Good info guyz. The test is not on Monday but Wednesday xD So it means that I can still write like 20 chapetrs…. Okay, maybe not 20, but 2?

Kay’ to thy chapy!

It was extremely weird to walk using 4 legs. I was stumbling every now and then, but even as it was hard, even if it was painful, I was bravely marching forward! For the hivemind!... wait never mind.

I was heading direction pointed out by voice I heard. Why? Oh, definitely not because I wanted to be useful, good drone. Those are only my presumptions, but maybe this hivemind is only giving specific orders and then controlling effect.

So as long as I would do what it expects me to do, I would not be bothered. And as I won’t be bothered I would have more time to get used to this body, check what are my limitation, infiltrate hive’s structure, check for possible ways out… and of course if I can vanish from hivemind radars ,just to finally destroy it.

So much work to do… better start right away.

After few hundreds of meters I finally got used to my new body. I was walking past next corridors noticing how surroundings slowly changes. If I wouldn’t know where I came from, I would never believe that I am inside of old castle, and not inside a huge ant nest.

Insects that I passed were either green or black, just like its surroundings. But not me. As I walked past some water stream, I also have no idea what it was doing there, I noticed that I was white with strange black patterns. Also my shifting was still far from perfect. My face was partly human, I got both mouth filled with teeth and insectoid mouthparts outside. My whole structure was also smaller and exoskeleton was weaker, especially on the belly-level.

Even if I was not looking exactly like them, I was smelling exactly like them. It was enough, to treat me like part of the hive.

After over 30 minutes of walking I finally got to my appointed arena. And I was speechless.

It was almost like outside. Once again I was outside of the “anthill”, but it doesn’t mean, that it was looking like your average castle. No. it was almost as if I would be walking under open sky. The ceiling was glass-like, allowing for sunlight to fall down and plants to grow. The arena was also bigger then whole castle from outside. What kind of sorcery is that?!

Not far away I saw few other another mantis that looked similar to me. Another drone, but this one was also bit brown and green. It was staying low partly hidden in the grass.

Order from [Hivemind]You have came to appointed arena.

Now perform scouting duty.

Look for everything that could be useful for a Hive: food sources, places that could be used as hive extension, water supplies another animals.

Engage into battle only if you would find survivability chances higher than 80%

Do well, Drone, and remember: "I am, because we are"Rewards???

???

???

… now even insect are giving me quests? Well, their exp is as good as everybody else. For the motherland!

I used my wings for the first time and flew a little. And then I smelled pheromones of the other drone. “Danger. Be careful. Stay down.” It’s what it said.

So I did as he smelled. And I have to say, he probably saved my life. In front of us was a hillock. Or I should say, I thought that it was a hillock. It was a huge creature. But if I remember correctly, Hillock doesn’t move, is not covered in scales, doesn’t have a tail nor mouth with teeth. And that hillock had all of those things.

A giant, motherfucking, lizard with trees growing out of its skin. Dragon that I fought last week could be devoured with three bites by that moloch.

I wanted to thank him, but I couldn’t find a smell with name “thanks mate” among those possessed by me.

Drones, unlike works that works in swarms, are loners. As soon as I came in and danger passed, the other drone moved to a different location. I also kept moving. Using my [Predatory] skill I was tracking lesser animals and avoiding bigger ones. It also helped me navigate between woods, that grew EVERYWHERE!

Yet my colors were making me visible. Far more than I would wish to be. So I did the thing that I used to… I covered myself in mud. Then I proceed mu hunting and observation.

For I was tracking some small fluffy being. What kind of fluffy being?

An'taktoLevel4Hp42/50Sp92/100SkillsWary mind [passive] [Level 4]

Swift body [passive] [Level 6]Those creatures were created by Ancients as pets.

They are living for no particular purpose. Their only outstanding ability is to run extremely fast as they sense danger.

Herbivores that lives in herds.

They literally were small-dog-sized perfect balls of fur, hopping in their rear legs. Yes, it was cute. Yet it was sweet. But was leaving a strange aftertaste if someone would ask me…

The part that was interesting was that they are living “in herds”. So I have to find their location. I hope that it does count as food source…

Crouching like a tiger… hidden like a dragon. Ultimate predator on the loose, stalking its prey… yeah it was boring. Nothing particular to do nor see. Don’t mind me…

Hammer felt on head of huge creature made of white onyx. It barely took few steps back, before changing the way it held battle axe and started attacking.

