I jolted up, trying to shake the grogginess from my head.
I immediately flinched in regret as the scabs from my back began to crack. Fuck. Life sucks. Existence is a prison. Anyone that says otherwise is lying.
I blinked, trying to get the blurriness out of my vision. Large spots of color slowly became more and more focused.
The yellow splotch curled up next to me turned into a slumbering yellow scaled dragon. Zuko's face looked at peace. His tongue was sticking slightly out of his mouth as he slept. Each breath made his back rise and fall a little bit. The red electricity sacs on his forearms fizzled every couple seconds as Zuko dreamt.
The way he was curled up reminded me of how I'd once decided to try and camp out on the roof with Zuko and Azula. It was about two weeks after I'd gotten them. I was trying to establish a more trusting relationship. At that point, I had them in their pokeballs most of the time when we weren't training, which was mostly due to Zuko's sporadic energy, but I wanted to change that.
So we'd camped out on the roof of Oak's building, looking out at Champion's Hold. It was a nice night. Zuko had curled up next to Azula and fallen asleep. We'd had a very grueling day of training, so he'd actually been tired enough to rest.
He'd been so small back then. The same size as Azula. The two had been growing more different every day. I hadn't really noticed, since the changes were pretty minor over the weeks. But that memory really made me realize how much they had changed.
They'd both been struggling to reach my knees when I got them. Now, Azula was almost up to my hip. Zuko was even bigger. On all fours, he was about the size of a Boltund. On two legs, he'd probably be around 5 feet, the size of a fully grown Charmeleon. There was absolutely no data in the pokedex on Starfallen Charmander, so I didn't know if they normally got this big. But with each day, as Zuko grew and grew, I got more worried that Draconids were going to kill me one day, just because of Oak's meddling. Azula reached my hip now, just around the average for a Charmander of her age. The nub on the back of her head was growing, and her claws were sharpening. She would evolve soon.
Zuko, on the other hand, had been growing in different ways. Despite his best attempt to walk on his hind legs to mock me, his back had hunched over more, making it even more difficult. It seemed Starfallen Charmeleon would be quadrupedal. I guess it made sense. Once he grew wings, and I assumed Starfallen Charizard had wings, it would be easier to generate more force with a better back muscle spread for his wings due to being quadrupedal. There was a reason Salamance were more powerful fliers than Garchomp, even if they couldn't go quite as fast.
Considering that Starfallen Charizard ruled the Sky Jungle, I had to assume they could fly.
Zuko had also been growing in musculature. He had progressed from a rugged lithe scaled form to filling out, with strong arms and powerful legs. He wasn't as buff as a Machoke, but he was now closer to the physique of a Machoke than a Machop.
The red fins on his forearms had grown in size. While deflated, they still looked like red bumps, simply streamlined off his arms. Inflated, when they were sucking in ambient electricity, they were more like a Gabite's scythes.
I decided to stop musing and get on with my day.
I moved over, making sure not to disturb Zuko's sleep.
I grabbed a fresh set of clothes from Tristan's pack. It was the only set of clothes. This might be a problem later. I changed, tossing my bloodstained clothes off to properly dry on particularly leafless bush.
I walked over to the big proud fluffy canine, eyes weary from being awake for so long.
"Hey. I've got to polish out my plan, so I'll take watch for an hour or two so you can get a least a little rest." I whispered to Hurricane.
The canine shook his head, standing tall.
"You do realize you won't be able to protect Tristan if you pass out from exhaustion right? Come on. It's daytime now. It'll only be an hour or two. We need you rested up."
Hurricane refused to back down.
"Okay how about this. I'll sit right here, back against your side, and if I hear anything. I mean anything. I'll wake you up. I won't do the stupid thing and investigate on my own, getting killed, and making you two easy pickings. Absolutely anything I think needs to be checked out, I wake you up. Deal?" I offered. That was probably the best I could do.
Hurricane furrowed his eyebrows together. Finally, after nearly a minute of mulling it over, the Arcanine reluctantly nodded.
He curled up, letting me sit on the ground, back against his side. I sat, facing off into the forest.
Good.
I'd actually convinced him to listen to me. To trust me. That was huge.
I really needed to not fuck this up if I ever wanted to get a working relationship here.
The next two hours passed by without any incidents. It seemed the occupants of the forest liked nightfall a lot more than day, even though under the dark canopy they were nearly identical.
