Mimi

The passion drinkers clung to the different roofs and walls that were still standing. I had spent the last few hours resting my body in the center of this ruined village. The entirety of the village was covered in the petals of various flowers. The bodies of the children were moved to a safe spot so that the villagers of Whe'Di could dispose of them as they saw fit. Richard made it clear that they would like the bodies. Each of my stingers had been regrown, my wings were ready, and my wagon was on standby outside in the forest.

I was alone, save for a single elite scout resting on my shoulder. Rose was ready, with a few more backup bodies hidden throughout the debris. There were ten in total, and they all looked the same. Each of them had long elegant antenna that could identify pollen and the flowers it came from. Iridescent wings caught the first rays of sunlight, matching my own with their colors. Her purple chitin was as strong as any warriors, only losing out to giants, but she needed to be light to fly fast.

Rose had three interlocking stingers that mimicked the way my dread-stingers fell, except they would 'bloom' when she was ready to sting someone. They twirled in an almost mesmerizing way, each of them holding enough sleeping venom to make an adult pass out in seconds. The wonderful thing was that when they were interlocked, she had a sharp dagger that could pierce and dismember any small animal she came across. With enough time, she would flay any person alive. Rose had tiny mandibles on her face, that was suited for the delicate work of picking aphids off of flowers. She had a prehensile tongue that allowed her to get to the nectar of any flower, and drink the blood of any pest.

Rose, the elite scout, was a bug to be reckoned with. She was beautiful and efficient, even as she raised her head towards the sun clicking her mandibles for the glory of our Hive. |"Why don't we just kill the butterflies right now?"|

I gently stroked her wings, the small scout affectionately rubbing herself against my finger. |"I want to talk to them first, but if they make us wait too long then I'll let you start. Do you remember the plan?"|

Rose licked my finger, savoring the hint of nectar that remained from spreading so many petals everywhere. |"Use my talent and keep the swarm of butterflies off of you. Kill as many as I can, and coordinate with you so I don't get hit by anything dangerous."|

A smile spread over my lips, |"That is the gist of it. If you fail, I might die. That would be unfortunate, but I would be able to recover without this body."|

|"I don't get why you didn't bring anyone else, why me?"| She flew from my shoulder to the top of my head.

|"Scix is busy with his elves, Argus won't be able to take a hit from the slayer, Brick doesn't like fighting, Berry is on a very special mission, Clarice can't control bugs as we do, and we can't risk Pandora on something like this."| I got up and started my stretches.

|"That wasn't everyone! Why isn't Silver here? He has the most experience with this kind of stuff! I'm missing the flowers that bloom when the sun rises!"| She was a little upset because the nectar tasted the sweetest right when the sun rose.

|"Silver has secured my cave, the place where everything started. Silver also doesn't have a talent that can help me the way you do. Besides, I heard there are fields of flowers in the kingdom of Fire. A place with so many flowers that you can't see the end of it. If it goes well here, I might have a reason to search for such a field. Then I could make a node Hive, but who would I give that hive to?"|

Rose marched her wings, |"Me, me, me!"|

I tapped my chin, |"Butterflies and flowers go together though. Who knows how many dangerous butterflies might be guarding such a place. I suppose Silver does have more experience dealing with their kind. You've convinced me, Rose, I'll make some bodies for Silver to come. Then he can kill all the butterflies in those fields of flowers and claim it for the Hive."|

Rose froze atop my head, as the words got through to her. |"Butterflies aren't dangerous, I could take care of any butterflies guarding those flowers."|

I tilted my head, |"Oh? These butterflies are dangerous. Something has to be protecting the flowers for there to be so many. I thought you didn't want to be here?"| I teased her a little, enjoying the silly thoughts she had. I could see her imagining all those flowers, and butterflies covered in spikes. They were breathing fire since they had to fend off dragons.

|"Silver is busy, and I'm already here, my Queen. I'll be the best butterfly killer you could ask for, promise!"| She was into it now, and I enjoyed every second of it. I sometimes forgot that all of the personalities were this adorable when they were still bugs. Their minds were comparable to children, but also more than that. Perhaps it would be better to say they were adolescents?

Thankfully the slayer arrived in time to bring me out of my musings. He stood behind a building, watching my every move. "Can, can you fix this curse?" His entire body was moving with a sort of manic energy.

I slowly shook my head, "I cannot, since I doubt you'd agree with the methods. The children you tried to save are bound to you. That is why you hear them crying out, they are suffering."

He looked down, unable to make real facial expressions. "Then, then I have failed my purpose. If, if my death will free them, then please, make it swift." He got onto his knees.

I tilted my head, "I want to fight you."

He closed his eyes, "No, no. I, I do not wish to fight. You, you are a caterpillar. A, A child, not yet an adult. I, I can hear you, because of what you are."

"The curse messed with your sight, why not your other senses? I have children of my own, so I am anything but a child." This was unexpected, but if he continued to deny me then I could at least evolve from him. I'll give him a few more chances.

