Chapter 243: The Advancing Team

Katolin Sak Kalakr'k was one of those aspiring arachnes that wanted to make their Queen proud.

Just like Hunters, Katolin hunts Kruthiks for their spikes and Core. Later on, these Kruthik parts will then be used to create new items and weapons.

Just like the one she was holding, a spear from the spikes of the Kruthiks. Unlike humans, beasts from the Hive were having a hard time looking for materials for their items. So Kruthiks were either a bane or boons for them. Without them, it would be difficult to maintain a force of a thousand without proper pieces of equipment.

It had been an hour after Katolin's team marched the tunnel.

Their captain, or as what Ned assumed, was a female Arachne with an extra layer of an exoskeleton. She rode a giant beetle with black scales, and sharp razor-like thorns wrapping its legs. She was then being followed by her team of beasts. From time to time, her black eyes darted Ned from behind.

Ned had to maintain his footing to keep up with the beasts. They've been traveling for an hour yet there seemed to be no stop in their march.

"It was one of those Evolved Kruthik that we are hunting," Katolin Sak Kalakr'k said. Surprisingly, her voice was closer to a female human.

Others Ned heard that they have raspy and guttural voices. Looks aside, Katolin would be mistaken as a human with only her voice and face hidden. She has thick and braided hair, but some of this hair escaped that covers half of her face. She got this look of a peculiarity and innocence as if wanting to travel even further down the tunnel to discover what lies behind the darkness.

Evolved Kruthiks were bigger. Bigger would be a shy word to describe their target. According to Katolin, this evolved Kruthik was the creation of the Kruthik's Queen. Just like the Hive, Kruthiks have their Queen, that even until now, none have seen its face. She must be the one that causes those rumbling underneath the Hive.

Ned's curiosity was piqued seeing that the team of beasts was carrying torches instead of mana stones as their sources of light.

Ned was about to ask when their captain let out a shriek.

The shrieked was their form of communication. It was like a Morse code to them. Ned couldn't fully understand them, but in an hour that they have been traveling. He could vaguely understand some of the captain's order. A short shriek, not less than a second, was an order to be vigilant.

Short and long shriek means that the enemy was nearby but unseen. Then a long shriek, followed by two short shrieks means that the enemy was close and visible. And it was one of those shrieks that Ned heard coming out from the arachne captain.

Katolin stood in full guard. Katolin's spear wrapped of silk and tipped with Kruthik spike stood with great focus as the team halted.

Ned's senses caught something not far from them. At the narrow end of the tunnel was a fork that leads to a two-way path. There was a cave to the left while there was light shimmering from the right cave.

Then a rumble passed through the right channel and was followed by.

"Help."

"No!"

"Save me."

"For the Queen!"

"Let it go."

There were a dozen under the female arachne's command, excluding Ned. And thirteen of them heard the horrifying voices. Even the beast feared the unknown.

A dozen of beasts were filed in a neat row of two while Ned was at the tail along with Katolin in front of him. Katolin took a step back. Along with at least four beasts.

The voices they heard were of the beastian language. They were voices in ascending tone and each was told in a long breath. Added with the tunnel's circular shape, the voices traveled echoing.

Those weren't normal voices, Ned thought. Something's not right. "Something's not right," Ned eventually said to Katolin.

"Huh?" Katolin jerked with Ned's warning.

"Don't go there."

"Why?"

For a beast, Katolin wasn't apprehensive of Ned. She was closer to him rather than the beast in her team. It must be her instinct that questioned Ned. She took a step back, closer to Ned.

And Ned's doubts were answered.

The captain of Katolin's team shrieked. Three quick shrieks and a long pause. This long pause gave the team the preparations.

Female beast, five of them, marched toward the center of the team, while the male beasts, all were arachnes, formed an inverted V line surrounding the female beasts. While their captain leads them in front. She was a speck of dot atop the inverted V shape if one was to look at bird's eye view.

Ned on the other hand moved as a response to the team's coordination. To supplement the team, Ned positioned himself behind the inverted V line, strongly reinforcing the formation by guarding their back. He then drew the broken Butterfly out of his dimensional ring and prepared for who or whatever's coming to engage them.

Silence filled the tunnel.

A screeching sound coming out of the beast's exoskeleton joints. Even the enormous beetle stayed still. They were waiting. Should they proceed? Or fall back?

The answer came through. None of the two options.

The walls that surround the tunnel made a cracking sound before it split open.

A Kruthik came out the cracked wall to the team's right. To the side where Katolin was standing. Luckily the male arachnes acted as a defensive barrier and proceeds to engage the Kruthik.

The first Kruthik to appear was killed instantly by the team. All of them held spears made from the enemy's spikes.

Before the Kruthik died, it let out a dying scream.

The captain shrieked, then the team moved. Leaving the dead Kruthik. They advanced while maintaining the formation.

Ned followed with his back facing the team.

As far as Ned had learned. Kruthiks always attacked in a group. To attack alone means that the dead Kruthik was lost in its group. Which Ned doubted since this was their territory. Or, the first Kruthik was a test. Which was highly possible.

They weren't mindless after all, Ned thought. If his Butterfly was not broken, he could have good illumination. But it was dull, like a mana stone emptied of its fuel. It exudes nothing. Yet, it was the most valuable item Ned had and the Ring.

"Detect," Ned muttered. Then under his display were dozens of Kruthik hiding behind the walls, waiting for an ambush.