Chapter 8 – Pulse of the Maggots
The inner parts of the earth rot and decay as everything on and in it slowly dies. Maggots of decay and other rotting bugs crawl within the dirt and eat the dying body of the earth. Cinis brings out the glow and burning light of one of his swords to dispel the insects around him. There’s a disgusting smell in the air as they continue further down. It smells like decay and rot itself. The smell is even strong enough to kill some of the insects in the earth. Cinis and Favilla cover their noses and mouths with fabric from Favilla’s dress.
“Man, this thing stinks more than the air,” Cinis comments.
Favilla hits Cinis on his back then says, “Then suffocate you, idiot! It’s not like I had time to spray it with perfume with everything going on.”
“I’m just kidding. Your sweaty dress actually smells kind of nice.”
“I’m not sure if I should feel better or hit you because that sounded creepy.”
“How about you just love me?”
“I already do, but I’m still going to beat you after this.”
“Ha! I’d like to see you try.”
Cinis and Favilla eventually come across the source of the maggots and insects of decay. It’s a large fly with warts and decay all over its body. The tail end is where all of the insects are coming out of. In legends, this fly is known as the Earth Eater. It eats rotted and decayed earth and is also know to eat the bodies of evil humans. They are born out of the ground when humanity has committed too many mistakes. Just like when too many mistakes are made, the problems multiple like the Earth Eater and harm other people as well. These flies continuously multiple until someone fixes what was broken.
The fly notices Cinis and Favilla and retreats while other flies come out of the earth and attack them. They fall apart easily, but there are many of them, something that the couple should be used to by now. Since there seems to be no end to them, Cinis and Favilla push forward through the disgusting caves that the Earth Eaters have made. The flies have even made sticky traps to trap prey along the way, which have already claimed some victims.
Pushing their way through it all, the two eventually reach a cave full of Earth Eaters. The insects have built a nest here where more are born.
“I’m so sick of this all!” Favilla says as she shoots the nest down.
It causes the ground to collapse underneath them. Cinis and Favilla work independently, but together as they slow their fall by leaping between the giant insects and killing them. When there are none left, Favilla leaps onto Cinis who uses his swords on the walls to slow their fall until they reach solid ground. They then quickly run away as the giant hive falls to the ground and breaks open only to turn to dust.
The two then catch their breath in a tunnel and sit down in it.
“Now we really smell,” Cinis says.
“We do,” Favilla admits, “but you smell worse.”
“No, you do.”
“No, you do.”
Cinis helps Favilla up, but they keep going back and forth until Cinis says, “I may smell the worst, but you look the best right now. I look like trash.”
“No, it’s me who looks like trash.”
“No, it’s me.”
“No, it’s me.”
The couple go back and forth while smiling. Even though they may both smell and be dirty, they still stay close to one another without being bothered by the way they look or smell.
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