.” The pupa embraced Maki, and it seemed like she wouldn’t stop for a while.

The queen stared at the remains of the sapling for a few brief seconds, before drawing her attention to Maki and the young pupa. She started petting the pupa as well. “It really is over, isn’t it ? It feels like we have struggled for ages…” She sighed. “I will be glad for the rest.”

For their part, Leif had approached the fallen king, to check for vital signs. Laying down, with his tattered clothes and mutated body, he had quite a pitiful look.

“The wasp king still lives, but we detect no magic coming from him anymore.” He stated.” We believe whatever happened sapped him of his powers.” He created cuffs of solid ice to lock his appendages in place, shortly followed by Kabbu picking him up.

“He will face trial for his crimes. Justice has prevailed this day !” He exclaimed.

In the heat of the moment, too busy with celebrations and tearful reunions, the bugs hadn’t noticed they were bathed in a dim blue light.

With the dome vanishing, it gained a vague idea of what happened. These critters looked as if they had just fought something, with several of them seemingly hurt. They didn’t seem to mind it being here, except for that one roach who was separate from the group. He was a bit far for it read his emotions, but it didn’t really matter.

A small screech caught its attention. Ah, that lone roach pointed to it, making the other bugs react with fear. It didn’t understand why they were so afraid of it, it wasn’t really the intimidating type. Maybe they just didn’t see it that well in the dark ?

Something clicked in its head. Of course. It felt like it had stood in the darkness forever. With that in mind, it reached for the light switch.

Chapter Text

Anybody who claims these ancient crystals caused the disappearance of giants COULD'VE have some merit if those ludicrous ideas weren’t anything more than hushed conspiracies.

They’ve been a boon to technology and science, and some in other fields even believe they granted us our sentience (though THAT sounds quite far-fetched). They output inordinate amounts of energy, and for giants to be repelled by such? Well, I’d have to question their oh-so great intellect.

Regardless, we owe our current existence to this miracle matter.

- Dr. Walant, Mechanized R&D specialist under Queen Vanessa II, Modern War Machine

Raaz’s warning did not fall on deaf antennae. Having managed to nurse the wounded bugs to consciousness during the heartfelt reunion, the bugs made a mad dash to safety. Omega towered upon them all, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Kaabu felt wronged by the titan. The roaches’ tales on the bloodthirsty beast surely meant it tried to trick his team and his allies into their current predicament. It couldn’t underestimate its cunning, not again. At least he was close to Reed, who had encountered the giant before. He knew how it operated… Or at least, had some sort of an idea.

Carrying the still unconscious wasp King, Kabbu and his team were the slowest of the three. They had barely traversed half of the plateau when the eerie blue light vanished.

“It’s been distracted! Everyone, find cover!” Cried Raaz, helping Mothiva carry a still-hurting Zasp. “If you disappear from its line of sight, you should be safe for a time!”

“FOR A TIME?!” Shrieked Mothiva, panicking. “We have to leave RIGHT AWAY, because I am not staying A SECOND MORE in this… this hellhole!”

“Shut up and follow orders if you don’t want to end up splattered on the ground!”

Mothiva huffed as loudly as she could, but didn’t contradict the hardened roach. They carried Zasp behind one of the many constructs that laid on the edge of the plateau.

Maki and Kina had sprinted with their telltale speed off the plateau, taking cover behind a great glass cylinder of unknown purpose. As they were carrying Queen Elizant II and Yin, the four bugs managed to tuck themselves in quickly, making themselves as small as possible. Team Snakemouth, meanwhile, was still in the open, running to where Mothiva and her team had taken refuge.

Some sort of rather loud *click* was heard, followed by a growing, ambient buzz.
Mere moments later, all bugs present were blinded by what could only be described as a flood of light assaulting their senses.

That hurt its eyes more than it should’ve. How long did it stay in the dark exactly? It didn’t really matter. It turned back to the table, only finding a portion of the bugs that were there mere seconds before. Its attention was quickly caught by the complete disorder that was omnipresent in the room, however. It REALLY did let itself go.

Some of the explorers recovered from the flash faster than the others. The roaches had essentially been rendered blind for a while, having never seen the sun. The mantises, for their part, were quick to regain vision.

And what a sight this all was. Giant’s lair wore its name well. The walls went on forever, encasing some sort of room so absurdly big you could fit the anthill a hundred times in it. Mountain-tall furniture littered the area, and it seemed they were standing on just one of many.It all seemed artificial, but the entire room was completely overgrown. As if it was left alone for several centuries. The absolutely ludicrous amount of clutter didn’t help with that notion.

“This… looks like the inside of manor. Scaled up.” Whispered Elizant II, taken aback by such a display.

Of course. Maki never expected Giant’s lair to be so… literal. He never really thought about the implications that Giant's lair used to be a house. A messy one, however. Some sort of cataclysm would have had to happen to explain the sorry state it was in. As if some monster had ravaged the place.

Mothiva stood motionless, frozen in fear. She couldn’t whatever she was seeing. “Z-zasp, I’m dreaming, r-right?” She stuttered.” I-it must be another of Snakemouth’s tricks, right?!”

He remained silent. He didn’t know how to process… THAT.

In front of them was a creature so large and horrible to behold, it was almost enough to make the hardened fighter faint. Its bony, countless arms were sprouting from seemingly random angles. Its jaw was disjointed, revealing a set of sharp teeth, each most likely bigger than Zasp himself. Its whole body wasn’t covered in chitin, but some sort of sickly worm-like… skin. Said ash-colored skin heavily contrasted with the multitude of bright, blue eyes that seemed randomly spread across its body. And too many of those were looking straight at them.

“ZASP! MOTHIVA! GET OUTTA THERE!” Screamed Vi on top of her lungs as her team ran by, dragging the still dizzy roach.

Without a second thought, Team Mothiva darted away. As they started their sprint however, the ground started to violently shake, making the explorers fall down. It was accompanied by a sickeningly loud rattling noise, like dragging scrap across a floor.

“Wha- We’re getting pulled!” Shouted Leif. “It’s dragging the entire plateau away from the mainland!”

With a simple hand movement, the creature had put a full meter between Team Maki and the other explorers. Team Snakemouth and team Mothiva were stranded on the plateau, a giant looming above them all, with no proper cover or hiding spot.

It reached for pen and paper. Clearly, these small critters knew how to communicate. It didn’t really understand their language, and it assumed it went both ways. After all, they acted as if it was going to crush them.

“What’s it doing? Is it… drawing?” Murmured Reed, having regained his senses.

Omega had started to scribble something on a gigantic, rectangular piece of fabric. It seemed very focused at the task at hand, having taken its eyes off the explorers.

“Everyone! Take the wasp king and go! Find some way off this plateau while it’s distracted!” Ordered Kabbu, stepping forward.” I’ll distract it long enough for you to escape!”

“Kabbu, we are not going to let you martyr yourself. Vi and we are with you to the end. Team Mothiva can take care of the usurper.”

“H-hum, yeah! I bet we can take it on, too!”

