NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50: Matriarch
Rowan's eyes snapped open just as the matriarch's mandibles came down.
With a guttural roar, he slammed his palm into the dirt.
A surge of golden light erupted around him, solidifying into a dome of radiant energy.
The Matriarch's mandibles struck it with a deafening clang, sparks showering as if metal had collided with metal.
The monster screeched, scraping against the barrier, trying to force its way through. Cracks spiderwebbed along the golden surface, but it held.
Rowan grit his teeth, sweat dripping down his brow. "Not… today!"
Wade didn't hesitate.
He surged forward, sword in both hands, and brought it down on one of the creature's legs. The blade cut deep into the joint, ichor spraying as the limb buckled.
The matriarch reared back, its strike disrupted, giving Rowan time to roll out from under its shadow.
His barrier shattered a second later with a sound like breaking glass, but it had done its job.
"That was a close call," Wade panted, circling wide.
"Yeah." Rowan retrieved his sword, his golden aura flickering faintly around him. "This thing's tougher than it looks."
The matriarch screeched, slamming its clawed limbs into the ground. Dirt and stones erupted like shrapnel, forcing both men to dive aside.
Wade felt a sting across his cheek where a rock had grazed him.
"Damn thing fights like it owns the place," Wade muttered.
"It does own the place!" Rowan barked back, lunging forward.
His blade flashed golden, empowered with a skill, as he slashed across the beast's underbelly. The cut left only a shallow mark, but it drew the monster's attention.
The matriarch swung towards Rowan, mandibles snapping.
"Over here!" Wade shouted, casting Mirror Step.
A shimmering double of himself appeared, darting in the opposite direction. The matriarch hesitated, confused by the sudden split.
Wade used the opening, diving beneath its raised body.
He stabbed upward, his blade sinking between plates of its armor. Black ichor gushed down, coating his arms, hot and foul-smelling.
The matriarch roared, thrashing. Its body twisted, throwing Wade clear. He hit the ground hard, the impact rattling his bones. His vision swam, but he forced himself upright, coughing.
Rowan was already moving. He brought his sword down on one of the beast's mandibles, severing half of it. The matriarch screamed, its cry shaking the earth itself.
Enraged, it lunged. Its spined back scraped against the farmland, uprooting soil and shattering the remains of crops.
Rowan raised another golden barrier, bracing himself. The impact rattled him, nearly driving him to his knees, but Wade was already charging.
"Die already!" Wade roared, slamming [Basic Ward] into its chest.
The force staggered the matriarch just enough for him to leap onto its side. He gripped his sword in both hands and drove it deep into the seam of its armored back.
The blade sank in up to the hilt. The creature writhed, trying to shake him off, but Rowan charged forward, plunging his own sword into the opposite flank.
Two blades. Two wounds. The matriarch's screech cracked the air, shrill and furious.
Its legs buckled, its body spasmed, and finally, with one last heaving shudder, it collapsed.
The ground shuddered as it fell, sending a wave of dust and foul air over them.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then Wade stumbled back, pulling his sword free. His arms were coated in black ichor, and his tunic was torn from the thrashing. He collapsed onto the dirt, chest heaving.
Rowan dropped beside him, his own body shaking. His golden aura flickered and then went out completely, leaving him pale and sweaty.
"We killed it." Wade wheezed, wiping blood and ichor from his brow.
Rowan chuckled weakly, though the sound turned into a groan as he pressed a hand to his ribs. "Yeah. And we've got the bruises to prove it."
The matriarch lay still before them, its massive shell cracked, black ichor pooling beneath it. The air reeked so strongly it burned Wade's nostrils.
He spat into the dirt, grimacing. "From today, beetles are now my worst enemies."
Rowan chuckled.
For a while, the only sound was their breathing, ragged, uneven, and heavy.
The field around them was a graveyard of cracked shells and foul-smelling ichor. The stink of it clung thick in the air, crawling into their noses and coating their tongues.
Finally, Rowan forced himself to stand, every muscle aching. "Let's… let's tell Toman it's done."
They trudged back across the farmland, boots crunching over broken stalks and churned soil.
The farmer's small homestead came into view, smoke curling lazily from the chimney. Toman was already waiting outside, worry etched into his face.
"Well?" he called, his hands twisting nervously in his apron.
Rowan straightened, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "It's done. The beetles won't be troubling your crops anymore."
"You…" Toman's eyes widened, darting past them as if he expected to see the matriarch lumbering after. "All of them?"
"All of them," Wade confirmed. "Including the big one. The matriarch."
Toman let out a breath so long it seemed like he'd been holding it for days. His shoulders slumped, relief washing over him.
"Thank the heavens. You've saved my livelihood… my family too. If the beetles had taken another harvest, we'd have starved."
"You'll want to bury or burn what's left," Rowan advised, wiping a streak of ichor from his cheek. "But your land's safe now."
Toman nodded quickly, then wrinkled his nose. "But you two… you reek something awful."
Wade glanced down at his tunic, the black stains clinging to the fabric, and grimaced. "We noticed."
"There's a stream just down the path," Toman said, pointing east. "Fresh water from the hills. Go on and wash yourselves before you ride back. If you enter Hiving smelling like that, even the rats will run."
Rowan smirked. "Appreciate the advice."
They thanked the farmer and followed the dirt path until the sound of trickling water reached their ears. Soon, they came upon a clear stream winding lazily through the grass.
Wade dropped his sword on the bank, plunging both hands into the water. It was shockingly cold, biting against his skin, but it felt like salvation.
He splashed his face, scrubbing furiously, then dunked his entire head under with a gasp.
Rowan waded in ankle-deep, crouching to wash the worst of the ichor from his arms and tunic.
He worked methodically, scrubbing at the black stains until the water downstream turned murky. "Never thought I'd be this grateful for cold water," he muttered.
Wade laughed softly, wringing out his shirt. "Speak for yourself. My balls are frozen."
They spent several minutes in silence, rinsing off their weapons, boots, and armor as best they could.
By the time they emerged from the stream, their clothes clung damply to their bodies, heavy but clean. The stink, at least, was gone.
Wade shook out his hair, flicking droplets at Rowan. "There. Good as new."
Rowan gave him a tired side-eye. "If 'new' means smelling like wet dog, then yes."
They both chuckled weakly, the exhaustion settling in again. But it was a good kind of exhaustion, the kind that came with surviving.
Back at the farm, their horses were still tied where they'd left them, stomping hooves impatiently.
Wade climbed into his saddle, his damp clothes sticking uncomfortably, while Rowan mounted with a grunt.
"Ready?" Rowan asked.
"As I'll ever be." Wade tugged at the reins, guiding his horse down the path.
The sun had dipped lower in the sky, painting the fields gold as they rode.
The farmland gave way to rolling hills, then to the beaten road that led back to Hiving. Their journey was quiet, both men lost in thought, the clip-clop of hooves their only soundtrack.
By the time the stone walls of Hiving rose in the distance, torches were already being lit along the battlements. But as they drew nearer, Wade frowned.
The gates were not calm and orderly as before.
A crowd had gathered, merchants shouting, guards barking orders, people craning their necks to see. The noise carried even to the road.
Rowan slowed his horse, squinting. "Something's going on at the gates."