Scix, The Pack

The war was back on, and I was spreading out in different directions. The disposables were allowed to frenzy in both Gray's and Argus' territories. The Fukuma waited in a few of my dens their teleportation based on line of sight. That wasn't an issue when I forced them to see what I wanted. The burrow worms carved tunnels to link the dens together. Their songs pulsing through the stone itself and uncovering more tunnels to explore.

I had nests of bugs dedicated to processing all the information coming through. Viper rats had burrowed into the kennels of those gangs just a bit too close to my Hive mates. It added strife and friction, making them desperate. These small gangs would either die, attack, or move away. The whispering hounds were restless as the first viper rat entered their crates. A few bit down on the tiny bodies, but those were disposable as well. The bugs clinging to the scaly tails of those rats took flight.

Pairs worked best since the hound would smash its face against the floor in an attempt to crush one. Their large ears were an asset, as I could use them to understand the sounds the people spoke. Those same ears also provided my bugs with a straight path to the brains of the hounds. I had to be careful not to rupture both eardrums, but my control had been honed this last month. The whispering hounds laughed in pain before their bodies seized.

There was pride in taking from those that sought to hide their hounds. It was more efficient to take from the gangs with dozens than it was to take a tamer's pet. That pride was also helped by the fact that potential enemies were robbed of coin and profits from whatever they intended to use the hounds for. My favorite thing to do was to wait and let those in charge simply open the kennels themselves. Nothing unsettled humans more than every last hound pretending to be asleep in the same position. It was that organization they didn't expect from beasts.

Rumors had spread from my actions. Those that mistreated their hounds were lured into a false sense of security. When the cages were opened, they were feasted upon. Those that treated them well were allowed to walk away once the cage doors were opened. I moved the next wave of viper rats into the kennels, lock-picking bugs crawling into the keyholes and adjusting their tumblers. Viper rats flipped the latches, as the hounds quietly left their homes.

I didn't have time to waste today, as my attack on Argus and Gray had already started. A few humans rushed into the kennels but stopped immediately after seeing the hounds were free. They quickly raised their hands and retreated, letting me take my twenty new bodies. The larvae were changing according to the memories my Queen gave me. If it worked, then she wouldn't need to waste her stingers healing any of these creatures anymore. I would sell the bugs to Argus and Gray as another service I provided.

Other bodies were lingering in the streets, listening to the unrest I had been causing. I followed the movements of the Minotaur as his gang came to the Southside. My Fukuma leapt forward into the open air, the momentum carrying over as they teleported right for the throats of the first group sent. I would not allow them to do as they pleased. Twelve were immediately slain, due to how slow their reactions were. My Fukuma teleporting back as quickly as they had arrived. The eight remaining were on guard, calling out about a Tamer.

One of them whispered the nickname they gave me. The boogie man. My Fukuma were licking their lips from the blood fresh on their teeth. The hounds laughed in the alleys, as the resolve of the group faltered. The other gangs knew better than to fight by this point. I broke them with weekly attacks, and now they whimpered and hid away as fifty still useful bodies began to creep out from the shadows. Their laughter came at once, all in unison.

This was enough to route the eight, as they quickly dropped their banner. They ran with every bit of strength they had, my hounds trampling the Minotaur's emblem as they gave chase. Only one needed to survive, only one needed to give the message. I chose to let the one that spoke that nickname live. They split up, each of them desperately sprinting. A few even turned to fight, managing to kill a body or two before their eyes were pierced by the tongues, or their throats were torn open by fangs.

Flesh had been gained for the Hive, the lifeless bodies dragged through the alleys. Even the bodies of the hounds were not to go to waste. Tonight we would feast! Tomorrow I decided to claim more Fukuma, and the next day would go to the bugs feasting on the scraps of these people. Those living in my territory were learning. The more clever ones were leaving offerings of food and drink just outside their doors. They were left alone, for now.