I wonder if having so many dark types in the woods made other pokemon have to adapt to be nocturnal, simply because if they weren't they were slaughtered in their sleep.
Huh.
I guess that unless the pokemon had proper shelter, then yeah they really would just have to be prepared to be attacked at all times during the night. Just like we had to be last night.
The fact that established colonies like the Venemoth and Galvantula existed meant that those predators would constantly be on the prowl for other prey. Prey that wasn't so organized. Especially if it was a lone predator, like the Honchkrow.
I wasn't sure where all the unconscious pokemon that had attacked us were now. I knew that Hurricane didn't kill them. Zuko hadn't killed anything either, as far as I knew. The fact they could paralyze opponents meant they could incapacitate them.
However, I didn't see any of the prone forms from where I was sitting. I wonder if Hurricane did something to them. Zuko certainly couldn't have carried them off anywhere.
I'd have to ask Hurricane when he woke up. Although I guess his answer could just be pointing. Or maybe bringing me to where he brought them?
He probably just dropped them off in different parts of the forest.
He likely waited until morning so that they wouldn't be easy pickings for the other nocturnal predators. Plus, the morning was the only time when he would be less worried about attacks.
It didn't actually do me any good to speculate.
Now was time to polish up my plan for the electroweb heist.
~~~~~~~~Starfall~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~Starfall~~~~~~~~~~
The next three hours passed smoothly. I finished my plan, letting Zuko and Hurricane rest properly. Well, as much as I could afford while still having enough daylight to get done the things I needed to get done.
Besides, if things didn't work out, Hurricane needed to be at least somewhat rested if we were gonna survive the night.
I woke up Hurricane and Zuko. I moved onto Tristan's pack, stealing another Ultra Ball.
Hurricane narrowed his eyes at me, but he quickly understood as I pressed the Ultra Ball against Zuko's head.
I then re-released him immediately, and attached the yellow and black ball next to the red and white ball on my belt.
"Hurricane, if we don't return by nightfall, assume things have taken a turn for the worst. Take Tristan and run back South. I don't know if you'll be able to find the camp or any of the Rangers, but I don't think you can bank on having Norton find you if you won't let yourself rest when Tristan's unprotected. Or don't. Make the decision you think is best. That's just my advice."
I laughed. "But hey. That won't happen. Nothing ever goes wrong. This is going to work out, like everything else these past couple days. So just sit tight. We'll be back in a jiffy."
I gave Hurricane a weak smile, and motioned for Zuko to follow me.
We would head to the Galvantula nest first.
Things were running pretty smoothly. Zuko and I made our way through the forest, uninterrupted.
Zuko walked alongside me, head on a swivel. Each step was carefully measured, like a lion stalking the brush of the savannah.
I don't know if it was just because his food stores were down, but he had a new air about him. His arrogance seemed to have dropped a bit. Given the many attacks we've had to weather, he very well could have become even more arrogant in his victories. Watching him, I was proud to see that that just wasn't true.
Zuko was growing up. If we had been out here just a week ago, he'd have been bouncing off the trees, trying to drum up as much attention as possible.
Again, it might just be the fact he knew food was limited right now. But maybe things were looking up.
We made our way along, avoiding a pack of Parasect that were spewing fumes. The red crab like pokemon didn't even notice us, continuing to waddle along the shrubbery, plants and vegetation wilting in their aftermath.
Eventually we made it to the Galvantula nest.
The signature thrum of the electric webs made Zuko's eyes light up. He raced forward to the closest source, a lone trip wire that was far enough from the nest that we were barely in earshot of the nearest yellow and blue spider. He bit down, drinking all the electricity.
Well, I guess he hasn't grown up as much as I'd hoped.
I quickly walked up and tapped Zuko on the head, gesturing that we needed to leave. It seemed like the Galvantula were only active at night, but I wasn't going to press my luck. For all I knew, there was a way that the Galvantula could detect if one of their webs had released its voltage, signaling a downed enemy, where they would then move in to wrap up the prey in more webs before the paralysis wore off.
Zuko swiveled his head towards me, and then back to the other electric webs. His eyes showed a storm behind them, his instincts screaming for him to drink up more energy while he had the chance, but his rational side and loyalty telling him to come with me.
After a second more of longingly looking at the silk webbing that thrummed with power, Zuko turned and followed after me.