The slayer grunted as he got up, "Why, why do you wish to fight!?" He did his best to glare at me.

I smiled back, "The better the fight, the more prepared I am for the next time I am overwhelmed. What is mine, belongs to me. Those I care for will be under my protection. It is truly that simple. If you need motivation, then consider this. If you come at me with everything you have, and I still win, then I am able to protect more children in your stead. I have orphans under my protection, so isn't that worth something?"

He tilted his head, steam coming out of his mouth. The same ghostly fire enveloping him, "You, you will die. Are, are you certain you want this? I, I will not hold back."

I licked my lips, "Don't worry about killing me, I have a few plans for escaping. Just promise to give me everything you have, even after I win."

He let out a short laugh, "Very, very well." He disappeared while Rose flew off me towards her petals. Butterflies filled the space that the slayer left behind. He was moving around the entire village summoning more and more with every bit of space he had once occupied. His entire being from all over the world was suddenly brought to this one location. There were tens of thousands of butterflies "One, one final chance to back down. I, I shall not hold back. You, you will have everything. Caterpillar, caterpillar."

|"Are you ready Rose?"| My combat form took hold, as I flexed my muscles and magic.

|"As ready as I will ever be, my Queen."| One scout turned into hundreds, then thousands. I pulled Rose's being closer to me, helping her deal with all the connections she was making. I looked up at the sky, letting out a piercing screech. My muscles coiled, as the slayer was caught off guard. I teleported in front of him, slamming all four of my arms into his chest and only leaving bruises as he was launched back.

Rose, The Blooming Bug

The Queen had screamed her challenge, and an endless swarm of butterflies was converging on her position. She had direct control over a few hundred, allowing her to see and smell the entire battlefield. Her attack struck true, launching her opponent far against the wall as thousands of me emerged from the petals themselves. Such beautiful little petals turned into more of me. Hundreds of different colored Roses, none of them able to think.

I would have lost control, had it not been for my Queen's help. She was used to sorting through everything, and she made it seem so easy. I was one with the petals, and they were one with me. Countless battles with bees and wasps, countless swarms of aphids, termites, and bloodsuckers. The fewer bugs I lost, the more I would have to tend to the flowers after the battle, but there were no flowers here. There would only be death, as I knew my Queen couldn't lose.

The slayer came at my Queen from different sides and angles, while my swarm rose from underneath her. Many of my petals were crushed by the force of the blows being exchanged. Others were caught by the ghostly flames that burned. I could feel the pain, but I knew my Queen was taking the brunt of it for me. For the first time since that dragon took Beru and Cynthia, she was being pushed back.

It was impossible to conceive, our glorious Queen being pushed back by something less than a dragon! She was taking hits that threatened to tear through her armor. Her joints were creaking as she used her blood magic to force them to stay connected. The slayer was attempting to tear them off, even as his blows shredded her glorious wings again. Why was this happening!? How do I make him stop!

|"You need to focus, Rose."| Her voice came to me, collected and calm. How was she so calm when she was being pummeled like this!? She was losing! The ghostly fires caught on her chitin, and I couldn't even imagine how much pain she was in. |"I need you to kill the butterflies, he can't teleport without them."|

|"What do you think I'm doing!? I'm trying! Please, teleport away!"| There were so many butterflies, there were tens of thousands and only thousands of me. I couldn't control any more petals, I couldn't control any more bodies. I wasn't my Queen, I wasn't good enough. We could run, I knew she could teleport at any time. How was something that big faster than her!?

My petals flew at the butterflies with wild abandon, doing everything in their power to try and make an opening for my Queen. There were just too many, it took five of us to kill a single one! It was hard to make more copies rise from the petals, even with my Queen guiding most of us! Memories suddenly slammed into my mind, countless battles faced by her bugs. They were weaker back then, the warriors falling to bees back then. So many others snuffed out from the icy grip of the white death (snow). I staggered, launching my real body into the flames of one of the butterflies.

Everything fell apart in that moment, my petals needed me to be there to sustain them. The thousands we had suddenly withered and died as my soul was brought to the bridge. I was free to pass on, to leave the Hive. It was the offer that was always there, to move on. It was the choice I denied so many times to become who I was now. I rushed through the bridge, tears in my eyes as I could still see my Queen fighting.

