Chapter Text
The sun shone intensely on the confined land of the Lost Sands. Lesser monsters still roamed the dunes looking to attack any unfortunate bugs who crossed their paths, and the warm winds raced along the surfaces to clean the shapes of the hills into their beautiful ridges. A cricket slowly made his way against the wind; the warm gusts flapped his dark blue cape violently but had no effect on the unnerved traveler. He simply raised his head so the wind could remove his hood, and the sun struck his antennae which would have deterred those who weren’t used to the blaze. This cricket found comfort in its warmth, and breathed in deeply.
“To feel the sand once again…”
Astotheles looked down and slowly dragged a foot in front of him, creating a soft trail in the hot sand. He then slowly bent down and placed his weapon beside him, and dug his hand softly into the ground. The soft grains gently made their way along his carapace and gave him the sense of home he long missed.
And a sense his leave was in vain.
He crunched the sand with his claws and sighed deeply. His leave had done nothing to change his mind about the actions he had committed, only deepening them. Everything he had done was for his own; bugs who were left with nothing and forced into exile by a foolish and insufferable queen. To eke out their existence, he needed to take from others to accomplish his goals. He needed to gather enough berries and resources so they never starved; never went thirsty. If his group had not, they would have joined those who were unfortunate enough to learn the hard way about nature’s rule. Mercy truly is for the weak.
And yet…that rule should have applied to him. Team Snakemouth defeated him, leaving his fate to their justice and repaying those he took from. But they still showed him mercy. He had tricked them into an ambush with full intentions of selling them out to the Wasp Kingdom. If it weren’t for their stubborn negotiations, nothing would have changed Astotheles’ mind about continuing his objective. They knew that, and still, they showed him mercy. If he had won that duel, there was to be no remorse. He wouldn’t hesitate to send them off and surely end their existence. And yet…
They showed him mercy.
As naïve and good-intentioned as the team was, they must’ve known what he had done, and what he could do. He was prepared to receive everything he incurred with his karma. There had to be a reason for this, right? Are they truly foolish to let a bandit leader go? “No…” He thought. They had the intelligence to defeat him and save Bugaria, they should’ve known the consequences of their actions…
He looked up at the horizon to help settle the thoughts swirling in his head but found something else far more troubling. An unnatural sand cloud was beginning to form not too far from his position; a sand cloud he was very familiar with.
Battle.
Astotheles quickly retrieved his weapon and raced toward the skirmish.
“A raid, upon a caravan…? That cannot be…I gave explicit orders to them.” He shook his head at the thought of his closest advisor, Zimmlerken, foregoing his command. Even after being gone for so long, he made sure their food stocks and supplies were enough until his return. Could it have been a fight between the townsbugs nearby and the lesser bugs? Perhaps…but as soon as he reasoned the thought, he saw a bug coming over the dome he was racing up.
It was a butterfly with pink dots on her wings. She wore a small satchel diagonally across her torso that jumbled around its strap as the bug clambered over the soft sand. She immediately saw Astotheles and brought her hands up and splayed her wings apart to stop his advance.
“Another bug! Do not come this way! There are…” But as soon as Astotheles’ cape moved to the side, she caught sight of the golden belt buckle the bug had on his waist. The infamous inverted ant symbol was something any Defiant Root citizen knew well enough to avoid the attention of those who wore it. And judging by the wanted posters… “Oh…No…!” She was looking directly at the leader of them all.
Astotheles leaped towards the bug who was just turning around to retreat and caught her by the wrist. “Stop right there, butterfly!”
The cream-colored bug struggled against his grasp; putting all her weight against his pull. “Let go of me, you bandit! HELP!” She looked around the barren sands to find no one else close by and her struggle intensified.
Astotheles brought her close and hushed at the butterfly. “Do not scream! I am not here to steal your possessions or your life. I am…merely passing by.”
The words had some effect on her as she slowly let up. She was still intensely cautious as she tried to keep the bandit cricket as far as her arm could keep her and looked away. Astotheles sighed. This was enough cooperation to at least understand the initial panic that wasn’t because of him. He nodded to the top of the dune where she appeared just moments earlier.
“What are you escaping from?”
She shook her head quickly and gazed deeper into the ground. “W-Why are you asking me this?”
Astotheles responded calmly. “Just answer my question.”
The sudden soft tone surprised her, and she couldn’t help but look back at Astotheles. He looked as seasoned as any bandit leader would look, but his eyes remained calm, enough to even put her at some ease…but only some. She quickly reminded herself by looking down at the belt of his criminal occupation. “Y-You bandits…” She looked back towards the sand cloud. “You bandits ambushed my group…”
Astotheles eyes widened slightly while the butterfly continued. “Then a vicious scorpion suddenly arose out of the sand and attacked everything in sight! My…my escorts told me to run…I need to…!” She suddenly restarted her struggle against Astotheles’ grasp and looked past his figure.
