Mimi, The Queen

Argus had finally calmed down. She found her resolve, and was happy with her reward. Argus would need more homunculus bodies to properly utilize them all, but for now, she was where she needed to be. Rose's journey to the East was proving fruitful. Silver was moving between the cave we started in, and the city of Eclipse to make sure everything was going well. I had wanted to give him a wisp or two to see what would happen, but there would be another time.

Brick was now inhabiting the bodies of defective gnomes, and the algae project was going well. Berry was performing his duties well and was informed to cut all ties with Gray for now. I needed to figure out what was going on, and hopefully, there would be more information next month. Scix was growing his army and marking warehouses for us to move into when this farce of a war was over.

To my surprise, Clarice exceeded my expectations. She had infiltrated the Tribes, to keep an eye on Pandora and eavesdropped on the meetings between Cheshire and The Minotaur. It was enlightening given that Pandora wasn't telling me everything that I wanted to know. The little brat was lying to me and I couldn't be more proud as her mother.

Pandora was maturing her magic well and continuing her spars with the null magic-user. She was growing her own hive by taking over the minds of tiny beasts and bugs. Her unconscious was handling all their daily needs, and directing them in a unique way I hadn't considered. She would probably be better at managing the entire Hive than even myself. She was made to take care of the Hive's physical needs and I had underestimated just how quickly she was maturing. Berry was given the task of learning how she did it, to make the HIve more efficient without giving her too much to take by herself.

Pandora showed a lot of promise, unlike poor Ember. Argus was gone the next second, after her third thanks. The new personalities followed her, understanding she was their leader. I watched my youngest daughter still bleeding in her crib, before moving to the node behind the glass. The King was standing there, watching Ember. "Welcome back," he greeted me.

I marched my bugs once in reply to let him know I wasn't exactly pleased. The rune nearby began to glow as I connected with it. |"What is the purpose of showing me this?"| The rune somehow spoke those words out loud. It was frustrating how I was made to wait for him to articulate his replies. It would be simpler to just connect and speak through thoughts. It would be quicker, and yet I knew he had something planned if I tried.

He tilted his head, the crown not moving a single centimeter. "Just a very important point to hammer in. Never go into a major fight while pregnant, and never evolve while pregnant. You knew you were supposed to have twins, but here we are."

|"I see that, and I shall keep such in mind. What I am asking, is why you are making her suffer."| I tried to put emotion through the rune, yet the voice simply stayed monotone. It was grating to hear my voice spoken in such a way.

Charles stifled a yawn, not even pretending to care about this conversation. He wasn't even answering my questions before I asked them as he usually did. I spoke to Douglas, getting his updates. Information was flowing in, while I offered advice to the personalities that needed it. I patiently explained why some ideas were very likely to fail, before letting them try for themselves if they wanted to. Charles spoke after a couple of seconds, "Because you'll be here the whole hour."

|"Yes, that was the agreement. I could talk to the others while I talked to you. I was allowed the privilege of your oversight so long as I was talking to you, and watching Ember. What have you done to her?"|

Charles slowly blinked his eyes, a warm cup of coffee suddenly appearing in his hands. I knew he was faking his tiredness, he was doing his best to frustrate me. "What indeed?" He took a loud sip before gesturing at the armored herald feeding Ember a bottle of milk. "His name is Mike, and his talent sterilizes everything around him. It even keeps your bugs from reproducing, but that's just feedback from my pact with him. That's one of the things I've done to her."

|"Tell me everything."| I didn't need to be in this room anymore, but talking to humans was incredibly slow. I likely needed every second of the hour to get everything taken care of. I was glad that Douglas recruited a few other Entomancers to let me talk to Lewis and a few others directly as well. Over fifty conversations were happening at once, and yet this one frustrated me far more than all of them combined.

Charles loudly smacked his lips before taking another sip. "The milk came from splicer I raised. It took decades, and multiple generations to get the perfect milk for Ember. Without this milk, her survival chances of survival would go down five percent. You are so very lucky I prepared for this outcome."

|"How lucky? Explain every last detail."| I was getting some interesting information out of him now.

He tilted his head back, rolling his shoulders before continuing. "Everything I have done has led to a seventy percent chance that Ember will survive. The runes inside her crib keep you from connecting to her, but it also acts like your connection to Pandora. It simulates how you would have talked to her, to keep her sane. Your kids need someone to talk to, after all, they all need to be connected to the Hive."

