Records of Rebirth

Right after the section collapsed, a large scorpion barrelled its way through and at its feet, numerous smaller scorpions clambered across the ground, until the forest floor was covered in pale yellow bodies.

Arsinoe was astonished to see several of the scorpions come through. They needed to seal the gap somehow, but the best she could do was slice through those she came across with her [Water Blade].

Yet when she looked around, Arsinoe saw many of the Veladrys had stopped in the middle of battle, their eyes fixed on the broken wall.

What were they doing?

But then, like elegant statues they all raised their arms at once, and Arsinoe watched numerous saplings erupt out of the ground in a chaotic manner, quickly growing tall and twisting from flexible green stalks to form solid trunks.

In the span of a few seconds, a lattice structure had sprung up around the wall to reinforce it and the large gap in the wall was sealed.

However, although the flow of creatures had stopped, it was only a temporary measure. Since the battle began, scores of scorpions had gathered and there were now so many more scorpions pushing back against the wall that some of the solid trunks had started to splinter.

Behind the wall, the damage was already done as too many scorpions were already inside. Although the teams were holding their own, the battlefield had become chaotic. There were too many foes to deal with, and every trap along the wall quickly filled with a surplus of creatures.

Their teams were focused on dealing with the larger scorpions as their size made them more dangerous, but now the overspill of smaller scorpions was getting in the way of their battles.

They were weaker but because they were so many, the bottom feeders available could not devour them in time. Arsinoe, like all the other captains, was doing what she could to stem the flow, and she would have continued doing so, if something else did not catch her eye.

Not far from where she was, a very different creature had landed, and she glimpsed its wicked appearance, right before it sped across the battlefield. 

The creature was small and extremely fast, its shiny segmented body catching the light as it moved.

Similar to the larger scorpions, it was also dark in colour, but its body bore distinctive red markings along its back and where its legs stabbed the ground like blades.

Its pitch black pincers were also much larger and sharper than usual, with its bulbous stinger continuously spraying a corrosive substance as it moved. Because of it, the surface of the ground had all but melted away, making the traps underneath useless as they were revealed.

It looked very dangerous, and this was why she was thrilled. 

Wasn't this exactly what she needed to kill, if she was going to surpass their leader?

Her team was just about to kill their seventh large scorpion, putting them on par with Cygnus, but Arsinoe suddenly lost interest.

[Europa, you're in charge!] she yelled after the flustered serpent who stared at her with wide eyes.

Spotting the creature on the move, Arsinoe immediately left her team to chase after it with reckless abandon. Her speed was not bad, and she was quickly gaining on it.

Yet, before she could attack, she ran into Cygnus's team, and the smiling serpent who also seemed to be after the creature. 

Arsinoe was already frustrated, so when the serpent flew across the scorpion's path, tendrils of darkness at the ready to snatch it away, Arsinoe immediately shot her down with a water blade, piercing her together with the creature.

Arsinoe saw the serpent twitch as she lay on the ground, and a wicked grin flashed across her face. She mostly aimed for the scorpion but couldn't resist taking a jap at her rival in the process. 

The serpent didn't get up - It was her victory this time.

However, when she looked across the ground, she saw the scorpion was only temporarily stalled.

It continued to move, rising up soon after to speed past them, and they were ignored as if it had some other aim.

Upset by this, Arsinoe continued to chase after the creature, but she paused when she saw it heading for one of the hidden traps. 

Should she let it get mauled by bottom feeders first?

As predicted, it couldn't avoid the hidden pit and fell through the ground, sending it into a writhing pit of ravenous creatures. But instead of stopping it, it continued to move as the creatures ate through its sturdy carapace, opting to spray its acid around at them, and the walls of the traps in the process.

Arsinoe watched in horror as the tunnel after tunnel melted away when the speedy creature crashed through them to escape the creatures eating through it. 

Subsequently, the bottom feeders that had been kept separately now had access to those tunnels used by their teams, dangerously spreading them across the battlefield, with some gaining access to the surface.

