Besieged by Rolies

Against his better navigational capabilities, Chakratch stumbled into a roly trap. The roly polies must have been lying buried in this dormant field, waiting to besiege some hapless passersby. Where was Kanko? Chakratch groped out in the psychic space, trying to pick up anything beyond the war cries and din of melee. Amidst a cage of latticed rolies, Kanko shouted out. The rolies tittered, happy to have made a catch. No-good whiffers. A caltrop spike erupted from the soil. Chakratch sidestepped and turned up just in time. Overhead, the gaping maw of a roly shaft plunged down, nearly cleaving Chak’s face. Why had he wasted energy reducing his cell opacity? Plants did not rely on sight here. Energy would have been better spent blasting these fiends and fleeing. The Quintresier were no doubt on their scent, and this delay could be the difference between success and capture.