My army marched through the streets, moving down alleys and ending any drunk foolish enough to pass out on the streets. I was happy to see that both Gray and Argus slaughtered my failing bodies without hesitation. It was amusing to see Argus had finally learned to control more than one. Gray's vampires were an issue, but he was sticking to his territory much like Argus. They needed to expand and solidify their influence. They simply relied on me too much at this point, they would be good subordinates after I gather enough forces to make them yield.

My bugs were already in their territory, and Gray's hives were slowly being overtaken. Argus to her credit was a bulwark with her giants. Her control over fire simply leaving ash. It was just another week, and I was managing to keep tabs on everything they were doing. I knew the movements of every small gang in my territory, I knew all that I needed to know.

|"HELP ME!"| A female voice cried out, as a young elf crashed onto the streets. Her ears were cut in half, with barely any cloth to cover her. The scars around her neck and wrists told the entire story. A man was wobbling from behind the broken window, clearly drunk. Others like him were cheering and laughing. Free flesh was free flesh. My hounds moved closer.

Her body was covered in bruises, even as she clenched the dirt in front of her. Her breathing was unsteady, as she forced herself to sit. She sent out another cry, |"TAKE WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME, JUST KILL THEM!"| Her cry was filled with hatred and pain. She was glaring at my hounds, her magic speaking to the bugs around us.

It was only me, but those eyes knew bugs were controlling these hounds. She spread her arms wide, |"All I have is this body! Please! They killed my brother!"|

I was curious, |"Your body isn't enough, I can take your flesh. Easily, in fact."| My hounds circled her, laughing with the men. |"Tell me how you're worth more to me alive."| It felt disgusting to mimic the men that had tossed her out like this.

|"Then take my soul! Take my mind! Anything!"| She lowered her head, eyes watering. I could feel her conviction, it was interesting. That desperation, and I could use her body to prepare another vessel for my Queen. I just had to check her blood, and slowly mold her into it. The sooner a vessel was prepared, the better.

I moved one of the hounds closer to her, as the drunks watched behind their threshold. She was watching it with bated breath. |"Tell me, how far you are willing to go. I do not need you, and there is nothing you have to offer that I cannot take. Perhaps your blood might be useful. What kind of blood do you have, young elf?"|

She looked at the milky substance leaking from her cuts. The white blood that all elves had. |"Giving blood."| She said it as if it were a whisper, as though it were a curse. Taking blood could take any blood from any race and survive. Giving blood on the other hand was the same my Queen had. She was still young, and she could connect with the Hive. Today was proving very profitable.

|"Why haven't you killed them? I can tell your magic is new to you, did you just awaken?"| I licked her wounds, making her shudder.

|"Barely a week ago, I wanted to escape with my brother. Do you think I wouldn't kill them if I could!?"| That anger was back in her voice. Hounds moved to the broken window, laughing as the men turned pale. They were still drunk, but I could taste their fear. I had established rules after all. Those inside a building's threshold were spared, at least for now.

That rule of course changed should they attack, and they were looking nervous. All it took was one of the hounds licking their lips to have magic thrown at them. Three bodies were lost, but they didn't notice the bugs crawling along the frames. Warriors dropped from the ceiling, twenty of them for each human or elf in their little building. The flesh was worth more than the bodies I lost. They were paralyzed, as more hounds broke through the door. |"Prove it. Kill them now."|

The elf's eyes went wide before she used what strength she had left to rise. She stumbled with every step, crying as she saw the men seizing on the ground. Their limbs were useless, the bottles broken as flames were snuffed out. |"How should I do it?"| She looked around the room, her eyes settling on the dagger still sheathed on one of their hips.

|"I don't care, you asked for them to die. I have given you this opportunity. You will die with them, if I become bored or you take too long. So long as you are useful to me, I will allow you your life. This is your only chance to prove your resolve."| Most people would hesitate, or break down crying after the first killing. I had done this scenario thrice now, and witnessed it in the memories of minds of those slavers I took.