I committed those words to memory, understanding a bit more why he recommended Brick as the best mentor for the third Richard and I would eventually have. He had touched on this topic before my exile before, but now he was idly explaining very important information. I had to play his game, just as I had to become his friend in the future. He kept so much from me, but Charles had spent decades preparing for Ember. It softened my frustration, but it also didn't leave me in the best mood. "Go on, please."

Charles chuckled, "I've died thousands of times. Every time I see the future I basically set a point here in the past then live through it. You have no idea the eternity I've witnessed, the countless tragedies I have suffered. The only thing keeping me sane is my talent and even that struggles. You may stretch seconds into centuries, but I have shuffled along eons in a single minute. Every word I say here is only to push you towards what I perceive as the best outcome."

"What is that outcome, Charles?" I watched as Ember had the bottle pulled from her, as she coughed up a bit of blood. My anger was slowly falling away, as I started to realize I was to blame for her condition. The weight of it slowly settling in my mind. I had wanted to believe he did this to her, that he hurt her. The more I thought about it, the more I realized he had no reason to hurt my daughter in such a way.

Charles took another sip before the cup disappeared. "One that I'll regret, but will save the most people. That includes you since Eclipse recognizes your rights as a person. Sacrifices will be made, and I will hate it. I'm not a god, I can't force everything to work out the way I want it to. Even if Ember dies, you will help my wife." He put his hand on the window, "We will be friends, so I must do everything I can to protect your children. It's the least I can do for what I will have to ask of you."

I saw genuine compassion as he stared at Ember's form. I began to understand the scope of what he must have seen. He had all of this prepared on the off chance Ember was born this way. How much more had he prepared? What else was done? There was no reason to fight him if he truly meant well. It was my arrogance that kept me from accepting him as an ally. "What will you ask of me?"

Charles smiled a little to himself. "In time, I will have requests sent to you. You are not ready for the biggest problems I have to face, but you can sew the seeds for the solutions before these problems sprout. I will explain these things, and how they work together when we have these talks. I regret that we can only spend an hour like this. I can't risk you trying to connect your Hive to me, just as you cannot risk making me your enemy. At worst, I will have my wife during the final moments of Xentos."

"Why are we only spending an hour a month like this? What do you seek to prepare me for?" The other conversations were slowly ending, the proper people informed of what needed to be done and how. The summer harvest would arrive in a few weeks, then it was time to prepare for Fall. The farms were doing incredibly well from the small hives tending them. I had exceeded the deals Cynthia had negotiated with those lesser nobles. More coin for the Hive was always a good thing.

"More than an hour will affect your mood and my own. We will be friends, but we can't stand each other. We'll both get very busy, or have things to attend to. Our personalities clash too much, and I like my secrets as much as you like your lies. Besides, I want to spend as much time as I can with my wife. It's just the optimal amount of time for both of us. I just want you to know I will do everything in my power to help you, as I know you will do the same for me when we get to that point."

"I acknowledge what you are saying, and will remember these words." The minutes ticked past, as I watched Mike care for Ember. Charles stood there in silence, as I handled the last bits of business for my Hive.

Five minutes were left when he spoke again, "When the year passes, and you come back. I want you and Ember to fix my wife together. It doesn't matter in the long term, it doesn't even increase the success rate, but I feel sentimental. It's something I want to watch, a tiny little thing to treasure."

"Very well, it shall be done when the time comes." I left it at that, my time ending as I left Eclipse once more to inform Richard in private.

Argus, The Giant

I was back in my body, the warmth of my Queen leaving me. I could still talk to her, but she was busy. She spent precious seconds on me, and nothing had ever been more clear. I would not waste what she gave me. The other body I had used slowly sat up. I pushed the eager personality down. |"That body needs to rest."| I gave her memories on how to find the next one.

She giggled, |"Okay~"| Then the body slumped. They were eager, I checked that it was AA. I had given them all names based on the elvish alphabet. A through EE, each syllable having a second sound for when they were used twice in a word.

I huffed, as they told me everything they were learning. It was confusing, but dreamer and hypnotist helped me deal with the worst of it. I wanted to see how our Queen's soul looked when she got back, but there was so much work to do. I transferred memories to the new personalities on how to move their bodies around. They were connected to me through the Hive. My Queen gave me one last glorious gift, she wove links that would connect our very souls. I was no longer a simple shield, but a phalanx.

