Chapter 275 - The Ixilak Hive (Patreon)

Pudge stomped down on the Ixilak warrior’s bulbous torso, feeling its body explode from the force. Golden blood, furry carapace, and the monster’s innards erupted into the air, splattering across the interior of the hive. The bearkin pivoted, the claws of his feet digging into the ground to keep from slipping, and launched a ball of [Hellfire] at another of the insectoids, engulfing it in the black-and-red flames. The force of the attack drove it into the honeycomb walls, where it spent the next second shrieking in pain before collapsing in a smoldering heap.

Pudge let out a vicious roar, whipping around to search out his next enemy. Nothing greeted him by his exhausted companions, who were surrounded by the corpses of their enemies. Each of the other beastkin was worse for wear, with hastily patched armor, disheveled features, and myriad half-healed wounds. For a long moment, Pudge didn’t move; instead, he continued to search his surroundings for potential threats. There were none.

Finally, he let himself relax.

A little.

The Trials had proven to be a lot more dangerous than he had expected, but not for the reasons they should have been. If it were just him, Pudge felt confident that he could have torn through the enemies without much issue. Or, if he chose, he could have used [Concealed Steps] to completely bypass large portions of the hive. A few monsters could see through the skill, but so far, they hadn’t been common enough to make him worry.

The Trials themselves were curious, though. The first Trial had ended after they’d reached the enormous hive – a feat that was much easier than any of them first expected. Once they knew what to expect, the enemies weren’t that dangerous. Certainly, getting swarmed by the giant bees wasn’t impossible, but it was extremely unlikely, so long as they remained alert.

It was a difficult thing for the group of sheltered beastkin. Without Pudge, they may have died in that first Trial, and they certainly wouldn’t have challenged the second. Or the third. Certainly not the fourth.

Each Trial – or level – the group had the option of turning back. Completing the rite of passage only required them to enter the Trials and return, which could be done after the first level. Only the strongest chose to keep going. Pudge never considered stopping, and he wouldn’t until he reached the end. Partially, it was because that was the only way to complete his quest, but it was probably just as much due to his nature. For better or worse, he’d been raised by Zeke, and he’d been infected by the same refusal to quit, even when it was probably smarter to do so.

The second Trial had been exponentially more difficult, and it was the first time the group had encountered the Ixilak drones, and they were far more dangerous than the oversized bees had been. For one, they possessed a modicum of intelligence – or at least enough to employ rudimentary tactics. Usually, those tactics were limited to swarming or retreating, but even that set them apart from most monsters.

The drones themselves were insectoids that looked like evolved bees.  They still had the six limbs that characterized them as insects, but only four could rightly be called legs. Those appendages were attached to the yellow-and-black abdomen, which remained parallel to the ground. However, the thorax, from which sprouted a pair of arms, was typically upright. From a size perspective, they were only half as big as Pudge, but they were fast and, using their stingers as well as crude weapons, they were still deadly.

Fortunately, the group of beastkin were powerful enough that they managed to finish the Trial – which consisted of them steadily climbing a spiraling ramp inside the hive – without any major injuries. Still, it wasn’t pleasant, and certain members of the party wanted to cut their losses and exit the Trials. Tagar, especially, seemed to be a bit of a coward.

But he was also unwilling to abandon his friends, so when the group overruled his suggestion, he progressed through the door – or portal, Pudge expected – that would take them to the next level.

That one was more of the same, though instead of only facing off against small swarms of drones, they had to fight a veritable army of the creatures. Fortunately, Pudge was well-suited to destroying large groups of monsters. He was especially excited to learn that although [Hellfire] seemed to prefer manifesting as a ball, he had some control over it. That control came at the cost of increasing the mana expenditure, and though he was tempted to just spray the skill out in a neverending stream, he’d found that the most efficient way to use it was to simply increase the size of the fireball.

So, as that Trial had progressed, Pudge had steadily adjusted the skill – or his mindset, really – to conjure fireballs a little bigger than his head. When they hit, they did so with an almost liquid splash, engulfing multiple drones at the same time. It was beautiful. And a little terrifying as well.

But the fourth Trial had proven to be much more difficult in that it was the first time they’d encountered the Ixilak warriors. Not only were they bigger and stronger, but instead of being based on bees, they were very clearly closer to hornets. The first time Pudge had felt the bite of one of their stingers, he’d been so stunned that he’d nearly gotten his head chopped off by the creature’s bronze sword.

His companions hadn’t fared any better, taking dozens of wounds themselves. That’s where Yoree showed his worth, healing all of them with defiant resolve. Pudge lost track of how many of the monsters they killed, though he’d long since satisfied the terms of his quest – at least regarding the drones and warriors. He suspected that he’d run into the advisors and queen on the final level.

However, for the first time since they’d begun the Trials, Pudge considered turning back. Each time they reached the end of a level, they had the option of exiting or going on to the next Trial, and Pudge was very skeptical that his companions could survive the ever-increasing dangers of the final Trial.

That line of thought only lasted for a brief second before he shook his head. No – Pudge had started, and he intended to finish. However, that didn’t mean that the others needed to accompany him. As much as he liked having a healer – or someone to watch his back – he knew that the other beastkin were ill-equipped for the task at hand. They’d all led sheltered lives, so suddenly finding themselves in mortal danger was, to put it mildly, a shocking turn of events for them.

With all the warriors dead, Pudge and the others continued up the ramp until they reached another elaborate doorway. The frame was carved similarly to the one that had led them into the hive, though the designs were more intricate. The interior of the doorway was so dark that none of them could see through.

“You can turn back,” Pudge said, turning to address his ragged companions. He didn’t dislike any of them, but when compared to Pudge’s real friends – or his family, he amended – they could only be found wanting.