Many nestlings had their battles interrupted when the tunnels keeping the creatures contained broke down. The scorpions they fought were attacked, but the ravenous creatures could not differentiate friend from foe and began to attack the serpents who once cared for them.

Arsinoe chased after the scorpion that kept spraying acid and seeing it was trapped inside a pit overrun with bottom feeders, she fired at its weakened body in an attempt to kill it quickly.

But the creature's acid melted through yet another wall. However, this one was very different.

When the walls melted, an outpouring of bottom feeders, the size Arsinoe had never seen before, came out from behind it. They quickly swallowed up the scorpion, devouring it whole while the creatures spilled out in excess.

In the ensuing wave of chaos, a Veladrys fighting nearby was overrun when the creatures burst out of the ground, reducing her to nothing but her flowery dress in seconds.

Arsinoe also found herself escaping for her life. She didn't know why there were so many bottom feeders collecting behind the tunnel, but now that they had escaped, they were impossible to contain. 

Her single thought was finding Apollo. He seemed to have a way with the creatures and if it was him, she was sure he could put them back.

Across the battle, several casualties had appeared, and Typhon had to work doubly hard to seal the breach in the tunnels as well as raising the serpents above the ground. Arsinoe assisted him by extracting the serpents that were too injured for Lyra to heal, but it was the Veladrys who made the most of their situation. 

By harnessing the rampaging scorpions with fast growing tendrils, they were able to pin them to the ground, preventing them from scrambling up to safety. They held them down long enough for the bottom feeders to eat their fill, so they were weak and easy to kill.

Unfortunately, trouble was also brewing at the wall. 

Another scorpion with crimson markings had appeared, and it was just as fast as the first. It broke through to where everyone was fighting and seemed to be heading straight for the injured. It had already destroyed part of the structure the Veladrys erected, and it couldn't be allowed to continue.

Seeing it approach, Typhon erected many spiked walls to slow its progress, and the creature's rigid body slammed through each one, impossible to stop with its speed.

It was also small, making it difficult to pinpoint, so Cygnus rushed out to intercept it, along with a very familiar serpent that made Arsinoe hiss in rage – how was she already recovered?

She pursued after them, leaving the injured to Lyra and Europa.

It wasn't enough that she missed the first unique scorpion she spotted. If she let Cygnus get this one, their gap would never close!

The creature sped towards them, with Arsinoe in pursuit after Cygnus's silvery figure and that of his protégé. They flew just ahead of her, and Arsinoe already knew they would meet with the creature first, so she contemplated knocking them down.

But just then, Cygnus's figure was knocked out of the air, suddenly attacked by something else. His protégé also met a similar fate, and Arsinoe was shocked to see two winged reptiles with feathers sprouting from their arms and tail.

A third had long green spikes across its back, and in its mouth, it held part of Cygnus's wings that was bleeding after being savagely ripped off. 

Arsinoe froze in terror, petrified by the sudden arrival of the three creatures. 

Why were Morgana's creatures outside? 

The spiked reptile let out a guttural screech, promptly discarding Cygnus's wings, before taking off across the battlefield like it did not see her. 

Then, she began to notice more of the reptiles as she paid attention. There were several of them, their feathers and spikes were barely noticeable against the backdrop of the chaotic battle.

However, the one thing that was prevalent were the half-eaten scorpion corpses whose blood soaked through the ground. Were they drawn outside because of this?

But then, she saw the creatures that attacked Cygnus swiftly change direction and begin heading towards the injured, and Typhon who protected them.

Soon, more of the reptiles also spotted Typhon and began heading over to where he was fighting.

No - this had to be Morgana's doing!

She must have realised that they were in trouble! 

The creatures were nearly upon him, and he had no idea!

Arsinoe immediately retreated, abandoning her quest for the scorpion. Where was Morgana hiding?

But as soon as she turned to leave, the marked scorpion arrived before her, its heavy stinger poised to strike.