#toojazzed

Alaric sighed, pulling its knees up to its chest and wrapping its arms around them. "I do not wish to work in the cavern, matron."

"No one does, Al, but that is the duty of our caste." He sighed.

Alaric looked down the hill, towards the city. In a few weeks, drones would rise like a flock of ravens and turn the night sky black as they carried fillio-pails to the cavern to be fed to the grub mother. Then came the spawning nights, the vat watching, the hatching, the raising and trials- it never ended.

"If you could do anything else, what would you do?" The matron's voice brought it back to the present.

"Write." The word was instantly on Alaric's lips.

"Write?"

"I wish to tell stories, more than just the propaganda-loaded nursery rhymes we read the wrigglers. I wish to live those stories, matron, of fighting and romance and adventure." Alaric dropped its head onto its knees. "Tis a stupid wish. I am doomed to rot in the ground, as generations of grubs go on to do as I never will."

The matron chuckled, and tried to cover it with a cough. "Well, you certainly have a way with words, I'll give you that." He said. He tipped his head back, looking up at the stars. "... Well, I can't exactly just let you leave, but... I know a way to alleviate the monotony. Meet me out here tomorrow night, and I'll show you." He offered.

Alaric looked up, surprised, and searched his leader's eyes. "... Alright. Thank you, matron."

The cavern matron grinned. "Call me Cyber."

.

The next night, after Alaric finished scrubbing the vats and replenishing the sopor slime, it returned to the hill behind the cavern, where Cyber was already waiting, with what looked like a dozen of training dummies set up behind him. The matron was holding what looked like a pair of chains, one coiled in each hand, and he grinned when he spotted Alaric.

"Hey, you made it."

"What is this?" Alaric asked, confused.

"Stress relief. These things," Cyber held up the chains, "are called morning stars. I'm going to teach you how to use them." That said, he flicked his wrists out, and the chains uncoiled in a clatter. They were whips, Alaric saw, taking a step back in alarm, with heavy, spiked spades on the ends.

Cyber laughed. "Don't worry, they're only dangerous if they touch you."

He turned around to face the dummies, rolling his shoulders. Alaric watched him take a breath, before he leapt forward, arms rolling and slashing towards the targets. The whips cracked and clanked, their heavy tips scoring across the burlap skin of one dummy. Huge gashes were left behind, spilling cotton and sand, before the wounds began to glow red.

Cyber whooped as the dummy exploded. Alaric's jaw dropped open in shock as flaming chunks of burlap and wood went flying.

"By the gods!" It exclaimed.

"Right? These babies are both loaded with nitroglycerin and a detonator." Cyber turned to grin at it, "I made 'em myself. They're strong enough to take down a drone, and then some. Here, you try." He held the weapons out.

Not one to defy orders, Alaric hesitantly stepped forward and took them. There were runes- ancient magic- carved into the handles, it saw, as Cyber took it by the wrist and helped it grip them properly.

"There. Now you don't want to get fancy with these. Too much motion and you'll end up catching yourself on the foot or something. You want quick, snappy movements, at least until you're more experienced." Cyber advised.

They spent the next few hours on the hill, with Cyber correcting Alaric's footing and guiding its movements. The grass became torn up and scorched with all the times Alaric missed the marks, but soon it stood, panting, among the debris of twelve obliterated targets.

"Well done, Alaric! That was great! How're you feeling?"

"Powerful." Alaric panted, holding the whips out.

Cyber laughed as he took them, winding them back up. "Told you. I come out here maybe three times a week to let off steam. You're welcome to join me and have a go with these again."

.

Weeks went by. The lusii came to collect the latest generation, and then the jadebloods had three days to clean the cavern and prepare the grub mother for the next spawning. It was exhausting, aggravating work that had them snapping at each other's throats.

The only thing that kept Alaric sane was its training with Cyber. The two jades would sneak out near dawn, and while everyone else went to bed, Cyber would teach Alaric how to handle the morning star whips.

Soon, Alaric could perform impressive twists and flips and take out a line of dummies with one crack of the whips. When practice was over, the two would sit and catch their breath, swapping stories and laughter.

"You're incredible, Alaric." Cyber sighed at one point, still grinning.

"I am?"

"Hell yeah, you are. You're talented and clever, and great with the grubs. You're handsome, and..." Cyber's grin softened, and he scoot a little closer to Alaric, "I've never had this much fun with anyone before." He confessed quietly.

Alaric's breath hitched in its lungs, its thinkpan racing a mile a minute. What did that mean? Did Cyber-? No, surely not, they weren't supposed to-

"Nor have I." Alaric whispered back, its blood-pumper leaping into its throat as Cyber's fingers ghosted along its jaw to cup its face.

"I want to have more fun with you, Alaric. I know you want to leave the caverns but... Can't you stay? For me?" Cyber whispered, his hand achingly warm against Alaric's skin as his thumb rubbed back and forth across its cheek.

Alaric's head was swimming, an emerald blush dusting its cheeks. "I... y- yes. For you." It breathed.

Cyber began to purr as he leaned forward. Alaric sat up to meet him, throwing its arms around his neck as they kissed.

.

"Alaric, do it." Cyber rasped, choking on the blood that filled his throat as he shoved his whips towards it.

"No, no, Cyber, please-!" Alaric continued to claw at the rubble that was crushing him, but its feet slipped on the literal inch-deep pool of rainbow blood and drone goo that covered the floor.

"'Laric," Cyber seized its wrist, "listen to me." He sucked in a gurgling breath through tattered and crushed lungs, "The cavern's done for. The Enforcer ordered our extermination since the Compound blew. I didn't get the warning in time, it came last night while we were-" He broke off with heavy coughing, and Alaric choked on a sob.

While they were neglecting their duties, it thought, while they were on the hill. Now it stood among the rubble, smoke, and fire of what had once been its home, surrounded by bodies and blood.

"I'm done for with it." Cyber managed to speak again, "Take the morning stars, and just make it quick for me, okay? Please? I can't- can't breathe as it is. Please." He pleaded.

Barely able to see with the smoke and tears in its eyes, Alaric took the whips with shaking hands.

Cyber smiled at it, despite the blood dripping from his forehead and mouth. "I love you, Alaric. At least you got your romance and fighting, right? Finish me, and go find your adventures." He croaked.

Choking on sobs and the shattered pieces of its heart, Alaric took a step back and unwound the whips. The last thing it saw was Cyber's bright, viridescent eyes, before it shut its eyes and cracked the whips, the sound an explosion that blasted a metaphorical hole through its chest.

Then it ran, ran far, far away. The lone survivor, it got a singular heart tattoo on its shoulder to remember the fallen cavern. It donned its lover's name to try and forget its own, and armed with the morning star whips, went to find that adventure the former matron had promised.