Once I was confident we were out of earshot, I crouched to talk to Zuko.
"You see that spot over there with the bright yellow flower and red moss? That's where you're going to make your last stand. I'm going to set up in this tree over here, and I'll return you before you get hit. Remember, move around enough that they'll have to use their AOE sleep powder gust, but stick in this area so they don't miss the nest."
Zuko nodded, noting down the locations I had pointed to.
We still had lots of work to do today. We turned and marched back through the trees. The dark forest was a little more welcoming than it had been yesterday.
Despite only a day passing, I was coming to know these trees. The dark canopy was far less scary when I knew where the monsters lurked. I think it helped that I knew that very few things hunted during the day. And having a very capable, if a bit maniacal, baby yellow dragon was far better than just being an injured human with a headache and a faulty repel.
I'm still pretty salty about it. Like what the fuck Tristan? Why would you have a faulty repel in your pack? You're supposed to be a professional, you prick. How shitty was manufacturing to even make something completely unusable?
Speaking of, I wonder if Starfall imported all of its goods. I bet Champion's Hold probably has some conglomerate influence. I remember some big logos on some of the buildings, but I never really paid attention to them. I do remember one of them saying Devon co. I think I remember that having something to do with Hoenn. And maybe Steven Stone.
Making it to the Venomoth hive(?) Nest? I wasn't sure what the proper terminology was there.
I'd just call them the Venomoth Colony.
Making it to the Venomoth Colony might pose a challenge. From yesterday I knew that the colony was big enough that they could be active during the day. Spamming things with sleep powder when they were already sleeping made sure things wouldn't wake up. Besides, hitting moving targets was probably harder. Or maybe, they just had such a big colony from having such successful hunting strategies that they were simply active around the clock.
Shit.
Woah.
I had flinched when something moved in my periphery. Something that had blended in seamlessly with the environment had decided to run when Zuko had walked up to sniff it.
The Leafeon had been within five feet of me, and I hadn't seen it until it moved. Its tail had been wrapped around, covering its body, posing right next to a plant with similar looking leaves. I hadn't noticed at all.
That was a little scary.
"Alright bud. Maybe hold off on the random sniffing. We really need to be careful about how some mons might be camouflaging out here."
Zuko snorted in disagreement, but continued on with a little more caution.
I tried to wrack my brain for other pokemon to worry about.
I was already wary of the random shrubs and mushrooms from Tristan's initial warning when we entered the Forest.
Things like low hanging vines, puffy red flowers, or even singular fruit hanging from a vine were things I was constantly looking out for.
What else could properly camouflage itself? What species would be able to camouflage itself convincingly in a way that I wasn't already thinking of, and would also want to eat or kill me?
Huh.
Maybe Torterra? I don't think I would be able to tell if a Torterra had ripped a hole open in the ground with its powers, snuggled in, and then covered the hole seamlessly with its earth shaping prowess. There was nothing saying that a fully grown Torterra would actually grow a tree on their back. That would make it far easier to spot them, but I feel like it was more a possibility of how their bodies are tied to the ecosystem around them, rather than something actually encoded into their DNA. So, as far as I knew, the particularly armored house size turtles could be nestled just about anywhere.
I warily looked at the ground in front of me.
Well, I am now a little more terrified and conscious of my mortality. Thanks brain.
I continued on, trying not to think about how I would never know if I was standing on a Torterra. I constantly looked for torn up dirt, just in case, but didn't seem to find anything.
Before long, Zuko and I had made it to the tree where I had marked the directions of different creatures.
"These Venomoth seem to rely on sight. If we see any lone ones, we hide. If it spots us, we'll have to take it out before then. Angering the entire colony seems like a bad move, so we're gonna have to try to find a roaming pack. That'll also make sure they're organized enough to get a proper sleep powder and gust combo in the right place."
Zuko nodded along. After training for months, it was incredible how easily he was able to follow complex instructions in English. Oak had said that aura is responsible for being to translate my meaning across, but I'd always wondered. Did aura translate what I was saying, or did it make it far easier for Zuko to learn English, as he could also grasp my meaning while listening to words? Was he essentially fluent in English after hearing me talk so much, even if he was incapable of ever forming the same sounds with his different mouth shape and vocal chords?
