Chapter 1 - The start

So living as a human in my world is a bit annoying. We have to run from monsters constantly or be killed by them. So I've heard of your world, no six foot tall bugs trying to sever your limbs and rip your throat out. Your insects are a lot easier to handle and personally if I could go to your world, I'd eradicate all the little fuckers I saw. 

We were escaping from an attack on our town. Locusts had swarmed us and we had to run or die. I wasn't the fastest guy in town so I kept behind in case anything happened, like a kid tripped or something. We carried only swords and sharpened poles, hardly any skilled warriors in our little group of ten. Four men, three women, two children, and me. The name is Daerro by the way, I'm an alchemist, an underrated thing to be in the eyes of the stupid. While they've been swinging swords I've been working on repellents for our homes, though they haven't worked out perfectly. The last one I made actually attracted some issues. Luckily they didn't know it was my fault they swarmed us.

So on our way to the next town over we had an issue. One of the kids was sick and had to be carried, almost definitely going to be killed on the way there. We knew that only about three of us would make it if we were smart, but none of us if we were human. We passed into the forest between our towns, we were slaughtered immediately. A group of mantis people jumped us and killed everyone in front of me in under a minute. Or at least that's what I assumed happened. As soon as I saw they had jumped at the first guy in the group I ran. 

I saw no reason as to why I should stay there and die just because we're neighbors. They didn't even like me either, they always thought less of me because I don't have training in magic or swordsmanship. After all we didn't have anything else to do other than practice protecting people who don't care if you're dead or not. I knew I wasn't going to make it through this forest easily if at all. More than one was chasing me. I could see the wall of the next town as they closed in on me. They caught up to me and tried to hit me with their giant sickle hands but I dodged them well enough. To my surprise they spoke to me, “Well the coward can Dodge, who would've guessed.” I wasn't offended by the comment so much as them talking as if they we above me or something.

“You're more annoying than the people I let you kill.” They were shocked at first. “Haha, you make it sound as if you had any control over us mutilating your friends” they joked about the notion for a bit. “Well, you've been good for a laugh but it's time to end this!” He slashed at me but missed and I grabbed the side of his femur I guess, and hit the spot where it connects to his arm as hard as I could. It snapped off and he screamed in pain. “Only two huh? I would've preferred one but I guess this'll have it's advantages.” He of course retaliated with blind fury. “Die!” He shouted as I used his own sharpened hand claw thing to chop of his head. I didn't have time to gloat though the other one leaped at me and I jumped back. “You know, this has really worked out in my favor, not just the claw detaching, or my neighbours deaths, but your nature as well.”

She grunted as angry children do when they're punished, “You see I knew that your kind inhabit the forest between our towns and I planned ahead, knowing your kind kills in groups but fights over the corpses I knew they would be busy fending off their current meal from competition to chase the one that ran. Of course one was going to ignore the scraps and chase me, but two is fine.” 

Her slashes came like a whirlwind and I could barely block. “Like I said having the one Mantis was fine but I think having you around could be more beneficial.” Then with her fastest strongest strike she broke the claw. But before she could regain her composure I splashed her with my pheromone mixture right in her eyes. She screamed and I ran to the corpse of the Mantis I beheaded and took his other claw as I finally entered the walls of our neighboring town.

Passing through the entrance I was met by armed guards. "What is your business here? There are monsters in the area and the city is on alert." I tried my best to seem innocent, "My village was ransacked by bug creatures and we ran away. Most of us were killed by the monsters in the forest, I'm the only survivor." One nodded to the other and gestured me to follow him. 



He lead me through the city and as we passed the smell of freshly baked treats filled the air. Had little time to enjoy it though, the stench of raw meat assaulted my nostrils and we passed the market, the upper class and finally we reached the lord's small castle. All of the guards were scattering through the doors to protect the city. Finally we came to the lord's room. She sat in her little wooden throne. Not the wealthiest of the lord's in this country, Lady Ellen Macaday the least known lord but luckily for me one of the kindest. 



She raised her golden head of hair from her book, "Hello, what brings you here?" Saying it as if she's said it everyday for eternity. "My village was attacked by monsters, well bug monsters So I fled here with several others, but they all were killed in the forest." She looked sad about the ordeal, “So, our neighboring town has been destroyed. Nathan, send word of this to the King and ask for more guardsmen.” Her assistant left the room and she fixed her gaze upon me, “I am very sorry for all your lose, we hope you may find a home in our little city.” She gestured to another servant and told her to help find room and work for me. 



I was given a room in her castle and the job of cleaning the halls and such. Basically a glorified butler, I knew this was going to be a giant hunk of shit eventually. But the day was over and night had fallen. My room was in the higher tower, which provided me plenty of privacy. 



Spiders and nightcrawlers, centipedes and moths, the occasional slug were what occupy my room. Now I have plenty of room, supplies and test subjects for future elixirs, and a large group of meat shields if things go south. As I turned out the candle I looked out the window pane and thought of if my elixir had worked. It wasn't a poison or a disease, it was more like chum.



The forest was silent, the wind had blown and a single green leaf had fallen from a tree and was carried through the air, floating between other trees and other plants until it landed and turned crimson red. Though that blood had gone cold hours before. As it drifted the color had shifted from red to yellow and the surrounding chunks of flesh had turned to green. The further it traveled down the bloody river the warmer the blood became. The silence was disturbed by the sounds of exhausted breaths. The leaf had finally been stopped.


Her blood soaked claws laid in the latest corpse of her fellow manti. Her face covered in sweat and the remnants of their throat. "Huh, huh, huh-ha haha. Hahaha!" She stood and wiped the flesh from her face and walked further into the forest. The leaf continued drifting, passing the corpses until the blood had finally met with the river with the leaf drifting along the blood soaked water, and I doubt it will stop drifting anytime soon.