Mothiva shot a glance at the group. “Hmph! We’ll do it, but not because you told us! We’re escaping with the wasp king, that’s it!” Huffed Mothiva, turning away.

“… Don’t die.” Said Zasp before darting away with his prisoner, Raaz in tow. Reed looked at his friend getting away, and sighed. These three really didn’t know what they dealt with, did they. He grabbed his lance with a trembling hand and stepped forward.

The four bugs took position., and waited for a tell indicating murderous intent. A twitch, a glare, a muscle tensing up. It was excruciating. All four bugs were in their battle stances, ready to dodge the giant’s strikes at a moment’s notice, but it seems said giant was preoccupied. Its movements were slowing down significantly, almost stopping in some sort of deep reflection. It’s as if it fell in some sort of trance.

It didn’t look like that.
It looked once again at the crude drawing it had produced. The small, vaguely insect-like figures were correct… enough, but that other one? That represented it? It had way more than one pair of arms. Ugh, it would be a pain to draw itself well enough. It WISHED it just had two arms. Why did it EVEN draw it like that?

A memory sprung up. It was walking down a road, to meet one of its friend. They had two arms and eyes. Like it did.
Some sort of dream, it assumed. It was used to walking on its numerous limbs. …Right? As if to prove a point, it looked at its thin yet elongated hand. It looked… Normal to it. It tensed all five of its fingers. Same for this one. And this… one only had four fingers.

It looked at its missing index. It tried to move it, as if it would materialize, but felt nothing apart from a tingling sensation.

And then he remembered. He was a woodworker. An apprentice, to be exact. Had worked for a few weeks only that he made the one mistake no one should do and touched a circular saw without precaution. Cut his finger right off.

Cut the index finger of his left hand. A left hand sporting peach-like skin. A wound still evident on his ash-colored bony hand.

…

What… happened?

He felt a weight in his stomach. He knew he was used to… most of this. He didn’t even think about it for crying out loud! He had 11 arms, and they all felt normal, natural to him. He must’ve been overthinking it. He probably remembered it badly.

He breathed deeply, and glanced down at his body. He noticed a small, bluish thing jutting from his body. A… crystal.

He remembered. Those fell from the sky. The earthquakes, the cries… the pain.

Omega had stood silent and unmoving for the better part of a minute when it reeled backwards, as if something had punched it. Its eyes widened in unseen horror, clutching its head in its hands. It was whispering something, eyes darting everywhere.

“What… is it doing?” Cautiously asked Vi. “Reed?”

“I dunno, I’ve never seen it that way, even less looking… terrified!”

The giant closed its eyes as its whisper grew louder. With a swift motion, it slammed its fist on a nearby stand, destroying it.

“Whatever it is its doing, we would be better off far away.” Warned Leif, slowly moving away from the titan.

The other bugs slowly backed off from the trembling giant.

It was a normal day, like any other. He was still recovering from his injury, and was resting at home. He was killing time in the living room, mindlessly scrolling on his phone w hen the sirens blared. He didn’t really mind, at first. They went off every now and then, nothing more than tests.

Then the earth started shaking. He heard cries of panics, and it felt as if the sirens were drilling into his skulls. He scrambled to the window, to see what was happening.

Dark, red skies had blocked out the sun. The small town was panicking, with people running to their cars, their basements, trying to escape from whatever was happening. Bright blue dots littered the sky, seemingly dispersing the clouds around them. Whatever these were, it was a terrible omen.

He noticed a blip on his phone. A national emergency had just popped up, warning all residents to hunker down and seek shelter. He peered down and started scrolling, checking for any notifications from his friends, his family, ANYONE.

He was interrupted by a loud booming noise, accompanied by a shock-wave that threw him to the ground. A blue light broke through the window, bathing everything in an ethereal glow. He didn’t have time to ponder it, he needed to run. As he got up, a wave of pain wracked his body. He pushed through it, using furniture as support. A could feel waves of feelings he’d never quite felt before. A great sense of panic. Fear for those he knew. An instinctive need to get away from it all. He started to choke from his clothes, as if they grew smaller on his frame. They were torn off without a second thought. He needed to run. It lowered is body, and got on all seven. It needed to run. Run.

The beast let loose a hemolymph-chilling howl as it tore into its own flesh. All its eyes focused for the briefest of moments on a great door, at the opposite of the room they all stood in. It then sprang into action, barreling through anything in its way.

In its way stood the plateau Team Snakemouth and Reed stood on.

When they heard the Omega’s scream, team Mothiva were slowly sneaking their way out of the lair, with Raaz carrying the former wasp king. They barely had time to take shelter from the rampaging beast before it darted away, creating massive earthquakes as it stomped about. Thankfully, it seemed to run in the opposite direction, making the bugs feel ever so slightly safer.

“What’s ITS deal?! Ugh, I am never coming back here.” Complained Mothiva, trying to remove the dust that had amassed in her fluff.

“We’ll never need to.” Reassured Zasp. “We’re bringing the usurper in, and that’ll be the end of this mess.”

Raaz looked uncomfortable with the pair. They didn’t seem quite trustworthy... or reliable. “You might have to. There are many bugs still trapped in this hellscape.”

“I REALLY cannot afford to look for every little lost bug that is still here.” Mothiva spat.

“Even your queen? Last I checked she was with the mantises.”

Having put her foot in her mouth, she pouted silently. Zasp eyed the roach suspiciously, who responded with a glare of his own. Sadly, they had to carry the wasp king together, so they were stuck giving each other the mean look.

“-akemouth? Guys?! Anyone?! “Shouted someone ahead, clearly distressed.

Zasp had heard that voice before. Yes, it was during the time he spied on team Snakemouth for clues on the artifact. At the very least, they most likely weren’t hostile. What kind of business they had in the deadlands, however, was a complete mystery. They cautiously advanced towards the voice, who mysteriously stopped shouting.

“Team Mothiva, and a stranger, if I’m not wrong. Carrying that ‘wasp’ king, too?”

The trio was quite surprised to hear this, and doubly so when they came across a pink flower bearing a featureless but scowling visage.

“You are the being that spoke to Team Snakemouth during their missions, if I am not wrong.” Zasp stated. “What are you? And why were you calling for them?”

A sigh. “What I am really isn’t important right now. But what happened here is. You’re all in terrible danger!”

“As if we didn’t already know that. Now, what’s a Venus bud doing all the way from the golden hills? Don’t tell me you’ve been giving the Snakemouth idiots an advantage over us?!” Accused the diva.

“An unf- What? Excuse me, are you trying to save Bugaria or are you just having a grudge match right now?!” Scolded the flower, taken aback by the moth’s vitriol.

“I will NOT let those idiots one up me again! I’ve got a golden opportunity, and I won’t let a stupid flower get in the way of MY fame!” Spat Mothiva, advancing towards the bud.

“Eheheh ! You don’t even know who I am, and I’m STILL more famous!” Giggled the bud.

Zasp sighed. “Mothiva, let’s just leave it alone. We’ve got more-“

“ABSOLUTELY NOT! This… houseplant is mocking me, and I will not allow it to spit on my image!” Hissed mothiva.

