I entered the upper section of the hive. Now in familiar territory I made my way down the empty pathway that was devoid of activity, reaching the wide opening filled with pillars.

There was a noticeable lack of wasps in the area which was a welcome sight. Memories from the murky depths of the wasp floated to the surface and my subconscious mind looked through them for the needed information.

The halls, I realised, were devoid of activity because the squadron of wasps I'd seen in the lower sector had already left the hive.

The quiet was only for the moment, until they returned with fresh victims.

It was good news for me, because without them I could move more freely. However, my host would stand out as builder wasps rarely made their appearance on the upper levels.

They only did their duties of retrieving the damaged hosts and left almost immediately. They were also one of the only wasps that was completely barred from entering the domain of the queen.

So it wasn't exactly the ideal candidate for espionage and besides, it was getting weaker too. If I lingered around in the upper area too much, it would become a problem.

The many cones of the wasps vision were crystal clear and I passed through the hall with relative ease. I didn't encounter any obstructions and I soon arrived at the entrance of the egg chamber. There, I located it's only inhabitant and I paused at the entrance to observe the 'traitor' before entering.

The wasp looked up and screeched something inaudible at me before continuing its egg sorting duties. I did not approach it and walked straight towards the hidden egg space. When it saw I hadn't left, it grew anxious and quickly abandoned its duties to fly in my direction, screeching all the while.

It hurled itself towards me like a blur, brandishing its barbed stinger. But it was too late as I was already in front of the area.

I pushed open the stack of eggs, revealing the hole in the floor and before its stinger could touch me, I raised one arm and caught the wasp in the air, quickly tossing it down.

It squirmed around uselessly on the floor as it tried to get up, but I reached over with my three clawed fist, grabbing both of its mandibles in one hand, before crushing them with a squeeze like a seized vice. The screech in its throat turned to a whimper and then it was gone, the sound fizzling away to nothing.

I was aware that carrier wasps were much weaker than their bulkier counterparts so I controlled my strength before knocking it down with what I thought was a light blow to the head.

But when it went limp immediately, I panicked thinking I had accidentally killed it before I could make use of it like the others. But when I saw one of its limbs twitch in pain, I was relieved.

It was very much alive and stared at me with an expression that I read as disbelief. I didn't waste another thought and quickly grabbed some of the membranous webbing covering a cluster of eggs and using it like a rope I tied the wasp's wings and limbs together, much like a kidnapped victim. Then I bundled it up and threw it over my back, much like a bad guy.

With my hostage secured, I left the secret compartment wide open before exiting the chamber. I exited the egg room and arrived at my original host chamber. It was then that the wasp began to struggle, a delayed reaction, like it did not believe what was happening to it.

Aside from my delight at making it back in one piece, not much had changed since I'd left. The many hexagonal chambers were still sealed and there wasn't much movement from the creatures inside. When I peered through the cells, the host creatures inside were still asleep.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my cellmate, the lizard-like creature awake, and licking its wounds.

I expected it to still be unconscious since it suffered quite a lot of injuries. It seemed its injuries were already almost healed. And once again I marvelled at its intriguing ability.

As though it sensed a presence with malicious intent, the lizard stopped and peered up at the hole. As our eyes met, a panicked expression flared in its eyes and it became still, stopping every action, before dramatically dropping to the ground on its sides.

"...." I was speechless.

Why was it still here? If it was awake, shouldn't it have fled by now?

Its feigned sleep wasn't fast enough, nor was it very convincing.

The wasp on my back continued to struggle and I irritatingly tossed its body down into the lizard's cell, breaking the membrane barrier before leaping in myself.

Even after the loud noises, the lizard continued to pretend to be asleep so I strode over to it and directed a strong attack on its head, making it unconscious for real.

The lizard was either a reckless creature with a deathwish, or one with a better perception of danger than I cared to admit. However, with it unconscious, it wouldn't try to attack me.

And with that, my attention returned to the wasp and I pondered for a moment if I could communicate with it using the host wasp's body, but when I turned to look, the wasp was no longer there.

I frantically glanced around the hexagonal cell and found it halfway up the wall, climbing up frantically to escape.

The webbing that bound its body had been ripped to shreds by its claws and now hung loose around its limbs. I quickly shrugged off the idea of communicating as pointless and sped towards it.

Although its limbs were somewhat free, its barbed claws were caught on the remnants of the membranous webbing, making its climb unsteady and difficult. Its wings were still caught in the webbing so it kept slipping as it gained and lost its grip frequently.

I hastily led my wasp to climb the wall and once it was within my reach, I yanked it down by the leg and pressed it to the ground. Its claws scraped noisily against the surface in its effort to flee, the tangled limbs persistently reaching out to attack me.

Although its crushed mandibles let out no sound, there was a desperation to their noiseless snaps. The wasp fiercely resisted and with my increased strength, it was a thin line between keeping it still and completely crushing it.

"How do I stop it from escaping!" I panicked at my lack of experience in such an area, wondering whether bundling it with more webbing will be enough to hold it.

«Break its legs.» Sensei advised in a calm manner.

"No. I need it to be fully functional." I hissed in annoyance. The builder wasp's wouldn't allow me near the queen's chambers so I intend to use this wasp as my next host.

I wanted to knock it unconscious but I couldn't properly control the wasp's strength and I was worried about accidentally killing it. I knew that once it broke apart the webbing covering its wings, it would be able to fly away. So, I decided to damage it in a way that will keep it from escaping and won't hinder regular movements.

Firstly, the claws it used to climb - I snapped them at the tips so they were unable to grip, and then the barbed claws on its joints that it used to cut the membrane - I ripped out from the root.

The wasp's twisting body fiercely struggled against the webbing holding its wings but to no avail, its mandibles making inaudible noises. They were already crushed so I didn't have to worry about its sound attracting others.

Its most dangerous weapon was its stinger but I left that alone as I was confident it couldn't use it to free itself without its wings. And even if it tried to attack me when I get close to taking over its body, I could easily avoid it with my improved agility.

By the time I was finished, the wasp was now a harmless trembling lurch but all of its limbs were still in working condition.

«You're not going to eat it?» Sensei questioned.

"Are you disappointed?" I asked with a smirk.

«No. I'm curious.»

I laughed. "Now you know what it's like to be left in the dark."

Without waiting for his response, I released my wasp from [Mind Chain]. My crystal clear luminous vision flickered in and out, and then faded until the was completely dark, then I saw the wasp drop to the floor, motionless but still alive.

I coiled myself tightly around its neck and granting it peace by squeezing out its last breath.

〚You have defeated LV12 Melior Hesperia〛

〚You have earned 98XP〛

〚You have gained a level!〛

I slithered away from the wasp's corpse, reading the system messages and I heard another ding.

[Novice Level Quest - Defeat a Hesperia.]

[[3/3] Complete!]

[Quest Reward 90XP has been issued!]

«I'm proud of you.» Sensei added.

I stopped dead in my tracks as a chilly sensation spread through my body. What was this fool saying?

I sputtered and nearly choked as my brain fumbled to find an appropriate response.

Then it dawned on me. This was just him making fun of me as usual.

Sensei laughed. «What is that reaction? Didn't you want a compliment?»

I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore him. He was still an idiot.