Chapter 18

Bug Warrior

The doorway brought Luna to a new locale, but one wouldn't believe her if she said that. Each hall, much like the one previous, was exactly the same: endless paths filled with endless cells, all crawling about with bugs and roaches that seemingly taunted the young teen as she hesitantly continued her way onward. Dips in paths kept arriving, but all lead to the same conclusion; a pitiful dead-end filled with maggots that were too eager to test their resolve against her flame.

All the while her family kept struggling to leave their seats. How much Luna wanted to see them freed, but she knew it was probably best to keep them there. She knew little of Savino's true power, but remembering the grizzly man known as Abraham, it was best never to doubt their capabilities. Tip-toeing beside a few beetles eyeing her with bad intent, she calmly brought the device up to her mouth.

"Guys, just stay calm. I'll be there soon, okay?" She tried to reassure.

Why did she think it would've worked? Lola wasn't pleased, nearly resulting to biting off her limbs to escape. "What do you mean stay calm? I am not staying in this place one more second! Grr, I have a recital tomorrow!"

Her shouts seemed to beckon something above them. Luna couldn't tell what it was, but squinting her eyes, she swore she saw that stained glass... thing hovering above them all. No face, but it seemed to be grinning, and the more Lola yelled, the more it loomed, lowering itself closer and closer with a grin so foul and disgusting, it made even Lana feel helpless.

She refused to have them in danger, and quickly brought the mic close. "Keep it down! I know this is bad, but don't give them a reason to attack."

Lola continued to fight, but thanks to a calming word from Lynn, it seemed she was finally defeated. The creature above them seemed impressed, and vanished within the night. The hell was that thing? God help her if she had to run across it later. Speaking of, the athletically-gifted Loud pouted and looked all around. "So... who are these people? Why the heck do they got a beef with us?"

All eyes pointed towards the mother and father, who both seemed equally confused. "You think we know? We found out we're from here last year! I got nothing!" cried Lynn Senior, knowing well that he was bad under pressure. Knowing his kids were struggling with him was more than enough to set him off. Even still, he had to be strong. "Oh no, you think my ancestor cooked their food wrong? Oh, he has a habit of misusing salt, I can just tell!"

Rita shook her head. "Pretty sure it goes deeper than that, honey." Turning her attention back to Luna, the kindhearted mother could only sigh. "Luna, what about you? Do you know them? I... I really don't like them calling you a murderer all the time."

The centipedes were acting up too much. "Nothing, ma. Though, knowing how this stuff plays out, I'm going to find out sooner rather than la-"

Her hand was nearly sliced off by the sight of an arrow implanting itself against the rocky wall. Her eyes bugged out, before hearing what sounded like a bow preparing another shot. She should've seen what it was, but with no time to waste, she instinctively ducked. Another one flew over her head, joining the other against the rows of bugs marching forward.

At least having a second to breathe, Luna looked back down the path she came from. What should've been a normally dark hallway was now filled with what appeared to be suits of armor weakly holding themselves up. Within their tiny openings, small bugs kept pouring out. They were all filled to the brim with the little creatures, somehow all working together to make the monstrosity she saw before her now.

And they were already adept at using weapons.

Luna backed away, aiming her rifle. "S-Stand back!" She ordered. As if that was going to work. The armor became numerous, with a few more slinking their way down the hall, staring at her like rapid animals filled with bloodlust. Some had bows, others with blades, and all were hellbent on displaying their skills.

Just like that, she was horrendously outnumbered.

Another one growled, and threw an axe towards her, its blade just barely missing her shoulder. That one action made the rocker finally break out of her trance, quickly springing into action. Hearing her family scream, she quickly ran towards the axe, realizing it embedded itself against a wall that signified a dead end. Grabbing it, she looked back as the troop inched their way closer and closer. The armor struggled, but they wouldn't stop advancing. She had to do something, and fast.

"Shoot? Dammit, I don't even-"

"Swing the torch, and hit them with the sharp object!" Lisa shouted from her seat. "Remember what Doug taught you!"

The rest of the family looked at the young Loud confused. Why would Lisa know any of this? To them, it was a mystery, but for Luna, it made sense. Her eyes grew wide as she remembered some words Doug taught her only a few weeks ago.

"Lunes, don't worry about acting spontaneous. Even if the idea sounds completely off to everyone else, sometimes it's the true way to go. If ya got no other choice, why not go out in style, right?"

