IMPERIUM INSECTUM

I slowly made my way down the stone steps. To think that the entrance for this passageway would be on the second-floor credits where credit is due that’s Clever. However, that raises more questions: Just who was the previous owner that they needed to hide something this elaborately and more importantly, what the hell are they hiding?

I kept walking down the spiral staircase. The air was musty and dry. This place definitely hasn’t been explored in a while. I continued walking until, finally, a large wooden door came into view.

<Well, well, well. Let's see what you were hiding.> I twisted the cold steel door handle and pushed. The heavy door groaned as decades of dirt and dust shook off the hinges.

<Woah….Just what is this place?>

This room looked like something out of Harry Potter. The room was filled with sky-high bookshelves filled to the brim with all sorts of old-looking books. I looked to the sides, and there were large shelves filled with different coloured, glowing, cloudy jars with something grey and ominous floating in each one. But what?

I Left the jars to walk around some more on this side of the room. There were several large tables with large sheets of old-looking paper. On each of the sheets of paper were anatomical drawings of humans and other species of humanoid animals.

<Just who was this guy? A researcher, cultist.>

I wandered back towards the jars from earlier. Maybe I will find some clues here. I  took one of the jars and some scrap cloth I found and started dusting away at the glass. Slowly, the ancient layers of dust disappeared until there was nothing but a brown ball with some hair in the middle.

<What the hell is that.>

Suddenly, the ball opened, revealing a functioning blinking eye. Just who was this guy? Doctor Frankenstein. I walked away from the eye, trying my hardest to ignore the way it followed me around the room. I kept on walking, Finding more large tables with those diagrams. Some of the drawings were of stuff I'd never seen before. The more I find, the more curious I get; just who was this guy? I released a small swarm of my children into the air.

<Let me know if you see something interesting>

They all flew off in their own directions. I pulled out a nearby chair and sat on it; safe to say this place has seen better days. Every surface was caked in dust, and there was little to no lighting anywhere. If it wasn’t for my insect vision, I would be blind as a bat down here. I looked towards the walls and noticed that each wall was covered in Stupidly large weapons. Like every weapon was the size of two humans stacked on top of each other, it's insane. Was the previous owner a giant or a collector of sorts of weapons, from crossbows to large great axes. Saying that the previous owner was a little bit of an eccentric is an understatement.

<MOTHER! I've found something! Near the back!>

<Coming> I yelled as I started navigating toward the rear of the room. When I said it was a maze, I was lying. It was more of a labyrinth of sky-high bookcases. Seriously, what was this guy's problem having this place organised in such a stupid way? Thankfully, I had my children guiding me, or I would have gotten lost. I took several left and right turns through the maze until I eventually made it to another area filled with tonnes of books strewn all over the floor. It looked like a tsunami had came a wrecked the place in this area specifically. Everywhere else, whilst very dusty, was well organised. In the centre of the mess stood a large stone pedestal with, you guessed it, another book. However, this one was different. It was much larger, and its exterior was gold with a mix of red ornate designs

<What do we have here?>

 I moved a little bit closer. Out of all the books, this was the weirdest. Whilst the others were covered in dust and dirt, this one was clean, stupidly clean.….almost like someone had been down here….. cleaning it.

*Kachunk*

My head snapped around towards the noise.

*Kachunk*

Again? This time from above?

*Kachunk*

<Children! To me NOW!>

In an instant, I was surrounded by a swarm of my children. The clunking got louder and more prominent.

<Mother? Are we under attack?>

<I don’t know? I don’t know.>

“SHOW YOURSELF!” I yelled. Suddenly, The clunking stopped. I scanned the room, looking for anything out of place, but there was nothing. Just what the hell is going on here?!??!?! What the hell did i-

<MOTHER ABOVE!>

Without thinking, I jumped to the right just in time to see a chandelier land where I was standing.

<What the?>
I glanced up at the ceiling just in the nick of time to catch a cascade of paper falling to the floor. Simultaneously, an elusive figure scurried out of sight. I don’t know what the hell that is, but I have to remain vigilant.

Out of nowhere, The clanking resumed, this time getting louder and Louder. I looked over to a nearby bookshelf where it was The loudest. Curse these books! Blocking my vision.

<Mother, be careful.>

My pincers slowly extended themselves.

“FACE ME COWARD!”

On cue, the creature revealed itself from around the corner. It had a large blue orb for a head, and its body was made entirely out of books. Just what was I looking at here. Suddenly, the scurrying sound returned. My head snapped up towards the ceiling only to be met with a monster made out of paper with an orange glowing head floating high above me.

<Fuck, not good. At least there are only 2 of them. I can handle 2>

Suddenly, there was a large earth-shaking rumble as the pedestal sank into the ground, and then, out of nowhere, all the books that were strewn all over the place started to glow a bright red.

<Don’t tell me>

Suddenly, All the books started levitating and flying to where the pedestal was; dozens upon dozens of books assembled themselves into the shape of a Giant humanoid creature. The book monster roared into life as a giant red orb ignited where its head would be. The monster glared at me briefly  before leaning over and using its book-shaped hands to grab one of the great war axes hung on the wall, which in its hands now looked normal-sized

A/N: Click below spoiler for an idea of what they look like.

