A/N: Welcome back~

For this chapter, we shall leave behind the swamp and explore the jungle~

Do enjoy~


The Haar

Chapter 16: Wakatsuki, Gromky, Grozny

On the eastern side of the island, Amagi's fleet began their arduous march through the jungle.

In contrast to the lush but dense forest or the muggy and water-riddled swamp, the jungle was an oppressively hot place, far hotter than an island like this had any right to be. Various shades of green coloured the landscape, from the light green grass that reached waist-high to the darker greens shrubs or exotic bronze-coloured tree trunks. It painted a pretty postcard image from afar, but to actually trudge through it was an entirely different task.

Wakatsuki, even though she was used to tropical conditions given the summers in her home country, still struggled. The mugginess in the air made it hard to breathe at times and the myriad of insect noises throughout the jungle made her jumpy, be it the clicking of cicadas or buzzing of small airborne insects. Considering the dangers they knew of on the island, she felt like she had the right to be afraid of even the insects.

The Sakura Destroyer sighed, glancing behind herself. She'd been tasked to lead the vanguard into the jungle, though due to the density of the terrain they were ordered to maintain a relatively close distance. However judging that distance was hard if not impossible; the thick trees, dense foliage and often-tall grass meant that it was hard to measure how far away the fleet was, especially since they were ordered to maintain silence as much as they could to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

Her two partners in the vanguard were Grozny and Gromky of the Northern Parliament. Both Destroyers like her, but unlike her they weren't acclimated to the hot weather – and as such were dragging their feet, such was their heat exhaustion. Their thick clothes certainly didn't help but when she suggested they remove their heavier clothing they both strongly refused, citing that it was part of their uniform and they could tough it out.

Wakatsuki doubted it, but she knew honour meant a lot to some people, so she didn't push. It'd be their own fault if they passed out... and then her responsibility to take care of them.

She almost sighed at the thought but didn't complain, instead directing her energy to scanning their surroundings. The foliage was dense but not untraversable – her sword certainly helped with that, quick slashes culling grass and branches to allow them passage, though she was mindful not to overdo it lest she blunt her sword by the time the actual enemies arrived.

''...how much further...?'' Grozny finally broke the quiet, her voice laboured.

''I don't know.'' Wakatsuki confessed. ''I was told to just keep moving forwards until I either found something or reached the volcano...''

Initially she'd estimated it'd take her half-an-hour to an hour to reach the volcano at walking speed, but due to the harsh terrain she was moving at easily half that. Going off that estimate, she guessed that it'd take them maybe two to three hours to reach the volcano at the pace they were going at. Assuming they didn't run into any problems along the way, and even then that guess was nebulous. She'd be mortified if she ended up walking past the volcano and into another biome entirely.

She was stirred from her thoughts though as the passage ahead of her began to narrow somewhat. A very large tree, its trunk easily as big as a fire truck, had fallen and knocked many trees down with it – the event seeming to have happen long ago with all the moss and leaves growing over the log. It was too tall for them to feasibly climb over and a glance to the right showed that the ground inclined at a steep angle which, with moss covering it, meant climbing was unviable. However going left also meant going lower, away from the volcano and risk being put off-course.

''...haah, we'll have to climb it seems.'' Wakatsuki sighed.

Behind her both Grozny and Gromky groaned, the former more tired and the latter whining, but without complaint the two Northern Parliament girls followed her up to the steep hill. It was at a sharp angle but not so much that they couldn't walk up it; aided by some tree roots that had bulged out of the dirt and pushed the leaves aside, though it required a close look to spot them in the dense foliage. Carefully Wakatsuki put her foot down on a branch and gave it a firm push, but it didn't bulge, encouraging her to put her full weight on it and try the next.

About twelve or so roots later and she crested the top of the steep hill, grunting and groaning as she hauled herself up and onto the top. A low bed of ground-covering plants obscured most of the dirt underneath and she was mindful to touch as little foliage as possible lest some be poisonous, but mercifully none were so far as she could tell. Straightening up she swung her gaze around, marvelling at the advantageous view she got... not that she could see the fleet, though. Mostly because of the low canopy that was now at eye-level with her, but at least she could now peek up into the higher canopies.

She didn't like what she saw.