“I’d love to wound that all-important ego of yours a bit more, but Zasp is right. Let’s refocus a bit here, yeah?” Mothiva stared daggers at the plant, then promptly crossed her arms, looking away.”You’re not in danger just because you’re in Giant’s lair. If I understand this correctly, the giant did lit up the area, yeah?”

“An… astute observation.” Pointed Raaz.

“I’ll have you know I have no eyes, you vainglorious little bug you.” Teased the bud, before shifting back to a serious expression.” Point is, the deadlanders DO have eyes, and aren’t blessed with night vision. Get what I’m saying?”

“Pfeh! It doesn’t matter, that big lug splattered or scared them all off!” Giggled Mothiva.

“That ‘big lug’ just sprinted out of here, moth.” Raaz stated, a hint of worry in his voice. “And with no darkness to hide in, we’re sitting aphids…” He trailed off.

Dropping the unconscious king on the floor, Raaz whipped around and unsheathed his blade, darting away. Mothiva and Zasp silently picked up the king and ran for the exit, never looking back.

“Once we’re out, I’ll go look for the others.” Hushed Zasp. She didn’t answer.

Leif’s everything hurt. They felt as if they’d been run over by Ultimax’s tank. Their head pounded horribly, their stomach churned, and every one of their limbs were aching. They spent the better part of a minute massaging their arm. After the pain mostly went away, they slowly opened their eyes and sat, taking in their surroundings.

Team Snakemouth (and Reed) were currently near the edge of the toppled plateau, back to ground-level. Kabbu was stirring, but Vi and Reed were out cold. They were also quite exposed, the usual clutter seemingly pushed away by the giant’s outburst. At least they looked mostly unharmed.

Leif got up and approached the beetle, and tapped him on his shell. He immediately jolted awake. “AH! Oh thank Venus, Leif you are alright!” Squealed Kabbu as he panicked for a brief moment.

“We’re managing. How are you holding up?”

Kabbu looked down, guilt visibly showing. “Leif, I… I feel like I’ve let you down. Again.”

“Kabbu…”

“It happened with the Swamplands beast… It happened again today. I imperiled my team once again, against something far more sinister than anything we have faced before.” Plead Kabbu, eyes teary.

Leif sighed, then placed both their paws on the beetle’s shoulders.
“We would not have done better. Vi would not have done better.” He calmly spoke.” You faced, and I mean this, an ancient beast so powerful they could crush Bugaria in mere seconds. You were afraid, as we and Vi were, and yet you stood defiant. That’s admirable, Kabbu.”

Kabbu wanted to speak up, but Leif continued: “And remember, that thing was cunning. You couldn't have done anything better, barring running away. And we both knew that was not an option.”

Kabbu sighed. “I know what you mean, but…” He trailed off. After a brief moment of silence, he stood back up, with a determined glint in his eye. “Hmph. Thank you, Leif. What I can do, now, is make sure we all leave this cursed land safely.”

Leif smirked. “Now, maybe we should wake the sleepyheads. We’re not carrying Vi.”

Kabbu immediately panicked, scrambling to Vi’s side and waking her up in the process. “Vi! Are you alright? Are you hurt?!”

“Erhmphh, mhughhhh uhhgh.” Slurred Vi, smothering Kabbu’s face with her paw.

Leif couldn’t hold back a snicker as Kabbu looked dumbfounded at the bee.

Reed had been woken up by the antics of Team Snakemouth, unbeknownst to them. Their generally cheerful attitude was a breath of fresh in these barren lands. The bee’s grouchiness made him laugh, alerting the explorers that he was awake.

“Ah, Reed!” Exclaimed Kabbu, waving at the roach. “Good to see we’re all awake and.. hum” He glanced at the shuffling bee.” Mostly active.” Leif and Reed chuckled again, somehow angering the bee into sitting up, scowling.

“OI, you shut it! We got knocked by the deadlander, of course I’d be woozy!” Huffed Vi, blushing.

Reed held back a smirk. “By the Sapling, you three should really tell how it is you became a team. Sounds like it’d be a blast to listen.”

“We did do a lot of cool stuff.” Plainly stated Leif.

“Yeah! We’re like, the best explorers Lisa has!” Exclaimed Vi, beaming.

“Team, you know I’d love to recount our adventures too, but we should probably find a safe place to do so first.” Cautioned Kabbu. “I say we search for Queen Elizant, and the other roach villagers.”

“Urgh… Guess we’re gonna have to trust Mothiva with the wasp jerk.” Spat Vi, visibly angered.

“We hope our queen is safe.”

Maki swung his blade at the deadlander alpha, severing one of its arms as it was about to fire its sickening slime. It roared and tried to bite the mantis, only to have several darts jammed straight into its jaw. It crumpled to the ground, dead.

“Quickly, we must take cover!” Cried Maki, taking Yin by her appendage. He slammed his sword on the wounded deadlander beta that stood between them and safety, killing it.

Elizant II and Kina were quick to follow the royal blade, managing to avoid most of the deadlanders that had started to return to the gigantic room. They took refuge in an old yet colorful rectangular box.

“Th-The hell?!” Huffed Kina, struggling to catch her breath. “They just came out of nowhere!”

Elizant II signaled to the mantis to stay quiet, as they all stood to attention. Outside of the box, a pack of deadlanders skittered by, failing to notice the group.

“M-muh…”Whimpered Yin, absolutely terrified.

As Maki embraced the trembling pupa in his arms, Kina got closer to the exit, scanning for hostiles. She then quickly flipped some sort of lid down, giving the bugs some room to breathe.

“Bleh. This is a complete disaster.” Sighed Kina, sitting down.

Queen Elizant II took her mask off, worry evident in her emerald eyes. “I truly hope the others made it to safety… Venus knows what dangers they could be facing.” She started to tremble.

“Your majesty, your safety should be our priority.” Stated Maki, still petting the pupa. “From what I observed, Team Mothiva should be on their way to escaping this lair. As to Team Snakemouth, they’re strong.”

“No bug is strong enough to survive these scoured lands alone, outsiders.” An unknown voice said.

As Yin shuffled behind Maki for cover, the other 3 whipped around, unsheathing their weapons.

“Identify yourselves!” Maki warned, blade pointed at the darkness.

“At ease, strangers. We all have bigger problems at hand.” A shrouded bug made themselves known, followed by a hulking roach and a scorpion. “I am the Elder of the roach village.”

The explorers looked warily at the old bug. She appeared old and frail, but Maki could sense she was hiding her strength from them.

Lowering her swords, Elizant II bowed down. “And I am Queen Elizant II, regent of the ant kingdom.” She affixed her mask.” We must discuss of our recent happenings, immediately.”

The old roach slowly nodded.

Omega ran. The once bustling, lively city he knew so well was nearly unrecognizable.
On some level, he wished it WAS unrecognizable. The old buildings brought back painful memories, and reminded him of a life long past gone. Dilapidated houses, broken down shops… He felt like everywhere he went, it was the same story. Was he going in circles?

