The ground suddenly lurched, another quake? Before I could grab Bailey, hundreds of small heads erupted from the earth. Heads that resembled cicadas, only these were colossal. Time to bolt!


    I snatched Bailey by the torso again and leaped onto a nearby building. More and more heads emerged, thousands, millions… They began munching on the vegetation, devouring the plants in a wave of clicking mandibles.


    "These are...Kavriades! But...so many of ''em? And look at the size of ''em! They''re plant-eaters, though, so no need to fret," Bailey said, utterly fascinated.


    Trypophobia much!


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


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


    “Give me a hand!” he whispered back.


    Does he have some weird fetish?!


    "Kavriades only mate once every ten years, you know. Their eggs are rarer than hen''s teeth...and delicious! They call ''em green caviar. I had just a wee taste once...never forgot it." Bailey explained, seeing my bewildered and slightly disgusted expression.


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


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


    “Once the egg’s is laid, we have very little time before it gets fertilized. Once fertilized, they are not good anymore,” Bailey said, pulling a massive jar out of his bag.


    Where did he even get that?!


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


    Bailey got down on all fours, crawling slowly across the ground, or as slowly as his rather round frame allowed. He positioned the jar near a Kavriades’ backside, and out it came. Bailey swiftly pulled the jar away before the creature finished, collecting only a small portion. He moved on to the next one, and the next. In no time, he’d quietly filled the entire jar with the green, caviar-like eggs.


    He then produced a smaller jar, refilled it with practiced ease, and quietly returned. He handed me the jar, pointed towards a nearby building, and whispered, “Best be movin’ along.”


    We reached the rooftop without incident. “Phew,” Bailey breathed, visibly relieved. I grinned and popped open the jar for a sniff. It smelled faintly of the sea. Bailey then produced a rather ornate-looking spoon and scooped up a small portion for each of us.


    We placed the spoonfuls on our tongues, and a wave of salty, savory, and subtly sweet flavors washed over us. As I gently bit down on the tiny, glistening pearls, they burst with a sweet tang of wine and a delicate hint of seafood.


    Lost in the delightful taste of this “green caviar,” we were oblivious to the sudden shift in atmosphere. An eerie silence descended. I glanced down and saw that the tens of millions of Kavriades had all turned their gaze directly towards us.


    I nudged Bailey, who was still happily licking his spoon. “You think they know we’re here?”


    “Who…? What’s that?” Bailey blinked, finally pulling his attention away from the spoon. He followed my gaze and looked down the side of the building. The Kavriades’ eyes burned with an unsettling intensity.


    “Maybe they’re just looking at something else. We should probably go,” I suggested, already moving towards the other side of the roof. “Hey, you don’t think they know we just ate their eggs, do you?”


    “They shouldn’t… we’re a good distance off. They didn’t even react when I took them,” Bailey said, glancing nervously around. “Unless…” He trailed off, hurrying to catch up. He peered over the edge.


    We were surrounded. Millions of eyes stared back at us. Suddenly, a low rumble echoed through the air as the Kavriades unfurled their wings. The entire swarm began to rise, a living wave surging up the side of the building. “You never mentioned they could fly!”


    I grabbed Bailey by his bag and the scruff of his neck, leaping from one rooftop to the next. We sprinted 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 yelled, Bailey dangling precariously in my grasp.


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


    We reached the largest building, and I dropped Bailey unceremoniously onto the ground. “This way!” I shouted, pointing towards a nearby door. We burst inside and slammed the door shut behind us, bracing against it with all our might. We could feel the Kavriades slamming against the door in relentless waves.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


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


    “Just because they eat plants doesn’t mean they can’t squash us flat!” Bailey retorted.


    “I’ll be fine, you’re the one who’s gonna die! Are they afraid of anything?!” I asked, panicking.


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


    “Give me that small jar!” Bailey shoved 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 tossed my bag aside and yelled, “GO!”


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


    Alright, let’s see if you guys can free me.


    I popped the remaining caviar into my mouth. Heavenly… I timed it perfectly, waiting for the lull after a wave of attacks. Then, I burst through the door.


    “Come get some!” I shouted, green ooze still dripping from my lips.


    I leaped to a neighboring rooftop. The massive swarm followed, a buzzing, rumbling, biting, ripping mass. They swarmed around me as I stood perfectly still.


    Nothing. Still nothing… no feeling, no pain… absolutely nothing.


    Disappointed, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to test this body’s limits.