Sasha shook her head, saying, “We can’t. We need this. We’ve already come this far.”

Tagar said, “Sasha, it’s not –”

“I don’t think we’ll survive,” said Yoree, cutting the tigerkin off. “I’ve already overdrawn my mana a few times here, and I’m not regenerating as quickly as I should. It’s like…it feels almost like I’ve strained a muscle or something. If we go in there, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to keep up with the healing.”

“But –”

“It…it is okay,” Pudge stated, putting his hand on her shoulder. She seemed so small. They all did. Pudge knew that they were a little higher-leveled than him, but he didn’t have any sort of examination ability to tell him exactly how big the gap was. However, their levels felt like hollow strength. One day, they may grow into it, but for now, they were far weaker. “I can heal myself.”

That was true. When he’d tried to activate [Leech Strike] through the [Mark of Companionship] that connected him to Zeke, he’d been surprised to find that the skill had completely transformed into something else. Pudge had no idea what it was called, but instead of drawing vital energy from his enemies, it dragged it out of the ground in the form of something that felt like nothing so much as the rock elemental they’d fought outside of Salvation. It didn’t heal as well as [Leech Strike] had – it almost felt like it was doing something it was never intended to do – but it worked well enough to stave off minor injuries and soothe Pudge’s fatigue.

“And I have other skills to keep me alive,” he added when she looked like she was going to argue.

“I will stay if you want,” said Tagar, looking at Sasha. He looked resolved, but Pudge could smell the tigerkin’s terror. All of them were afraid.

“So will I,” Yoree added. “It’ll probably kill us, but never let it be said that we abandon our companions.”

Pudge could tell that the decision was tearing Sasha apart. On the one hand, there was clearly a sense of honor among the beastkin of the Pale Moon Tribe, and it demanded that they stick with him. But every creature, beastkin or otherwise, was equipped with potent survival instincts. And those instincts were screaming at her to quite while they were ahead. Overcoming the fourth Trial was an impressive result, Pudge had discovered. No one ever finished the entire hive.

“You will only be liabilities,” Pudge stated.

Sasha reeled as if she’d been struck. But not only was it the truth, it was almost assuredly the only way she or the others would survive the Trials. The escalation of threats suggested as much.

But even if she recognized that, Sasha’s pride didn’t want to let her admit it.

Surprisingly, though, she just nodded, saying, “I understand. But…just promise you’ll take care of yourself, okay? I don’t think it’s going to be easy for you.”

Pudge nodded. “Easy is not worth doing,” he said, repeating something Zeke had often thought. He missed the mental connection they’d shared during their time in the Radiant Isles. Whether it had disappeared because of the vast distance separating them or if it was a product of Pudge’s evolution, he didn’t know. But he missed it all the same.

“We’ll go first,” Sasha said.

Then, after the others wished him luck, they stepped through the portal. Pudge waited a couple of minutes, channeling the curious ability he’d borrowed from Zeke as he replenished his reserves of mana and vital energy. He also wanted to make certain that he wasn’t somehow lumped in with Sasha and the others.

As he did, he opened his status:

During the climb through the Ixilak hive, Pudge had actually gained a level, and as a result, he’d been awarded two free points, which he had allocated into dexterity. In addition, he’d also gained a single point in strength, endurance, and agility each.  He’d expected the free points, but he hadn’t anticipated the automatic gains, though he attributed those to his class. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was going to turn down extra stats.

After twenty minutes, Pudge finally decided it was time to continue his ascension through the hive. So, he stepped forward and through the doorway. Immediately, a notification appeared in his mind’s eye, asking if he wanted to continue his climb or exit the dungeon. He chose to continue.

For an instant, Pudge was mired in impenetrable darkness, and then, suddenly, he was in a huge, open room. Immediately, he activated [Concealed Steps]. A good thing, too, because a group of ten Ixilak warriors soon passed him by. He was concealed in a small alcove, so he didn’t think he’d been seen, but that would not have been the case if he’d hesitated for even a few seconds before using his skill.

Once he was certain that nothing could see him, Pudge glanced around the room. As was the case with the rest of the hive, the walls were constructed of a combination of amber, wood, and hardened wax arranged into a honeycomb pattern. Magical, golden lights floated a few feet from the ceiling, revealing gracefully arching doors that led deeper into the hive. In the center of the room, which Pudge likened to the first floor of the Crimson Tower, there was a statue depicting the most human-looking Ixilak Pudge had yet seen. Judging by the creature’s features, it was female, though he wasn’t the best judge of such things – especially when it came to an inanimate statue.

More troublingly, the place was absolutely crawling with Ixilak warriors. Some, like the group that had just passed him by, patrolled the space, eventually heading down the halls that led deeper into the hive. But others were stationed as guards. All bore bronze weapons – spears and swords were the most common – but none were armored, instead relying on their naturally tough black-and-gold chitin.

Four corridors. Eight stationary guards. And at any given time, there was at least one six-warrior group of patrolling Ixilak.

In short, Pudge had his work cut out for him, though the situation didn’t seem impossible. So, he crept forward with deliberate motions. His skill was powerful, and he trusted that it would hide him, but he’d spent untold hours developing his ability to move stealthily. And those habits weren’t easy to discard – not that he would have, of course. After all, the skill might allow him to conceal his presence, but he didn’t know its limits. And surrounded by dangerous enemies was definitely not the time to test things out.

Sticking to the outside wall, Pudge continued to move forward until he approached the first pair of guards. They stood at attention, unmoving and tense. But they didn’t sense him. Still, he waited, watching and learning until one of the patrolling groups stepped between the guards and continued down the hall. That’s when Pudge acted, slowly following them. Neither of the guards reacted as he passed them by, and just like that, he was on his way.

Surely, it wouldn’t continue to be so easy, though.