I wonder if Zuko ever thought in English now. Is that how psychics communicated? Or did psychics have their own language of their own making? Would psychics from different areas of the world have different languages? Wait, would psychics from different areas hate each other because of a difference in language?
That's weird to think about.
I shook my head as I centered myself. I need to focus right now. No more random contemplation. No matter how fun it was.
I saw a Wormadam hiding in one of the trees nearby. It seemed fast asleep, wrapped in its cocoon of rocks.
We slowly made our way closer to the colony.
A low buzzing came from our right, prompting me to duck down. Zuko stayed out in the open, sniffing the air, making me scurry over and grab him by the leg, dragging him towards cover.
I glared at the lizard and shook my head. We just went over this Zuko get your shit together.
Whatever. I turned to Zuko and whispered. "Okay this is perfect. I'm going to test something. If it works, then you go ahead and pull agro, drawing them away. Make sure to keep their attention and pull them to the spot I pointed out".
Zuko growled, but it was low enough that nothing would hear. He never really had been a fan of my tests. Well, only if they involved testing his physical ability. He didn't like when I was testing to learn.
I grabbed two rocks from the ground, selecting for size. The two winners would be excellent skipping stones.
I threw one, eliciting a small glare from Zuko as it nailed one of the approaching Venemoth in the head.
The funny thing was, I was just aiming for the general vicinity of the pack.
The singular Venemoth immediately burst into response, sputtering and shooting off random attacks in random directions.
The other Venomoth hadn't noticed where the rock had been thrown from, even though it'd been from in front of them. Even the Venomoth that had been hit hadn't been able to pinpoint it.
I grinned.
These Venemoth were as dumb as well, I looked down at my hand.
I guess their ridiculously effective strategy was the only thing these bugs had going for them. And numbers, I guess.
I tossed the other rock from my hand, aiming to land somewhere behind them.
The Venemoth all turned towards the sound as the rock thunked against a tree.
I patted Zuko on the head, holding in the urge to giggle. The plan was coming together.
"Alright bud, you know what to do. I'm counting on you. Remember to take your time." I noted, gesturing towards my back. "My cardio game is a little weak right now."
I took one last look as Zuko raced up a tree, ready to jump off and likely stun one of the Venemoth temporarily.
The Pokémon disappeared as I stumbled towards the Galvantula nest, moving as fast as my injuries would allow.
The next twenty minutes went by agonizingly slow. I could feel my haggard breaths as I kept going at a brisk walk. I was able to stay clear of any wild pokemon I noticed. I was getting good at this. The walk was the easiest part though.
Then I had to climb a tree. The first branch was about the height of my chest, so actually really low to the ground. However, it was just high enough that I couldn't jump onto it. The branch happened to be thick enough to land on, so that would have been nice. But the thickness was a whole other issue. If it was thinner, I could have wrapped one arm around it, grappling so I could swing my legs around. That way I could slowly ease my way around the branch, pushing with my other hand until I could reach a higher branch to help myself up.
Finally, I opted to just drag over a boulder from nearby. It was too heavy for me to pick up. At least in my back's current state. Since I couldn't put much weight on my back, I had to assume a weird half crouch, trying to just use my quads to produce the force, while keeping my arm locked under one side of the rectangular rock. Then, I dragged the rock, little by little, having to take breaks every time I noticed my legs getting tired because I'd subconsciously start relying on my back, which I very much did not want to tear further.
Finally, after creating a trail of shame in the form of torn up grass, I used it as a stool to jump up, ass first, and land on the branch while sticking my other hand to grab a higher branch for balance.
At any other point in my life, climbing this tree would have taken three seconds. Even at eight years old it would have been easy.
I looked back down, seeing the very obvious trail of dirt and destruction from where I had dragged the rock.
Healing sucks.
I really might want to invest in a pokemon that can learn heal pulse. If that even works on humans.
I pondered over the likelihood that this plan was going to work. I hadn't actually measured how far the sleep powder would go with gust, so there was a chance that it wouldn't actually be able to affect all the occupants of the nest. Even if a lone Vikavolt was unaffected, that could spell disaster. I definitely didn't want to be hit by another bug buzz. I guess if not all were affected, then I'd just try to collect as much webbing as possible, and book it if anything woke up. The enemy being unable to be paralyzed by Zuko really put a damper on things.
