Naria lay motionless, why would she, every muscle movement caused her pain. The burns from the sentinel locusts' relentless attacks throbbed with each shallow breath. She gritted her teeth, forcing her mind to focus through the haze. The telepathic link with Faelan buzzed faintly. Hold on... I just need a bit longer.
Faelan's voice came through, laced with urgency and guilt. I'm here, Naria. I'll give you all the time you need.
In the chaotic chamber, Faelan moved like a storm incarnate, his wind element carving a path through the relentless swarm. Tornadoes of cutting air spun from his strikes, scattering locusts and hurling debris. Lightning coursed over his body, arcs of electricity slashing through the dark chamber, illuminating the grotesque scene.
"I can't let her down," he whispered to himself, his voice lost in the roar of combat.
The queen's wood element lashed out with thick roots that erupted from the ground and walls. They coiled and whipped toward him with terrifying precision. Faelan dodged each movement a precarious dance between survival and exhaustion. When he was struck, a dome of fast-moving air shielded him. Yet the impact forced the air from his lungs. Each direct hit bouncing him off the walls but his resolve burned fiercer than the pain.
The sentinel locusts exhibited terrifying intelligence. They coordinated their attacks with chilling efficiency, laying traps of resin along his escape routes. One sentinel acted as bait, drawing Faelan into a narrow corridor where resin had been spread. Another charged from the side, forcing him to break through with a blast of wind-infused lightning.
Faelan barely escaped each time. Lightning fast reflexes kept him alive although his body bore the marks of countless strikes—burns, gashes, and bruises. Yet, every time he fell, he forced himself back up.
Meanwhile, Naria inched toward the queen, her movements slow and deliberate. The towering queen loomed above, her grotesque form a mix of insectile and human features. The swarm around her buzzed with frenetic energy, a living barrier of protection.
Naria suppressed the agony radiating through her body, focusing instead on the faint glow of her spirit energy. Just a little closer, she thought.
The queen's telepathic presence was overwhelming, a cacophony of commands and rage echoing through the hive mind. Naria felt the weight of it pressing down on her own thoughts. She was like a teacup against an ocean, their difference in telepathic capacity was astronomical.
The locust queen, growing tired of toying with Faelan, intensified her attacks. Massive roots burst from the ground in quick succession, whipping and smashing with terrifying force. Faelan managed to slice through one with a lightning-infused wind slash, but another struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying into a crater on the wall.
He groaned, struggling to his feet. Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead, blurring his vision. I have to hold on. For her.
Faelan knew all the martial stances of the wind element but lightning was a different case, he hoped the element would follow his intentions. Elemental mastery required the study of different martial stances to allow the body and the spirit to better align themselves with the elemental forces. He was genuinely surprised by how far he had reached without any form of stance training.
He threw his hands up, retaliating with a whirlwind, pulling locusts into its deadly spiral. Lightning surged through the wind, frying the insects as they were drawn into its vortex. For a moment, he had breathing room.
Faelan's breath came in ragged gasps, the acrid taste of iron in his mouth as he fought to stay aloft. His lightning strikes illuminated the dark chamber, revealing swarming sentinel locusts closing in from every angle. His body screamed in protest, muscles trembling under the weight of exhaustion. But he couldn't falter—not yet.
Every electric pulse he sent crackled through the air, the arcs jumping from locust to locust. They spasmed violently, momentarily stepping out of formation. He grinned grimly.
"That's why they hesitate. The electricity breaks their telepathic connection to the queen. They're more afraid of being disconnected than of me." Faelan thought.
"Naria," Faelan called through the telepathic link, his voice edged with desperation. "I know how I can get you an audience with Her Majesty."
Her response came faintly but firmly. "More doing, less talking please."
Her faith steadied him. Faelan clenched his fists, summoning another surge of lightning. Arcs of electricity raced across his body, illuminating the room in blinding white light. The locusts recoiled, their screeches grating against his ears.
Faelan made a beeline towards the queen. In his hand, a javelin of lightning as thick as his arm crackled. The sentinel locusts knew his aim and formed a defensive cloud of bodies over the queen. Faelan knew what he wanted to do, he trusted the lightning enough to know it would follow.