Various nests were up there. Some were bird-like – branches and twigs woven into unnaturally large basins, equal to a small bedroom in size. Others though were webs arranged between large swathes of trees, the white gossamer glittering in the gloom. There was no spiders to be found on the worryingly large webs.

She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

Trudging alerted her to the fact Grozny and Gromky had finished ascending too, prompting Wakatsuki to hurriedly lend a hand and help pull them up the rest of the way. The ground they stood upon was easily a dozen feet above the ground below, if not slightly more, and hopefully put them closer to the volcano. With that in mind Wakatsuki knelt down and removed a white bead necklace from around her neck; quickly tying it onto one of the branches that stuck out the most, pleased when it glittered in the gloomy light too like the webs did. To be extra sure she summoned her rigging and withdrew one of the torpedoes she had – perhaps pointlessly – taken with her, laying it down precariously on the edge.

''There. That should serve as a good indication to the fleet.'' Wakatsuki remarked, pleased with herself at her ingenuity.

''Can't we just wait for the fleet?'' Gromky curiously asked.

They could, Wakatsuki had to concede, but she'd been given the job of vanguard – it'd be poor form on Amagi if she waited for the rest before moving forwards, forcing the fleet as a whole to basically stop until she was sufficiently ahead. No point in a vanguard if she was just a dozen feet ahead of them, after all. Plus she knew of Amagi's ill health and didn't want to cause her any additional stress, be it as something big like messing up or something as little as causing a minor delay in the mission. The woman was tactical master, and as such any delays to her plans would probably be unwelcome, even if the woman was too kind to say anything.

Thus, Wakatsuki's mind was set. ''We'll keep going.''

Grozny and Gromky groaned but didn't protest; probably too exhausted by the jungle heat to bother. Thus as one they returned and continued further uphill.

Unbeknownst to Wakatsuki, as the trio were just out of sight, something swung down from the trees and swiped the torpedo – the motion knocking the necklace off its precarious branch and into the ground cover below, obscuring it from sight.

Hearing a rustle Gromky glanced back, worried, but when she saw nothing she reluctantly continued marching on.

The trio walked for another ten minutes, possibly fifteen, before finally they came upon something.

That something was not a good thing, however.

''I think we should turn back...''

''Y-Yeah, this is creepy...''

Wakatsuki swallowed and had to agree. Ahead of them laid easily a dozen thick mounds that crept like uneven spires into the air, varying in size but four of them being easily a dozen feet tall and made mostly of dirt, bark and caked-on mud. What made them unnatural though was the myriad of holes in the tall mounds, small but numbering in the dozens per mound and all of them surrounded by barren dirt – no leaves, no plants, no nothing. It was like the jungle itself cleared a circle around each mound... or, more likely, whatever lived within those mounds had eaten all plant matter around it.

Along with the carcass of a deer-like monster, its four-legged skeleton trapped between the four big mounds and utterly cleaned of its flesh from antlers to hoofs, nothing but darkened bones remaining. Laid on its side its fate was apparent – there was no mud or web that trapped it. It'd been ambushed, and presumably eaten alive.

However it was also the only way forwards. To their left and right were two big cliffs – far too steep to climb and the first sign of the volcano, given they were made of volcanic rock. However they jutted out further at the top and the cliffs were visibly sharp, with uneven jabs of rock spearing out. They'd already done a search to the left and right of the cliffs to see if there was another way around, but aside from trying to climb up some vines which were covered in creepy-looking thorns, this was the only way.

Wakatsuki drew in a breath. ''Just... just be careful. If we keep our distance and don't make too much noise it'll be fine.''

Grozny frowned at her, displeased, while Gromky looked to be torn between panic and unease. The latter won out. ''I really think we should just head back and try another route.''

Wakatsuki shook her head, distressed but determined. ''We're almost at the volcano-''

''-but how is the rest of the fleet supposed to follow?'' Grozny cut in. ''Unless you expect them also to sneak past.''

''I... hadn't thought of that.'' Wakatsuki hesitantly admitted. ''Alright, sneaking past is pointless. Any other ideas?''

Grozny shrugged. ''Blow it up?''

''That'll anger whatever is inside though?''

''Doesn't matter if they're dead.'' Grozny countered languidly, popping her flask and taking a deep drink. ''Phaah! Let's do this.''

''If you're sure...'' Wakatsuki hesitantly agreed.

