Naria moved swiftly as the swarm closed in, her hand, weaving the wind into a spiraling spear, sharp as steel, with a vortex-like point that drilled into the nearest locusts. Each spear shot through the darkened tunnel with deadly precision, skewering the car-sized creatures and sending them crashing into the walls. She followed the moss trail deeper into the nest, entering a vast chamber bathed in an eerie green luminescence, where her spiritual energy felt strained, less responsive.
Knowing she had to conserve elemental energy, Naria called forth a spirit sword, brilliant white, materializing from her dwindling reserves. The spirit blade was no ordinary weapon; instead of inflicting physical wounds, each slash severed the spirit from the body, leaving locusts paralyzed, their limbs decaying as if touched by rot. But the sword's energy requirements were immense, and she had to use it sparingly. Even as she darted through smaller tunnels, her energy flickered, the walls tight around her, restricting her movements.
Suddenly, resin oozed from above, clogging the passageways as the locusts adapted. Naria leaped forward, but a block of freshly hardened resin trapped her leg, freezing her in place. She struggled, her spirit blade flashing as she fought back the relentless swarm. Her spirit energy was draining, and with no room for large-scale attacks, she was forced to face the swarm head-on.
The tunnel was suffocating, and though each swing cut down a locust, the overwhelming numbers began pressing in, closing the space around her. Naria focused her energy, feeling the dull ache in her trapped leg as she continued to strike the resin.
Each punch released shockwaves, sending powerful blasts through the narrow tunnel, but the resin held firm, showing only shallow cracks that were frustratingly small. Knowing brute force alone wouldn't be enough, she shifted tactics, weaving her wind element around her in a razor-edged dome. The swirling wind created a protective barrier, its exterior laced with sharp, rotating teeth, slicing at any locusts that attempted to breach it.
The sharp wind shredded any locust that came too close, scattering fragments around her. It gave her a moment's reprieve, yet the swarm pressed closer, nearly filling every visible space around her. Their relentless buzzing grew louder, reverberating through the tunnels. Though her wind dome kept her safe, the energy drain was evident. She needed a way to escape before she was overwhelmed, both by the swarm's numbers and her own diminishing stamina.
The locusts surrounded Naria, spitting globs of resin at her wind dome. Her rapidly spinning wind-shield scattered the resin across the tunnel, sticking it to every surface, including the attacking locusts. The trapped locusts began gnawing at the hardened resin, releasing a yellowish saliva that softened its cement-like grip.
Watching closely, Naria realized that their saliva contained a solvent property that weakened the resin's hold. A spark of understanding ignited within her; if she could gather enough of this saliva, she could dissolve her restraints and use the softened resin to her advantage.
She extended her senses, allowing her spirit energy to probe the tunnel. Her mind raced as she formulated a strategy. The key was to get a locust close enough to milk it of these destabilizing agent.
Naria unleashed a strong gust of wind, pushing more of the cement-like resin toward the locusts around her. She angled the wind dome's spin to collect the resin fragments, scattering them toward other locusts. Her goal was to create a web of resin, capable of encasing the locusts and earn her some time.
As the locusts continued to spit resin, she shaped her wind currents together it in controlled clumps. Manipulating her wind power, she created gusts that pushed and scattered saliva-laced resin into strategic places in the tunnel. She targeted the entrances of tunnels, every locust that entered the tunnel at full speed was grabbed by the wet resin and thrown off course. The tunnels became clogged by the bodies of the witless locusts.
The locusts, now finding themselves stuck in half-solidified networks, struggled against the shifting bonds. Each bite released more saliva, breaking through the resin in some places but also causing them to sink deeper into the web of sticky resin.
Naria, focusing on each movement, increased her dome's spin speed, scattering resin in tighter, denser clusters. As she created pockets of loosened resin near the locusts' weak points, her spirits lifted—her plan was working. The creatures trapped within the tunnels were exhausting themselves, bound in webs of resin and saliva. She held her position, catching her breath as she observed her handiwork.
Seeing the swarm in disarray and bound by the sticky resin, Naria prepared to make her escape. In a quick fluid motion, she launched a wind slash at the neck of a locust that was secreting a mouthful of yellow destabilizing saliva. Before the head could touch the ground, she grabbed hold of it through telekinesis and brought it towards her. She immediately spread the yellow substance around her trapped leg while wiggling it around at full strength. When it finally lost its grip she nearly toppled over with joy.
The weakened locusts clawed and snapped, unable to free themselves from the resin that was now both a trap and a barrier. Her wind dome whirled around her, now less of a defensive measure and more of a tactical weapon.
She steadied her breath and narrowed her focus, watching the way the saliva softened the resin—she had turned their own strength against them.
With a final burst of elemental energy, she raised her hand, dispersing the last of her wind dome as she slipped through the chaos.
The locusts, now helplessly stuck to the resin they had created, became obstacles rather than threats. Naria moved swiftly, winding her way through the chaotic tunnel, her senses alert as she continued her journey deeper into the locust nest, one step closer to the queen's lair. Naria sensed the tide turning as the locusts began sealing every escape route. She had narrowly broken free of the sticky resin, using the locusts' own yellow secretion as a destabilizer. Moving quickly through a small tunnel, she sensed the telepathic surge of energy between the locusts growing stronger, an unmistakable signal that the queen was near.