To my surprise, the elf used what strength she had left to grab the closest broken bottle and used the glass to cut their throat. She took the dagger and moved on to the next, mumbling something in a language I did not know. She was sweating and panting by the end of it, her wounds somewhat closed. |"It is done."|

|"What were you telling them?"| Hounds were moved to drag the bodies to the den, there was enough to keep everything fed for another week.

|"May their souls rot, and their bodies end up as shitty as they were."| An interesting phrase, also an apt one since their bodies would be eaten.

|"Follow this body, if you fail then you may still be eaten."| I walked the hound away, the elf following. To my surprise, she managed to make it to the den before her body finally gave out. She held quite a bit of promise. I had the hounds drag her into the safety of the den. Trappers and flesh carvers made certain her flesh was clean and the wounds were dressed.

My attack ended, and all the spoils were brought back to the den. Many tunnels looping and offering me insight on those that might approach. The girl woke up after resting for two hours. She didn't say anything, merely eating the flesh from her kill without thinking. I allowed her time to reflect, while I contemplated just what to use her for. |"What's your name?"| I spoke to her, causing her to startle.

|"Whatever you wish, master."| She bowed, wiping the blood from her lips. Her body was malnourished, her hair bound in knots. She was too weak to try making a new vessel for the Queen. It would likely take years or decades, and that was time better spent training her. At the very least she would make a suitable mouthpiece to start listing my demands to those I was going to attack next.

|"You gave me everything, and I desire the name you were born with. Tell it to me, or were your words hollow like the others I have killed?"| I might be able to help her rise. She might be able to overtake the Queen one day or aid me in such an endeavor. Strife facilitated the growth of the soul, and so long as there was war the Hive would grow stronger. Others might consider these the thoughts of a traitor, yet I saw them as simply making the Hive stronger.

I passed the seconds with my musings before the elf finally replied. |"Irma, my master."|

|"Very well, you shall be referred to as Irma. Tell me, what do you intend to do now? Also, cease calling me 'master.' You are not a servant, nor my slave. You are a part of my pack. No different to me than these hounds, or any other creature I have laid claim to. You will do as I say, or you will die. You are free to kill yourself at any time, but should you betray me your death will not be a painless one."|

Irma blinked, |"I do not understand. What am I to call you, if not master? What are you?"|

I chuckled slowly through her connection. I lacked the magic to take over her mind, and I could not see that changing anytime soon. My will was simply stronger than any that tried to steal from me. I made the pack yield to my will and forced them to serve me. Each beast had the choice of biting its own tongue and dying, yet I could not control anything beyond these simple-minded creatures. |"There are whispers that I am a mad entomancer out for revenge. Rumors that I am a demon that awoke from its slumber here in the Underground."|

Irma heard the hushed laughter of my hounds, as they circled her. |"You are neither of those..."|

|"Clever, you can feel it through your magic. You know instinctively what I am, but your mind may not be able to understand it. You asked me a question, and the answer is that you may call me Scix. I will accept the term leader, especially when others are around. I am not yet a king, you see. Can you find it within yourself to serve a bug?"| My hounds began their feast, as they moved away from her. The bodies were at their best when they were fresh.

Irma held her meat and took another bite, the blood running down her chin. |"My tribe served a beast before other elves captured us. They poisoned our protector like cowards and sold us to the lost ones. They cut our ears and brought us outside the forests. Some of us were sold at the towns or cities to the South, while I was considered lucky to be put on the wagon coming here. There is no difference between those that arrogantly separate themselves from what they are through words."|

How curious. |"Then you have no qualms with killing other elves? You are eating the flesh of those you have slain."|

She took another bite, |"When the dragons come, famine follows. They demand tribute and take mothers and daughters from our forest. Those elves that carved cities among the branches have forgotten what we are."|

|"What is that, little elf?"| I enjoyed her baring her teeth at my hounds. She didn't stop her eating for more than a few seconds.

|"Predators. We kill to live and hunt to survive. The weak are prey, and I acknowledge you as my guardian."| She set the flesh down, pressing her forehead to the floor.

