Dark Crow Rising

"Newlyborn... Why does it keep speaking to me as if I am one of these... Things!?" I ask the insect inside of the container Heiya's Father hopefully just dropped at some point.

Sighing depressively, I fiddle with the small container and try to open it. I'm still alive for now, but, I don't feel safe, protected. If this little thing is meant to be protection, then I want more of it. I just need to hold this little guy in my hands...

The armoured, staff-wielding bug has done nothing but make a fool of me. He's thrown me into that fighting pit again and again and between those moments, he's prodded me like a rodent in a lab. I don't know how long I have been in here, but however long it has been, I feel my time is running short. I can't keep fighting for my life like this...

The lid to the container comes off with a click and I drop it onto the wet muck. A dull, pale, light blue glow illuminates my face and I carefully tip out the contents of the container. Slowly, what appears to be a stag beetle of some kind comes out onto the ground, spreading its natural shine to the muck. Rather distinctly, however, its back is shaped like a human skull and I start to fiddle about nervously.

I have become all too familiar with that shape since I was first thrown into the fighting pit...

The small little insect crawls about without a care in the world and I blink. I have seriously been hoping for protection from a little beetle...? Am I really that doomed that I am trying to find salvation with an insect? What am I going to-

A passing by pair of bugs freeze up and I stare at them, tilting my head ever so slightly. They twitch nervously at the sight of the little beetle and then leg it. I blink repeatedly and land my gaze back on the insect, staring blankly at it briefly. I smile slightly at the little guy and I block him from moving ahead gently with my left palm.

Crawling up onto it, he tickles my palm and his tiny little eyes meet mine. The light grows slightly brighter and I look away as it starts to bite me. Putting it back down, I let it wander off for about a ruler's distance before I quickly spin it around with care. I sigh once again and the bugs return to dominating my thoughts.

My hands clutch my head tightly and I seem to hallucinate a mixture of red and yellow blood on them. I start to shake my head and groan as my eyes bounce between the bars of my cage. Glaring, I turn on the insect as it continues to do absolutely nothing! A fist forms and I scoot over to it...

"How're you meant to protect me, Beetle?" I ask it as I try to consider any possible way that it is more than just some stupid little insect. Heiya's Father surely had a reason to bring it... But, what! What!?

I place my fist near the beetle and it stops mid-step, wobbling back and forth between a pace that could take it either way. Magic stone suddenly knocks me away and it leashes my limbs against the cage. One more then suddenly shoots down towards the little beetle. Crushing it under a moving, unending pillar of solid rock.

I sigh miserably as my gaze turns towards the approaching rattle of rusting metal. I sneer at the bug as it comes into view at the edge of the darkness, but, curiously enough, I note its caution. Contradictory to every other time I have seen it... A bit like how that pair from earlier is the first time I have ever seen them run in fear.

Not even Vapooliar scared them and she came busting through the mountain to save me!

"Do not disturb the Pestilence..." the armoured bug warns as it loosens the magic it was restraining me with. Falling to the ground with a blank expression, I stare at the pillar as the beetle's glow breaks free of it. Turning it to sand-like dust, the small beetle crawls on out as if nothing happened. I blink at it as the armoured bug opens my cage up.

Grabbing me by the back of my neck, it pulls me up to my feet. The brown light covers its staff and the passageway becomes a chamber with a single, domineering wall. Light-covered earth bursts through and what I can only describe as a mural takes shape. It's hard to tell at first, but the bug is fully focused on making it.

I look back at the beetle while its attention is elsewhere and hold my hand out for it. Picking it up, I slip it into my pocket and pray it won't do what it just did. I turn back around just in time. The armoured bug is finished with whatever it was making...

So, why is this little insect so special?

"Do not disturb it. Damnation is all that you shall see." the bug warns as I stare at the surprisingly detailed piece of art, almost as if its memory had just been placed right there. The decorated wall shows off a vast, crumbling chamber with a grand throne in the middle of it. At the top of the ascending chairs, with a grand sword hundreds of times longer than me, is an armoured skeleton thousands of times greater than I.

A giant of an incomprehensible magnitude...

"Noted..." I mutter as my right thigh tickles as the beetle moves about it. Its little thorny legs are more than enough to get through the fabric fibres. Keeping a hand over the pocket's opening, I pray the material is thick enough to hide the light.

"Never harm it..." the bug warns as it tries to spot the now-hidden beetle. It seemingly shivers and hastily steps away when it can't find it. Looking at me, it gestures for me to follow and I do as asked. I can't do anything else for the moment.

Just need an opportunity, though, just that one opportunity.