The javelin bolt left his hand with a thunderous blast, Faelan had emptied himself in this one attack. The javelin ionized the air as it landed on the shielded exoskeleton of the locusts. To the locusts' surprise, it did not fry them but bounced around their armor. The javelin became a cloud of sparks and emerged on the other side of the defensive wall.
The bolt of lighting made contact with the monstrous figure of the locust queen with a deafening blast. A shockwave of dust and debris rose over the throne of moss. The locust swarm fell into disarray for what felt like a second.
Naria lay still at the queen's feet, her burns throbbing with each heartbeat. Her mind was a quiet storm, resolve bubbling beneath the surface as she inched closer. The queen's massive form loomed above, its grotesque silhouette shifting as roots writhed from her thorax.
The electric spasm broke the torrent of thoughts into a steady stream of consciousness.
Naria drew a deep breath, her spirit energy pulsing weakly but deliberately. Faelan had opened the door, all she had to do was to enter.
She extended her will, focusing on the queen's mind, slipping past the noise of the swarm into the creature's consciousness.
Her surroundings shifted. She stood in an open green plain, the sun warm on her face. A sea of moving locusts carpeted the ground, their tiny forms blending into a mass of undulating green. Floating petals drifted lazily through the air, each one containing a scene from the colony.
Naria reached out, catching a petal between her fingers. It shimmered, and she saw through the eyes of a scout locust—its flight path mapped a winding tunnel. She understood at once. 'This is how the queen sees everything. This is her mental model of the colony'
Ahead, the queen sat regally on a wooden throne in her humanoid form wearing a floral dress of shifting hues. She radiated control, each petal drifting toward her throne like offerings. Naria understood the mindscape immediately. Her power stems from these petals.
Faelan, meanwhile, felt his body failing. The sentinel locusts had adjusted, spreading resin along his path to trap him mid-flight. One massive whip-like root shot out, catching his shoulder. He grunted in pain as he plummeted, only to redirect himself with a burst of wind at the last second.
"Hold!" he whispered, blood dripping from his limp shoulder. "Just hold..."
Back in the mindscape, Naria knelt. She felt the emotional distress of each locust in the colony.
The harsh work ethic and the vigorous training, it was not to build a prosperous colony but to extract insight and experience from the locusts. The locusts were sentient slaves. The queen was a soul titration practitioner. Every locust lived to fuel her understanding of magic.
Naria's spirit energy flared as she crafted a massive lotus flower. Its nine petals shimmered, each etched with a command. She weaved a new social order into each petal. She included lessons on individuality and collective responsibility in the flower. Her understanding of macro-economics was lacking but she inscribed free-market ideals into the innermost petals.
As the final petal solidified, the locusts surrounding her paused, their wings buzzing uncertainly. Naria realized the swarm was drawn to her. 'They recognize me... They see me as a worthy queen.'
She held her breath as the first locust approached, taking a petal. More followed, their movements reverent as they swirled around her.
A powerful screeching voice thundered across the plain. "Worm, you cannot lead my children!"
The petals of the lotus began to wither. Locusts following Naria turned grey and fell lifelessly to the ground.
"You think you can start a revolution?" the queen sneered, her form shifting grotesquely. "My swarm thrives on domination. You have no power here."
Naria's jaw tightened. Her physical form in the mindscape changed to reflect her battered body. The pain returned to her like a forgotten song, each limb singing to its melody. She arose with tremors in each movement, summoning her spirit sword. Its glow was faint, but it hummed with purpose.
"Your reign is over," she whispered.
The queen lunged, her humanoid form twisting into a monstrous insect. Naria darted forward, closing the gap in a matter of strides. A dark armor materialized over the humanoid figure of the locust queen. Her overconfidence was her end.
The spirit sword phased through the armor, plunging through the queen's head. The creature screamed as her eyes turned black, and her body collapsed.
Faelan felt the shift immediately. The locusts faltered mid-air, their coordinated attacks unraveling. The exchange in the mindscape had lasted mere seconds. In Faelan's eyes, his lightning attack slew the mighty beast.
"Naria?" he called through the link.
Her voice came, faint but triumphant. "It's done, Faelan. I'm here."
He landed heavily near her body, lifting her into his arms. She opened her eyes weakly, a faint smile on her lips.
"You're late," she whispered.
"Had to make an entrance," he replied, his voice breaking with relief.
As the chamber stilled, the swarm organized itself in an orbit. This time, Naria was at its center.