As he ran, he found something new. The old road near his home (so he WAS going in circles) had split apart, a giant blue-ish crystal jutting out of it. Nature had made it difficult to see, but signs of a crater were still visible after all this time.

He got closer to the monolith. It dwarfed him by several meters, and cast a faint light at nearby flora. Interestingly, it looked as if plant-life was thriving more close to the crystal.

It reminded him of his latest memory from long ago… That crystal must’ve given off more light year ago.

Conflicting feelings bubbled to the surface. On one hand, this thing was most likely responsible for all that had happened. The destruction, the death… Maybe even his current condition, somehow. At the very least, they appeared at the same time everything else ended.

Yet, he couldn’t help but feel at ease near the great rock. Its light was pleasing, calming. It radiated an aura of tranquility, and it soothed Omega’s heart.

Omega sat down, back against the overgrown crystal. Decades had passed, at the very least. Looking around at the houses, he expected no less than sixty years going by, and that despite him feeling younger than ever.

…The world ended, and he was still here. Maybe there were others out there. Maybe they changed like him. Or maybe they didn’t. He could communicate, he’d get out of this. He didn’t believe in the ridiculously absurd luck he would need to be the only survivor from Armageddon.

Well… He already knew that was true. There were those bugs. They only loosely looked like those he once knew, and they acted a lot more intelligently. Maybe he should try to get through to them once again, seeing as they were the only genuine intelligence lifeforms he’d seen out there.

He chuckled at the thought of a bug civilization, with bug houses and bug roads. That would be something he’d like to see. It’d be a good reprieve from this destroyed, empty shell of a city. Barring those monstrous looking… things, they were the most interesting beings he found out there. The only life he found out there.

The quiet of everything around him came crashing down like a dam bursting. No birds, singing away the day. No cat slinking on roofs. No dog barking at random happenings… It was eerily quiet. He really missed the quiet chirping of those insects.

…Bleh. He felt tired from all the running, as if that day lasted for eons. Whatever existential crisis he found himself in, it could wait for a nap. Stretching his numerous arms, he found a small spot where the vegetation cast some shade, and laid down near the crystal. He yawned, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Chapter Text

Mommy climbed the big tree and she saw lots of cool stuff! She told me that, that there was other stuff behind the big white fence! I asked her if I could go see but she said “It’s too dangerous”. But I’m eight! I’m not little, I can go behind the stupid fence!

Then mommy went out and said she’d be back and that she would go look at the stuff behind the big fence, and I’m waiting because when she gets back she’s gonna make honeyed mushroom and they’re super yummy!

- Willa, Dr. Antshent’s adoptive daughter, quote from Disappearance of a famous archaeologist

Omega awoke from his slumber quite lethargic. The feeling of oversleeping was the only thing on his mind, and made every muscle in his body screamed to just stay still this for a while longer. For what felt for hours, he simply laid there, unwilling to register that he was awake. His back was stiff, his eyelids heavy and his head throbbing. Eventually, he tugged his arm to try and rub the fatigue from his eyes. He tugged again.

He shot awake, finding himself completely bound by countless thick vines. Every arm of his was pinned or attached and he was unable to move. Despair built up in his chest as he struggled against the vegetation, in vain.

“Thk atkap, khetc asp.” Some unknown voice said, booming all around him.

“The hell? Who’s there?!” He screamed, trying to turn his head to locate his captor. He barely registered how unusually raspy his own voice was.

“Of course. Unsurprising that a beast like you wouldn’t even understand bugnish.” The unknown assailant responded, now perfectly understandable. “You trespass, deadlander.” It coldly spoke, with air of authority and disgust.

“D-deadlander? What’s that supposed to mean?!”

The voice exploded with a booming laughter that made the very earth quake. At least that’s how it felt to Omega, who was shaken like some sort of toy.

“Aheheh… I might let you live for making me laugh like that, you little pest.” It said with a chuckle.

“Let me live?! I… would appreciate that, hum… whoever you are?”
“...Do you truly not know with what forces you deal with? Then witness your better.” The voice spat with animosity. The deadlander was dropped without warning on some sort of platform made of thick, writhing vines that was shot in the air, making him lose what little balance he had. It took what felt like forever for it to slow down and stop rising, after which he got up wincing and took a look at his surroundings. And he noticed a few things.

First, everything around him felt so much bigger. The houses towered over him as if they were a hundred meters tall, and the grass was so overgrown they were as tall as trees.
Second, he was surrounded by such an overwhelming mass of vines and living, squirming plants that any escape seemed futile.
Third… was the massive rafflesia that rose from the ground right in front of him, dwarfing him.

“You stand before Jupiter. God of nature, and lord of all guardians. The world before you is under my care, and you deadlanders are but critters to be swatted away.” The god spoke as its enormous body turned towards Omega, revealing a great and cruel smile. He felt as small as a bug, and the irony of the situation would’ve made him chuckle if he wasn’t terrified for his life.
“Now what shall I do with a senseless thing like you, hmm?”

Omega gulped. “I-I never meant to hum, to intrude! I swear I don’t know what’s happening, I don't know why everything is how it is!” He plead, scared of whatever the plant had in mind.

“You witnessed it yourself. The awakening warped your cursed body and debased your mind.”

“I, uh… What? The awakening?” He asked, utterly confused.

Jupiter sighed, vexed. “The awakening. You, and all giant deadlanders have lived through it.”

“I… lived through it? Wait, when did this awakening happen?” He tentatively asked, making himself as small as possible.

‘Oh, a measly 487 years.”

Omega looked at the rafflesia with shock. His vision blurred. Everything around him started spinning.
Five centuries. If there were normal humans out there, he would know none of them. Everybody he knew, the WORLD he knew… It truly had ended. He felt as if the platform gave way under him and fell to his knees, breathing heavily. What was he to do now? How would he find others like him…?

His mind was burned by a single word, a single question.
“Why me?” He spat, steadying his breath and looking up at the god.
“Because you awakened.” It answered, irritation showing in its voice.
“But-”

“Enough.” Jupiter looked aggravated beyond measure. “You are an interesting enough deadlander that I wish to see how you will… survive. However, I will NOT listen to another second of your inane ramblings. Begone with you, and never come back to the Father Crystal… If you value your meager existence.” With that, Omega was grabbed by several strong vines, and was unceremoniously thrown towards his house, screaming with dread.

Zasp slowly made his way through the once dark lair of giants. Deadlanders were somewhat more numerous than before, and sneaking passed them proved to be somewhat taxing. Still, he was fast, skilled and had several smoke bombs with him.

[Find the others and leave.] He kept thinking to himself. He didn’t specify this to Mothiva, but finding Team Snakemouth was his highest priority right now. They’d be much easier to reach than Maki, and he’d need their skill to reach further in those blasted wastelands. Besides, he enjoyed the company of these bleeding-heart fools, no matter how much Mothiva loathed them.
…
Well, it did matter to him. Somewhat.