I was becoming more curious about her tribe, as well as liking one of these persons from the people races for the first time. |"Where do you draw the line then? What can I not ask you to do? At what point will I push you over the edge? Can I expect you to kill yourself?"|

|"I have been ignoring that question, Scix. I will not take my own life, as it is no longer mine to give. I will tell you my limits when I reach them, but I thank you for the opportunity to become a predator in this new environment. I had allowed myself to become prey, but no longer!"| I could tell she meant every word.

|Good, do you seek to claim my spot? Will you try to lay claim to my pack?"| I landed bugs on her shoulder, as she reclaimed her meat.

|"Unless you desire it, if I am free then it is only natural that I would seek to become your leader as you put it."| She smiled gorging on the flesh in her hands.

It may well have been fate that brought her in front of me today. |"You are free, but you still serve me. Are there others from your tribe? Are they all like you?"|

She licked the blood from her palms, grinning with her sharp teeth exposed. |"Yes, and I know where they are."|

The next couple days were spent training Irma for the tasks I required. She threw herself at anything I required of her. Her body hadn't recovered from her journey to the Underground, but she was eating her portions of flesh without complaint. I spent my time tracking down the others that were brought with her. I learned their markings and listened to their language. I gained bits and pieces, as Irma translated for me. I couldn't connect to them, but they were aware something was happening.

By the fourth day, I had Irma speaking to the targets I planned on sparing if they submitted. The first groups laughed until their leaders dropped onto the floor in a deep slumber. They would wake up in a day or two, leaving just enough time to consider their choice. More people were starting to realize whose territory they were living in. The neutral ones trying to scrape by had their offerings prepared by the time one week passed.

Just like last time, the weakest bodies were sent to the territories of my hive mates. The new parasites were helping with the black blood in their veins. It wasn't perfect, but I could order them to let go of the ones they were filtering the blood from. It had increased the longevity of my pack by a few days. I needed more practice, but like everything else, it was promising. There were many things, but this week's attack was dedicated to freeing Irma's tribe and accepting them into my pack.

People fled to hide indoors. My weakest bodies were slain, which was to be expected. My territory was quiet, Irma moving through the alleys. I directed her from one shadow to the next. Her black bone armor clung to her form. Nothing was to be wasted after all. We arrived at the first spot, |"Break the door, and declare our intentions."|

She let out a cry in her language, the hinges breaking as my bugs swarmed inside. "WE HAVE COME TO CLAIM WHAT IS OURS!" Humans stared wide-eyed at the elf boldly screaming. "LAY UPON THE FLOOR, OR DIE TODAY!"

I saw magic flaring up. |"Move back behind the wall on the outside."| Irma didn't question it, hopping back and rolling out of the way of the fire that came out like a spout. My ghosts landed on their shoulders, a quick prick. Seconds ticked past as the men shouted, their hearts racing. They didn't dare go outside, and their eyelids became ever so heavy. They dropped unconscious as I ordered Irma to enter once more. She rushed to the male closest to us, speaking in their language.

She translated every word as I had told her to, through our connection. The male's bonds were cut free, the signs of torture still present on his flesh. Irma declared him too weak to fight and stated that if he wanted to live he would crawl his way after the hound I left in his room. Other hounds dragged the bodies onto the street before we moved to the next location. We raided the next location and the ones after.

Irma was showing signs of fatigue, but those capable of fighting followed after despite their weakness. It was as if the elves had entered a frenzy of their own. All of them were young, and they followed Irma's commands to the letter. They probably thought she was in control, but it was more efficient to explain that once they returned to my den.

