Upon noticing the worm, Verlena and Teres immediately reached for their weapons, their postures tense. Though it resembled the worms from the cave city, this one was different. Its gaze was sharper, more aware, unnervingly focused.

Verlena kept her eyes locked on the elegantly dressed figure, but addressed Centi-Ren. "Centi-Ren. Are worms such as this one commonplace here in Insectla? Just this morning we eliminated an entire city filled with creatures, as well as objects that had been mutated into horrific monstrosities by similar looking beings. To our knowledge, they are incredibly dangerous. I'm unsure if Roach Realm's owner is even themselves right now."

Teres added, "Can't tell personally. That little girl who led 'em in the cave city seemed normal enough, 'til she made the shitty choice to reveal that creepy alternate face of hers. As a matter of fact, almost forgot that we've still got the kid's corpse on our ship. Gotta get that thing checked out." His fingers rested on the bells in his jacket, his expression calm but alert. "Anyway though, that's all we've got to go off of right now. So we don't have a single clue whether or not adults can act this expressive when commanding the worms."

Centi-Ren shifted his gaze between Verlena and Teres, then to the elegantly dressed figure standing with the worm. Before he could utter a word, the figure stepped forward and spoke. "Keh heh heh... my oh my, yes... yes of course, the cave city!! I can explain, no need for bloodshed my friends. You're both so hasty! Although I'd say that's a good thing in a world as dangerous as this..."

They took a small bow before continuing. "Allow me to tell you my name first and foremost. I'll be the first to admit, not revealing it to you straight away was rude beyond words! My name is Valtana Auron. And that whole cave city situation, that was just an experiment of mine. You see, me and my charming new comrade here haven't been together for too long. I wanted to see for myself just what exactly this strange albeit fascinating little guy was capable of. So I kidnapped a child, infected them with the worm host ability my little friend here told me about, and tossed them into some old abandoned hidden city, with a buncha worms and other crap!"

She shook her head. "I know, I know. Not the most moral of solutions, I'll admit that too. I'm a person who makes a good handful of mistakes! But it certainly helped me learn a little bit about this power, so mission accomplished, purpose served. The point is, though, I'm not like those disgusting failures. This worm is the originator of all the others, so I'm in complete and total control of myself. Fret not."

Verlena and Teres exchanged a glance, the silence hanging between them as they processed Valtana's words. Teres, ever relaxed but with a hint of dry amusement, finally broke the pause. "Fret not... huh? Based on the typa person you seem to be, it damn well might be worse that you are in control of yourself."

Verlena's eyes narrowed, her voice cutting through the air. "Agreed. You willingly sent a child to their death!!"

"Okay, I did exaggerate that child thing a little bit. I'm a bit of a jokester at heart after all. The child was already destined for death, plagued by an incurable illness! Dark Consumption... you know of it, right?? It fills those infected with an unbearable amount of pain, before they finally succumb to it following some months passing by. So while it's true that I sent them to their death, in this case it was a fate better than living. Wouldn't you agree?" Valtana paused, awaiting a response.

Verlena took a moment, eventually replying, "I'm unsure. It would depend on what the child wanted. But.. I doubt you even bothered to learn their name. Or ask. Am I wrong?"

"Not at all. They were going to die regardless, that would've just made it even sadder." Valtana adjusted her hat. "So... you two don't quite seem to be convinced yet to join me for this friendly discussion. So let me reveal something to you."

Her eyes glinted as she spoke her next words, voice lowering ever so slightly. "I said I'd come find you following your encounter in Brelec... didn't I..?"

Verlena and Teres froze, the weight of Valtana's words crashing down on them. Their eyes widened in shock, realization dawning as they pieced it together. A moment of silence hung heavy between them, their disbelief palpable.

Observing their stunned reactions, Valtana let out a soft, amused chuckle. "Keh heh heh... care to join me now?" she asked, her tone dripping with smug satisfaction.

The two exchanged another glance, Teres giving a subtle nod. Verlena nodded back, then spoke. "The prosthetic being... is you? Mm... in that case, we do indeed have quite a bit to discuss regarding several topics."

"That we do. Right this way then, my friends." Valtana grinned before stepping to the side, opening the door to Roach Realm. With a graceful flourish of her hand, she gestured for them to enter. "Ah.. and you too, Centi-Ren! Come join us!"

Centi-Ren looked at her, the segmented edges of his centipede mask glistening in the setting sunlight. "I will. I don't intend on being left in the dark on whatever's going on here..."