Private Tales In Pursuit of Knowledge

[Kikwi]

“It looks like its made of the mycelia, er... parts of the mushrooms,” he whispered. The webbing was filamentous and ghostly white, but the way the centipedes and amber formed around it seemed to suggest it was in fact continuous with the mushrooms growing on the trees and leaves.

At least, he thought they were growing on leaves and trees. In truth the natural foliage was so thoroughly covered it was difficult to say for sure what was and was not botanical in nature.

”But I concur!” he again whispered, but this time louder. “The amber is increasing in abundance with the size of the centipedes, and the density of the fungus. It must be connected.” He observed, with keen eyes, a dog-sized centipede slither around the mouth of the cavern and enter its depths. A second, this one the size of a cat, emerged with something sparkling in its mandibles. “Are they eating it?”

He crept closer, eager to see more. The scuttling, scarlet creatures had ignored them so far, and his courage was bolstered. The webbing was strong enough to support him, and he crawled along carefully, keeping an eye out for anything that might look like the “trip wires” that Volker had described.

 

[Volker]

Volker didn’t like this. It was becoming increasingly dangerous. He slowly crept behind Kikwi, careful to step where the owl had and keep a branch or two ready. The owl was much smaller than he, and much less likely to tear through the silk and go plummeting to an early grave. He saw several centipedes moving around the amber, pausing to watch their behavior. It seemed very similar to another creature....but centipedes weren’t communal.

“Professor.” He said sternly. “I suggest you stay next to me. These centipedes are behaving like ants moving around a colony. This implies they serve a larger creature, such as a queen. We should be cautious not to raise the alarm. If I am right, she will have posted guards.”

Volker moved slowly. In his experience animals didn’t like him, but appreciated a slow pace and non threatening behavior. Since they were here for study, not for killing, he wanted to avoid violence. Not to mention the centipedes had the advantage from the trees. It was best not to aggravate them.

Kikwi

 

[Kikwi]

Kikwi turned. It was odd being called "professor," though he couldn't say he minded it. It made his chest puff up a little bit with pride, despite the obvious dangers around them. He nodded, putting on a determined expression and holding his tongue between his beak in concentration. Easy does it... easy does it.

Volker appeared very good at sneaking, so Kikwi did his best to copy the way he moved. He stepped very lightly, and tested the threads before putting his full weight on them.

Nearer and nearer they got to the entrance. Oddly enough, though not without relief, Kikwi noted that the centipedes really didn't seem to mind their presence. Was it the concealing scents he had rubbed over the two of them? Or was it their slow pace? Whatever the case, they were able to reach the entrance.

Kikwi's large eyes pierced the darkness. Within was an ovoid tunnel, taller than it was wide, spiraling forwards. Centipedes, large and small, were everywhere. Then, with a soft gasp, Kikwi saw a centipede with legs longer than his entire body.

It scuttled towards them, too fast to be avoided. It stopped mere feet in front of them, and Kikwi remained frozen. It... didn't seem to be doing much. Its antennae probed around lazily, and its tiny compound eyes were unreadable. Its large head swayed from Volker to Kikwi... and then it just left, continuing on out of the den.

"Perhaps if we are very slow and quiet they won't mind our intrusion." He whispered.

 

[Volker]

Volker quietly followed Kikwi into the den. He stopped, frozen, when the large centipede eyed Kikwi and moved on. As long as they remained non threatening, they could probably get away with quite a lot. He didn’t like it, however. He kept hearing them scuttling all around him in the darkness, and relied on Kikwi’s better sight to see.

“We must do all we can to remain non threatening.” Volker whispered to Kikwi. “Even so, we had best gather the samples you need and leave quickly. It is possible that even if we are not a threat, we may become possible prey. Especially you.”

Centipedes were voracious animals after all. In the deep jungles, Volker had seen them seize mice and simply eat the animal while it struggled. Once they seized something they didn’t let go. He felt hairs rising on the back of his neck. He couldn’t see as well as Kikwi; he was relying more on scent. The dry, papery odor of insect was everywhere.

Kikwi

 

[Kikwi]

Kikwi moved onwards, propelled by his quenchless curiosity. He knew, in the back of his vast mind, that this was unwise. He knew that he was putting himself, and his companion, in danger by venturing deeper into the lair.

As promised, the ambery crystals grew in size and frequency as they moved on. From the darkness beyond, Kikwi saw something truly terrifying.

A great, black centipede. Each body segment could have consumed Volker, and it rested in coils, its spiny legs jutting out like barricades. Pincers like giant polearms quivered menacingly, but the antennae were immobile. In fact, much of the beast appeared to be still.

"It is sleeping," Kikwi whispered to Volker, barely audible to even his sensitive ears. And what was that in the middle?

The queen, as he assumed it must be, was coiled around a boulder. As he looked closer his little heart leapt, for it was no stone but a giant crystal. This one was blue.

Kikwi watched smaller centipedes crawling over the black one and take pieces of the blue crystal. Were they feeding on it? But if they could take some...

The little owl signed to his partner, not daring to speak. If they could get a piece, just a small piece of the blue crystal, it would be more than enough.

