Eater Blade: Grinding in Apocalypse

Savier crouched at the edge of one of the wider holes, peering into the black void like it might blink back at him.

"I’m telling you," he muttered, "this is the Digger’s game. It’s trying to screw with us."

Johnquis didn’t disagree. He stepped cautiously between the holes, boots skimming the edges. Each pit seemed perfectly circular...too perfect. The stone surrounding them was smooth, shaped. Not natural. Not random.

"It is the Digger’s game," Johnquis said. "Look around. This isn’t just architecture. It’s strategy. It’s misdirection."

Savier glanced up. "You mean like it’s trying to confuse us?"

Johnquis nodded. "Exactly. No normal nest looks like this. This isn’t made to house Eaters. It’s made to break down anyone stupid enough to come after the queen."

"Like a trap maze."

"A psychological one," Johnquis said. "Any team would get lost trying to figure out where to go. Which hole leads to the core? Which one leads to death? Some of these might double back. Others might collapse behind us. Hell, some probably don’t go anywhere. Just a slow fall and a quick splatter."

Savier blew out a sharp whistle. "Smart bastard."

"It knows what it’s doing. You don’t survive this long without learning how to defend your throne. Especially from us."

"Think it’s dealt with Eater Blades before?" Savier asked.