A scream brought his mind back to focus. He didn’t know who it was, but it mattered little. He dashed towards the sound, and found a lone roach, backed into a corner by some… horrifying creature.

A monstrous, bloated… fly-looking thing stood in front of the roach. Its eyes were seemingly filled some sort of glowing, pulsating fluid. Numerous sacs filled with the same liquid jutted out from its grotesque frame, parting sparse patches of dirtied fur. Its palpus dripped with some poor bug’s hemolymph.

It slowly shambled towards them, each step producing a sickening gargling noise. As the roach noticed Zasp, he immediately shouted:
“It’s a Thêta, get out of here!”

Zasp stopped for a brief moment before grabbing several needles and throwing them at the abomination, puncturing many of the foul sacs. The monster made some sort of repulsive suction noise, before violently exploding. Zasp managed to stay away from the blast, but the roach was hit dead-on by the fluid, shrieking and desperately trying to shield themselves.

As the remains of the deadlander thêta crumbled, Zasp hurried to the mortified survivor, making sure to avoid the remains of the deadlander that had covered a large part of the area. The roach was covered with the strange orange substance and looked at him with fear and disgust.
“I TOLD YOU TO- TO STAY AWAY! YOU MONSTER! WHY DID- why… did...-” He trailed, losing track of whatever he was spouting.

Zasp looked dumbfounded as the roach started whispering to themselves, eyes looking around wildly. He waved his paw in front of their face, with no reaction whatsoever.

“Anybody in there? I’m not going to carry you.” He said, trying to get a reaction. In response, they slowly moved their head towards him, and Zasp could see some sort of orange haze taking over their eyes. The same color of that foul liquid.

“MOVE! GET AWAY FROM HIM! THAT STUFF IS DEADLY!” A somewhat familiar voice shouted behind him. Whatever was happening to that poor sod, it was because of whatever the hell came from the deadlander, and he made sure to not touch any of it as he backed away.
Turning around, he welcomed the sight of Team Snakemouth, as well as that other roach he’d forgotten about.

“Guess you found me first, then. What’s this all about?” He asked, gesturing at the mess behind him. The explorers clearly looked grossed out, but Reed bore an expression of horror, worrying the wasp.

“...Deadlander Thêta. It’s normally confined to the upper parts of Giant’s lair, but Omega’s disappearance must’ve brought them back down.” He shuddered, looking at the now manic-looking roach. Their eyes glowed a sickly orange. “That… thing seeps into your chitin, eats through your organs and takes over your entire body. There’s no cure.”

The group looked in horror at the shambling bug, slowly closing in on the group. They bore no signs of intelligence, simply emitting a low, gurgling noise. The orange mass had seemingly attached itself to the roach, pulsating in rhythm with the slow, unsure steps it took.

“If there’s no cure…” Zasp slowly hissed, a hint of sadness in his voice. He swiftly took several of his needles and launched a flurry at the deadlander before it got too close, carefully avoiding the pustules. It growled in pain and collapsed, leaking small amounts of the cursed fluid.
“ZASP! Surely there would’ve been another way?!” Kabbu exclaimed, pleading.
Reed shook his head in disagreement. Zasp looked away, guilt evident across his features.

Vi gazed at the gruesome scene, eyes wide open and her antennae twitching.
“This is fucked up."

A horrible screech woke Omega up. He scrambled to his feet, only to immediately fall down again on some sort of soft surface that he recognized as his welcome mat, a sharp pain ringing through his right leg. As he tried to get his footing once again, he noticed the source of the noise. A huge, spider/crab hybrid monster.

Wait, those used to be tiny. Why was it as big as a dog?

It snapped its great claw at him, slowly advancing. It seemed somewhat hesitant, but Omega was not in the mood to take any chance. Without a second thought, he rushed back to his abode, only to have another realization strike him.

His house was enormous. Did he shrink? Oh god, he did shrink. The once disorganized but still familiar space now looked utterly alien to him, despite it still looking like his living room.
It did explain the earlier encounter. It must’ve been linked to that strange crystal, or perhaps the oh-so high-and-mighty Jupiter that threw him away like a piece of trash. He wished he could show that houseplant what for...

Snapping sounds tore him from his thoughts, and he ran once again through his living room. From the ground, it looked less like a messy, abandoned living space, and more like some hellish wasteland. The small, scattered boxes of perished foodstuff were now great mounds. Small fissures in the wooden floor turned into ravines.

And the worse was those mutant bugs. They were everywhere. Most seemed to want to keep their distance from him, but those bigger, crab-like ones really had it for him. Thankfully, they also were the slowest of them all. Despite his broken leg Omega was fast, and therefore had no trouble weaving between the… local fauna. He was running, once again.

And yet, for what purpose? His house was now inhospitable. He had no combat experience, and running away could only get him so far. Any semblance of civilization had been erased. There were those bugs, but the size difference and their fear of him didn’t really put him at ease.
...Wait, that’s right, they must’ve been afraid of him because of his size! Maybe he would be able to communicate now!

Locating the bugs, however, would prove challenging. He’d left the room in an even bigger mess than it was before, and had no idea where they could be in such a large locale. He simply darted to where the table used to stand, hoping to encounter them.

Passing an old toy truck, he felt a sudden chill befall him. He instinctively stepped aside, hurting his broken leg and falling down all the while, wincing. An icicle pierced the ground like a spear right where he stood a moment ago.
He supposed it hadn’t been all that challenging, all things considered. He wasn’t the stealthiest of beings in his house, after all.

“THKET HKATCAK” Shouted the bee, readying a… boomerang?

“Thketva ki Vi, Leif kt Zasp!” The beetle answered, similarly preparing for battle.

Omega slowly backed away, hands raised in surrender. Those five bugs were only a fourth of his current height, so they might’ve still felt threatened. Grabbing a small graphite stick he’d found earlier, he turned around and started drawing on a nearby cigarette carton.

T he bugs suspiciously eyed the deadlander’s antics, doodling on a great box. Kabbu and Leif looked curious, but the others seemingly did not share their interest, itching to fight the beast. “ Frankly, I don’t see why we’re waiting for… this.”Zasp huffed pointing at the scribbles of the deadlander, exasperation showing in his voice.
“ Yeah it’s just… doodling, or something.”
“ Very w ell put, Vi. But we’re really curious about the artistic talent of deadlanders, so if you don’t mind.” Replied Leif in their usual deadpan delivery, getting an annoyed huff from the bee.

T he deadlander Omega stood back up and turned to the group, presenting the scribble it had worked on. The bugs, as well as Omega, were depicted twice. The o ne w h ere they were fighting was crossed out, and the one where Omega was taking Kabbu’s paw was encircled. The deadlander looked at the beetle expectantly.

“It wants to… grab my paw? It has to be some kind of gesture of peace, perhaps.” Pondered Kabbu, stepping closer to deadlander Omega. It extended one of its arms out, fingers unfurled.
“Kabz, I don’t trust this thing. Let’s just beat it up.” Vi argued, raising her beemerang.
“I second Vi.” Zasp added.