She would've never guessed she'd used those words against homicidal bugs. But in the end, perhaps he was right. Shooting them could work, but would the bullets survive against the ancient armor? Who knows, but what would work was the small torch in her hands.

After all, armor or not, they were still bugs.

Gritting her teeth, Luna charged forth. "Take this, you bastards!" She shouted, flailing the flame like it was nothing. The armored army seemed to flinch back, but unable to move properly in their human-like form, they all fell into a state of panic. Weapons were dropped, and arms began dancing about. Even still she pushed ahead, and once one exposed their body too much, she readied the ax in her hand. "Sorry, but I'm getting through!"

The blade cut through a few beetles, forcing the beasts to scream their heads off. Helmets dropped, and soon the army was no more than fallen pieces of metal and steel, returning to their lifeless origins once again. She kept striking back, just to guarantee none would follow her on the path to freedom.

But in the midst of anger, she sadly failed a major spot-check. A few of her family, watching as the carnage unfolded before them, saw what seemed to be a giant mosquito arise from the fallen debris, with its giant tongue seemingly enjoying Luna's anger. Lisa immediately freaked out. "Big sister, run!"

Luna didn't hear her in time, and as such, felt a massive attack that forced her to the floor. Dazed for a second, she felt a horrific presence sitting on top of her. Opening her eyes, the face of a disgusting critter was quickly diving for her. She screamed and grabbed its fury neck, feeling tiny tendrils scratching away at her fingers. "Gah, get... dammit!" She struggled and fought, seeing her ax just slightly out of reach. One hand tried to grab it, but any attempt brought the beast closer and closer to her flesh. She knew it wouldn't be pretty if it succeeded.

"I said... get off!"

She had no choice but to push even further. Luna screamed, and stretched her arm as much as possible. The wooden grip of the ax met her hand, and with anger, she swung as hard as she could upward, striking deep into the bug's throat.

It certainly worked... but it came at a cost. Her gamble had its issues, and it immediately revealed itself. The tongue reached her flesh, and a painful bite resonated through the rocker. She didn't feel it at first, too focused on stabbing the monster to death, but as soon as it was gone, a burning sensation rubbed against her upper body. She didn't have time to scream, instead frolicking a spare hand over the tender bits.

"Oh... Oh God no..."

She stumbled and hit the wall, at last finding the mark. It was so small, practically insignificant, but the damage was severe. She felt her whole body vibrate under an intensity of pain. Her family could only grow pale, with Lori nearly losing her tongue out of fear. "Oh no... Luna, what happened? Luna!"

It was amazing how little her family saw of the healing powers. Savino clearly showed it off, but what about Luna and herself? "Guess I... gotta show them..."

And so she did, using a vial from that fallen soldier. Not wanting to use it all, she poured some on the newly formed wound, feeling its healing touch run over her body. It felt so soothing and relaxing...

... but it was still there. The bite remained, as did the burning sensation. Fear overtook her fast. "W-What?"

Lisa looked at the wound carefully, knowing already about the healing spell. It was a small wound, but no matter what, that bug did a lot more damage than one could've possibly imagine. Even her glasses fogged up with fright. "Oh dear... that's a deep incision. It's venom must've seeped through your veins by now, probably up to your heart!"

Lucy looked at her; even with her eyes hidden, it was clear she too was scared for her older sibling. "Is... that bad?"

"Far worse than that."

Luna could barely breathe, and when she grabbed for the vial again, she stumbled and fell into the pile of corpses once more. "Damn... I can't..."

But as her family screamed, Luna found herself losing consciousness, face turning as purple as her shirt.

FROM: An unknown source close to Lady Savino

"I'm scared for our lady. She is a powerful woman, and truly a force to be reckoned with! Her army is massive, especially from a village as small as ours, and the power they possess with our trusted steeds is to be commended. And yet, her fragile nature when it comes to kids is sadly a massive degradation of her strength. Those two twins of hers are weak, and we all know they won't survive for long. The knight of the family has survived his illness, but even that seems less compared to their issues. Perhaps that's why she is pursuing the Louds so quickly nowadays, desperate to take away that Duke of theirs, for reasons I still don't know.

"I warned her, though, that if we want them to live even longer, playing with the bugs has got to stop. It's damaging their systems, I can just tell! God, those things are creepy. Why must they be so in love with them?"