“Any chance we can discuss this without fighting?”

“INTRUDER DETECTED EXTERMINATE,” they all said in unison.

“Go figure.”

On cue, all of them charged at me. The big guy to the side of me raised his axe and brought it down. Quickly I leapt high into the air, missing the swing entirely and landing behind them.

<Mother, we need to escape>

You don’t need to tell me twice. I started running. I have to get the hell out of here. All of a sudden My ears were assaulted with the sound of paper flapping against itself. I looked up and was met with the paper monster flying above me, easily keeping up with my pace. Fuck he’s fast. The monster pointed his hands at me.

<SHIT>
I stopped dead in my tracks just in time to see the large bookcase in front of me get shredded to pieces by the blast of paper. I quickly ducked through the hole and sprinted. I  sprinted left and right, dodging blasts blasts of paper from the monster whenever they came. I have to get out of here. I took another left turn and then a right, and there it was, the door to safety. My legs pounded on the ground as I sprinted to the door. I was close; I just needed to-

<Mother! DODGE RIGHT!>
I lept to the right just in time to see a fireball hurtle past my head. I looked behind to see the first book monster with 2 books hovering above his shoulders. One glowing red, the other blue. Suddenly, the blue book opened and flicked through dozens of pages before landing on one. A blue orb came out of the book. The blue orb briefly glowed bright blue before a large, thin jet of water suddenly shot out of it, slicing Everything in its path in half. Thankfully his aim was crap, and he missed me completely.

<Shit! This is bad! I need to->

My heart stopped as I saw that the entire door was blocked with rubble from the water jet. Fuck he was never aiming for Me.

*rooarrrrr!”

The ground around me vibrated as the giant one from earlier barreled towards me, destroying what remained of the room

<SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK!>

I tried to look for a way out, but I was trapped. Dammit! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! NO! I refuse to die! Not again! and NOT LIKE THIS!

I looked up and saw the paper monster winding up for an attack. I quickly started sprinting away. Think! Think! Okay, let's try the old strategy of divide and conquer. Out of all the ones here, I need to deal with the flying paper monster first, But how? I looked towards the magic monster. This time, the red book was glowing. It's gonna be a fire attack first. Maybe if I can bait it into hitting the paper monster, that might be able to deal with him; however, the big problem is that he is fucking flying! How the fuck am I gonna get up there?

The huge monster suddenly swung his axe. I stopped and jumped back, letting it fall cleanly in front of me. The huge monster briefly struggled to lift his axe from the ground, but eventually, he freed it from the ground. That might work, however. The time window Is not great, but if I can bait it to swing near the paper monster, I can use his body as a platform to reach the paper. I’ll have to time this perfectly with the attack from the magic one.

I sprinted around the room, dodging paper blasts and large axe swings from the monsters, Making sure to keep an eye on the magical monster. Unlike the other two, it is overly cautious. It won't attack until it's sure it's got a hit. Then I’m gonna have to make sure that when I get up there, I look like as big a juicy target as possible. I don’t think I’m gonna walk out of this unscathed, though.

I danced around the big, dodging more of his swings and luring him closer and closer to the paper monster. Annoyingly, The two were working in tandem with each other, making my life as difficult as possible, but slowly, I could see them coming together. The big guy raised his axe sky high and sent it flying towards my head with all his might and with one thunderous move. I quickly dodged to the right.

<Mother, stop!>

It was too late. A haze of paper flew towards me. Fuck Too late I cant Dodge. As I got ready to take the hit, suddenly, dozens of insects flew out of me and made a shield, but it was too late. They were cleaved through instantly.

 

 

I raised my hands and took the hit.

 

<FUCK!>

That was not normal paper. It hit like a fucking truck smashing through and breaking several of my armoured plates.

<Protect mother! At all costs>

I wanted to stop them, but I knew there was no point. They would sacrifice themselves to save me. Fuck! I need to kill these fuckers now! I looked towards the big one who was still trying to get his giant axe out of the ground. This is it! I sprinted towards the axe and jumped up onto the big monster's giant hands. Then, like a rat, I scurried up its body.

[NULL RELEASE]!

Null mana rushed towards my hands. With each piece of it I touched on climbing up, I released null mana. Soon, the big guy's body began to fall apart and collapse as more and more of him disappeared. I scurried up his body all the way to his glowing orb of a head and then, in the last moment, leapt high into the sky right in front of the paper monster. I looked to the side, and right on cue, a fireball came hurtling towards me. I activated my [enhanced reactions], And in an instant, I  grabbed the glowing orb of the paper monster and moved it in front of the firing line.

<DIE!> I yelled as the fireball smacked straight into the orb, igniting it in flames.

 

 I quickly tumbled to the ground along with the paper monster; the monster writhed on the ground as his body ignited into a fireball. Soon, the paper that made its body slowly turned to ash, leaving nothing but his orb for a head. I placed my foot on the orb, and with one heavy stomp, I crushed it.

 

I pointed my finger at the magical monster. “You’re next!”