“If it attacks me, then you know what to do. Until then, this creature has shown signs of intelligence and not of aggression, and I respect that.” Kabbu answered getting yet closer to Omega and raising his paw, mimicking the deadlander’s gesture.
It gently grabbed his paw with another of his hands and shook it up and down. The strange feeling of this… skin felt alien to Kabbu. Like a warm, dry worm-like texture. All the while, several of Omega’s strange, dotted eyes looked at him with a curious expression the beetle could not decipher.

I t was first contact between a bugarian and a deadlander. Thinking of it this way elated him , and made him shook the grabbed hand with fervor. He felt like his interlocutor was similarly glad of the interaction, as he saw a grin form on what seemed to be rows of internal mandibles. It looked intimidating, to be sure, but Kabbu thought better than to judge this being on its appearance. A few seconds later the deadlander loosened his grip on his paw and grabbed the graphite stick, starting a new scribble.

Z asp looked at the interaction with exasperation. “This is all fine and dandy but we’re burning daylight here. Whatever this thing wants, it can wait until we’ve rescued the queen.”
“ We’re aware of where the queen is but can’t reach her.” Leif sighed. “ The white mountain has been chock-full of deadlanders ever since the big Omega left. We’ve been trying to find roach survivors for hours , with little success.”
The wasp backed down, looking around. Surely there was some way to get up. Worse case, he could fly there. “ I have to agree with the wasp.” Interjected Reed. “Surely doing anything is a better use of our time than waiting for this thing to finish its scribbles .”

Vi looked and shrugged at the two bugs, before turning back to Omega, finished with its drawing and already showing it to Kabbu. It looked… bashful. As she app roached the doodle, she noticed surprise on K abbu’s face, transfixed by the wall scribble . It was a series of small drawings seemingly relating Omega and Giant’s lair.
“Vi… If I understand these drawings correctly, it is saying to us it used to be... much bigger. Do you think perhaps..?” He whispered, incredulous.

“That it’s the same one?!” Vi exclaimed suddenly, grabbing her beemerang and glaring at the deadlander. It backed away, looking intimidated by the bee’s outburst.
Zasp and Leif looked dumbfounded by such a statement, looking at the deadlander with looks of confusion. Reed, however, stayed silent.

Zasp rubbed his mandible and sighed. “Look, clearly it has to be lying. Or it has a vivid imagination. That giant couldn’t possibly shrink to such an extent by any means, this is ridiculous.”
“Zasp, I’ve read that some bugs shrunk down during the day of Awakening. Some bugs were supposedly even bigger than our house! Perhaps something similar happened?” Kabbu posited, not quite sure what to make of this conundrum.
“Following that logic, that deadlander awakened.” Leif stated. “We really don’t see how that would… Reed?” They waved their paw in front of the pensive roach’s face. “If you’re gonna daydream, do it while we’re not in the deadlands, mmh?”

R eed was unresponsive, but his grip on his spear was tightening.
He eventually looked up, gazing daggers at Omega. “It’s the one. The one abomination that has oppressed my people for generations. That laid waste to our settlement. That ended the life of countless roaches .” He spat. The deadlander looked frightened by the way Reed accused it, taking several steps back.

A ll the roach could see was this abomination . All he could think of was the countless roaches unjustly murdered by something he thought so overwhelmingly powerful it became a fact of life. His friends, brothers and sisters. By this... loathsome creature?! He had an opportunity to avenge those that were felled by this coward. And he would take it.

He tightened his grip and charged Omega , screaming for hemolymph.

Team Snakemouth was left stunned by such a brash move.
Reed had taken the deadlander by surprise, but its seeming lack of combat expertise didn’t quite negate his long reach and mobility. He had managed to dodge the stab, and had retaliated with a sweeping strike that sent the young roach flying, breaking the graphite stick in two. After gathering itself, Omega cautiously approaching Reed as it tried to get back up.

“Kabbu, Leif, Zasp! C’mon, we gotta help Reed he’s losing!” Screamed Vi, splitting her beemerang in two.

“Wait, but Reed is the aggressor! We can’t just attack it!”Kabbu tried to argue as Vi threw her first needle. Omega easily dodged it however, having seen her and predicted what she’d do. Quickly turning around, it threw a death glare at Vi and charged her. It made avoiding the second needle basically impossible for the giant however, and he was struck on one of his many arms. The adrenaline spurt him on, and for the briefest of time Team Snakemouth could’ve sworn his eyes flashed a menacing, deep orange.

Vi prepared to block, but Kabbu got in between them further aided by leif’s shield. The deadlander’s weight was nevertheless too much for the beetle to simply block, and they both crashed in a nearby box. Kabbu was quickly thrown off the deadlander, landing a centimeter away from the giant. It seemed to struggle to get back to its feet, but got up before Kabbu.

“REED!” Kabbu reprimanded. “I understand your anger, but this creature shouldn’t simply be put to the sword! We aren’t executioners! And Vi, we can’t just attack it because Reed charges in like that!”

“Shut up, beetle. Things in the dead lands aren’t nice and cozy like in Bugaria. We lived for generations under the dreadful shadow of this monster as it toyed with our very lives! YOU have NO RIGHT to tell me what I should do with it!” He retorted, approaching Omega.
“I’d have to agree, Kabbu. This thing is too dangerous to be left alone.” Zasp followed, grabbing his needles.

For its part, the deadlander looked hysterical. Its eyes were darting all over the place, and he visibly shivered. As Reed and Zasp advanced leaving team Snakemouth behind, Omega took another step back. It butted into a giant, sharpened colored stick adorned with some sort of dark, pointy spear head. The deadlander grinned when it noticed it, and deftly grabbed it with three hands, wielding it like a thick but unwieldy great spear.

The two bugs promptly recoiled at the sight of the weapon being pointed at each of them. It was a large as their thorax, and pointer than a wasp stinger. Omega roared, and darted forward.

Omega leapt at Reed, raising the weapon high above its head to slam it on the roach. Reed managed to hit the shaft just in time to deviate the strike, jamming its point into the ground. Before he could counter-attack however Omega punched him in the thorax, sending him tumbling backwards.

“A fight is happening whether or not you wanted it, Kabbu.” Zasp coldly stated, fanning his arsenal.
He launched a series of needles at Omega, before taking flight and raising himself above the deadlander. It had seen the attack coming and blocked most of the darts, but its attention lapsed enough for Zasp to position himself above the creature. Zasp dove down and kicked Omega in the head, using his momentum to avoid a clumsy retaliatory strike, gracefully landing down next to Kabbu.

Omega quickly regained his balance and focused all of his attention towards the wasp, dashing towards him and Kabbu. Zasp winced as he saw the massive weapon being swung at them, futilely raising his arms in defense. As he reflexively closed his eyes, he saw a blue flash. He felt a gust of air but the hit never came, replaced by a sort of clink noise and a grunt from Leif.

“Urk- Watch out, it’s- it’s attacks are very strong!” Leif grunted as their shields faded from the two bugs. “We’re not gonna be able to pull another shield off, don’t even try to block!”
“Got it! Vi, Zasp, get into a better position and neutralize it! I’ll distract it!” Kabbu shouted, charging the surprised deadlander and tackling it away from the group.