Our souls bound closer than any other in the Hive, we shared my talent. They all flexed their muscles, quickly making progress as they took their first steps. It was easy to put the principle into practice. They took their first breaths, they blinked before examining their rooms. Some of them were curious and set their blankets on fire. I quickly taught them how to put it out. Others were talking to the bugs in our Hive. A couple were even touching their bodies, unused to the sensation of flesh.

I quickly made them all stop before they did anything too crazy. Especially those two touching themselves, they were having too much fun pinching their forearms. I didn't want to explain the rest of the bits, not this soon at least. The whole thing made me realize just how amazing our Queen was. Her glory had no limit, she was doing far more than I had just managed every second. I quickly got them all to focus on dreamer and hypnotist magic with me. We were quickly sharing memories and experiences. Well, they were using what I already had as a template and confirming everything they could in these few moments.

Ten minutes passed, and they were walking just fine. They were using their magic in a more acceptable way. I couldn't correct them too much, since mistakes would help us discover something, hopefully. I even got them to talk in just the right way, with the phrases they could use to leave their rooms. The goal was to get everyone rounded up. They were to meet their closest companion, then walk towards the safer areas and meet that pair. Slowly we would all rejoin at the center of my territory, where it would be the safest to test and try things.

I headed out, letting the workers know I was done resting for now. We said our goodbyes, while I constantly checked on the others. It was interesting to see how the different ratios of memories affected how they chatted. No two were the same, just as I wasn't like them. I watched them as best I could through the bugs, having the hive keep notes so I knew who to watch out for when it came to social things. BB stuttered while she was talking and quickly ran back to her room. She just switched to the body where we planned to meet up.

The others complained that they didn't think of that, but quickly got over it. The kinks would be worked out as we practiced talking to each other. Twenty minutes passed before everyone was where they needed to be. We all looked exactly the same, which made me shake my head. We clearly weren't the same! How were people supposed to tell us apart? I couldn't confuse my employees like that.

I gathered them up and had them follow me inside. BB was ordered to stay where she was. I could feel their emotions and thoughts better now that we were closer together. Proximity made the links binding us stronger, and they were understanding the memories better. Their steps were becoming more sure, as we all began to walk in sync. I asked CC to talk to Brenda since she enjoyed chatting with the other brothel manager. It was going surprisingly well.

Brenda stared at us with wide eyes as CC strolled up to the desk with a smirk, "Hey, come here often?"

The human was very confused but schooled her face. "Yes, I do. Is this some kind of test or something?" She tilted her head looking at the eight of us behind CC.

CC shrugged, "Maybe, but we're here to enjoy ourselves~ We'll be busy upstairs, make sure no one bothers us for the next thirty or forty minutes." She winked at the end.

Brenda calmly marked down our room on the paper, before handing CC the key. I gave her a mental head pat, while the others cheered. The cheer started Brenda, and I had to step in and explain how this was fine and I was actually Argus. Humans are just bad at telling others apart. I told the others to go upstairs while I had to explain that it wasn't a freak accident. That yes, everything was perfectly fine. I thanked her for doing her best to make sure everything was going smoothly.

Everyone was already practicing magic when I made it to the room. They were putting principles into motion, and getting the hang of it quickly. They all calmed down, the excitement of their new bodies wearing off after I burned the tips of their fingers. It wasn't nice, but it did help them focus. I talked to them, helping them slowly get the hang of it all. Memories were great and all, but putting it to practice was another matter entirely.

We made progress with every second, all of them slowly catching up to where they needed to be. We quickly discovered we could influence each other's magic and amplify the effects. It was worth testing at a later date, but for now, they needed to be able to do their own patrols. Pairs were better than going alone, and they didn't have any real fighting experience. They knew they used to be wisps, but that was the extent of their past lives. I had ten eager personalities to train up to proper elites.

Scix, The Pack

The Queen's conversation with me had been a short one. I was fulfilling my duties without issue, I reported my findings and discoveries with efficiency. Gray's absence had been noted, Argus was assigned the task of subduing him. She requested it and it was granted, nothing more, nothing less. It would be simpler to silence Gray, but I understood the Queen had her reasons. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

If Gray was wiped away, then it was obvious proof our Queen had become involved in the affairs of the Underground. The mad king that ruled these lands had decreed that moving into the Underground did not count towards the days exiled. It would make it more difficult for her to return, as well as call into question if she ever truly left in the first place with the personalities above ground. The disgusting creatures that called themselves people would convince themselves our Queen had lied.

