“Yeah, sorry. I am Zack, non-Demon Lord of the island, and I am going to visit the higher powers down here,” I explained, keeping my eyes on what I assumed to be hers.

The caterpillar stared at me for a moment and then started walking in the direction I was heading without saying a word.

[That was strange.]

That was an understatement, and I was confused by what had just happened, but I didn’t have time to waste. I started to move forward and followed the strange and deadly-looking caterpillar into the pulsing tunnel.

Whatever the walls were made from, it looked alive, and I was curious to what it was that could make it pulse like it was. It was almost like the view depicted of a child when they are still growing inside of the womb, and maybe that was what it really was.

The walls were orangish-red, but the pulses of light caused them to turn yellow in the centers of the membrane. It was almost eerie to think that this could all be alive, but I did get a feeling of any energy other than what I expected to get from a tree.

Then I hit a problem that I hadn’t considered; there wasn’t a single path that led forward, and I was at another one of the intersections.

The traffic into this area from where I had dropped in was slow and very spaced out. I could barely even see the Sector Director that was hanging down, and the traffic was only going two directions!

I turned to look at the caterpillar, but she was already moving out into traffic, and all the bugs were going around and over her. The way that the creature walked so confidently was kind of remarkable, and it inspired me to move forward.

{Forward, pause, pause, forward, forward jump, forward, forward, land, roll, roll, stand, turn left, maintain triple forward pace.}

The message was so fast, but my body was propelled forward, and I followed the directions almost without thought. The Sector Director seemed to be able to force control over anything that was in the area.

This must be how everyone was able to move without getting into any accidents. Still, the feeling wasn’t invasive or all-controlling. It did force you to move when it was time to and in the direction that had been instructed.

I was forced into the traffic on the other side after hopping over a snail and then rolling as bugs jumped over me. Now I was jogging and being pushed forward, but within moments I was into a long tunnel that had tunnels leading inwards spread along the way.

Once I was out of the main intersection, I was no longer forced to keep moving, but I didn’t want to stop and cause a scene. I kept moving, but I was running without a real direction other than to the lower center.

[This place looks very complex, and I think if you just wander around, you aren’t even going to make it back in time to leave.]

That was a good point, but I was not really sure how I was supposed to know where to go since different bugs were going in different holes. I tried more than once to ask a cricket beside me how to get to see Grixaitalax, but the ugly creature ignored me.

I didn’t like bugs on the best of days, and this whole experience was not helping in the slightest. I could see the female caterpillar up ahead and decided that she was my best bet at figuring out where to go.

I jogged to catch up to her, but I had already been gaining on her. Before I could catch her, the caterpillar turned into one of the side tunnels that led into the center.

I followed her inside the tunnel and jogged to catch up with her. Yet, she ignored me when I walked up beside her.

“Hey, do you know how to get down to the meeting area? I could maybe help you with something if you could help me?” I asked the caterpillar, but she ignored me.

This path led deep to where I wanted to go, so I decided that I would just continue with whoever this was.

“Hey, you look new! Try some of this stuff!” A metallic cricket asked as he jumped in front of me, forcing me to stop in my tracks but letting the spiked caterpillar go.

“Sorry, I don’t want any,” I said as I tried to step around the cricket that was holding up a glowing green gel that I wouldn’t have taken even if I hadn’t been warned.

The cricket sidestepped to cut me off again, and my eye twitched. Then I noticed other Metal Crickets were climbing out of holes from all over the tunnel I was in.

I didn’t want to have to make a big scene, but if this was going to be like this the entire way, I might as well just burn my way to the center of the place.

Then the cricket started to squeal and thrash as one of the long black tentacle spikes plunged into its back. I stepped back, but it was out of the revulsion of the thrashing bug as it screamed out its death rattle.

“If any of the rest of you want to end up like him, come and try!” The caterpillar growled, and the rest of the crickets backed up into the tunnels that they appeared from, and then she turned to look at me and said, “Follow me if you want to live.”

I stared at her blankly but then started to move as soon as she started to turn around.

[Oh, look at you go, getting your own protector, isn’t that cute!]

‘What? Are you scared that she is going to become more useful than you? I didn’t hear any grand plans when I was about to cut my way to the center of the hive!’

[That’s because I thought it was a good plan, but I guess this works.]