Zasp grabbed the still dizzy roach and Leif and brought them closer to Vi, who beckoned him. “Zasp, I’ve got this numbing stuff I apply to my darts, but one of them is still stuck to that monster. What if you dipped your needles in it?” She said, taking a pot of yellow substance out of her neck fur.

“...Is that this secret stash I heard so much about?”He asked, amused. “But yes, that sounds like a plan. We’ll throw on my mark.” He finished, dipping his needles in the numbing poison. He rose and got into position, ready to throw a flurry of needles at a moment’s notice.

That was without taking into account Vi having already launched her dart, throwing the wasp for a loop. The weapon hit the deadlander, but the lateness of Zasp’s response allowed it to turn and begin charging at the bugs.
“VI!” Kabbu shouted, trying to stop the deadlander. He lowered his horn and launched himself at Omega, hoping to tackle it away from Vi.

He felt his horn rip through something, and some sort of hot liquid covered him. An instant later, a terrible howl ripped through the air, and he felt his chest tighten.
Omega crashed through the box it had drawn upon earlier, destroying it in the process.

“KABBU! EW! What the HECK is that stuff?!” Screamed Vi in disgust whilst pointing at the beetle.
“Yeah Kabbu, why’d you go and drench yourself in that?” Followed Leif, his attempt at snark betrayed by his worried look.
Kabbu wiped his horn and gazed down at his paw. It was drenched in a sick, smudgy red liquid that reminded him of hemolymph… “By Venus, what have I done?!” He panicked, looking at his teammates and Omega in quick succession.”I-I didn’t mean to!”

The deadlander was faring quite badly. It whimpered as it held its leg, trying to stow the flow of the strange crimson substance. The numbing poison had taken its toll, as several of its arms were locked in awkward positions, trembling. It tried to crawl backwards as the bugs got closer, scowling at them.

“We-we don’t want to harm you! We- Vi, get a miracle shake! We cannot let this being suffer like this!” Kabbu pleaded, in a state of panic.
“No.” Spat Reed, before he lunged forward.

The bugs watched in horror as the roach plunged his spear in the deadlander’s side, making it curl up in agony. It looked in horror at its wound, before coughing more of the red liquid and fully collapsing on the ground, unmoving save for his twitching, paralyzed arms.

“BY VENUS’ HOLY VINES!” Sreamed Kabbu, grabbing Reed.”What did you do?! This creature needed our help given the hurt we put it through, not brutality!”

“It deserved it.” Reed hissed.

“You’re unstable, Reed. Forgive us, but we’ll not take any chances.” Coldly replied Leif. Reed barely had the time to turn towards the moth as they froze the temperamental roach.

Growing darkness. Head spinning. Muffled chatter.

The only thing Omega could feel apart from a dull pain across his body was the feeling of getting dragged. He could barely make out shapes, and he was slowly growing colder. He was bleeding out, half of his body was paralyzed. He would be left to die, or maybe those bugs would put him out of his misery. It was the least they could do after attacking him like that.

In hindsight, he shouldn’t have escalated that fight to begin with. He thought he knew how much his recklessness could hurt him, but he had been proven wrong, once again.

Something cold tugged at its mouth. He tried to move it away, but he didn’t have the strength to even lift a hand. He could only muster a whimper of protest.
“...t w….., ..u.. o..e.. ..ur ..ou…” He heard, from what he believed to be the moth. He radiated a sort coolness when he was near them, that he’d found… comforting, in a way. He was fine trusting them for his last moments. He stopped any futile resistance, and let whatever would happen happen.
A sweet, thick liquid dropped down his throat. It tasted of cherries and honey. It was so sweet, he couldn’t help himself but gulp as much of it as possible, even if it hurt his throat. As he did so, he felt something his chest getting hotter. Like a small fire, slowly spreading across his body.

That fire quickly grew into an inferno so fierce it jolted Omega awake, doubling over in pain and coughing his lungs out.

“Kteh krthateh!” Shouted the bee straight into his ears, sending waves of pain through the skull of the deadlander.

As the tears in his eyes subsided and his vision slowly cleared once again, he noticed he was in sort of old cardboard box, acting as a shelter of sorts. Four of the bugs stood in front of him, looking at him with various expressions of worry. The beetle, despite their mask obscuring their face, seemed agitated and grief-stricken. The moth looked somewhat sympathetic, while the bee and wasp looked over mostly out of curiosity.
He sighed. He suspected as much, but it seems like that roach had acted despite the intentions of the others. He could work with that.
The moth and beetle both offered their paws to the Omega, who took them to try and get back up. They all promptly fell down, the bugs underestimating the deadlander weight.
“Arg- Shit!” Omega swore as he fell down on the beetle’s hard shell. He scrambled to get off, only to meet the moth’s surprised gaze.

Leif sat, eyeing the deadlander with surprise. For a few seconds, he simply gazed at Omega before a smirk slowly crept on his face.
“Interesting introduction. Is that your name, perhaps?” He remarked, clearly understandable to the deadlander. “You probably should’ve started off with the fact you spoke roach dialect.”

“I… Uh?” Omega stared blankly at the snarky moth, before loudly sighing, face planted in one of his hands. The fact that this moth just spoke to him in perfect english and referred to it as ‘roach dialect’ were mysteries so low in his list of priorities he’d have to shelve the dozens of questions that just popped up in his mind. He raised one of his hands.
”Okay. Hey there. I’m-I’m… Huh...“He blanked. His name was escaping him.
For a brief moment, all the events of this day dawned on him. He’d gotten transformed, then shrunken, tossed like a doll across his neighborhood, beaten up by bugs and now he forgot his on name. With a sense of resignation, he simply accepted the fact and continued with his botched introduction.
“I’m… a human. Nice to meet you.” He stuttered, cringing to himself.

“Leif? Tehk tkaxo?” Asked the beetle, looking inquisitively at the moth. They nodded back.

The moth grabbed his hand, sending shivers across his arms. “Nice to meet you, ‘human’. We are Leif. These are Vi, Kabbu and Zasp, and that iced roach over there is Reed. Now, we’re curious so if you don’t mind... What kind of bug is a human?”
Omega got distracted for a brief time by the sight of that awful roach being encased in a comically large cube of ice, earning a chuckle from the deadlander. Near them, Vi started combing through her fur, seemingly looking for something. Kabbu and Zasp both looked at him with surprise, though the wasp seemed to want to hide it.

“Well we’re not bugs, but mammals! We’re these hairless primates who built stuff all over the earth. We’re in my house right now! Well, my parent’s.” He cheerfully answered, focusing back on the moth.
“…Mmh. So humans are giants, then? We know several bugs who’d faint at the mere suggestion one of you is capable of talking.” He smirked.
“Well, I’d be happ-”

“Zasp! Kabbu! Teek hkatxa!” Shouted the bee as she pulled three pairs of small wired bands, and handed two to Kabbu and Zasp respectively. “Tohk vatkat at!”

