Formica

As the sand fell it revealed a large figure that towered above everyone.

Draco watched with wide eyes as he realized he was actually looking at a massive creature! 

Words couldn't even begin to describe what he was seeing.

Draco saw that the bones he had previously thought were a skeleton were actually spurs on its back!

The creature had six heavily muscled legs, and two arms protruded out from below its head.

This creature had a terrifying head, it had four blue eyes and two huge mandibles that extended from its mouth with wicked edges. 

It was more fitting to call this thing a monster. 

The monster's mandibles clicked together and it screeched as it shook the sand off of its body. 

Draco was forced to cover his ears as the screech threatened to knock him unconscious. 

The unpowered humans around the monster were knocked out from the shock of the noise while their ears bled from burst eardrums. 

Two of the bandits were still standing atop the creature, and they jumped from it and attempted to run to safety. 

As the monster's four eyes surveyed its surroundings, Draco saw that it had noticed these two fall from its massive back. 

The monster screeched as it shifted its attention towards them.

The fall from the monster's back was long, and the bandits were unable to safely land without injuring themselves. After jumping down they rolled over in pain and attempted to get to their feet. 

However, before the bandits could even stand up from the near 60 meter (200 feet) drop, the monster had scooped both of them up with its oversized hands.

Draco saw the bandits stab uselessly at the hands with their swords, but the monster paid them no mind as it casually tossed them into its mouth. 

Its mouth was filled with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth, and Draco could imagine the bandits' fate once the creature had closed its mouth. 

The monster clicked its mandibles in pleasure when it felt the sweet taste of powered blood. 

The two surviving bandits were standing a short distance and watching the monster in shock, and when they saw the monster direct its attention towards them they turned and sprinted into the distance. 

This just left Draco, who was standing only a few feet away from the monster at this point. 

The monster's head turned to face him and Draco saw its four eyes look directly into his soul. 

The intensity of this gaze alone shook Draco to his core, and the pressure the creature was releasing ruptured his internal organs.

Draco felt blood welling up in his throat, knowing that he was likely about to perish.

However, what happened next caused him to spit out the blood that was building up in his mouth. 

This was because the monster spoke!

Rather, it seemed to transmit its thoughts directly into his mind. 

**You there, little ant. You smell familiar.** the monster said, his thoughts reaching Draco's brain in a way that made his head hurt. 

'Um, what?' Draco thought, dumbly. 

**Are you not one of Chiron's spawn? You look a little strange though, you're missing legs.** the monster replied. 

Draco didn't know what to say to this, but the monster seemed to pick up on Draco's thoughts. 

**Do not fret. Chiron is an old friend of mine, I shall not kill you. However, I remain hungry.** 

The monster's head turned to focus on the unconscious figures laying around its form. 

**Little ant, bring me these morsels.** the monster said. 

'Wait! Those are my.. subjects! Please don't eat them.' Draco pleaded in his mind. 

**I am hungry.** the monster said, unconvinced. He shifted his monumental body and turned to approach the unconscious figures in the distance.

'W-wait! Just listen for a second. I can bring you food, much more food than this! But if you kill my people I will not be able to help you.' Draco said mentally. 

The monster clicked its mandibles together, seemingly lost in thought. 

**Very well. Go bring me some food. You have awoken me with the smell of fresh blood, do not deny me a proper meal.** the monster transmitted.

'I promise to bring you a feast, mister.. Um, what do I call you?' Draco asked.

The creature snorted mentally, **I am Hymenoptera, but I'll allow you to call me Lord Formica.**

After Draco heard this, the monster used its two hands to dig into the sand. It shoveled tons of sand with each movement, and it used its legs to burrow downwards. 

In only two minutes the massive monster had completely submerged itself back in the sand, leaving only its tall bone spurs visible. 

Once 'Lord Formica' had vanished from sight, the pressure in the area disappeared. 

Draco fell to his butt in the sand, panting heavily. 

Sweat poured from him in buckets, and he almost couldn't believe what he had just seen. 

However, when he looked at the unconscious figures around him, he knew that what we had seen was in fact reality. 

'Sh*t, Snow!, I didn't see her earlier. I hope she's okay.' he worriedly thought. 

Draco collected his wits and stood up. He went towards the figures in the distance, but he couldn't find Snow anywhere. 

He dragged the surviving soldiers and scientists together and left to look for Snow. Draco just hoped that nothing had happened to her. 

Luckily, Draco spotted a patch of white in the sand a short distance away. 

It was nearby where Formica had first emerged from. He walked over to it and saw that it was definitely white hair he was looking at! 

Draco reached down and began to dig Snow out from the sand. After Snow's head emerged she coughed and spat out a mouthful of sand.

When she saw Draco digging her out she couldn't help it and began to burst into tears.

"D-Draco! Did you see that?! There was some giant monster under us! It buried me in sand, a-and I thought I was going to die." She cried. 

"It's okay now, Snow. I'm here now." Draco said, trying to calm his frantic girlfriend down. 

Snow eventually stopped crying, and Draco continued to dig her out until her shoulders became visible. 

He grabbed Snow under the shoulders and roughly pulled her out of the sand, causing the loose sand around her to fall back down the hole. 

When Snow was out she grabbed Draco in a bear hug, covering him in sand.

Draco pulled himself away after a while, "Come on, let's go check on the others." he said. 

They walked over to where Draco had left everybody, and Draco saw that some of them were now waking up. 

Draco was sad to see that his group had endured some losses. Draco counted the survivors and saw that there were five scientists and only four soldiers remaining. Luckily, Amber and Addo had both survived.

Two of the men couldn't truly be called 'soldiers' though, for they were the robbers he had picked up back in Sabha. 

However, these two had more than proven themselves that night. They hadn't hesitated to take up arms and risk their lives against the powered bandits.  

Everyone was still dazed, and they sat up and looked around with confusion, trying to figure out where they were. 

"Rise and shine. We need to get moving people." Draco said to the group. 

However, everyone looked at him as if they couldn't hear him. 

Draco remembered that they probably couldn't hear him, for they had all likely had their eardrums burst by the Formica's earlier screeching. 

'This won't do.' Draco thought, pulling his silver amulet from his chest. 

Draco went up to each of the soldiers and scientists and held his amulet in front of them. 

They understood what he wanted from them, and they each reached out their hands to the amulet. 

Draco healed everyone, letting them rest their hands on the amulet for a few seconds each. 

Once everyone was back to peak physical shape, they stood up from the ground and dusted the sand off themselves.

Draco saw Amber walking up to him, terror still in her eyes, "Draco, what was that thing?" she asked. 

Draco shook his head, "Remember those bones you were studying? They weren't actually bones. Those were the spurs on the back of some massive monster." he said. 

Amber nodded her head shakily, trying to make sense of everything. 

She remembered seeing the monumental creature for a split second before being rendered unconscious, and it still sent shivers down her spine. 

"That thing must've been a progenitor! I never thought I would see a living one during my lifetime." she said. 

Draco nodded, "It actually spoke to me, and I heard its voice in my head. It said its name was Formica" he said in disbelief. 

Draco was still recovering from the mental shock of what had happened. After all, Formica had transmitted its thoughts directly to his brain! 

If Draco hadn't been powered, his brain likely would've been turned into mush. Even now he still had a throbbing headache, and he felt like throwing up all over the sand. 

When Amber heard Draco say this her eyes widened in surprise. 

"It did what now?! Progenitors that can transmit their thoughts are all beings of legend, who would've thought we could find one in this barren desert." she said. 

Draco sighed, "No matter. We need to get out of here before that thing wakes back up."

He continued, "You also won't believe what it asked me to do."