“Please, allow me to get help from my village! They can save your own as well!”
Astotheles lightened his grasp. “My own…?”
“You care about your own bugs, don’t you!?”
Her concern for her “attackers” put him off somewhat, as it could’ve been yet another form of kindness he already had enough of thinking about. So instead, he reasoned her argument as just another way to convince him to help her own bugs from this scorpion that was attacking the caravan. But even so, the ambush was against his direct orders if she was speaking the truth. It worried him deeply.
He looked back up at the butterfly and began walking toward the cloud. “You’re coming with me.”
The bug pulled herself towards Defiant Root and began screaming. “N-No, Let go! I need to save them! I don’t wish to be held ransom!”
Astotheles groaned while he steadily pulled the weak butterfly behind him. “No one volunteers to be one, but that isn’t what’s happening at this moment.” He looked back at her.
“You will confirm my fears.”
Yet again, the cricket gave her a look that felt genuine in his intentions. She looked down in defeat and whispered. “Be safe everyone…!”
The two bugs hurried towards the sand cloud that was steadily getting bigger as time went by, meaning the battle was still underway. Worry built up in Astotheles’ chest. He didn’t want his return back to his family to start off with a tragic end. Being gone as long as he was, it would kill him that his absence meant death for another one of his own. He quickened the pace and started to contemplate picking up the butterfly to hasten their advance.
The bug suddenly spoke up as she breathed heavily.
“…What will you do when we get there? Will you help my villagers fight off that scorpion?”
Astotheles still continued running and maintained his attention on the sand cloud. “You won’t have much of a choice regardless. If you try to escape, you’ll only prolong their struggle if you run from me.”
“Why do you need me with you?”
“Merely insurance.”
The butterfly gasped and let out a quick huff as her stamina began to reach its end. But before getting a breath in, Astotheles spoke up yet again.
“What is this fiend you speak about?”
She responded between breaths and spoke in a low tone to conserve her energy. “A scorpion…I’ve seen injuries from this kind of beast. One that pierces carapace and shell and can destroy a bug in one attack…” The butterfly shuddered. “The wounds they inflict aren’t always treatable…along with the poison that can attribute to a slow and assured end.”
Astotheles’ nightmare was coming back to haunt him. Another scorpion was threatening their very way of life yet again. More lives would be lost if he wasn’t there; no one had the strength he possessed to ensure no one would become a casualty. Even with being a technical casualty before, his sacrifice was well-worth its weight. He could still fight with one arm.
He grunted. “I know that. So we must hurry…Carry your legs!”
The butterfly nodded as they came over another sandy hill. At its peak, she realized how much closer they really were and pointed at the beast in the distance. “There! Do you see them!? They must’ve tried to retreat and came closer!”
Astotheles gritted his mandibles together and his antennae spiked out as he felt the adrenaline running into his extremities. He saw the figures of bugs harassing the enormous beast just as he had taught his companions.
“My own really are here…and that scorpion…looks different than what I’ve seen before!”
He had to quickly surmise a plan to avoid any more casualties if there were any. And if possible, something that would let him win unscathed by the end of it. This fight may cost him another arm if he wasn’t careful, and he’d be useless to the hideout if that happened. Not this early; not when his wishes aren’t achieved.
The two came up to the edge of battle and found a ladybug tending to the wounded while a few other bugs returned to the skirmish.
“Lay them here, we need to-”
The ladybug looked up at the new arrivals and gasped loudly. From antennae to toe, the ladybug quickly realized the familiar cricket that stood just a few inches away from him. “B-BOSS!” He ran over quickly and held his hands on his head in disbelief. Astotheles finally let go of the butterfly to approach his compatriot and waved away his shock. He pointed at the battle unfolding behind the ladybug.
“Tento, what is the situation!?”
He began to wave his arms wildly as he tried to keep his emotions under control as a result of shock from battle and his leader returning. “S-Scorpion! BIG Scorpion! It’s like the one we’ve always had trouble with, but way worse!”
“Are they wounded…?” The butterfly surprised the two as she knelt down among the casualties and examined their wounds. Tento looked back up at Astotheles and his voice raised in tone.
“…Elnren, Zag…Shrim…” He looked back at his friends and tried to keep his composure together. “They…They got hit first…”
Astotheles simply nodded and patted the ladybug on the shoulder. “Stay here. Don’t let the butterfly do anything stupid.”
