"I will grind you to dust."
I snarled, driving my drill-like mouth closer to the alpha cavecrawler.
Desperate, the alpha used all its legs to push back, trying to keep my spinning jaws from reaching its body. But its effort was in vain. One by one, its legs crumpled under the relentless force.
Soon, every last limb was gone, leaving it helpless beneath me.
Meanwhile, the smaller cavecrawlers swarmed me, their claws and mandibles tearing into my flesh. Blue blood splattered against the ground as sharp pain coursed through my body.
Like parasites, they clung to me. And like parasites, they drained me of my strength, making me unable to thrash or shake them off. Like an itch behind your back that you can't seem to scratch.
Finally, the smaller cavecrawlers halted their relentless assault. Their movements turning aimless and erratic. They wandered mindlessly.
Beneath my grinding jaws, the alpha ceased struggling. Its once-mighty body lay still, crushed and lifeless.
But then, a sound broke through the silence.
"What is this?"
A voice.
I froze. My radar didn't pick up anything approaching.
I turned to face the source of the voice.
A humanoid cavecrawler. A grotesquely elegant.
Its segmented limbs moving with an eerie grace, and its multifaceted eyes glinted with intelligence.
This was no mindless beast. This was something far worse.
I immediately activated my abiltiy, Soul Transfer, to return back to my body.
The humanoid cavecrawler tilted its head, as if amused.
"Oh? You're leaving already?"
My focus wavered. It knew about **Soul Transfer**.
"You caused such a delightful mess here, tearing up my little friends—and now you're just going to run off?"
The humanoid's body shifted unnaturally, its movements jerky but deliberate. Then it stopped, almost bashfully, clasping clawed hands together as if shy.
"I… I kinda like it, though."
It murmured.
--------------------------------------
"I SAID STOPPED CRYING."
THWACK!
-------------------------------------------
My eyes snapped open.
Luckily, there were no slime shoved down my throat and mouth.
A wave of disorientation hit me as I sat up from the cold, hard ground beneath me.
My muscles stiff and ached with every movement.
Laid beside me was Zeera, her face pale and streaked with grime.
She must've collapsed from exhaustion while keeping watch over me.
I glanced around the dimly lit tunnel.
It seemed everyone was resting after a long and exhausting evacuation.
I forced myself to my feet, the stiffness in my limbs protesting with every movement.
Veshira was the first to notice. She strode over, her expression a mix of relief and anger.
"You're awake. Good. Now explain what in the depths you were thinking!"
She snapped.
"I used it to take down the alpha. The swarm should have dispersed by now."
She crossed her arms, glaring.
"What if it hadn't worked?"
"It worked. That's what matters."
She sighed, exasperated, and shook her head. Then, a thought struck me.
"Wait. You don't seem all that surprised that I could do... well, that. Controlling the worm, I mean. You knew about my ability?"
She blinked, caught off guard
"Not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Tricrowns aren't just smarter than Novathorns or stronger than Dualsages. You each have a unique ability. I just... forgot to mention it to you."
"Forgot? You 'forgot' to tell me I might have some kind of special power?"
"I've had other things on my mind, alright? It's not like there's a handbook for babysitting a Tricrown."
"Unbelievable. All this time, I thought I was just a freak and had to hide my ability."
"Oh, don't worry—you're still a freak," she quipped, her lips curling into a sly smirk as her gaze dipped briefly, suggestively lingering.
I raised an eyebrow at Veshira's teasing tone.
"Don't worry, I'll make up for the mistake."
She took a step closer.
"How exactly do you plan on making up for it?"
She didn't respond with words. Instead, she reached out, her hand brushing my hair.
"I think you'll find out soon enough."
She grabbed my horns and pulled me in for a kiss. Her kiss deepening as the rest of the world seemed to blur out.
Together, we moved deeper into the shadows of the cavern.