Book 11: Chapter 21: The Dragonfly Nest

“Took a wrong turn? You led us the wrong way!” Winnie jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving her arms wildly. But her expression clearly showed more joy than anger.

“What kind of big trouble?” Rick wisely reached out to calm the female mage. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted by a companion’s little mood.

“For a moment back there, I wasn’t paying attention and took you onto a side path,” Mastashia admitted freely, frowning as she spoke. “As for the trouble… look at that huge banyan tree ahead…”

Qin Lun and the others focused intently. What Mastashia pointed at was about a hundred meters away. Due to the heavy fog, they could only see a blurry, dark shape that looked surprisingly like a swamp banyan tree with an unusually thick trunk.

“Don’t all swamp banyans look like that? Just a bit fatter?” The Rogue shrugged, asking curiously.

“Root-dropping swamp banyans don’t grow spindle-shaped trunks,” Mastashia sighed, speaking carefully. “I suspect that tree has a Dragonfly nest on it…”

“Dragonflies?” The group turned back in surprise to stare at Mastashia. They had heard of these famous swamp creatures but never seen them personally. Their habits and danger level were unfamiliar ground.

“Dragonflies are a colonial insect-type magical beast!” The Highland Elf shook her head with a bitter smile. Looking at their curious expressions, she knew they understood little about Dragonflies. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be looking so calm.

“Dragonflies are Second Order to Third Order creatures. A few elite guards protecting the queen might reach Fourth Order. Unlike many insect magical beasts, they lack hard shells, but they are agile and highly aggressive.” Mastashia lowered her voice, giving the team a crash course before they faced the actual threat.

“Mostly low-rank creatures? Even swarms shouldn’t be a big problem for us, right?” Rick raised an eyebrow confidently. He was the least afraid of bugs in the whole team. His heavy armor could withstand bites from low-rank bugs; even a Seventh or Eighth Order Burrowing Worm would need to gnaw on it for ages.

“You’d better keep a healthy respect for things you don’t understand,” Mastashia’s face showed clear anger. As a Harper Master, she hated overconfidence; countless Harpers had died underestimating enemies. “I’m sorry!” Rick was startled but quickly lowered his head in apology.

“When I say ‘aggressive’, I don’t just mean their physical attacks. I mean their innate magic,” Mastashia glanced ahead, worry etched on her face. “Dragonflies attack with stinger tails. It’s not instantly deadly, but it has a paralysis effect. Low-rank warriors fall unconscious from one sting. Mid to high-rank warriors can’t endure many either.

But the worst are their innate magics. Dragonflies have two kinds of area effects: one dispels, one weakens. The Dispel Field messes up our buffs and offensive spells. The Weaken Field stacks negative effects on us, constantly reducing our physical abilities. Fight too long, even high-rankers become as weak as low-rank. Ordinary people would gasp just walking!”

“That bad?” Everyone looked slightly surprised, though still mostly unimpressed. If the enemy attacks strongly, just don’t get hit. Low-rank bugs are agile? As long as the team stayed alert, most were confident of dodging.

“Master Mastashia, you called these magics… area abilities?” Hill suddenly frowned. This time, the other spellcaster, Winnie, didn’t argue either. She hung her head, frowning silently.

“Area abilities? Like Legendary Domains?” Qin Lun rubbed his nose. The others caught on quickly. “Impossible! Low-rank bugs! Even with some magical range, it can’t be like a Legendary Domain!”

Mastashia shook her head with a bitter smile. “That’s why I told you to keep respect. Most Dragonflies are low-rank beasts. But they became territory lords in this harsh swamp – they won’t be easy to handle.

A single Dragonfly has no area effect. But get enough together? They create a chain reaction. Their innate abilities merge into powerful, true area spells. Not as intense as Legendary Domains, yes, but terrifying in scale – scaling directly with their numbers.”

“This…” The group was speechless. Sif Hulan looked pale. You couldn’t blame him. If others got chased by Dragonflies, they could run. If he was too slow to carry? He’d just be left behind to die.

“Can we double back?” Rand calmly caught his two companions’ eyes. Qin Lun frowned slightly, then gave a little nod.

