From the desert sands, the gate rose. Its entrance shimmered with a translucent portal, revealing the ebb and flow of the world beyond- the desert world of Weaver Xag. His hordes of bugs awaited, clicking and chittering with ravenous eyes, saliva drooling from mandibles and proboscises.
Enlarged ants, acid-spewing grubs, and wasps the size of dragons crawled and buzzed across the dunes. Scattered among them, nearer the rear, hovered dragonfly creatures with radiant, iridescent wings and rigid spear-like proboscises. The beat of their wings could deafen anyone nearby, while their chromatic shimmer brought waves of nausea and disorientation to any who dared stare too long.
Five portals opened across the desert. Thousands poured through each. The grubs and ants immediately began burrowing behind giant sand-termites, who tunneled with such fervor that the sand hardened into sandstone around them, creating paths for the swarm to follow.
Atlas split his forces without hesitation, using Myra as the communicator. Four legions were dispatched, one for each portal, with orders to remain airborne unless it was safe to burn their burrows.
The dragons and Primordials surged skyward, sweeping toward their assigned fronts. If they wanted to reduce the enemies burrowing into his world and becoming a permanent problem, they needed to be aggressive.
"Their forces can't scatter completely... their air force, wasps and..." Atlas paused, eyes narrowing on the dragonfly creatures. "Those insects. Wisp, are they imbued with the Primordial gene?"
"Judging by their accelerated movements and radiant contrast to their desert-skin-toned cousins, it may be a safe assumption."
Atlas grimly nodded, watching Myra soar toward the outpost atop Ira.
"Ira doesn't need to be there. But I can guess his reason."
With the glint of excitement in Ira's eyes, there wasn't much guessing required.
As Atlas's attention darted between fronts, half of the enemy's forces tunneled underground. The rest moved in swarms across the surface- slow but unyielding. Unfortunately for him, some insects turned and broke away from the swarm.
"Even if I win this," Atlas muttered, "their presence will be a permanent nuisance."
After watching a while longer, Myra's voice rang out from the globe.
"Atlas, we're nearing the outpost."
The globe spun and zoomed in. Sure enough, they were close.
"Understood. Move eastbound before I awaken her."
Wisp perched on the rail beside him.
"This is your last chance, Weaver Atlas, to reconsider awakening Selena. I believe there's still a chance you can crush Xag without her."
"If I left her alone she would've become a problem in a few years anyway. I thought you were on board with this?"
"I approve of the action. But you should be aware of the weight behind this decision."
"Two birds, one stone. She'll either live and conquer or die, weakening my enemy. And if she reaches their homeworld I don't need to worry… unless I leave the gates open."
Wisp offered no reply. Its beady gaze tilted before turning back to the globe. Atlas opened his Divinity console and highlighted a Blessing.
- Dispel Cursed | Cost: 25 Divinity -
"It's time to start the match."
---------------
Ripples of ruby energy laced with black wisps radiated through the cave. The ground shuddered. Wails echoed as the walls bulged and blistered with sickening pops.
Above the desert, Myra and Ira turned to look as nearly a mile of sand began to shift. They both stared in disbelief as the monstrosity stirred from its slumber.
Gnarled, disjointed hands, twice the size of Primordial Queens, erupted from the sand dragging a charred, blackened body into the open air.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of black pulsating pustule sacs shifted and writhed across her skin, each filled with disturbing life. Some sacs retreated, others emerged, and a few empty popped with grotesque belches of black ichor.
Once fully emerged, Selena, the Eldritch Abomination, towered over the dunes, her grotesque form stretching more than half a mile long.
"This is... unlike anything I ever imagined," Myra whispered.
She knew she could best it, but the knowledge that it had been so close to their home, dormant all this time, combined with seeing it in person for the first time, sent an involuntary shiver up her spine. When she glanced down at Ira, he was silent, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
'This battle-hungry fool...'
"Be ready," Ira rumbled.
"We're fine. She can only birth goblins-"
A choir of screams erupted. Raw, enraged, and despairing.
"You left us bereft! You banished us!"
"You left her bereft! You banished her!"
"Not my children! Not my babies!"
"Not her children! Not her babies!"
Startled, Myra watched in growing horror as black pustules began dropping en masse. The holes left behind were quickly replaced by new sacs that bubbled up from beneath her skin.
Five. Ten. Twenty. Fifty.
Goblins, fully grown, berserk, and screaming in mindless fury, erupted from the pustules impacting the desert sands. Each grain of sand was stained black, marking its birth.
Larger sacs atop Selena's back burst open, launching red-eyed dragons into the sky like cannon fire. Dozens of them, all maddened and roaring.
"I will have my revenge."
"She will have her revenge!"
The berserking horde charged toward Myra and Ira with terrifying speed. A singular objective resonated through their minds.
"Kill her!"
"When did they consume dragons?" Myra asked aloud. Then, glancing down, "Did you kill any of your kin near the desert?"
"Yes," Ira answered. "Centuries of battles. Some drifted here and fell."
"Damn it... Atlas, are you seeing this?"
"Yes," Atlas's voice echoed in her mind. "Continue east. It looks like you still outpace them even in their frenzied state. Tell Ira that's impressive."
"Ira, Atlas says your speed is impressive," she relayed flatly.
Ira's head twitched in joy.
"Keep moving east."
"Another flight toward death? How exciting!"