"If you blind the Pestilence, he may awake and all will collapse." the bug says fearfully as it chitters louder than usual. Physically, I am quiet. Internally, I am jumping for joy like a sugar-high child. Oh, I would love for this Pestilence thing to just destroy everything related to these bugs.

This Pestilence guy, thing, whatever, it's okay in my books, just like this little beetle!

However, waving its hand, the mural is destroyed and the tunnels return to the way they were. The roars of the pits fill my ears and grim anticipation covers my face. Time for my usual routine, I suppose. Another day fighting my fellow, albeit turned Tobaballians...

No explosion from Vapooliar will save me. No family duo with strange guns will shoot them for me. Not even an agile tail for me to follow so I can escape them. I have to deal with it myself, I need to kill them just like all the other times.

Reaching the edge of the high-up platform, the bug makes the crude bars vanish as it places a palm on me. Pushing me forward, I lean the beetle away from the impact and crash into the wet earth. Sinking into and sliding across it, I blegh my disgust and pick myself up. I remember a time this much filth would bother me...

Now, I don't care at all when I get further dirtied.

The ground, however, when it squelches with blood and bug guts, I cannot help but shiver slightly. I flex my still-armoured right arm and look around at whatever I can find. I gently cup my pocket and think back to what it did to that pillar. Trying to kill it turned it into sand, dust, something.

"Can I exploit that?" I quietly ask myself as I start to get nervous. If the beetle destroys what is trying to kill it, then I would die... My armoured fingers flex some more and I glance up at the rust-armoured bug. Guess I just need to flip a coin here, either I die because of them, or I die because of myself.

Land the right way for me, then, Coin...

Roars fill the air once again and a tunnel opens up. Stepping out, a blood-soaked, patterned one steps into the arena. Just like usual, always after it has proven itself better than the regular bugs. I frown at it as it goes ballistic at me with its gestures and roars.

I start to think about the insect some more and I continue to frown. Feeling the muck come up to my ears, I realise that the patterned bug has started attacking me. Slowly, I put my armoured hand into my pocket and cup the beetle. Pulling it out as much as I can, I stare miserably at my fellow, turned Tobaballian.

Heiya's Father surely knew of this Pestilence thing, that must be why he thinks of the beetle as protection. If things were to go truly wrong, he'd whip it out to save himself and his daughter. These bugs are scared of it... He'd just be able to walk out so long as he kept his little hand open, right?

Grabbing the next blow from my turned fellow, I close my eyes and push back against it. Using my unexplained strength, I snap its arm back and let it roar in pain. I force myself down against its shoulder and break it, pushing it to its knees. Then, I hold the beetle out, letting him shine brightly in the open.

"YOU WILL LET ME GO FREE!" I demand as the bug continues to mindlessly lash up at me. Unlike it, however, the armoured one seems to take my demand seriously and its staff glows... I poise my armoured fingers, readying them to crush the beetle. I'll blind the Pestilence alright if I am understanding this bug's words correctly!

The bug below brutally slips out of my grip and whacks me. Reacting hastily, my grip loosens and I drop the beetle. Panicking, I pat around trying to set it off as I am attacked by it once again. Suddenly, darkness.

Stone worms are erupting from all around me and the hive's ugly lighting is blocked out. They rear back and shoot down for me just as I find the beetle. Screaming, I put my open palm into the air and wait. I feel nothing and my eyes confirm I am not losing track of time.

Dust is falling onto me...

Coughing and blinking, I watch as the endless cascade of stone worms amounts to nothing. The ground around me is gone and steadily, this little pillar of mucky soil falls apart. Sliding down it, I somehow roll out into another tunnel. But, it's still one belonging to the bugs...

I get up and look behind as a strange shift echoes towards me. The worms start to reassemble and chase after me and I start to leg it. Going as fast as I can with only speed on my mind, I rush and scramble. I bash destructively alongside the walls of the tunnel and it crumbles away behind me. Turning around slightly, I slam right into the wall at the end of the tunnel.

"NO!" I go as I bring the beetle up to my front. The stone worm coming directly for me stops and it waits. Cautiously, I start to stumble away from it as I keep the beetle's light on it. I notice the fact that I am on my own.

And I laugh with all I have!

"YES!" I scream as I discover my chance to escape. This insect is the way to go. I just need to keep him at my side and we can get out. Thank you, Pestilence!

I might still be in the hive, probably even deeper than before! But it's better than nothing... Being able to escape the fighting pits will do me good for now. I just need to figure out which way is truly up, somehow...

The armour on my right-hand cracks.

"Huh?" I go as I notice how light it suddenly feels.