Incoming rumbling : Monsters on approach

Lumia held the little girl’s hand as they both ran back to the temple. She kept her steps measured so the child wouldn’t accidentally trip and fall. All around them, the winds were picking up, and the town was plunging itself into growing chaos. People were running helter-skelter with their loved ones in search of safety, merchants were closing down their shops and choosing to hide inside them.

Lumia could also see entire families gathering all of their belongings as they attempted to flee, but the nearest town to Templa was two weeks away on horseback. Even if they managed to avoid the approaching disaster, how far would they be able to make it before they ran out of supplies? Or worse, get attacked by bandits or other monsters on the road?

The Widow Makers were coming, and they were almost here. Lumia could sense the rumbling beneath the ground from the six-legged monsters as they drew closer to the town, and the distant horrific screeching of the creatures only emphasized how near they already were. Something the wounded soldier had said still stuck in her mind, even as she ran.

…

“Why are they coming?” Lumia had yelled as she asked him. “Aren’t they mindless beasts who only know how to hunt and kill? How do they know to organize themselves and come find us in our homes? Huh? Answer me!”

Lumia couldn’t tell the reason for her sudden emotional shift—why she was screaming at the innocent soldier instead of helping him get better. It wasn’t as if it was his fault hundreds of troopers like him were now dead. He hadn’t given the order to attack the monsters in their nest, nor was he the reason hundreds of the scorpion-tailed beasts were on their way to kill them all.

But then… why was she suddenly so angry? Was it because she was scared? Was it because thousands of people were about to die, and it all could have simply been avoided if the mayor had just listened to reason and chosen caution? Or was it because there was a good chance Hunter wasn’t coming back for the little girl, and the poor child's life was now in danger like the rest of them?

“There’s something in the nest,” the soldier said as he slowly went into shock. The healer attending to his injuries was working as fast as she could, but the man was still slipping. His injuries were just too severe. Lumia let go of the little girl’s hand in order to bend down and help the other temple maid heal the man.

“W-what?” Lumia asked, desperate to know more as she worked her magic alongside the other girl. “What do you mean? What’s in the nest?”

“Something spoke to us,” the soldier continued, his voice coming out in whispers, his eyes starting to glaze over. “Inside of our heads. Something from inside of the Widow Makers's nest.”

Lumia gritted her teeth as she worked harder, the soft glow in her hands beginning to fade. She couldn’t stay focused on healing the man. She was too frightened and worried for all of their safety, so she was messing up the spell.

“What did it say?” Lumia asked softly, pretending to be levelheaded and calm despite suddenly losing her magic because she was too distracted. “The thing that spoke to all of you. What did it tell you?”

Lumia lifted her head and stared at the other healer maid across from her. The girl nodded, understanding what had happened to Lumia's powers. Her own magic seemed to still be intact, but it was barely keeping the man alive. They needed to keep him stable before they could take him to the temple. Otherwise, they risked him dying on the way there.

“It said… it said… it said we’re nothing but insects and food, and it was going to kill us all. It was going to kill us all. That, it was going to kill us all.”

The man soon died after that. There was nothing Lumia or the other maid could do. There was a brief silence in the air, heavy with tension. And the moment the first monstrous screech was heard, along with the rumbling of hundreds of scuttling feet rushing toward the town, all hell broke loose.

…

Lumia arrived at the temple with the little girl a few minutes later. She found Head Priestess Mary barking commands at the junior maids, telling them to go help as many families as they could to rendezvous at the town square for an emergency evacuation.

“Lumia, where have you been?” the head priestess asked, turning to face her with angry but concerned eyes. The woman was just as worried as Lumia was, at everything that was happening at that moment.

“I-I was at the library,” Lumia hurriedly responded. “We tried saving the soldier that delivered the news, but…”

“I’m aware, child.” The head priestess cut in, waving her hand dismissively while walking over to grab something from a nearby wall. “Angela told me what happened, and I want you to know, Lumia, it is not your fault.”

Lumia didn’t feel the same way though. If she hadn’t lost focus, if she hadn’t lost her magic at the last minute, maybe the soldier would have survived his injuries. It was the event of three years ago all over again, when she couldn’t keep her cool while trying to save the life of her father when he visited Templa to see her.

He had come specifically to visit her, but while leaving, his caravan was attacked by a Widow Maker from the forest, and he ended up badly wounded and rapidly bleeding out. Lumia was the only healer in close proximity, but when his body was brought to her for treatment, she panicked. Seeing her father dying in front of her broke something within her, and her powers simply stopped working properly ever since.

“Hey, child, this is not the time to be thinking about that.” Head Priestess Mary stepped forward to hold Lumia’s hands while she was lost in thought of her father’s death. “There are people right now out there who need our help, and I need all of my girls out there helping them, okay?” Lumia nodded, then wiped away the tears that had started to form in her eyes.

“Yes, Head Priestess,” Lumia responded.

“Good,” the woman replied. “Now, go get as many of the townspeople to relocate into the central plaza, or here in the temple, or any of the other buildings further back capable of housing their numbers. We need to form organized evac parties while the adventurers’ guild deals with the Widow Makers, and as soon as we get a clear path, we hastily make our escape out the back. Now go.”

Nodding, Lumia made to leave, but quickly realized the little girl still wanted to follow. She almost forgot the child was with her. What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t bring the girl outside with her—that would be too dangerous.

She knelt down to the girl’s level so she could talk to her.

“Hey, he is coming, okay,” Lumia said softly, even though she didn't entirely believe it at this point. “Hunter is coming.” she brushed back some of the girl’s hair from her face as she spoke, revealing an expression of fear and loneliness. The girl didn’t want to be on her own, and Lumia understood. She was considering passing the girl over to the head priestess, but the woman had already left with the temple maids.

The girl had her water lizard clutched comfortably in her hands, probably the only thing keeping her from falling apart, as it was a reminder of Hunter. Lumia made up her mind at that moment. She had no other option. She was bringing the girl along with her, and she was going to do all in her power to keep her safe. And shortly before leaving the temple, Lumia grabbed a knife from the kitchen.