6.15

    The trail Kumoko mentioned wasn’t obvious. A quick search gave me no clue about where it was. Not that it was a concern at this point, not with Karin’s absurd sensing range. For some reason, Karin took refuge behind me from my clones. Trouble-chan, First and Second, tried to harass the redhead again, but my stern glare was enough to dissuade them.

    Under Karin’s scared eyes, I had a brief signal conversation with my clones. It went something like this:

    Me: Kunai, seal, placement, around, smoke.

    T1: Explosion?

    Me: Negative, smoke, objective, explosion bad.

    T2: Indignation, protest, revise plan, explosion good.

    Me: Mission objective, critical, capture, asset acquisition, destruction bad.

    T1: Foul play, unfair.

    T2: Unhappy, protest.

    Once prepared, we set off toward the chakra Karin could sense in the distance.

    The forest floor was a carpet of moss and fallen leaves, broken by massive roots. Strange fungi growing in clusters, some glowing with soft phosphorescent light, others looking decidedly alien and potentially poisonous.

    I found the trail a couple of minutes away from the tunnel entrance. It was tiny markers on tree bark. It was subtle enough that if I didn’t know better, I’d have missed it. The trail led to a narrow, winding path cutting through the dense foliage.@@@@

    The forest changed the closer we got to our destination. Trees grew sparser, and a low humming became audible. Not the tiny buzz of normal bees but a deeper sound that vibrated through the air.

    We slowed our pace, made sure to walk in silence. I peeked from behind a huge tree, then I saw it.

    The hive was enormous. Easily the size of a three-story building, it was a massive structure of waxy, honeycomb-like material clinging to the side of a massive tree. Giant bee sentinels, each the size of a large dog and bigger, crawled across its surface. Their bodies were jet black with sharp yellow markings, mandibles that looked like curved daggers.

    That mural I saw back at the badger’s lair came to mind. I remembered the dead badgers around the sole surviving one.

    Why were my clones so insistent in teasing Karin like that? I mean, I knew why. They were teasing me, and Karin was just a bonus, but even so. That was a bit unfair.

    I had my clone teleport because I didn’t want another flashing incident. The clone’s clothes were chakra constructs. She was in no danger of leaving her clothes behind. If I tried that, on the other hand... Well, let’s just not.

    “See?” I wrote when Karin looked back at me. “If you’re somewhere safe, I can always use your position to escape if I need to run.” I tilted my head, added more regarding my reason. “And I know you’re not in top condition because I drained you from your life force.”

    Karin glanced at her bandaged arms, then looked away.

    In all the confusion and events after our escape, I never took the chance to thank her for saving my life twice. I walked closer, and taking a page from my clone’s books, I gave Karin a hug.

    “Eeep!” She squeaked again.

    Huh, yeah, that was pretty funny. I guess I know now why my clones do it. But I shook my head; not the time to get distracted.

    “Thank you for saving my life twice,” I croaked out. I didn’t feel like writing a ‘thank you’ was the best option. “I owe you.”

    After a moment, her arms found their way around me, nestling her head around my neck. She mumbled something I couldn’t understand, but I decided it meant “You’re welcome” or something similar.

    It didn’t last. She pushed me away, looked back toward the trail that led to the tunnel. She looked back at me after a moment.

    “Be careful, okay?” Karin said.

    I nodded.

    “I don’t trust them.” She added.

    I nodded again.

    “They said I would be food if you died.”

    I scowled, nodded a third time, wrote my answer. “I will be careful.”

    Karin turned and started her way back, away from the hive of giant killer bees. I turned to my clones. It was time to get the ball rolling. With luck, the smoke plan would work.