But opponent of this statue was far more furious. Smash after smash, blow after blow. She never stopped attacking releasing all the anger and sorrow she kept until now. Those blows would never gave back her friend, but they helped easing the pain. When she was smashing and hitting and destroying, she wasn’t thinking. And that was a good start.

The creature fell on the ground, it tried to rise, but it never did. Hammer start falling yet again, over and over its torso, pulverizing it deeper in the ground.

“Hey… who will tell her that it’s no longer moving?” “Better no one. The later she would realize that, the less we would get hurt… just let her be.”

One last time she raised her hammed and with scream full of hate, anger and sorrow she brought it down. She smashed the guardian to the pieces.

The mages again put crystals in wrong order, awakening another group of guardians. She didn’t mind. Destroying, that’s for what they paid her. So she will be destroying.

“Adventurers, do you need a rest? We found another possible combination, but in case it’s wrong too, you have to be prepared for another battle.” “Ask Gisele, she does half of the work…” someone said quietly. “Miss Gisele, can you keep going?”

The gaze she throw him was more than enough for an answer

“Very well, please, put down crystals, lads…”

The gate moved to the sides with painful sound. Another room became cleared. They were able to move to the next room.

I found it! That asshole took his time to walk back to home. You self-centered prick! Don’t you know how your parent were afraid? What do you think, coming back home at his hour, young man!? Shame on you! Shame, I say!

But as I already know where you are living….

I started to rub my body into a trees around underground nest. There were several dozens of those creature, could serve as lunch for a small group of my new insectoid friends. I finished spraying pheromones around the place and move forward.

So, apparently drones are first on the line? Before Hive would send thousands of her kind, it first drop few smaller, faster scouts to check if place is even worthy of being invaded… that smart. And this is frightening me. Whatever hivemind is, it’s not your average bug.

This place was literally infested with food for mantises. The problem was, that there are also many predators. The most logical way would be to find few areas that could be used as temporal bases for drones. Let’s say that we would move a kilometer into this hostile territory, from there we would move into different location and each of us would build another base. Then we would get back informing rest of the hive. The first base that we would build could then serve as “camp” for workers… or whatever it comes after drones. If some of new places would be found as sufficient feeding grounds, drones would fly even further looking for new bases, and then once again came back to inform the hive.

Yess.. that would be optimal actio… wait. Why the fuck do I care about Mantis’s logistic?! I should just do basic stuff and think how to trick those assholes! Damn! I got into acting like insect! Bad Zari!

I start looking for another objectives.

~…. Row, row, row your boat,

sneak up in the stream…

lock’n load in tactic mode…

GOD DAMN IT LUST!

~What!? I am bored!

I have no more patience for this woman… Someone is trying to focus here! Someone is working! Someone has to feed that bloody family of 9, but of course, no one helps me in this house!

… did I hear water? Let’s walk in that direction!

I got a bit excited so I increased my pace. TIKI-TAKA-TAKA, my limbs scratched the ground. The sound of water falling from the high place became even louder. I didn’t even know when I entered a small closed valley. There was a small waterfall, and water that fall from it created a very a shallow pond, but what got my attention was that I could have swore, that behind the falling water I saw an opening. Not-so-hidden cave? The only thing I am missing is and old sensei that would teach me kung-fu and wushu… but as I can’t see any old sensei around, I can as well just investigate it.

I stepped in, the water washed mud. The insides of the cave were spacious. Really spacious. I took my time checking if there wasn’t any danger or possible tenants. But it wasn’t it had few more “rooms” But each of them was perfectly empty. The ceiling of cave had few hollows, allowing sunlight in. It’s perfect! The land around is full of food! Apparently this is more than sufficient location for a “tactic camp”… once again, why the hell do I care about insect’s logistic? Ah, yes, exp… But still it’s something that exceeds possibilities of one small drone like me… Well, I can simply call for help.

I walked outside of the cave and start releasing pheromones. The command was “To me”, and “No danger”. In meantime I started collecting pieces of wood and mud and keep dragging it into the cave.

The first drone came after half an hour. It was bit confused at first, but after another smelly command “I need help” without questioning he started working with me. He probably thought, that if I called them and told them what to do, I need to have a reason. Good bug!

Within next 3 hours total of 12 drones appeared, each of them started working. The wood that we took inside was chewed and used to cushion the insides. The mud was a binder. Few drones were digging in muddy wall of the cave, expanding our little base. Three of them walked away as soon as we start working, and soon they came back with fluffy balls in maws, dropping them under our feet. So we also have catering here? That’s nice.

