The towering, six armed apex hunter stepped forward, completely unbothered by the immense weight he was carrying. Balanced across his multiple muscular arms was a mountain pile of monster bodies.
With a coordinated, effortless heave, Arach dumped the entire haul into the central devouring chamber.
Having delivered his tribute, Arach turned his massive frame to walk back out into the dark tunnels, ready to hunt again. As he passed Sephiran, he paused, looking down at his younger sibling with a sharp, teasing glint in his eyes. He deliberately nudged a stray, immobilized zombie creature at his feet, sending it sliding right toward Sephiran’s boots as if to say,
’Catch up.’
Sephiran’s face twisted into an annoyed, competitive scowl at the silent, teasing look from his older brother.
"Hey! Don’t look at me like that!"
Sephiran called out, kicking the stray body into the maw before turning to sprint back toward the hunting grounds.
"I won’t let big brother Arach out feed Mother! Just wait, the next haul is mine!"
Right from beneath his footing, a rustling sound cut through Sephiran’s competitive shouting.
It was Vermi. The little chimera worm, who used to slither around acting like a needy puppy, had undergone quite the transformation after her recent evolution. She wasn’t just a simple worm anymore; she now sported four little limbs—two stubby feet and two tiny hands, to go along with a noticeably round, bulging tummy. To top it all off, a layer of soft, surprisingly thick fur now covered her changing body.
Vermi was currently using those new limbs to scramble over the rocks, her mouth wide open as she tried to sneakily devour the last monster carcass Sephiran had brought in.
"Oh no, you don’t!"
Sephiran barked, lunging forward and snatching the monster body away just a split second before her tiny hands could grip it.
He held the carcass high out of her reach, giving her a stern look as he hurled the tribute straight into the open maw of the Devouring War Form. With a heavy thud, the biomass vanished into the chamber, leaving Vermi staring up at the ceiling with a thoroughly disappointed pout.
Sephiran crossed his arms, looking down at the furry little chimera.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Vermi? Do not steal Mom’s food! Look at you! What even are you now? You’ve been wandering around eating every single rogue monster you see in this cave, and you’re even sneaking out into the forest to hunt down random wildlife! You’re just adding every single trait you digest directly into your own form. At this rate, you’re going to turn into a giant fluff ball before Mother even gets back!"
Vermi let out a small, defensive chirp, her little hands patting her full tummy as if trying to justify her bottomless appetite to her older brother.
Sephiran sighed, rolling his eyes but letting his posture soften.
"You’ve already eaten plenty of those, Vermi. You don’t even need the nourishment! You’ve already absorbed all the traits those cave monsters have to offer; you’re just eating too much out of pure greed now."
Hearing his stern words, Vermi’s fuzzy ears drooped. She slumped down onto the cave floor, her little hands resting sadly on her round belly as she let out a low, pathetic whine.
Looking at her, Sephiran could see that she wasn’t just pouting—she was genuinely getting tired of this same old hunting ground. The local monsters just weren’t satisfying her evolving palate anymore.
"Alright, alright, look... Don’t look so sad. If you behave yourself, I promise I’ll convince big brother Arach to let me take you up to the upper areas of Shellgrave Cave next time. We’ll go exploring together!"
Vermi’s eyes instantly lit up. Her ears perked right back up, and she let out an ecstatic, high-pitched squeak. A whole new area meant brand new creatures, exotic traits, and a completely fresh buffet to feed her bottomless appetite. She was so excited she practically began vibrating on the spot.
"But you have to keep up! Come on!"
With a burst of speed, Sephiran took off down the tunnel to catch up to Arach’s hunting trail. Not wanting to be left behind, Vermi scrambled right after him, her brand new little limbs pumping furiously as she tumbled and raced through the darkness, eager to prove she was ready for the upper world.
As the two came hurrying around the corner toward the exit, they nearly collided with Frovian, who had just turned toward the entrance of the mobile womb chamber. Frovian sidestepped just in time, his brow furrowing as he narrowly avoided being trampled by the chaotic duo.
"Hey! Watch where you’re going, you idiots! This isn’t a playground! You’re going to knock the walls down one of these days!"
Sephiran didn’t stop, but he threw his hands up defensively as he kept running. "Sorry, Frovian! We’re on official soldier duty! Keeping Mother fed is a full-time job! No time to waste!"
Frovian let out a heavy, irritated sigh, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just... be safe out there! Don’t let Vermi eat anything stupid!"
"We will!"
Sephiran called back, his voice fading down the tunnel as Vermi let out one last excited squeak before they both disappeared into the darkness.
Frovian shook his head and turned to walk inside the chamber, but the moment he stepped past the threshold, his annoyance flared into pure, unadulterated fury.
The entire Devouring War Form chamber was an absolute disaster zone. Those three—Arach, Sephiran, and Vermi—had left a complete mess everywhere. Splatters of different colored monster blood stained the stone floor, clumps of mud and cave dirt were tracked all over the pristine nesting areas, and discarded bits of bone and shell lay scattered in random piles.
As the primary caretaker of the hive’s nest, it was Frovian’s sole responsibility to keep the environment clean and perfect for the developing brood. He gripped his cleaning tools, his eye twitching as he looked at the sheer volume of work ahead of him.
"Those slobs... When they get back, I’m turning their entire bodies into mops and making them scrub every inch of this filth!!!"