Their time was tight, almost a week gone already. But they were in the Death Lands’ heart. Avoiding deadly trouble? Taking an extra half-day detour was worth it.

“Detour? Sure. Any route I’ve taken before, I basically remember,” Mastashia smiled. “But I don’t advise detouring here. This mistake was mine. But the direct path I took last time has similar dangers… including Blood Poppies, worse than a Dragonfly nest.

I estimated this nest’s territory earlier. Even if it’s just medium-sized, skirting it avoids two dangers on the direct route – including the Blood Poppies’ ground. But the choice is yours, ultimately.”

Silence fell. Everyone wrestled with the dilemma.

“Since we can’t avoid it… we might as well keep going!” A timid voice spoke up. Everyone turned, surprised to see it was Sif Hulan, scowling stubbornly despite his terror.

“Ha! If the employer says so, no need for debate!” Rick grinned broadly. He swung his greatsword onto his shoulder and strode ahead. The others exchanged smiles and followed.

If an ordinary guy like Sif wasn’t scared, why should they be?

Still, as they closed in on the Dragonfly nest, everyone stayed sharp, holding their breath, treading softly to avoid angering the fierce, easily provoked swarm.

The swamp terrain grew tricky. The giant banyan tree housing the nest was sandwiched between two small lakes. A narrow, winding mud path, barely five meters wide, was the only way through.

Bypassing it required getting within fifty meters of the nest. From there, the path turned away, winding into the distance.

At Hill’s request, a Yin-Yang Fish Pattern silently formed over Qin Lun’s left eye. He scanned intently, feeding back what he saw through the Team Channel, so his Serial Killer comrades could finally glimpse the Dragonflies’ true forms.

“Look like giant dragonflies,” Rand and Hill murmured in surprise as images appeared just in time on the Team Channel.

True to their name, Dragonflies dwarfed normal bugs. Each averaged over half a meter long! Some with long chin-hairs reached a full meter! Globular compound eyes bulged. Their bodies were slender. Transparent, delicate-looking wings grew in two pairs on their backs. They did resemble dragonflies.

But their triangular, jutting heads, except for the eyes, held no dragonfly softness. They looked more like cobras!

Their tail ends were bizarre, too. Like a claw split into four petal-like blades? Or an open, mouth-flower? Centered inside it, a dark blue stinger shone clearly.

“Get stung by that? It would really hurt!” Rand joked dryly.

Reaching fifty meters, the nest became clearly visible. The whole Dragonfly nest clung to the banyan trunk like a huge spindle, its surface covered in densely packed holes – unnerving at first glance.

A dozen Dragonflies bustled outside it now, flying busily to and fro. The strange visitors entering their territory? They simply glanced with lamp-like compound eyes, flickered forked tongues, and went back to work.

Dragonflies are omnivores. Main foods: rotten corpses, small insects, nectar, plant sap. They lack true teeth and can’t bite fresh meat. So they have no interest in large creatures, including humans.

Unless those large creatures disturb them first. Invade their territory? Act aggressively? Then the Dragonflies will attack as invaders.

At that point, whether edible or not, the creatures are under attack until they leave the dragonflies’ land.

“It’s a large nest. Be careful everyone. Minimize noise. Then the Dragonflies will treat us as passers-by. They won’t attack,” Mastashia whispered softly, reminding them.

The team formed a line, subconsciously keeping tight to the left edge of the mud path. Even Qin Lun stopped staring intently at the nest, avoiding any unnecessary provocation to their keen senses.

The team’s two spellcasters, Hill and Winnie, dispersed any personal buffs, so magic fluctuations wouldn’t draw attention. Everyone hoped this last few hundred meters would pass without trouble. Once out of the Dragonflies’ sight? Even within their territory, the worst danger should be over.

Swisht! Yet trouble strikes hardest when most feared.

Winnie lost her footing! She was carefully hugging the left edge. Whether from nerves or sheer bad luck, her foot slipped. Half her body plunged toward the swamp lake on their left!

The young woman’s face went white. Her lovely eyes flew wide. Luckily, she was an experienced adventurer. Even then, she didn’t scream. Gritting her lips, as she teetered on the edge of falling in, her urgent gaze found the closest companion behind her – seeking help.