As the large blast door opened up to the cave you breathed out a long sigh. Hunting monsters was never easy, and the tension before each hunt was always the same, however it was your job. Stepping into the cave you turned on your head-mounted flashlight as the door closed behind you, officially signaling it was go-time. The assault rifle in your hands felt heavy but also solid and secure.

You had gotten a rough briefing on the creature beforehand. Large, insectoid, able to spawn smaller clones of itself, and had through some means drained the mineworkers here previously. A low but powerful rumble echoed through the mineshaft, signaling that the hunt was on.

As you step deeper into the mineshaft, you can't help but feel goosebumps rise along your spine as the air grows colder and more damp. Something in the back of your mind tells you that the creature might be using temperature to control its environment, and right now it could mean that you're entering its preferred hunting ground.

The light from your flashlight barely manages to reach the walls on either side of you as you continue forward, the narrow tunnel making it difficult to move quickly or find hiding places. Perfect for an ambush situation...you keep telling yourself it's not if, but when.

Just as you turn to leave the mineshaft, an insect-like creature roughly twice your size comes charging out from a side tunnel, wings flapping wildly as it roars at you. Its intentions are clear; to stop you in your tracks and prevent escape!

You slam the butt of your rifle into the ground as you drop it, hands raised in surrender. Before the creature can charge, however, something heavy impacts its side and knocks it off balance. Looking past the creature, you see another one of its kind now charging towards you! You feel panic rise in your chest; is there no way out?

The smaller Broodmother stops mid-charge and regards you with its large compound eyes, unmoving. It extends one of its legs towards you as if beckoning, then swiftly moves to stand behind the larger creature. Before you can react further, the leg retracts and delivers a powerful strike to the back of its fellow's head! The larger Broodmother staggers from the blow but remains standing.

With another cry, the smaller creature rushes in again, this time aiming for one of the larger creature's legs! As you watch, realization dawns: they're fighting among themselves for dominance! You must seize your chance now!

As you aim your rifle at the larger creature's head and fire, it turns its attention towards you, rage filling its compound eyes. Despite this, it seems to be distracted by the fight with the smaller Broodmother; just as the bullet impacts against its thick chitin, the large insect shrugs off the blow. The smaller creature, sensing an opportunity, delivers another powerful strike that manages to send the larger one reeling into a nearby wall.

Taking advantage of the situation, you fire several more shots at the enraged and dazed Broodmother, scoring painful-looking hits with each impact. Finally, it staggers and falls to the ground, convulsing violently. The smaller creature pauses in its attack, eyeing your weapon warily before retreating further into the cave.

Much smaller than the one you just felled, this new creature moves swiftly through the mine shaft with surprising grace despite its large size. It stops when it senses you closing in on it and turns its multi-faceted eyes towards you, a low rumbling emanating from somewhere deep within its body as it assesses the threat you pose.

Small laughter leaves the smaller Broodmother's mandibles as it listens to you, its large head tilting curiously this way and that. Its eyes glint in the dim light of the mine as it steps closer, slowly but surely moving to within arm's reach. "You have potential...human," it rasps in a voice deeper than one might expect from such a creature. It reaches out with one of its claws, dragging a finger down your cheek before continuing, "But first...you must prove yourself."

It huffs dismissively. "You must show me that you are strong and resilient. Prove yourself by surviving the birthing process." With that cryptic statement, it steps back and extends a leg towards one of its pseudo-breasts, releasing a thick stream of syrupy liquid into the air. The viscous fluid falls upon your skin, coating you in warmth and stickiness before enveloping you completely as you sink down into the soft, yielding substance within the pseudo-breast...

You squirm and writhe inside the warm pseudo-breast, trying to escape the embrace that feels both sticky and yet pleasurable at the same time. The muscles of your body tense as you struggle to breathe, each movement within the thick liquid making it difficult to get any air into your lungs. After what seems like an eternity, you finally manage to break free from the pseudo-breast and pull yourself out onto solid ground once more. Panting heavily, you look up to see the smaller Broodmother regarding you with curiosity in its many-faceted eyes.

"Impressive...human," it rasps. "You have proven your resilience. Now, come...and I shall show you what else you must do." It turns and leads the way deeper into the cavern system, disappearing around a bend in the tunnel before beckoning for you to follow.

You squirm and writhe inside the warm pseudo-breast, trying to escape the embrace that feels both sticky and yet pleasurable at the same time. The muscles of your body tense as you struggle to breathe, each movement within the thick liquid making it difficult to get any air into your lungs. After what seems like an eternity, you finally manage to break free from the pseudo-breast and pull yourself out onto solid ground once more. Panting heavily, you look up to see the smaller Broodmother regarding you with curiosity in its many-faceted eyes.

"Impressive...human," it rasps. "You have proven your resilience. Now, come...and I shall show you what else you must do." It turns and leads the way deeper into the cavern system, disappearing around a bend in the tunnel before beckoning for you to follow.

As the smaller Broodmother leads you through the cavern system, it begins to show you various areas that have been adapted for different purposes: breeding chambers, nurseries for the young, even what appears to be a makeshift library filled with ancient scrolls and relics. The air grows thick with the pheromones of countless generations of these creatures, making your head spin and your body tingle in places you didn't know could feel such sensations.

Eventually, you come to a large chamber where several dozen full-grown Broodmothers can be found, each busily attending to their eggs. The smaller creature turns to face you, its chitinous exoskeleton glinting in the dim light. "This is your task now, human. You must help us create more life, continue our legacy." Its voice is low and hypnotic, as if it expects no argument from you.

The smaller creature tilts its head slightly, studying you intently before finally speaking again. "Very well...you have proven yourself worthy. Bend down, and allow me to introduce my siblings..." It extends a leg, offering to lift your chin so that you can gaze into the pool of syrupy liquid nestled between its pseudo-breasts.

As you accept its invitation, it whispers encouragingly in your ear, "Take what you need...let our kind continue on through you..." The warmth and viscosity of the liquid enveloping your face feels strangely soothing, heightening your awareness and making you feel more connected to these alien beings than ever before.

The smaller creature makes a pleased rumbling sound as you speak, seeming to take your desire as encouragement. It tilts its head back and curls its upper torso forward slightly, exposing its pseudo-breasts more fully for you to see. "Very well...human," it rasps softly before descending upon your face once more, enveloping you in warmth and viscosity as the thick liquid pours down into your mouth and nostrils...

As the warm liquid fills you, you feel your body begin to change; becoming more supple and pliant as the pseudo-breast's syrupy nectar floods your system with hormones and enzymes designed to make you a perfect host for their young. With each breath, the scent of it fills your nose, intoxicating you in ways that have nothing to do with alcohol or drugs; driving home the instinctual need to mate and create life within these creatures.

Eventually, as your body begins to adapt to the foreign substances coursing through your veins, the smaller Broodmother withdraws its attention from you, stepping back and regarding you with a pleased rumble in its chest. "Very well...human...you have proven yourself worthy of being one of us." It extends a claw, nudging gently at your shoulder. "Come, let's find someone else for you to help impregnate..."