As he took off, the butterfly stood up and promptly chased after the much faster cricket. “Where are you-!?”
Tento pulled her back and yelled. “Hey lady, you heard the boss! You’ll just get in the way if you go out there, so don’t be stupid!”
“B-Boss…” It seemed like her assumptions of his recognizable wanted posters were correct. Tento nodded confidently and with pride.
“Yes!” But he soon lost his toughness as he heard his friends nearby shouting in pain. The screams were sharp through the air, and Tento quickly made his way over to them as the butterfly soon followed after. “H-Hey hold still you guys…it’ll just hurt more…” He produced an ointment that he tried to apply to their wounds, only for them to scream out louder.
Their carapaces looked a darker purple, and unique to these kinds of beasts. Where they were struck, the liquid slowly coursed through the bodies and produced a pain that could only be described as agonizing fire.
One of the sand crickets groaned as he rolled around in pain. “Tento…it hurts…M-Make it stop…It just burns…so much…!”
The other one screamed once again and cried loudly. “HEEEEEELP!!! M-my stomach w-won’t stop burning…please…!”
The dragonfly whimpered. “I…I…just want to go…home…I want…”
Poison. And not just any kind. Tento’s eyes opened wide as he realized he had nothing for this while he dug through his bags. It was too complex and far too rare in the market, and not like any markets would openly sell to their kind. But a scorpion like this was extremely rare to be out at this time and season…so why? Tento’s arms began to shake as he realized the fate that had been assigned to his companions. They were unlucky…and the only thing he could do was…
“…I’m sorry…I…” Tento slowly brought his hands up to his face. His eyes were now watery as he tried to make sense of it all. He looked back down and rubbed the dragonfly’s faces to give them one last sense of comfort. “Why did it come to this…Why are we…”
The ladybug shook his head slowly and took a deep breath. Before he would give them their last words, the butterfly dove next to him and examined the wounds more carefully.
“Please, get some magic ice!” She shouted as the ladybug shook his head.
“W-What are you-!?”
“Your friends will die without immediate treatment! I’m a doctor, you need to let me help!”
Tento shook his head harder. “Th-The boss said to not-!”
“I want to save your friends. Will you really let them die because of your boss’ orders?” She looked deep into his eyes and grabbed both of his shoulders to calm the ladybug. Slowly, the ladybug looked down and gave one big nod before diving into his bag.
“S-Save them! P-Please…!”
“Watch the stingers, keep out of reach of its claws you morons!”
Bandit dune crickets and ladybugs stood at the frontline of the battle with the terrifying beast of a scorpion that stared them down with menacing pinchers. Behind the bandit line, their compatriot dragonflies supported them in any way they could with food and needles at a moment’s notice. But at the front of them was one dune cricket that stood out amongst them and led her bugs with clearly shouted orders.
“Watch it lads, one good hit and it’s a trip to the next world! Watch your footing; don’t get bogged down in the sands! We’re faster than it, so keep up on the flanks!”
She wore a darker cape and hood that signified her importance and bore a scar across her body to further establish her veteran experience. She commanded her cohort with precise positioning among the scorpion’s flanks while she readied her attack just as their boss had taught. But just before they could enact the offense, a dragonfly had flown far too close and a stinger was closing in on the frightened bug.
“WATCH THE-”
“N-NOO!”
The dragonfly slammed his eyes shut and felt a blunt impact push him aside into the soft sand below. Shaking off the sudden attack, he looked up to see the reinforcement they all craved at a moment like this. Astotheles kept his eyes on the scorpion as his family cheered his presence. They shouted in a war cry as the seasoned dune cricket made her way alongside the long-awaited return of their “king”.
“Look who it is, boys! Now we’re gonna win, ain’t it obvious!?” She let out a jovial laugh and waved her sword to the side. “Keep up the formation! Dragoo, we’re gonna have a talk about your stupid little move there…”
The dragonfly slowly nodded in shock but quickly got up to hide behind one of the burly ladybugs. Astotheles spoke out to his lieutenant and kept his tone serious to gather their composure after a much-needed morale boost.
“Grash, Listen here; it’s just like before. Do not stay too long in front of it! Lockdown its position with your needles, and I will deliver the decisive strike. Ready?”
His lieutenant scoffed and pointed at the dragonfly. “It’s what I was doing until this fool decided he wanted to get a closer look at his attacker! But…You’re not worried about your other arm then? I can do the attack, that’s fine by me.”
Astotheles chuckled and gave a slight nudge to his companion. “Don’t worry about me. Besides, you learned your lesson already.”
“Didn’t lose no arm though.”