Together the three Destroyers lined up just at the edge of the circular zone around the bugs, cautious about triggering them by walking into their territory. Their riggings manifested with a flash, three cannons and four guns between them along with four torpedo launchers – hardly an overwhelming armament, but easily enough to blast a Siren Battleship to hell. The thought fortified Wakatsuki's waning confidence somewhat and she took aim. She breathed in, and breathed out.

Then gave the order. ''Fire!''

As one their guns blasted into action, four shells whizzing across the short distance and erupting into a chain of explosions across the mounds. Without waiting to see the results all three Destroyers reloaded then fired again, then again and again – their cannons blasting every few seconds and kicking up mud and dirt, not that any stopped to care, grim-faced as they launched salvo after salvo.

Ten salvos later and Wakatsuki stopped firing. ''That's enough!''

To their credit both Grozny and Gromky obeyed without missing a beat. Silence descended upon the three but not the forest – branches snapping and dirt audibly shifting down to the fill the craters they had no doubt created. The smoke took its time to dissipate, the lack of wind making the black cloud linger. When they finally dissipated enough for them to see they found the mounds now completely obliterated, along with a big hole in the middle of the dirt-covered area.

Cautiously Wakatsuki approached, followed by the two Northern Parliament girls with her. The ground became steep sharply and she narrowly avoided stumbling down into it.

She was lucky she didn't.

What she first thought was a hole turned out to be a massive pit with numerous interconnecting tunnels, and within it were countless chittering bugs. Each several feet in length they skittered on six small bony legs with mandibles and six red beady eyes at the front, joined by a swollen abdomen at the back. While its whole body was a light brown colour the abdomen was yellow and joined at the very back by a thick, curved ovipositor, lifted up slightly to not drag on the dirt. Sac Bugs, she dubbed them.

No sooner had she seen the bugs within did the chittering sound explode in a frenzy – in anger.

Wakatsuki panicked. ''G-Get back!''

Turning she launched a trio of depth charges into the hole and leapt back with her two comrades in tow – and then a mighty explosion erupted from the hole, chunks of dirt, bug and other materia flying airborne. The explosion left the three Ship-Girls momentarily dazed; picking themselves up from their spots on the ground and gazing back at the hole with trepidation.

A beat.

Then a literal swarm of angry Sac Bugs skittered out of the hole, some maimed but many not; no doubt having been safe in the winding tunnels. Wakatsuki screamed in fright and stumbled to her feet, nearly tripping on a root and causing her first shot to fly over the bugs and hit the ground far behind them. Grozny wasn't so inaccurate nor was Gromky, their shells hitting true and kicking up pillars of dirt – but the Sac Bugs that weren't hit charged right over the remains of their comrades, and did so with frightening speed.

''Torpedoes!'' Wakatsuki cried, deploying her own.

The other two Destroyers followed suit, their torpedoes thunking as they embedded themselves into the dirt at their feet. The trio had ran no further than fifteen feet before the timers went and they detonated – a chain of nearly a dozen explosions blowing a trench into the dirt and killing numerous bugs, even sending the three girls stumbling from the shockwave. Yet even as they turned back and aimed their guns the Sac Bugs charged through the falling dirt, chittering angrily at them.

Grozny kept firing her single turret; sole barrel blasting every few seconds and kicking up chunks of earth but the damned bugs kept coming, charging with suicidal anger and the tide not seeing to slow down anytime soon. With a grimace she dared to glance behind herself, noticing the land declining more sharply and risking her losing her footing – and when she glanced back at the horde, she realised they were already upon her.

''Ah-!'' Grozny cried out in surprise as one of them leapt and landed on her stomach.

Though meagre in weight the surprise combined with the declining hill sent her tumbling over herself thrice before hitting a tree stump – the hit to her head nearly dazing her. Key word being nearly, as the sensation of bony legs digging into her sides shook Grozny out of her stupor quite quick, her startled eyes meeting the red beady one of the insect. An insect who used two of its hind legs to dig into her pantyhose a rip a hole in them, her panties too tucked aside.

By the time Grozny snapped out of it and realised what it was doing – too late. Pain struck as the insect's thick ovipositor pushed between her smooth virgin petals and into her pussy, forcing a cry out of Grozny as she was deflowered. The girth of the insect was unnaturally big but in that moment she hardly cared for biological rationality – instead taking a swipe at the insect. It twitched its head out of the way and bit the side of her hand as payback.

