NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: Burrow
Rowan crouched low, scanning the soil before them.
The churned earth stretched in ragged lines, gouges torn where claws had raked through.
"They came from that direction," he muttered, pointing to a stretch of farmland where the ground looked freshly upheaved. "The burrow has to be close."
"Yeah," Wade said, squinting. The earth bulged in patches, ridges like veins running across the field. "Looks like they've been tunneling just under the surface."
They followed the trail, their boots crunching over clumps of dirt, until they reached a section where the ground dipped inward.
A jagged hole yawned in the earth, wide enough for a man to crawl into.
Several smaller openings dotted the area around it, like the roots of a rotted tree branching underground.
Rowan's lips thinned. "That's the nest."
Wade exhaled through his nose, grimacing.
The smell here was stronger, foul and acidic, clinging to the back of his throat.
He reached into his inventory, pulling free a small pouch. Emberleaf flakes and a pinch of dried tinder he'd gathered earlier.
Working quickly, he ground them together, then sparked a flame with the matches James had given him.
Smoke billowed instantly, thick and acrid, as the emberleaf ignited.
Rowan's brows shot up. "When did you pick that up?"
"Experiment," Wade said, grinning faintly.
He tossed the pouch into the burrow. Smoke began curling into the tunnels, thin at first, then spreading fast. "Now we wait."
They didn't wait long.
The earth vibrated beneath their boots, faint tremors rolling outward like ripples on water.
Then came the sound. Scraping claws, a dozen or more, echoing beneath the soil.
Rowan's sword came free with a hiss. "Brace yourself."
The ground split.
Stoneback Beetles surged from the holes, bigger than the scouts, their rocky shells glinting dully under the light.
One, then three, then five, until the field was crawling with them.
Wade's stomach sank. "This is more than the farmer said."
"Farmers never count right," Rowan growled, swinging his sword into the first one to surface. "Eyes up, Wade!"
The air filled with the sound of clicking mandibles.
A beetle rushed Wade, its legs flailing, but his Perception screamed the warning.
He pivoted aside, blade flashing down. The strike scraped across stone, sparks flying.
The beetle reared, claws slicing at him, but Wade shoved a Basic Ward into its face.
The barrier cracked under the force, but it gave him the opening he needed. He kicked, tipping it sideways.
The beetle rolled onto its back with a thud, and Wade's sword plunged into the exposed gut.
Hot, reeking blood sprayed across his arm, burning his nose with its sour stench. He gagged, yanking his blade free. "Gods, it smells worse when it's fresh!"
"Less talking, more killing!" Rowan barked, slamming his sword into another flipped beetle.
Black ichor sprayed as he finished it, his boots crunching across shards of stone-like shell.
Another surged at Wade from the side.
He spun, dragging his blade across its legs, shattering two with the force. It shrieked, toppling to the ground, where he finished it with a downward stab.
The air grew thick and cloying, every breath filled with the coppery tang of blood and something acrid, like burning oil.
Their boots slipped on the gore-soaked dirt, but still they fought, cutting down beetles as they came scrambling from the tunnels.
One leapt at Rowan, mandibles snapping. Wade surged forward, slamming his shoulder into its side.
Together, they toppled it. Rowan didn't waste the chance. His sword split its belly open in a gush of steaming filth. "Nice push!"
"Don't mention it!" Wade grunted, flipping another with sheer force, sweat running down his face. His sword stabbed, and another shriek fell silent.
One by one, the beetles fell, their screeches filling the air, the smell worsening until Wade's stomach threatened revolt.
Still, his arms moved, his movements growing more confident. They carved through the swarm, blood and dirt spraying with every kill.
Finally, silence filled the air.
The last beetle twitched at Rowan's feet, its cracked legs scrabbling weakly.
Rowan planted his boot on its shell and drove his blade straight through its underside. The shriek cut off. Its body went limp.
Wade staggered back, panting, the reek of rot and acid thick enough to choke. Around them lay a field of ruined shells, black blood soaking the soil.
Rowan wiped his blade on the grass, his expression hard but satisfied. "That's the last of them."
Wade exhaled, sword hanging loose in his grip, his chest rising and falling with each breath. "If I never smell this again, it'll be too soon."
He leaned on his sword, grimacing at the carnage. "This is just too disgusting."
Rowan snorted, wiping his blade on a patch of grass that wasn't soaked through with ichor. "You'll get used to it."
"Hopefully not."
Wade glanced around at the wreckage.
Twisted legs, cracked shells, and puddles of foul-smelling blood soaking deep into the dirt.
He pinched his nose, gagging. "I don't know about you, but I'm glad the quest didn't say 'and please clean up the corpses after you're done.'"
Rowan barked a laugh despite the stench. "Don't give them ideas. Farmers love free labor."
"Yeah, but if they asked, I'd charge extra. Hazard pay for the smell alone." Wade smirked, then gave the nearest carcass a nudge with his boot. It squelched, the underbelly splitting further with a wet pop.
His grin disappeared. "On second thought, double pay."
Rowan chuckled, shaking his head. "You're hopeless."
"Hey," Wade said, holding his hands up, "you're just jealous you didn't think of it first."
That was when the ground beneath them rumbled.
Both men froze, blades lifting.
The soil bulged, swelling upward like something enormous was forcing its way through. Dirt split apart, exploding outward in a shower of earth and shattered shell fragments.
From the gaping hole rose a monster.
The Stoneback Matriarch.
It dwarfed the beetles they'd fought before, its shell thicker, its jagged plates layered like armor.
Its mandibles clacked together with a sound like grinding stone, each one the size of Wade's arm.
Rows of thorn-like spines ran across its back, and its eyes, glowing red pits, locked onto them with burning fury.
Wade's breath caught. "That's… not on the quest description."
"Matriarch," Rowan muttered, his knuckles white on his hilt. "The brood mother."
Before either of them could plan a move, the beast surged forward with terrifying speed. Its massive clawed forelimbs tore through the soil, sending shards of rock flying.
Rowan pivoted to meet it, but was too late.
The Matriarch's mandibles swung wide, catching him by the chest. His sword clattered to the dirt as the force lifted him off his feet and slammed him back.
He hit the ground hard, dazed, the monster's shadow falling over him.
"Rowan!" Wade shouted, eyes wide.
The Matriarch reared up, its massive bulk blotting out the sun above them, mandibles opening wide, ready to tear Rowan in half.
And Wade was still a step too far away.