It didn't matter if the person was a human, elf, dwarf, or any halfbreed walking on two legs. They deluded themselves with lies and morals. They spoke of rights that every individual was born with while allowing slaves to clean their homes and grow their food. They spouted off about how only those that deserved such fates ended up in that situation, while all it took was a few documents edited by me to show how easily the situation changed. The races could delude themselves with words all they wanted, but none of that could protect them from my bugs using their own words against them.

I kept most of my packs to the shadows of the South and West, roving between the dead-zones with numbers to scare or tear into anything living there. Gangs had found the last of the Raven's hounds, and let them out to die. The creatures had been bred to fight in death matches within cages. People would have placed bets while they fought for their lives with empty bellies. I refused to accept any individual that wasn't connected directly to our Hive.

I would not disobey an order from my Queen, which meant Robert and his ilk were safe for now. When their usefulness expired, I would drag them out and make it quick. I would feast on them slowly if they betrayed the Queen's kindness, it was as simple as that. Hundreds of hounds, dozens of Fukuma, and even five burrow worms were eagerly hungering for flesh. I was everywhere, and nowhere, one with every bug that carved its way to the brains of these beasts.

I understood our Queen better than I ever had before. Each body I had was slowly succumbing to the black blood my bugs were pumping into their systems. It was why she never invested in this method. The optimal solution would be if every creature I took over, turned into a monster variant I could still control. Even if every Fukuma turned into a Cheshire, and every burrow worm became a dark bleeder. I would still lose most of my army. Whisper hounds couldn't turn into monsters for whatever reason.

The solution my Queen had come up with was forcing the bodies I controlled to reproduce. Which was needed for longevity, but didn't solve the issue I had. New bodies would take a long time to develop, with even the hounds taking years to mature into adults. Their pups wouldn't be suited for fighting and the same problem would come back.

She also suggested a few tests to run on the larvae to make a sort of parasite that filtered out the black blood. Without such poison running through their veins the bodies would last longer. It was actually given to me as a task, as she purified well water for a town so her own pet to drink.

It was maddening that mutt, Richard, was by her side. I had reflected on my attempt at his life, and I reflected on his actions before they were exiled. I even contemplated what he had her doing while out there, and the same answer came to me. He was using her to satisfy the same 'ideals' every other person held. The only thing that made it bearable was that she was using him as cover for the den of all ignorance. I came to hold a special hatred for humans. The more I heard about the Kingdom of Fire, the more I wanted to rush to my Queen's side.

She only needed tens of thousands of bugs to poison the food and water of everyone in the Underground. She used this logic to force that human, Azera, to submit to her desires. Everything without black blood was so weak, so fragile. Every race was better off serving their betters and catering to those that chose to spare them. It was for that reason children were left alone, unless they attacked first. They could be taught and educated properly.

Morals only existed in the minds of those that sought to enforce them. People regardless of race were more than willing to spout their beliefs, but when it came to the cost of their comfort they willingly ignored it. Good and evil are only constructs decided by the majority to unite them under a banner. All that truly mattered was the end result, and thus there was only one thing that truly disgusted me. Those that dared not claim responsibility for their own actions.

Come what may, I will gladly tell my Queen the name of every individual and creature I have killed. Her strength was far beyond my own, and that was something I would always accept. If she ever became weaker than me, I would see her serve me to the best of her capabilities. She understood that part of me well, and accepted it, for she desired all answers within the Hive. It was my reason for being, to carve out any weakness that might bring the Hive harm.

This is why I could never forgive those arrogant slavers that saw their products as property. They were the same flesh and held the same blood as those they trained. They deluded themselves into believing another just like them was somehow inferior. When in reality they were both inferior to a single bug in the Hive. Strength was what dictated the dichotomy of relationships between groups. More of my bodies were slowly succumbing, and those past saving were sent into the territories of Argus and Gray. They were allowed to frenzy and rampage, while I controlled the stronger ones to free yet more creatures.

The Underground was a vast place, with thousands of hounds and tens of thousands of creatures waiting for me to take. I would not allow my fellows to rest. If they should fall from my scraps, then they were not fit to serve our Queen. This war was only meant to distract and confuse enemies that might be watching. Weakness would not be tolerated, as we were expected to strike down those enemies when they revealed themselves. The hour our Queen was here had passed, and she was gone. Glory to her, and glory for the Hive!