Before she could counter further, the swarm arrived. Easily a dozen insects clambered over the roots of the stump and Grozny hurriedly punched them back – only to gasp as pain in her crotch reminded her of the critter currently raping her. She made to strike it but another Sac Bug came from the right and latched onto her arm, crawling its way up towards her head until she hit it off with her other arm – but then another insect came from the left, latching onto her elbow and curling around the limb. Then another on her right, and three more on her rigging, chomping and biting through the connecting segments.

The metal held, briefly. But the bites of the insects were far more effective on rigging than flesh, it so seemed.

Particularly as, far faster than insects had any right to do, her rigging fell apart; chunks of disconnected metal trapped between her back and the stump, if they didn't just tumble past the stump and roll downhill. Grozny had no time to care though, gritting her teeth as she swiped at the insects and yelled curses in her native tongue, but the bugs swarmed her and soon mounted her head; thrusting their ovipositors at her ears and face, looking for a hole. She kept her mouth shut.

Not that it stopped the bug in front of her. With her arms restrained Grozny could only lay there slumped against the tree as the Sac Bug mated with her, its thick ovipositor plunging past her pussy lips and into her depths – every pounding thrust acutely felt by the Destroyer. Lacking any real experience the sensation was novel but not in a particularly pleasant manner; grunts forced up her throat as she felt its insectoid dick enter her again and again, its arms digging into her clothed sides as if to prevent her from removing it.

''Mn, n-nn...!'' Grunting Grozny screwed her eyes shut so as not to look at the bugs; just doing her best to wrench her arms free from their grips.

She failed to. The Sac Bug, however, apparently figured out how to get under her clothes, as the next thing she knew it reared back without pulling out and crawled under her white dress, eliciting a cry from the blonde Destroyer as she felt the insect press itself against her tummy, its legs now digging into her bare skin much more harshly. Her brief cry was cut short though as one of the other Sac Bugs took advantage of the new hole available; shoving itself inside and thrusting into her mouth.

Grozny bit down on it. The bug made a harsh, grating sound and flailed, its dick oozing fluid that made her cringe, but the bite succeeded in making the insect jerk its dick out of her mouth and allowed her to close it. However no such option was available of the one currently under her dress, and so despite the pain of having something so thick slam into her tender pussy Grozny could only lay there and endure, wincing every time the Sac Bug slammed its ovipositor into her too harshly.

Of all the things she expected when she accepted this mission, being bred by an insect was not one of them.

As if that thought was the trigger the insect chittered under her dress, mandibles grazing her stomach and its ovipositor jamming in deep, knocking the air from her lungs with each successive thrust and leaving her thighs twitching and trembling, puffy folds grazed by its sizeable shaft-

-when it came. Gloopy fluid spurted inside of her but what she felt more was the rounded eggs that it pushed into her depths, one after the other, and even as Grozny kicked and struggled she couldn't free herself of the bugs restraining her limbs and keeping her pinned against the stump – forcing her to accept the eggs their kin laid in her womb.

Soon enough the Sac Bug pulled out.

And then next one came, breeding her eagerly.

X-x-X

Gromky saw Grozny be tackled by the insect.

She, too, narrowly avoided meeting the same fate – whacking the insect with her rigging and crushing its flimsy body. Alas the swarm did not relent and several more lunged at her, unheeding of the shells she lobbed – until soon her rigging was nibbled through and it fell from her back, her connection to it literally severed and rendering it little more than a hunk of cold metal.

And in its absence, the Sac Bugs were free to target her.

''A-Ahh! Get it off~!''

Gromky's cry went unheeded, the blue-haired Destroyer flailing her arms behind her as several of the bugs skittered up her back. Her hat was knocked off as one of the bugs tried to mount her head but she grabbed it and threw it off, reaching behind her as she stumbled around before managing to grab another of the bugs by their bony legs, throwing that one too off and sending it tumbling into the surrounding horde – but a third remained on her back, evading her grabs.

Then another Sac Bug skittered up her right leg. It went up her skirt and she squeaked as its mandibles bit into her panties and ripped them apart, falling off in the process and allowing her to stomp it to death. Gromky didn't immediately think anything of it, assuming it was just trying to get at her flesh – until she felt the long, thick ovipositor of the Sac Bug on her back brush between her legs, confusion turning into dawning comprehension.