Emerging from the narrow passage, Naria entered an expansive chamber, its ceiling coated in rows of eggs affixed with hardened resin. The floor was littered with molted exoskeletons, the remnants of continuous growth and transformation.
At the center of the chamber, a hulking locust queen loomed, her abdomen swollen and laboriously laying eggs, each one nearly as large as Naria herself. Her sheer size and the endless stream of eggs gave the queen an almost regal, terrifying presence.
The chamber buzzed with activity as smaller locusts darted around in orderly patterns, clearing debris, arranging food, and tending to the eggs. Around the queen, a swarm of miniature locusts flew in perfect formation, attending her every need.
Naria hid herself in the shadows, watching closely as enormous red-striped locusts with silvery, shimmering exoskeletons patrolled the chamber's perimeter, meticulously inspecting each section. These locusts, nearly the size of trucks, exuded an air of authority and were clearly bred for defense.
Naria's heart pounded as she hid among the eggs, their slick coating masking her scent as she observed the diligent patrol of the giant, armored locust sentinels. Her mind raced; she could not take on all the locusts, especially not here in the queen's chamber. If only Faelan could hear her. Her escape had been narrow, the locusts she'd delayed would soon breakthrough her makeshift barricade and track her down, which left her no time to waste.
Moving silently among the eggs, Naria kept her breath steady, allowing her telepathic sense to fan out, tuning into the colony's vast, interconnected thought network. She sifted through the layers, searching for a sign of Faelan, scanning the chittering waves of locust consciousness. She saw the imagery of the colony from different perspectives being shared in real-time. The locust's minds broadcasted their intentions through layers of thought networks. Each network had a different priority.
Suddenly, a shared command surfaced across all the networks: "Intruders. Threat level high." She was not the only one who had been discovered, leading her mind to the last mention of intruder. She felt the mobilization of a large troop of warrior locust taking place in a chamber two floors below her. The intruder was Faelan. Naria was not surprised to learn Faelan somehow found a way past the queen and into the main incubation center of the nest.
Her decision crystallized in that moment. Taking a deep breath, she stood tall, energy swirling as she began forming a powerful cone of wind around her. Her sudden movement alerted the queen's guards; locusts turned, sensing her presence. She ignored them, pushing her focus into the cone, intensifying it until the air itself seemed to tremble.
With one final surge, She faced the tunnels leading to the lower levels and released the cone, blasting a deafening roar that echoed her words. through the tunnels below. "Faelan, light it up!" she yelled,the force of her command slicing through the chaotic chamber. Naria knew what signalling Faelan would bring, and without a second thought,she sought out an escape route.
Her mind raced as she navigated the ventilation tunnels, knowing that one wrong turn could spell her end. Faelan's words echoed in her mind, urging her to "find a tunnel and ride the shockwave out." But the tunnels, much like capillaries in a body, branched off in unexpected ways, and if she encountered a closed valve, she'd be trapped.
As she sprinted forward, her escape was suddenly intercepted by the warrior locusts. To her shock, they spewed scorching beams of fire from their mouths. The first blast struck her back, erupting in an explosion that sent her sprawling. Before she could rise, a crushing blow threw her upwards. Her body collided with the ceiling, encased in egg residue, forming a crater. For a moment, gravity let go, and then she fell, barely controlling her descent as the sentinel locusts followed her trajectory with deadly precision.
Regaining control, she tried gliding toward the chamber's floor, but the relentless locusts bombarded her with flames, their beams exploding around her. They showed no concern for their own eggs, crushing them in their ruthless pursuit. The queen's chamber was vast, giving her space for long-distance maneuvers, but the locusts were relentless, skillfully navigating the air as if born to this deadly dance.
And then, the air changed—a potent mix of fire and wind swirled around her, forming a blazing, rotating wall: a kill box, much like the one she'd seen used against Faelan.
She hastily formed a thick dome of spinning air around herself, hoping it would withstand the searing heat. The dome held momentarily, but inside, she could feel her moisture evaporate, her skin blistering while her lungs burned with every instinctive breath. Her hair began to smolder as she curled into a ball, tucking her knees to her chest, covering her head with her arms. "Is this…how I die?"
Her barrier wavered, her mind slipping from the unbearable pain. Sanity teetered, and madness seemed a merciful escape. In a desperate act, she forced her agony outward, connecting with the nest's telepathic network.
She sent her torment flooding into the minds of the locusts. The effect was immediate—the assault paused, and in that instant, a powerful rumbling began from below.
Naria fell to the ground in a crash, her body steaming from the incineration. She could barely take a breath, her skin had been seared off and her muscles were now exposed.
A shockwave ripped through the tunnels, and a rush of fire surged up from the lower chambers. Faelan had ignited the oxygen in the incubation chamber, creating an explosion that flowed through every segment.
The fury of flame and concussive force blasted into the queen's chamber, and Naria braced herself. She had already faced death today and was no longer afraid.