We have worked for over a day, enlarging our micro-hive preparing it for visit of another troops. Of course after few hours we start working in shits… it was my idea to boost productivity… but you have no fucking idea how hard it was to say “now you rest, and you work” in smelly language! This is what gave me another idea. I was part of the hive, yes? And I have lesser psionic, yes? So maybe, just maybe, I could train it a little, up to moments when I could send some basic messages too?! That would be great! Hahahahaha, fear me, oh cruel world! The fearsome bug king in being born! Hahahaha…. Muahahahaha….Thahahahah!...hahHahahaha..hah…heh…he….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfUM5xHUY4M -> here is laugh, if you would be curious>

… okay… let’s pretend, that that thing now… it never happened…

As soon as calmed myself a little, I sat in corner of the cave and started meditating, in the end it boost a little my mental attributes and helps me to focus, two things that are extremely useful while studying new form of magic… let’s see how does you trigger this whole lesser psionic… Hm? My brain… is itchy…

One would think, that life of mutated Insect Queen can be boring. All those who would say something like that would only prove their ignorance. Indeed, even if this large body can’t move itself, one can fight with boredom with their wits. Even if we were first monsters, we no longer are only animals. We were made by the makers to fight. But makers vanished. Yet their wisdom was still here… the wisdom that we can study.

My far ancestor, the first Queen, was the first monster in this whole ruin to start learning from remainings, the first to unlock intelligence. The first that studied. We, the queens that followed, only mastered the knowledge that she revealed. With its help, we awoken our magic, we made a connection with our brothers and sisters, that were… far more stupid… and gave them part of our intelligence, we gave them purpose, we gave them free will. It was only their own desire to follow. But it was far more than predictable. With us they meant something. They were no longer a lone brutes that would only mindlessly keep killing each other.

We were improving. Each generation was smarter, stronger, faster. We were waiting for breaking point in evolution. But we knew, it’s still but a distant dream. We didn’t mind. After me there will be another that will continue our work, that will carry our dream. A dream to exceed our makers.

But, for now… there is time to lay another egg… The Giga-Mantis Maiden, my personal servant, came from the corner, took an egg and moved it to incubatory. As soon as she left, two other took her place and began cleaning me. How convenient to be part of a hive, thanks to them I have more time to study. To understand… to know…

But my study was disturbed. Drone came to my room. That’s strange. I gave them new target not so long ago, it is almost impossible to have it done… but, if it wants to report… How unlucky that they are not smart enough to individually use their abilities… how wonderful would it be, to not only send messages, but also to receive them! To talk with my children! To hear their mind!

Yet I am afraid, that I would not live long enough to witness this miracle of evolution…. But to the business… what do you want, little one…

Drone stepped closer, so I could touch him, o laid one of my limbs on its head. This was the only way to literally see his mind. To see what he wanted me to see.

And then I saw it, the vision was blurry, but I saw one of my children acting out of a pattern, how very strange… they act like I tell them, because they accepted that I am smarter… No, I am not angry. Let’s see…

He made a small hive? And then he told the other drones to scout in different pattern than suggested by me? I already divided them into team of 10-15 and them to act lonely to cover as big area as possible…

Radially? He made a base and told them to spread from that very point and look for places to created another small hive? Location with water and hunting grounds as priority? Then to come back and report? That’s… that’s so much more effective…! How are you little drone…

1452? The one that two days ago I found outside of a assigned location?

“Thank you little drone, you can go” I said to messenger

I focused my fool attention at individual 1452 Let me look at you… I kept looking for him… But he was not there… No, he was not dead, if he would be dead my “mind-string” would disaster, but it was still there… but it was… empty… How?

Then he appeared, at the end of a string. His existence glowed for a few seconds, and vanished again. My heart skip a beat. Is he… is he trying to understand his powers? He is playing with it! He certainly does! To even show desire to understand! It’s happening! The evolution! He is the first of many!

He appeared after few minutes. I wasted no more time, I connected right away.

“Individual 1452. Your recent action pleased the Hive greatly…” then for a moment I hesitated “…You can came back to hive-heart. I wish to reward you.”

He may show signs of intelligence, but I doubted he can fully proceed what I said… well, still adding emotions, like “good” and very idea of “reward” should be enough to…

“Thank you. I am pleased to hear that. I will come as soon as I would ensure that works are heading right direction.” I got message back

… What was that…