Then without warning it jerked its body, and penetrated her.

''Hyaah!'' Gromky screamed, staggering. ''H-Hey, what- ah!''

The Sac Bug dug its bony legs into her sides and hurriedly started thrusting its ovipositor into her, the curved appendage pushing between her smooth petals and plunging deep within her, the hurried motions making her wince and gasp. The sensation of having something inside of her was an entirely new one to Gromky and the blue-haired girl struggled to stay standing because of it, the sting of losing her first time mild compared to the fullness in her private parts.

Blindly she swatted behind her, twisting and turning to try and get the thing off of her – but the other Sac Bugs weren't idle either. They climbed up her legs or jumped into her, startling shrieks out of her and forcing her to throw them off hurriedly; a task made much harder when she had a bug on her lower back fucking her from behind, her thighs momentarily weak each time it jammed its insectoid cock into her.

''Ah- nn! Take it... o-out...!'' A weak whimper escaped Gromky.

Another Sac Bug leapt on her then and grabbed onto her stomach, the tight grip of its legs making her cry out. She grabbed it and tried to pull it off but another bug went for her face so she had to grab that one instead, throwing it off and then swatting aside another – and in the short time that took the other Sac Bug brushed the tip of its ovipositor against her clit, and then shoved itself into her narrow pussy as well.

The sensation of having two bug cocks in her was almost too much for Gromky; her tight pussy stretched to accommodate the two ovipositors. The spike of pain made her cry out and her knees finally gave out, sending Gromky to her knees as the two Sac Bugs eagerly jammed themselves up into her formerly-virgin hole, moving in unison and stirring her tender insides up. Even thinking became a challenge and she barely had the strength to keep fighting off the other bugs.

The sight of the swarm still coming for her, though, gave her some sort of desperate strength. Ignoring the two bugs still raping her Gromky managed to stagger back to her feet and half-ran, half-stumbled away from the swarm, gasping and stumbling as the insectoid dicks entered her again and again. It sent a flash of white through her mind each time, her narrow pussy clenching down on the two dicks but only serving to encourage the creatures more than anything else, their ovipositors scraping her inner walls as she they plundered her depths.

''S-Some- one! H-Help us!'' Her words were forced up into a cry with every thrust, her legs growing weak again, her mind light-

-and then with twin, chittering noises a flood of fluid poured inside of her. Countless eggs came with them and Gromky's legs gave out, sending her to her knees as she felt herself be impregnated, a violent shudder spasming through the petite Destroyer as they laid their eggs in her. She tried to stand again, to push the bugs off of her, but they were locked on tight now and not letting go anytime soon.

The swarm caught up with her as well, dozens of more angry Sac Bugs surrounding her – and Gromky's cries were lost to the chittering of their mandibles as her mouth was stuffed with insectoid cock, her petite body now theirs to breed.

X-x-X

Wakatsuki had the most success holding her own against the swarm of bugs.

Between her twin-barrelled main gun, her depth charges and katana, and she was able to cut and blast anything that got too near her. However when Grozny and Gromky were knocked out of her sight and presumably claimed by the horde, she had no choice but to run – she wouldn't be able to hold back the bugs and falling to them would be as good as condemning the two Northerns anyway. Help was what she needed.

Which is why she ran. Turning tail she sprinted downhill as fast as her legs could carry her, leaping from rock to rock where possible – but as if to spite her one rock turned out to be unstable, shifting when she landed on it and sending her falling with a yell. Her momentum carried her downhill, however; sending her tumbling over herself for easily two dozen feet before she hit another rock and went over it – and the wind was knocked out of her as she hit a tree.

Exhaling harshly Wakatsuki slumped back against it, her lungs refusing to take in air no matter how hard she tried – a tight spasm rocking her chest and filling her with instinctual panic. As did the sight of a horde of insect skittering through the dirt and ground cover towards her, still numbering in easily a hundred plus if not several hundred, seeming to pour out from their nest non-stop.

A mercy came as her lungs remembered how to work again and she stumbled to her feet, turning past the tree and running through some vines-

Only to get stuck.