“Thk Vi, ntak makes you happy…” He sighed, putting them on. It took a second for him to register what he just said, upon which he gave Vi a baffled look.
“Ta-da! H.B and Neo made these to translate what we say into roach! The doc gave them to me before we left for the termite capitol!” She said proudly, pointing at her antennae, now decked out with the small, earbud-like contraptions. “I, erh, kinda forget I had them.”
“Hmph. I never would have thought of you as scatterbrained, shorty.” Zasp replied having just put the small bands around his crooked antennae, earning him a mean glare from Vi.

“Translators? That’s quite impressive, we didn’t have those things!” Exclaimed Omega.
“Well yeah, I don’t expect deadlanders to have any tech. I mean I dunno what you do with your life, but most deadlanders just don’t think. I think.”
“Vi, this guy is a giant. A small one to be sure, but we’re in his house currently.” Leif stated.
“That’s dumb, Leif. All the giants are extinct or something.”

“Ok, I think I’ll just take the loss here.” Omega sighed.
“Leif, when you said he was a giant… Surely, you don’t mean the giants of old? That… If that’s true, he would be able to revolutionize our knowledge of the world! Neo would be so excited!” Kabbu exclaimed, giddy with excitement.

“Kabbu. Not only should saving the queen be our only priority right now, but lest you forget that ‘giant’ has been a cause of strife for the roaches.”Zasp interrupted, eyeing Omega as he crossed his arms. “Maybe question him a bit before we blindly trust his words?”

“Agreed. Before that however, mind if we call you Omega? Since you didn’t give us a name, it seems appropriate to continue using the moniker we used.” Leif asked. Omega nodded.
“Great. That roach over there claimed you spent countless years attacking and oppressing his village.” Zasp stated, pointing at Reed. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I don’t… remember doing that. The first clear memory I have after the crystals fell is of meeting you three. Before that, I FEEL like I was active, but it’s all a haze.” Omega recounted, scratching his head.

“Convenient.” Zasp sighed.

“It makes sense if he awakened. The size difference and the sudden gaining of sentience sound pretty conclusive to us. Also, that embedded crystal didn’t appear out of nowhere, given the fresh-looking… stuff around it.” Leif stated as he got closer to the small crystal jutting out of Omega’s skin.

Kabbu stepped forward.“Regardless of the facts, I believe our current situation simply does not allow us to throw him to the weevils. I agree with Leif’s idea, but what matters most is for us all to leave this place. I will trust Omega to not attack us, and we will all leave this cursed place safely.”
“Bleh, I wish that light would just go away, it’d make it so much easier.”

“The light? Just… turn it off.” Omega nonchalantly said to the bee.

“I wish!” She turned to him. “It’s so far up I can’t fly to it! And I don’t even know if hitting it would break it!”
“Yeah just, turn it off. Like, the light switch is over there.” He replied, pointing at a great white switch located near a broken furniture.

“A light switch? We suppose it makes some sense, if this is a giant’s house.”
“It looks quite big. I doubt any of us has the strength to move it.” Zasp contested.

Kabbu patted Zasp’s back smiling, making him jump. “Do not worry, Zasp! We have all faced greater challenges than this! We finally have a way to move forward in the rescue of our queen, and we will take that chance.” He turned to Omega, presenting an open paw. “Omega, I believe you should come with us. There is safety in numbers, after all.”
He grabbed the paw and turned it on its side, shaking it.“I’ll gladly take you up on that offer! This house is not quite suitable for me anymore.”

“I guess you’ll be carrying Reed then, Big guy.” Zasp smirked.
Omega cast an annoyed glance at the wasp, before grabbing a cloth and enveloping the iced roach. He easily lifted it, carrying it over his shoulder, and after a quick check to make sure no deadlanders were nearby they left the safety of their shelter.

Jupiter was thrilled. His little experiment had born fruit.
He always took pride in keeping things the way they were. Bugs and deadlanders alike were unfit to lord over nature, but those giants were a cut below the rest. Destructive, simple-minded ancients of a past long gone. And he could do something about it now.

He chose one of the ancient abodes, and crept a few vines in. It was time put these creatures in their place.

Spy-log:

Deadlander θ:

HP: 16

ATK: 5

DEF: 0

One of the incomprehensible beasts that lay beyond Bugaria's safe haven. It is too risky to engage, even with a full exploration team. Flee on sight. More information would be too risky to gather.

Kabbu: Even amidst the deadlanders, I’ve never witnessed something so foul! We must parry its strikes or suffer gravely for it! Leif, you must end its suffering!

Vi: EW EW EW!! Get this thing AWAY from me! If that slime touches me I’m done for! Leif, finish it off, I’m not making it explode!

Leif: Eugh. This has to be the grossest thing we’ve seen. Its attacks can sap our very strength if we don’t block. If the others finish it off, it’ll explode. We’ll have to freeze it in its tracks!

Zasp: Disgusting. We must do more than block and kill this thing quickly, or risk turning into husks. I’ll let Leif finish it off.

Deadlander Ω?:

HP: 38

ATK: 3

DEF: -1

One of the incomprehensible beasts that lay beyond Bugaria's safe haven. It is too risky to engage, even with a full exploration team. Flee on sight. More information would be too risky to gather.

Kabbu: This creature reminds me of the beast… Nevertheless, it is quite weak! Vi, Leif, multi-hit attacks will work best against it!

Vi: THIS guy’s a deadlander? It’s super weak! I’m gonna dispatch instantly, just watch!

Leif: We expected a bit more. Curiously, it is the only monster here that doesn’t seem weak to our ice. Doesn’t mean we’ll struggle, though.

Zasp: Not even a challenge. It’s fast, but not enough to avoid my needles.

Omega:

HP: 38

ATK: 7

DEF: -1

A sentient deadlander of debatable origins. His weak defenses are balanced out by the great strength he musters, enabling him to wield gigantic weapons.

Kabbu: Hngh… Such a mighty weapon! His frail constitution belies its impressive strength. We must take him down quickly before its mighty blows wear us down!

Vi: That’s cheating! His weapon is bigger than Leif! Doesn’t matter, I bet I’m stronger still, just watch!

Leif: Well, that’s new. We can shield some of these blows, but it’s quite the unrelenting being. Freezing him will give us some much needed breathing room!

Zasp:..That stings. If I don’t take him down immediately we will ALL go down.

Reed:

HP: 31

ATK: 3

DEF: 1

A stout and generally agreeable roach. Wields a spear and usually fights with his partner, Raaz. Prone to emotional outbursts.

Kabbu: Reed! Control yourself! Surely coming to blows is unnecessary?! His patterns are tricky, blocking him will be hard!

Vi: OI! Don’t chuck that spear at me! I swear as soon as you stop moving you’re gonna get it!

Leif: He’s a lot faster than his stature would indicate, we’ll give him that. But lashing out like that will not be consequence-free.

Zasp: A deceptively quick roach. He’s asking for a beating, and I’ll gladly serve him one.