    I closed my eyes, focusing my mind. Images of every anime and kung fu movie I’d ever seen flashed through my head.


    I couldn’t use magic, but plenty of my favorite anime didn’t rely on it. A certain bushy-browed sensei and his insane taijutsu sprang to mind.


    With epic background music playing in my head, I prepared for a limit test. This time, my focus was solely on speed and accuracy. Killing these bugs wasn’t hard; a solid hit to the head did the trick.


    I focused my vision on one creature at a time. My enhanced reaction time and reflexes made everything seem to slow to a crawl. With pinpoint precision, I began systematically punching through their heads.


    I threw punches as fast as I could, my fists extending and retracting like pistons, ripping through the air with whip-like cracks.


    The heads of the bugs I hit, and even a few behind them, exploded before my fist even connected.


    “Asakujaku!” I roared, my middle school syndrome making a triumphant return.


    I’m so glad Bailey isn’t around to see this. Strange… so many of them bit the dust and my hair didn’t even flicker.


    I soon smelled burning smoke somewhere. Then, a bright light blasted through the swarm.


    Whoa… definitely not me…


    "Run!" Bailey’s voice cuts through the air. A couple of flaming Molotov cocktails sailed through the air and exploded around me.


    The flames roared, scattering the swarm, which wisely kept its distance. Through the thick smoke, I scrambled back to Bailey and we bolted back indoors. The creatures didn’t seem keen on pursuing us.


    I rounded on Bailey. “I told you to run! What if they came back for you?!”


    "I...I think...I seem to recall they weren''t too fond of fire," Bailey mumbled softly.


    Seeing his crestfallen expression, I instantly regretted my harsh tone. “Thank you…” I said, softening my voice. I walked past Bailey, 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,” I said, turning back to Bailey with a bright smile.


    Bailey’s face lit up. "I''m comin''! I''m comin''!" he chirped, hurrying forward with a wide grin.


    We entered the building.


    This place reeks of ritual… The walls are covered in carvings. It’s incredibly dark inside. Bailey uses his device and a flashlight to examine the walls. “Do you know who carved these?” I asked.


    "Likely carved by the old Mesoselenians, I reckon," Bailey replied after a closer look.


    “Any guess what it’s about?”


    "Haven''t the foggiest about that bit," Bailey said with a shake of his head.


    We made our way down the building. Thankfully, the stairs were still intact. The rooms were remarkably well preserved, but completely empty and coated in dust. Each room was tiny. There must be hundreds of them.


    They emptied everything before leaving. These living conditions… It’s like they were living in jail cells.


    On the ground floor looms a massive door. We carefully push it open, a cloud of dust billowing out to greet us. Thankfully, Bailey’s gadget doesn’t trigger any alarms. A colossal statue stands solemnly in the center of the room.


    "Right then, I''m certain now. This city''s ancient Mesoselenian, through and through," Bailey declares, pointing at the statue.


    “That’s…?” I murmur, awestruck by the sheer size of the statue and its intricate details.


    Bailey explains that the Mesoselenians believed in reincarnation after death, and this is a statue of their deity. Legend says this deity purifies the soul after death and returns it to this world. They call it Nyotha, which translates to Purity.


    “Their deity is a tree?” I mutter, staring at the massive tree-shaped statue.


    We circle the statue. An altar stands in each of the four corners of the room.


    Sssss…Sss…Ssssss


    “Listen… something’s here,” I whisper, alerting Bailey.


    Bailey quickly moves beside me. "Where at? I don''t see nothin''." He draws his gun and scans the area.


    “I think it’s underground.” I lie flat on the ground and press my ear to the stone.


    Sss…Sssssss…Sss


    “It’s below us, quite far below.” I draw back my fist.


    "Whoa there! Steady on! This place is worth more than all the gold in the world!" Bailey yells, grabbing my arm.


    We stand up. I suggest we search for a switch or a hidden door.


    All the isekai novels I’ve read suggest this place must have a secret passage or room…


    We look around. I try to budge the altars. They''re immovable. I examine them carefully. The ground around them looks a bit… off. I wipe away the dust. There''s a distinct tile directly beneath each altar.


    I press down hard on one altar. It sinks slightly. I quickly tell Bailey. We try pressing on all the altars individually. They all depress.


    We decide to try pressing all four at the same time. We use Bailey’s bag on one altar, a large stone on another, and we each press down on the remaining two.


    Click… whoosh… whoosh… whoosh… whoosh


    Arrows shoot out from all four directions…


    “Bailey!!!”