Fear was a cold stab up her spine. She still had her katana so she started swiping – only to hit nothing. Her katana, in fact, was not in her hand. It took her panicked and disoriented mind a solid few seconds to realise she must've dropped it when she fell, but when was completely unknown to her. When she tumbled? When she hit the rock? When she hit the tree? She couldn't remember through the fog of panic.

And soon the bugs were upon her. Their chittering gave them away as they swarmed up the two trees on either side of her, the sticky green vines winding between them and several other nearby trees. However no matter how much she struggled Wakatsuki couldn't free herself, the sticky vines clinging to her body and when she tried to pull them away her hands became stuck too. Left with no other option and out of depth charges she resigned herself to using her main gun and fired-

But it missed. The turret, too, was stuck in the vines and the barrel was aiming too far up, causing the shell to helpless shoot up through the canopy.

'N-No way...' Wakatsuki thought in silent terror, feeling the bugs climb up her body.

Her rigging was targeted first. Whether they just had a taste for metal or identified it as her main method of attack she didn't know, but the metal binding it to her lower back was chewed through and it was left dangling behind her; suspended by the vines but no longer connected to her. One Sac Bug in particular climbed up her front, her dress bulging out as it pressed itself into her stomach and brushed its ovipositor against her panty-clad pussy, her underwear being the only thing protecting her chastity.

Until another Sac Bug came to its kin's aid and bit through her panties, exposing her nether lips to the hot jungle air. Not a second later Wakatsuki's shrill shriek echoed through the dense forestry as her virginity was claimed by the insect – its thick ovipositor plunging between her petals and forcing itself deep into her.

It didn't even give her the mercy of adjusting to its sizeable insectoid cock, instead pulling back almost immediately before plunging right back on in. With little warning between thrusts the insect jammed its ovipositor up into her formerly-virgin hole, its cock thick and like a battering ram as it stuffed up into her hole, going in completely dry too on top of all that. The pain made her gasp and cry out but the violation was what brought her the most shame, her expression scrunched up as she shut her eyes, trying in vain to ignore what was happening.

A task made much harder as a second Sac Bug crawled up her lower back, its narrow tip grazing her asshole-

-and then it shoved itself in her backdoor too. Wakatsuki screamed – and another Sac Bug shoved itself into her mouth too, its cock curving down her throat as it grabbed onto her face, bony legs digging into her sides of her head and its body pressing against her forehead, jerking her head back-and-forth as it plunged its insectoid cock down her throat. With her hands stuck to the vines she didn't even have the option of yanking them off, left utterly at their mercy as her pussy, asshole and mouth was used by the creepy crawlies.

They were not kind about it either. Digging their sharp legs into her sides and head they jerked their small bodies back-and-forth, scraping her insides and hitting the back of her throat with every thrust. It took all she had to not gag as the ovipositor down her throat but there was little she could do to quell the spasms in her lower half; the sensation of their insectoid cocks scraping her insides making her stuck legs jerk and writhe in their bindings.

''Mnnph!'' Wakatsuki cried out past the ovipositor in her mouth – only serving to make her choke and gag on it more.

The other Sac Bugs set about stripping her nude; their mandibles biting fabric and ripping it off bit by bit, traversing the sticky vines as if they weren't an issue at all. Wakatsuki's face burned with humiliation as she quickly found herself completely nude, tied up in vines as she was and several more Sac Bugs climbing onto her, biting at different parts of her body or simply thrusting their cocks along her skin.

All of them were though were steadily pushed from her mind – but the same couldn't be said for the trio violating her holes, stuffing her holes faster and harsher, battering their insectoid cocks into her holes without mercy.

Then without warning a gush of fluid filled her abused pussy, numerous eggs filling her womb – her asshole too soon facing the same fate, a muffled cry escaping Wakatsuki as she felt the eggs fill her ass, preluding the spew that went down her throat, the sticky eggs slithering their way down her gullet against her will.

Only when they were finished laying their eggs in her did the three Sac Bugs pull out and climb off.

But many more were ready to take their place, and with an entire swarm of them looming around her-

Well, the bugs were intent on replenishing their numbers and then some, that much was clear.

Whether she wanted to be their broodmare or not.

[END]


A/N: This island can be a bit... buggy at times, don't you think? Badum-tss~

See you next time in Chapter 17: Manchester and Glasgow~