Grash looked at her team and shouted. “You heard the boss, flanking position boys! Me and the boss will end it right here, just watch!”
The group cheered once more as they peppered the scorpion with harassing attacks. While the scorpion lay immobilized by stinger fire, Grash made a break for the stinger and made a quick slash to create an opening for Astotheles. He disappeared in the scorpion’s vision as the attack by Grash had taken its attention away from the leading bandit, and soon found out the critical mistake. Astotheles appeared above it and aimed for the top of its head.
“Your kind become easier to slaughter. Perish!”
And just as he had arrived, the swinging pendulum of momentum struck the deathblow against the scorpion. Astotheles wiped his weapon clean as the cheers grew from his loyal team. They surrounded him in joy and leaped around as he tried to greet each one by name. Grash made her way to him as well and slammed his back as hard as she could with a visibly uncomfortable response on Astotheles’ face.
“BOOOOSS!”
The mildly annoyed Astotheles looked to his family and gave out a stern command. “Make sure our wounded are looked after. Gather up the villager escorts as well. We will tend their wounds, understand?”
They looked at one another with brief confusion before nodding incessantly to his wishes. After all, the boss was finally back and gave them a victory without anyone else getting hurt.
“Yes boss!”
As the bugs departed to carry out his orders, Grash patted him once more on the shoulder and gave a thumbs up.
“By the bug, aren’t you a sight for sore antennae, ‘Theles? What impeccable timing for you to save the day! Like those bug…cops…or bug…”
“Bug Rangers.” He nodded and faced his lieutenant and scanned her from top to bottom. Still a great mess, and still just a brash. He let out a small laugh. “…Well Grash, you look well. Even with the quiet I needed, I suppose I missed your overtly loud tongue.”
The latter let out a cheeky smile through her mandibles before Astotheles closed his eyes slowly. “Now…what are our casualties.”
The dune cricket suddenly lost her cheerful bruteness and her tone degraded to a depressing one. “Astotheles…Boss…You know…I…let you down.” Her attitude was similar to Astotheles serious disposition as she reflected on the attack. “It didn’t look good for at least three of us…From the wounds I saw… we’re going to lose…”
Astotheles patted her armored shoulder pads and nodded. “…Come. Let’s go see if we can do anything for them.”
Grash looked down as a single tear formed and dropped to her feet. Her shuddering caused Astotheles to come closer to her. “I said I was going to protect them while you were gone.”
“Grash.” He gave her a brief hug. “It’s not your fault.” He looked deep into her eyes to calm her senses. She quickly wiped away the tears and looked down, choosing to not nod at his answer. Her team was still her responsibility; her family. She needed to be the bigger sister, and to lose them in such a way…
As they finally arrived at the makeshift triage area, Grash removed her hood in a pre-meditated gesture to her fallen companions and spoke low. “Tento, where’s…”
“Boss…Grash…It’s a miracle!”
Tento leaped up and cried tears of joy as he pointed at the three wounded bugs. “She saved them….she healed their wounds! They’re not going to die! Elnren, Zag, and Shrim won’t die!”
“The poison?” Astotheles remarked with wide-open eyes.
“Cleaned! Destroyed! Annihilated! It had nothing on her! She has wizard powers, I tell you!”
The three bugs were still unconscious, but they breathed gently against the warm sands that flew above them as the butterfly placed her equipment back into her bags.
“You…You saved…” Grash stumbled towards the three bugs and knelt to examine their conditions. Their wounds were patched up with a quality that was near impossible to obtain, even in their hideout. They were bandaged perfectly and cleanly, with the poison showing signs of fading to the natural color of the carapaces.
The butterfly cleaned her hands with a soft leaf paper before looking at the dune cricket that fell beside her. “Oh please, I’m no wizard! My name is Isau; a doctor from Defiant Root.” She placed a hand on the one Grash examined and nodded. “I wasn’t going to let your friends die. Especially when I know how to cure them.”
Astotheles came close to Isau and hovered over her in an almost intimidating fashion. “Butterfly; you knew their role in attacking your caravan, and yet…”
Isau stood up against the imposing bandit leader, wearing a small frown on her face. “I oppose you and your bandit’s acts on our village, but…” She shook her head fervently. “I shouldn’t condemn you all to a fate worse than this poison. It’s not right, nor is it merciful in the slightest. Especially when I see you all care so much for one another. It’s just not right…”
Astotheles took a deep breath as he registered the butterfly’s response. She remained undeterred in her remark, and she showed no sign of backing down. And above all of that…
Mercy. Mercy had yet again spared lives. The back of his mind itched horribly.
“Grash.”
He needed to know more.
“Take her captive as well.”
About mercy.