Along with the eerie silence, I also feel like we’re constantly moving downwards. “Why would the exit be deeper underground?”

  Suddenly, a loud alarm blares from Bailey’s device. “Oh no…” Bailey quickly drops his bag, pulls out a mask, and tries to shove it onto my face.

  “What are you doing? What’s happening?!” I try to fend him off.

  “Get it on! Quick! The air’s goin’ bad! We ain’t got much time!” Bailey yells as the alarm blares.

  I yank the mask off. “Where’s yours?!”

  “I’m…I’m fine. Just…” Bailey stammers.

  “No time to explain! I’m immune,” I interrupt, swiftly forcing the mask onto his face and adjusting the straps.

  A thick blue smog instantly fills the cave. The alarm screams. “Move!” I shout at Bailey.

  Bailey flinches, snaps back to reality, and bolts as I grab him and channel Qi into my limbs and senses.

  After a frantic couple of minutes, the tunnel opens into a larger cavern. The alarm on Bailey’s device mercifully cuts out.

  “By the stars…I…I almost…that was it…” Bailey takes off his mask and stares at me, eyes still wide with shock.

  “Just…how…? You’re…You’re fine?”

  “I am Val, a perfect homunculus created by your dear Master Keyser,” I announce with a grin.

  Leaning in close, I place my hand on Bailey’s shoulder and fix him with a serious look. “Don’t you dare risk your life for mine ever again! I don’t want your death on my conscience.”

  Bailey freezes, stammering. “I’m…I’m so sorry. I was just…”

  “I know you were trying to save me. I know you feel indebted from before. But you don’t owe me anything. I need to stay alive!” I say firmly.

  Bailey’s eyes well up. “I didn’t think…I didn’t think you’d care, not after…well, after I tried to…you know. Especially considering we only just met.”

  “I can’t explain everything right now, just remember I am not going to die easily. Your life is much more valuable than mine,” I tell Bailey, giving his shoulders a reassuring pat.

  Bailey manages a relieved smile.

  Geez… If we’re going to be traveling together for a bit, can’t have you keep interrupting my plans to return to the afterlife.

  Bailey shuffles forward a bit, finding a decent spot to rest. “So, what was that smog?” I ask.

  “Couldn’t tell ya what it was, but this little gadget said it was nasty stuff,” Bailey replies, holding up his device.

  “I got a snout full of it, and I tell ya, it felt like my lungs were on fire!”

  As we rest, small critters scurry past, some familiar, some not.

  “These little fellas are bottom feeders,” Bailey explains. “Harmless, they are. Unless you’re already six feet under, that is!”

  We hadn't seen any of these in the previous tunnel or cave. This place feels safer, at least.

  "What else have you got in that bag of yours?" I ask, my curiosity piqued. "Any other cool gadgets?"

  Bailey opens his bag, revealing its contents: a bewildering assortment of spices, herbs, and other paraphernalia. I stare, speechless. "Why do you carry so much of this stuff?!"

  “These are my most prized possessions,” Bailey explains. “Traveled the world to find ‘em all. All so I could cook up a good meal for Master Keyser. Shame he’s…”

  He trails off, gesturing to the items. Most are spices and dried herbs, some clearly poisonous, others rare and exquisite. A few bottles of medicine are tucked in amongst them.

  After our short break, we get up and keep moving. And there it is—light! We have to be close! Bailey and I rush forward.

  We emerge into a massive cavern. The light comes from enormous, glowing crystals sprouting from the ceiling hundreds of meters above, illuminating the entire space.

  Below them lies a vast, abandoned city, completely overgrown with vegetation.

  “Just how deep are we?” I ask, still staring.

  “Near about four hundred meters down…” Bailey reads from his device.

  Maybe it’s just an isekai thing, I think. “Who lives this far underground?”

  “Not that I’ve ever heard of…” Bailey scratches his head, racking his memory.

  Bailey wipes his sweaty palms. “Should we take a look? That fresh air’s gotta be coming from somewhere.”

  “Yeah,” I nod, and we head down into the city.

  Everything looks frozen in time. The plants haven’t damaged the structures at all. In fact, it looks like someone’s been meticulously pruning them. It’s almost…too perfect.

  “Do you recognize these plants?” I ask.

  He plucks a bit, examines it closely, and then takes a cautious nibble. “They look familiar, alright, but…not quite the same as any I’ve seen before.”

  He chews thoughtfully. “Tastes familiar, too.”

  “These are edible?” I pick a few and taste them. I promptly spit them out. They’re horrendous.