I guess I could try to find a way to collect the Venomoth sleep powder some other way. I don't think the potency would decrease with time. If I could collect enough, I could make some contraption that Zuko could carry, letting him climb the trees above the nest and rain down the powder from above.
I flinched as I heard the sounds of battle getting close. The buzzing of bugs followed by the trademark snarls of a yellow menace.
I sat up, getting into position with the Ultra Ball in my hand. It was interesting. I hadn't really noticed until now, but Ultra Balls were heavier than Pokeballs. It made sense. They probably had much stronger material and maybe even more advanced tech on the inside. It was just the parallel of today and yesterday where both my plans hinged on using my pokemon as bait, with only my returning skills keeping them safe.
Yep. I was a good pokemon trainer. Definitely.
Zuko burst into my range of view.
My hair stood on end as I realized something was wrong. The yellow lizard was no longer the same one I had seen this morning.
Gone was the nearly five foot tall quadrupedal yellow scaled Charmander.
Instead there was a dangerous animal with a menacing presence. I could feel waves of energy oozing off, even though I was more than fifty feet away.
The dragon, for it was undoubtedly a dragon, had wicked sharp teeth that could shred through steel. It clawed at the ground as it moved, launching off its powerful hind legs as it carved through the brush. It looked like a Saber Tooth tiger. But with gleaming yellow scales. The red fins on its forearms had grown into full scythes, blurring the air around them as they gulped down ambient electricity. This area was full of it.
There was a new addition of a red fin on its head, with three prongs shooting out back like a Mega Charizard Y, but with the bright red membranes between the prongs that absorbed electricity, like Raichu's cheek pouches.
And if that wasn't enough, there were now two more red pouches, flared like scythes, right on its back, almost like nubs of sprouting wings.
Finally was the tail. Before, where the stout tail with an absent flame had looked like a regular lizard tail, with the scales on the outer edge with a softer white undertone beneath, there were now two sharp and dangerous needles.
The twin tails were streamlined, waving through the air with speed and power, more akin to the lithe tail of a Salazzle than the typical short and powerful tail of a Charmeleon. At the end were sharp protrusions of bone, or was it metal? I couldn't tell from here. For all I knew, they were now one in the same. After all, the air crackled around the edges of the tails. Electricity bled out in spades.
Zuko?
But what would have made him evolve?
I looked closer, noticing how the ends of the tail were dripping blood. Red blood. Of a mammal. If there was such a thing here. Very different from the green blood that was leaking out of some of the Venomoth.
I guess that explains why he was so late.
Zuko got into another fight. Why was I never there?
Apparently it was difficult enough for him to evolve. Or maybe, he didn't think he could defeat it while also leading the Venomoth to me? Normally he could just stun something and move on. Maybe this enemy could match his speed? Or maybe it had been a ground type, and was immune to Zuko's primary tactics.
I swear if it was a fucking Torterra.
That's when I realized something. Well, something more.
I think my hypothesis from earlier was right. Galvantula probably do have some way to sense when their electric traps have activated. They might have some sort of electroreception, like Sharks, letting them sense electric fields in their vicinity.
Fuck.
The Galvantula Nest had awoken. Dozens of man eating spider the size of a small Prius were now crawling down from their webs to see what creature was letting off so much fucking electricity.
Even that was an understatement. Zuko looked like he could go nuclear at any moment. His red fins were glowing with how much electricity that had soaked in. His eyes crackled with power. His tails whipped through the air, stray beams of electricity arcing between the two tails every time they got too close together.
Zuko seemed to have his wits about him. Despite his now more than doubled size, and the fact that he looked incredibly pissed off, he was sticking to the plan.
The area he was moving around was the area I'd pointed out. Unfortunately, his evolution seemed to have come with a very noticeable decrease in his speed. Although, that might just be because his evolution was pretty drastic, and he would essentially have to relearn how to move with his changed body.
That meant that he was being hit with a lot more bug buzzes and confusions than he would like, which was only pissing him off more. He likely wanted nothing more than to murder every single one of those moths right now.
It was a testament to how much progress he had made in self control that he hadn't killed them yet.
Then, an attack hit him from behind.
It was a thunderbolt, and lit up the forest as it struck Zuko. The yellow dragon trembled as his body absorbed the electricity. All it did was power him up.
Zuko turned to the approaching Vikavolt with a manic smile. His twin tails whipped through the air in excitement.
