Cass and Luna were back-to-back in the middle of a huge expanse of packed earth. Dry, dusty scents mingled with a sharp tang that was the innards of these huge beetles. As unnerving as the coppery tang of blood was to the nose, this was much worse. It smelled thick, pasty, and bitter, perfectly matching the white goo that squirted out of their carapaces every time they'd smashed one of them.
"I NEED A HAMMER!" Tess yelled to Zavier, her Claw of Nightfall blade cutting carapaces easily but not killing them fast enough to stop their movements.
When they'd come across the flat expanse it had had all the appearance of a potato field left to bake in the summer sun. After a few tests that involved just finding the biggest rocks they could and hurling them into the open field they saw Chihuahua-sized beetles scuttling out of holes in the ground, searching blindly for the source of the vibrations. Their description looked as equally ominous as everything else The System threw at them, but the creatures themselves didn't appear to be too much of a threat.
Name: Titan Beetles
Level: 5
Description: The Titan Beetles are a swarm of oversized beetles, each the size of a small dog. They have hard, chitinous shells and powerful mandibles that can chew through wood and flesh alike.
"Okay, these are small guys so I think we should be okay," Zavier had said. "Luna, you can try target practice if you want but you should also be holding something to smash them with. Maybe one of Cass's shields."
"Cass, you bash with the bat and shield, hurl any away that you can't kill right away. And stomp away. Your mom and I will be back here watching."
That was 20 minutes ago, before they'd learned that this type of beetle evidently ran in swarms. Zavier was in a clearing, chain looping around him in sweeping, complicated movements that sent small, black bodies flying by the dozens, cracked shells and white goo flinging everywhere. The dirt around him was swept clean.
Luna and Cass were fighting a wild, frantic melee that was more desperation than strategy, while Tess was chopping and skewering everything that came close. As quick as she was, though, there were always more than she could kill and her swords had quickly piled up with skewered beetles - looking for all the world like a Brazilian steakhouse. Zavier threw a hammer her way and she tucked Claw away and deftly plucked the 5 pound maul out of the air without looking at it, then she was in a crouch, the hammer sending deep reverberations through the earth.
Cass and Luna were alternately stomping beetles into paste and flinging them away, their hard bodies ricocheting off their shields with loud pings. Luna's gauntlet had long since run out of energy, the miniscule amounts from these bugs not enough to make up for the shots she was firing. Instead, she had one of Cass's shields in one hand and was straight up punching them out of the air when they got close. Her punches didn't kill them but it cleared the way.
Tess flicked rapid glances at the twins, proud of the way they were adapting to this new world. She still didn't have a good feel for how she was supposed to be parenting them through this, but knowing that she was helping make them stronger was all she needed right now. And watching their Empathic Melee deepen the connection between them was making their fighting style something beautiful to see.
Luna had stopped watching her feet. At some point she'd realized that her feet just always happened to land in the space between the beetles, and she always picked them up just before a razor sharp jaw snapped around her ankle. She also seemed to be getting better at backhanding the ones that flew at her face, barely noticing them. Instead she'd focused on the bond between her and Cass, feeling for where he was moving next and what he was about to do so she could be in position to set him up or move out of his way. Their progress through the swarm was slow and steady, but it left piles of crushed carapaces behind them.
They turned in unison as they heard a metallic crack, Zavier's chain whipping a beetle out of the air and clearing the space between him and them. He'd made it through to their position, slogging through calf-high piles of the things, their shells clacking against each other with each step he took.
Tess panted their way as well, even her massively increased strength feeling the exertion of waving around a five pound hammer for half an hour. They stood a few feet apart, everyone looking around. The last of the beetles had scuttled back into the holes that led to their underground warrens.
"Think we got them all?" Tess asked breathlessly.
Zavier wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, the sweat stinging. "Not all, but we got a metric fuck ton of them."
"Yeah, too bad they weren't worth much," Luna said.
It was then that the ground beneath their feet started shaking.
"Back up!" Zavier yelled, "We have a Tremors situation!" His warning turned out to be prescient as a massive beetle the size of a Triceratops burst out of the ground. Its three-horned head waved left and right, sun running iridescent patterns across the void-black shell. It thrust itself fully out of the ground then reared up to its full height before dropping its entire weight down on the ground. The earth shook and all four of the Torreses and hundreds of cutting and clattering carapaces were flung into the air.
They landed with grunts and explosions of air, which was all the Queen Titan Beetle needed to home in on their locations. A scent of pheromones permeated the air and what was left of the beetles scurried out of the holes and streamed towards them.
As they struggled to their feet Zavier sent a message through the group chat, not wanting to give the Queen enough noise to locate him, "Damn, she's big. Not sure how we're going to kill it. She's too tough for the hammers and shields."
"I got this," Tess said. "Cass, I need you to give me a boost," and with that Tess was sprinting towards the beetle, Cass running to intercept her. Cass beat her there with just enough time to drop to one knee and position his shield just over his shoulder. Tess leaped onto it and Cass uncoiled like a spring, launching her into the air.
Zavier could have sworn he saw a smile on her face, eyes closed as she extended fully into a slow, easy back flip. As she pivoted through the air Claw was pulled into her hand and she rotated to land facing the head, sword pointed downwards. It plunged easily into the Queen's back and a high-pitched screech echoed through all of their minds, sending the last of the beetles into a frenzy. Then the family was fighting their individual battles against the crazed beetles while Tess rode the Queen in a galloping run, every buck and jump throwing clouds of dirt into the air until it was too thick to see through the choking haze.
Zavier called for the kids out loud, wanting them to hear his voice, coughing into his elbow and trying to spit out the dusty phlegm that coated his throat. "Dad?" Cass's voice called from the haze and he and Luna materialized. Zavier pulled them both into a hug then looked around, trying to see anything through the yellow-brown haze that hung in the air.
They listened, but the thumping was gone. "Tess?" Zavier yelled, hoping that the lack of noise meant that the Queen was dead. The air was starting to clear when Zavier heard a quick whistle and turned to see Tess walking calmly out of the haze, Claw in one hand and the other holding a piece of shiny, iridescent black armor. It was in two pieces obviously meant to cover the front and back of someone's chest, the pieces held together by what looked to be black leather. Zavier examined it:
Item Name: Carapace Chestplate
Type: Armor
Description: Crafted from the iridescent, shimmering carapace of the Queen Titan Beetle, this armor provides exceptional protection without sacrificing mobility. Its reflective surface not only deflects physical blows but also offers some resistance to elemental attacks.
Stats:
Defense: +3
Agility: -1
Abilities:
Reflective Surface: Has a 15% chance to reflect a portion of damage back to the attacker, whether the attack is physical or elemental.
Earthquake Resistance: Reduces the impact of ground-based attacks and tremors, granting the wearer better stability and balance during such events.
"Either of you want this?" Tess held it up to the twins. Cass reached out with excitement, then jerked his hand back and looked at Luna. She laughed and slapped him on the back.
"Take it, Dummy! Obviously it's great for you."
He took it and slid it on, feeling his stats shift. He felt like he could take a serious hit now, which more than mitigated the loss in agility he'd felt.
"How is everyone feeling?" Zavier asked. "Time to head back or do we have one more in us?"
Luna's eyes went blank for a moment before she responded, "I'm close to level five. I really want to hit that today. I can push through."
"Yeah, me too," Cass agreed.
"In that case, follow me. We'll head back to the house but we'll take a wide route. We'll take it easy so you guys can get a little stamina back, but be on the ready in case something comes up."