  “Well, they’re not exactly a five-star meal on their own,” Bailey says with a grin. “Though with the right seasonings…” He trails off, eyes gleaming as he imagines the possibilities.

  He explains that the plants resemble surface crops—the stuff Luthraks grow for food. However, they all look and taste slightly different.

  We enter a few homes. They're empty, but it looks like the occupants left in a hurry. Broken pots and pans litter the floors.

  Bailey's still examining the plants, completely absorbed. “Aye, fascinating indeed…This is something else entirely. Never seen or heard of anything like it.”

  The ground suddenly lurches—another quake? Before I can grab Bailey, hundreds of small heads erupt from the earth. Heads that resemble cicadas, only these are colossal.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Channeling Qi to widen my senses, I look for a safe space. I snatch Bailey by the torso again and leap onto a nearby building.

  More and more heads emerge—thousands, millions… They begin munching on the vegetation, devouring the plants in a wave of clicking mandibles.

  “These are…Kavriades!” Bailey exclaims, utterly fascinated. “But…so many of ‘em? And look at the size of ‘em! They’re plant-eaters, though, so no need to fret.”

  Trypophobia much!

  After devouring almost all the vegetation they’d gathered on the ground for what appears to be some strange ritual—a mating ritual, it turns out—it becomes clear they are the ones responsible for “pruning” this place.

  “We should keep moving,” I say to Bailey, but he is already halfway down the building.

  “What are you doing?!” I hiss, scrambling to reach him.

  “Give me a hand!” he whispers back.

  “Kavriades only mate once every ten years, you know. Their eggs are rarer than gold…and delicious! They call ‘em green caviar. I had just a wee taste once…never forgot it,” Bailey explains, seeing my bewildered and slightly disgusted expression.

  “Say no more, let’s get some…” I mutter, following him down.

  “Why are we sneaking around? Shouldn’t we let them finish and come back later?” I whisper, tiptoeing closer.

  “Once the egg is laid, we have very little time before it gets fertilized. Once fertilized, they are no good anymore,” Bailey says, pulling a massive jar out of his bag.

  Where does he even get that?!

  We creep closer. Just as I am about to grab one, Bailey stops me. "We can't touch 'em! If we spook 'em, they'll spray something awful. That'll warn the whole lot of 'em. Then we're in real trouble!"

  Bailey gets down on all fours, crawling slowly across the ground—or as slowly as his rather round frame allows.

  He positions the jar near a Kavriades’ backside, and out it comes. Bailey swiftly pulls the jar away before the creature finishes, collecting only a small portion.

  Bailey slowly crawls on to the next one, and the next. In no time, he’s quietly filled the entire jar with the green, caviar-like eggs.

  After taking out another smaller jar, Bailey refills it with practiced ease, and quietly returns.

  He hands me the jar, points towards a nearby building, and whispers, “Best be moving along.”

  We reach the rooftop without incident. “Phew,” Bailey breathes, visibly relieved.

  I grin and pop open the jar for a sniff. It smells faintly of the sea.

  Bailey then whips out a rather ornate-looking spoon – where does he keep pulling these things from? – and scoops up a small portion for each of us.

  We place the spoonfuls on our tongues, and a wave of salty, savory, and subtly sweet flavors washes over us.

  As I gently bite down on the tiny, glistening pearls, they burst with a sweet tang of wine and a delicate hint of seafood.

  It is… incredible.

  Lost in the delightful taste of this "green caviar," we are oblivious to the sudden shift in atmosphere. An eerie silence descends.

  Tens of millions of Kavriades have all turned their gaze directly towards us. Every single one of them.

  I nudge Bailey, who is still happily licking his spoon.

  "Who…? What's that?" Bailey blinks, finally pulling his attention away from the spoon.

  He follows my gaze and looks down the side of the building. The Kavriades’ eyes burn with an unsettling intensity.

  “Maybe they’re just looking at something else. We should probably go,” I suggest, already moving towards the other side of the roof.

  “Hey, you don’t think they know we just ate their unfertilized… you know…” I trail off, not wanting to say it out loud.

  Bailey hurries to catch up. He peers over the edge, and gasps in terror. We’re surrounded. Millions of eyes stare back at us.

  Suddenly, a low rumble echoes through the air as the Kavriades unfurl their wings. The entire swarm begins to rise, a living wave surging up the side of the building.

  “You never mentioned they could fly!” I exclaim, my voice rising in pitch.

  Channeling my Qi once more, I grab Bailey by his bag and the scruff of his neck, leaping from one rooftop to the next.

  We sprint towards the largest building in the city, the Kavriades pursuing us like a relentless, buzzing tide, rapidly closing the distance.