True to her word, they shared the same ideals as Irma. The ones too weak to fight, but capable of walking dragged a body after my hounds. An hour passed, as all twenty of Irma's tribemates were secured. Five were still capable of fighting, they held whatever weapons they grabbed off the bodies of their captors.

Drums sounded in the distance, as the Minotaur's banner rose. My bugs flew to see how many they chose to see this time. Fifty figures were advancing with one standing twice as tall as any other. Kobe strolled with each thundering step, in beat with the drums. I quickly realized it was the other way around. The drums beating to his march.

His proud horns jutted from the side of his head, sharp and filed with thick curls pointing forward. His cloven feet left imprints, as I watched him advancing. He had brought along his champions from the Arena and other figures I did not recognize. He stood at eight feet tall, his horns adding an extra two (244 cm and 305 respectively. Also as tall as Mimi with his horns). He was burly, with a barrelled chest, and biceps thicker than the width of some of his men. A golden nose ring hung from his snout, scars lining his entire body. The only thing that looked fragile about him, was the slender tail with a tuft of fur at the end.

He stroked his goatee, thick white teeth showing through his grin. "It's been a long while since someone had the balls to slaughter my men and leave a single one alive." He bellowed out with a laugh, holding a double-headed war ax as if it were a hatchet. His voice boomed like thunder, as he spoke louder. "Why don't you come out and talk, mister bug man. I want to show you how we do things here in the Underground."

|"Irma, climb atop the closest building and meet the Minotaur. I wish to have words with him."| Twenty of my hounds moved through the alleys to filter out into the open area where Kobe, The Minotaur, decided to issue his challenge. I knew it would be my loss if a fight broke out, but mitigating what bodies I lost and the damages would be for the best. He had no way of knowing how many bodies I had at my disposal.

Irma made it to the roof I wanted her to stand on, as she stood proudly with the spear she had picked up during our raids. Kobe tilted his head, "Are you the leader of these mutts?" He cracked his neck.

Irma spoke my words out loud, for every member of the gang to hear. "I am not! I am merely a speaker for my guardian! He is without form, and controls more creatures than this! You came to declare your intentions, and he cannot speak through these hounds!" She gestured to them, as they laughed in unison. They were between her and Kobe's gang. I could hear someone informing Kobe on who Irma was, his spy network impressive by the looks of it.

Kobe walked ahead of his men, as he lazily held the ax over his shoulder. There was no better chance to assassinate such a high-value target. My bugs quietly flew above the crowd; ghosts, warriors, and even stingers. All I needed to do, was poison him and his gang would fall apart. "A monster, huh? Why don't you crawl back in whatever hole you managed to crawl out of?" My bugs descended as he pointed at my hounds.

To my complete surprise, my bugs couldn't pierce his skin. Even with the use of my talent, 'Armor Slicer, Render of Flesh,' I was unable to so much as sting him. My bugs started dying as suddenly as the realization hit me. He was one of those Ki users, his magic enhancing his physical strength further, as well as protecting him from damage. "This is my Guardian's territory, and you have invaded it! Advancing further will result in your death!"

Kobe blew steam out of his nostrils as he snorted, before chuckling. His men started laughing as well. "That's not how this works, you state your intentions before you attack. You don't make threats unless you know you can keep them." His eyes began to glow with golden energy as he took a step forward, swinging his war ax. The sound of air being cut was enough to make Irma flinch. I barely managed to make ten of my hounds jump back and narrowly avoid the strike. Their bodies fell against the ground, lifeless from both a magic cut and broken bones. The one I made take the strike head-on was completely cut through horizontally.

Kobe looked right at Irma, "This is my territory now, and my boys repay any disrespect given to us with complete victory." He raised his ax, "Chase these dogs down to the dead-zone boys! I want a clean sweep!" Magic surged forth as entomancers overpowered my connections and forced the bugs close by to fly into the fire of a pyromancer. I gave Irma the order to retreat to the Den with whoever she could carry. My hounds scattered in different directions to buy whatever seconds I could manage.