 

[Volker]

Volker looked at the black centipede. Even he hadn’t a prayer of defeating such a beast. The great black creature was still, but it was impossible to tell whether it was sleeping. Centipedes had no lungs. One couldn’t see the gentle rise and fall of ribs. Nor did they have eyelids to close. The antennae were still, which was their only clue to go off of.

Volker watched for a moment. The creature was protecting a large blue crystal. Smaller creatures came and took pieces of it, but Volker wasn’t sure whether they were permitted to do so or if they were clever thieves. By the sheer number of them, and how disadvantageous it would be to protect the crystal from all the small ones, he had to assume the former.

But they couldn’t speak so loudly. He gently picked up Kikwi, moving quietly to an up disturbed corner. Having the owl close to his mouth meant he didn’t have to speak so loudly.

“We will follow a small one and take his crystal. Waking the large one means death for us both.” He told Kikwi softly. “I suggest we follow a small one, find out what they do with it, and take its crystal.”

Kikwi

 

[Kikwi]

Kikwi held his breath as he was carried, not wanting any little breaths to be squeezed out. It was a comfort to feel how sturdy and strong Volker's arms were, at the very least this man could fight off a few bugs if it came to it.

Volker's words held wisdom, and Kikwi internally chastised himself for not thinking of it himself. It would be very foolish to try and take a piece from the giant creature, they could much more easily steal from a little one.

He nodded and cast his large eyes around the dim cavern until he spotted a likely candidate, and pointed. It was "normal" in size, as much as he could tell. Maybe a foot long and bright scarlet, carrying a shimmering blue crystal about the size of a plum.

The centipede moved swiftly, but not hurredly, out of the cavern. It climbed around the fungal threads until it found a small alcove by a tree trunk. Kikwi could not see what it was doing until they got closer.

 

[Volker]

Volker carefully followed Kikwi and his chosen centipede. He still kept alert for signs that the large one was awakening, but he was relieved that Kikwi hadn’t just gone and taken it. He had sensed that the owl was a little scatterbrained, even though he was intelligent. The two seemed to go hand in hand in Volker’s experience. Even with Nestor. Volker followed the centipede from the main chamber, moving carefully so as not to disturb or make any noise.

Volker drew closer to the small alcove, tilting his head. The centipede was only a foot or so long, but big enough to be worrying and definitely large enough to sound an alarm. He had learned long ago that insects communicated chemically rather than through noise. If he harmed the creature, it would let out clouds of alarm pheromones others would pick up on...including the sleeping giant. He waited to see what it would do.

Kikwi

 

[Kikwi]

Kikwi watched, his pupils expanding and contracting against the uneven light of a moving canopy, but diligently focused on the little creature. It held the blue crystal delicately, running its many arms over it against and again, almost like it were looking for something. Then it did something extraordinary.

It took a bite. The centipede's pincers severed a piece of the (surprisingly soft) crystal, and Kikwi began to wonder if it were truly crystal at all. It took another bite, and then another, and within minutes the entire blue... whatever it was... was gone.

How incredible. How exciting and novel! Kikwi could hardly contain himself, and he drew out his journal to furiously jot down notes when the centipede began to shudder.

It twisted and writhed, and all of its limbs scrambled at the air. Was it in pain? Was the blue crystal toxic? Then why would it-- oh my!

At once the centipede swelled. Its carapace split down the middle with an audible crack and a new, wet, soft, larger being sprung from it. The centipede lay still then, a quarter again of its previous size. After a second, it coughed out a tiny bit of amber.

Kikwi was stunned into near paralysis, and only his tiny hand groped for Volker to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

 

[Volker]

Volker stared as the small creature began to nibble at the blue crystal, taking bites. It seemed less of a hard rock and more of something soft that could be sheared with a blade, like lead. He watched as the centipede writhed and shuddered, bursting forth from its old form. It was a soft version of the new, white and vulnerable. Volker put a hand on Kikwi to calm him, and slowly drew forward. He waited until the creature coughed up the Amber, and crawled away from its old skin.

He grabbed a leg of the old carapace and pulled it toward him, carefully wrapping it up to keep its shape. Kikwi could unfurl it with a soak in water. He offered it to the owl, his eyes never leaving the centipede. “Let us follow another, and get our sample. Then I propose we leave.” He told the owl, offering him the new nugget of amber. The skin would allow Kikwi to study such a rapid change. Ideally they could capture the newly birthed creature...but they had no way to contain it and Volker was careful of sounding the alarm so close to the large one.

Kikwi

 

[Kikwi]

Kikwi accepted the amber gratefully, and drew out another small vial from his robes in which to place it. It was a wonder how many pockets he had sewn into the small but flowing garment, and how many items they could hold.

"I think..." he whispered, examining the amber in his vial, "this is enough. I have many notes to make and studies to perform!" He was, of course, excited to be somewhere so interesting, and he did wish to stay, but he also did not wish to become a large centipede's dinner. Perhaps it was time to accept the gifts they were given, and leave this place in peace.

Kikwi thanked Volker again on their way back and promised to let him know of his discoveries once he had time to study the samples at Elbion. He didn't know exactly what secrets they would reveal, but he was confident they would be grand, indeed.