  “What do we do?!” I yell, Bailey dangling precariously in my grasp.

  “Hold on tight! Don’t let go!” Bailey yells back. “Aaaagh!”

  We reach the largest building, and I drop Bailey unceremoniously onto the ground.

  “This way!” I shout, pointing towards a nearby door. We burst inside and slam the door shut behind us, bracing against it with all our might.

  The Kavriades slam against the door in relentless waves.

  “I thought they only ate plants!” I exclaim.

  “Just because they eat plants doesn’t mean they can’t squash us flat!” Bailey retorts, his eyes wide.

  “I’ll be fine! You’re the one who’s gonna get squashed! Are they afraid of anything?!” I ask, panicking.

  “I… I’ve no idea!” Bailey replies, his voice laced with despair.

  “Give me that small jar!” I demand. Bailey shoves the container of tiny green pearls into my hand.

  “You go first! Get deeper inside, find a hiding spot. I’ll lure them away. I’ll be fine!” I toss my bag aside and yell, “GO!”

  Bailey glances back one last time before scrambling inside and slamming the doors behind him.

  Holding my stance at the door, I feel the Qi I have left in my abdomen. There should be enough to try something crazy.

  Alright, let’s see if these overgrown grasshoppers can break this body.

  I pop the jar of caviar-like pearls into my mouth. Heavenly… I time it perfectly, waiting for the lull after a particularly enthusiastic wave of slams against the door. Then, I burst back outside.

  “Come and get it, you overgrown salad munchers!” I shout, as I leap to a neighboring rooftop. A bit of green ooze still clings to my lips. “Seconds are served!”

  The massive swarm follows, a buzzing, rumbling, biting, ripping mass of raging fury. They swarm around me as I stand perfectly still, like some sort of street art statue.

  Nothing. Still nothing… no feeling, no pain… absolutely nothing. Huh. Well, that’s… anticlimactic.

  Disappointed, I decide this is the perfect opportunity to test the “enhanced offensive capabilities.”

  Keeping my eyes closed, I channel my Qi. Images of ninja anime flash through my head. From explosive rotating energy balls to gravity-defying leaps, my brain is a whirlwind of awesome fight scenes.

  No magical abilities yet, unfortunately. Katon has to wait, but a certain bushy-browed sensei and his insane taijutsu spring to mind. I do have Qi, which is basically Chakra.

  Killing these bugs isn’t exactly difficult; a solid hit to the head will do the trick. The problem is the sheer number of these titan insects and landing hits while being swarmed.

  With epic background music playing in my head – some suitably dramatic ost – I prepare my impromptu taijutsu.

  My Qi travels to my eyes and limbs, enhancing my visual sense to cover the entire roof, and enhancing my reflexes and reaction time. The swarm of Kavriades’ movements become sluggish from my point of view.

  As fast as I can, my arms extending and retracting like pistons, my fists rip through the air with whip-like cracks.

  The heads of the insects, and even a few unfortunate souls behind them, explode in little bursts of green goo before my fists even connect.

  My fists blur, becoming nothing more than afterimages. I see the air around them combusting from the friction.

  “Asa Kujaku!” I roar, my middle school syndrome making a triumphant, if slightly embarrassing, return.

  As the insects fall like flies around me, I must admit, I don’t feel any remorse for killing insects. Although… strangely enough, despite the sheer number of insects I’ve pulped, my hair hasn’t even flickered.

  Then, my senses pick up on a cloud of smoke, followed by a sudden burst of bright light that blasts through the swarm.

  "Run!" Bailey’s voice cuts through the air. A couple of flaming Molotov cocktails arc through the air and explode amongst the bugs, sending them scattering.

  The flames temporarily clear the area around me. Through the thick smoke, I scramble back to Bailey, and we bolt back indoors.

  The creatures don’t seem keen on pursuing us into the building anymore. I turn around and yell at Bailey, “I told you to run and hide! What if they came back for you?!”

  "I...I think...I seem to recall they weren't too fond of fire," Bailey mumbles softly, looking a little downcast.

  Seeing his crestfallen expression, I instantly regret my harsh tone. “Hey, no, it’s… thanks,” I say, softening my voice. Sensing my Qi once more, I realize that it is pretty much all empty. He came at the perfect time.

  Grabbing my bag and changing into some fresh clothes. “Come on, buddy. This place looks like some kind of important building. Let’s check it out!”

  Turning back to Bailey with a reassuring smile. Bailey’s face lights up. "I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" he chirps, hurrying forward with a wide grin. We enter the building.