There were two Vikavolt, each charging up green pulses of energy between their pincers.
Following them on the ground was an army of spiders. Dozens of Galvantula clacked their feet on the forest floor as they came to defend their home.
I saw the Venomoth begin shooting out sleep powder, prompting me to return Zuko to the Ultra Ball. Luckily, he had been waiting for the Vikavolt to get close enough to pounce, giving me a small opening to hit him with the return beam.
One of the Vikavolt followed the trail of light with its eyes, turning towards me.
Shit. That wasn't good.
Then wind whipped all around me, nearly knocking me from my perch on the branch. The sleep powder was blown forward, whooshing towards the Galvantula nest.
The Vikavolt fell from the sky as they were caked with dust. The Galvantula likewise collapsed as they too were drenched.
Then, the Venomoth moved forward, looking at the downed pokemon like selecting what to eat at a buffet.
I could only watch in horror as the dozen Venomoth grabbed onto their prey with their small legs, gripping down as they wolfed down the yellow and blue spiders.
The flash of lightning had killed my night vision. Not to mention that when Zuko was all powered up, it had been essentially staring at a lightbulb. The dark forest, normally just cloaked in shadows, was almost pitch black now. I hadn't experienced the forest this dark since the night of the Saur attack.
I couldn't see anything. I could only hear the sounds of Venomoth digging into their food.
Then some Venomoth started to drain the lives of the spiders through green tendrils of light, healing their own wounds with Giga Drain, lighting up the haunting purple forms of the murderous moths. The pitch black orbs that served as their eyes showed no emotion as they slowly sucked out the energy of the spiders, eventually leaving nothing behind but gray empty husks.
Their forms would be lit up with green energy as they ripped life from their sleeping targets below, before being swallowed by the darkness once the attack let up.
The Venemoth hadn't even had to get past the electric webs. The Galvantula had left the protection of their home, all on their own.
And it was all my fault.
I was frozen, sitting on the branch, drowning in guilt and horror. I tried to move. I tried to think. Movement was death. Breathing was death.
All I could do was watch.
I should've released Zuko. He could slaughter them before they could finish off all the Galvantula.
I should've released Azula, and set the entire forest aflame. Anything to kill those monsters.
Instead, I just watched. I kept telling my body to move. To do something, anything. Yet I couldn't even blink. Even if I could win the fight, if there was even a small chance that those Venomoth would do the same thing to me, it was a chance I couldn't afford to take. Seeing Tristan, somebody who I had thought was invincible, be so thoroughly incapacitated by wild pokemon, had destroyed that idea of invulnerability. Losing meant death. If Tristan could lose, so could I. And there wasn't just a small chance. If even one of the Venemoth hit me with a sleep powder, there would be no stopping what came next.
I wish I could've said that I chose not to fight for the right reasons. That Tristan and Hurricane were counting on me to survive here. That I made the smart decision, choosing not to provoke a stronger opponent while injured. Especially since there wasn't really anything to gain. After all, saving the Galvantula didn't really do me any favors. But that wasn't why I couldn't move. All the memories of the Saur attack were resurfacing. I hadn't even noticed but I'd clearly been repressing all the details that had happened that night. All I could hear were the screams of people dying. All I could see were the green tendrils of giga drain as the Venomoth who had gorged their stomachs too much chose to keep eating through other means. Their wounds had healed. Their stomachs were full. Yet they refused to stop.
Their plates had yet to be picked clean.
My body trembled. My hands gripped onto Oblivion in sheer terror, for all the good it did. The steel swords lay dormant.
The Galvantula, a species that could very well have been a passive species, were now dead because I had lured the Venomoth here.
This was all my fault.
The Venomoth eventually left, having wiped out an entire species, moving on as if nothing had even occurred. Their eyes didn't betray any sense of triumph. They didn't look fulfilled. I knew then that there was no maliciousness there. They didn't have the brain capacity. All they knew was how to kill. How to eat. It wasn't personal. They had already forgotten that those yellow and blue spiders had even existed. They didn't remember the little yellow lizard they had been chasing. All that existed was what they saw before them. And the only thing they could differentiate between was ally and food. The food was gone, so they would leave. Return to their nest, where dozens of others just like them lived. Dozens of others, who would have done the same exact thing if given the chance.
I stared forward, frozen, feeling just as empty as the Galvantula in front of me.
This world was filled with monsters.