My new body twitched to life as I dived into the petals. Hundreds of us rose, then dived again to make thousands once more. |"You're doing well Rose, suddenly dying made him think it was a trap. His body is faster than mine, so the most I can do is dodge. I can perceive faster than him and angle to mitigate the damage."|

|"YOU'RE STILL LOSING!"| I cried out at her, sending every scout I could muster. She was lying to me, without my scouts providing vision she was more prone to being hit in a blind spot. Why did she bring me here!? I wasn't as great as Gray, I wasn't as clever as Silver, I wasn't as smart as Brick, I wasn't even the least bit good at magic like Argus. I just wasn't good enough, why did she bring me here! Why didn't she bring other bugs!? |"Why is this all on me!?"|

It felt as though time slowed down, each of my petals moving painfully slow. I saw what my Queen saw, the magic moving through the air. The slayer vanishing and reappearing without so much as a warning. The flapping of each wing on the butterflies. How the ghostly fire was snuffed out by my Queen's as she burned herself. Her eyes were glowing from inside her helmet. |"Pretty slow isn't it?"|

A lot of my petals were starting to fall, as I couldn't adjust their wings the way I needed to. |"Why are you making this harder for me!?"| I cried out at her, wanting to cry and quit. This was too much, I wasn't ready for this. |"Please, let's leave. This isn't like the humans or the other bugs. We aren't ready."|

|"Dragons don't care if we're ready, Rose. The passion slayer doesn't care if we're ready. This is the first time you've been a pivotal part of a battle we didn't have the upper hand. One where we can't just win because we're stronger than them. If you leave, then I will still be here, alone. If I lose this body, we lose the strongest asset we have for keeping everyone safe. We will recover, but it will take a lot more time. We need to find our limits and break past them. Now, calm yourself. Rushing to your death is pointless, it worked once. It might work twice, but the slayer has experience. He will learn that your real body allows him to stop you from swarming. How do we fix that?"|

Each second was like an hour, as my Queen forced me to learn how to fight at the same speed she perceived. I was able to adjust every wing and feel every sensation from each petal. The butterflies were coming towards my petals, trying to actively fight us now. |"Why are they coming towards me?"|

|"It's because they noticed a shift, something is happening and they don't want to take chances. The slayer is using his butterflies to figure out how to make my swarm disappear. Secure your airspace."| I could see pressure was let off my Queen, as she moved her body so slowly before the punch even connected. She knew how he was going to attack her before he even came out of his realm! The slayer could move faster, but she could act before he even moved!

|"Can we win this?"| I asked, having my petals swarm around me. Each of them attacking fiery butterflies five times our size. I could feel their stingers slicing into their rainbow chitin. I could process the angle their blades were going in, and strike where the least resistance could be met. With how slow everything suddenly was, it only took three to kill one butterfly. Those ghostly flames were lighting us up, burning one of my petals and having it catch on another. I could only control so many, how long before the butterflies just start burning the petals that I haven't controlled?

|"I don't know, it will take time. What is important is that we learn from this battle. If we win, the gains will be spread throughout the Hive. You're probably upset that I didn't kill him when he was willing to let me."| The Queen sent a light chuckle to me.

I sent a huff back, having calmed down a bit, |"Do you think he's holding back? I think you want to fight, so we can learn. I don't like it, but I'd hate it even more if you lost your body."|

She dodged a few more blows, as the butterflies pushed through my swarm. I was going to lose this body again, but I managed to take more pressure off her and killed even more butterflies this time. |"I doubt he's holding back, his kind was made for fighting. This is his final chance to fulfill his purpose, something I am trying to take from him with everything else. You are right about learning from this fight at least."|

The ghostly fires finally got my body, and I was back on the bridge. The same offer is still there. I ignored the afterlife, popping into another body that twitched to life. The flames had caught onto the petals on the ground, it was starting to spread. The slayer realized I needed the petals to help my Queen, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to help her if they were gone. I dived towards the flames, summoning hundreds then thousands to make patches where the flames couldn't spread.

I died again, just keeping the flames from spreading. I died another time by messing up and getting caught when I moved too close to the Queen. I died and died. My second to last body twitching to life in the fight that had gone on for an hour now. So many butterfly corpses were on the ground. My Queen had been forced to teleport a couple of times and used her explosive stingers to decimate large chunks of the butterflies' number. The slayer was bruised, but there were still thousands of butterflies left. I only had maybe hundreds of petals left. My Queen was tiring, but so was the slayer.

I needed something, anything to tilt the fight in her favor. I felt like my soul was burning with a pain I never felt before. I had pushed my talent to the limit, I had pushed everything I could. I didn't know what would happen if I gave anymore. My soul might catch on fire, and the Queen could still use her last teleport to run away. No... she wouldn't if she thought she could use it to secure victory. She'd sooner try to win, and then lose, than not try at all.

There was a pile of petals left untouched by the battle, they were so pretty. I needed something, anything. There was only one thing I could think of to destroy our enemy. |"It was a good fight Rose, but this might be the end. You can leave now."|

There was only one thing I could think of that would destroy any butterflies in its wake. |"No... I have an idea. I just need time, my Queen."|

My Queen winced but smiled under her helmet. |"Then it is time you shall have. If it doesn't work, I'll teleport away. Thank you for doing your best."| I clicked my mandibles towards the sky, before diving into the petals. Everything suddenly felt warm as I moved between each one in the pile. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I was dancing in the petals. I was one with them, and they were one with me. I just needed to be something that could annihilate all the butterflies.

Mimi

I had no idea what Rose was planning, but the pain she would have felt suddenly surged. I spat out blood inside my mask, letting it seep out from an opening. My body was battered, my arms torn and regrown as my healing stingers were used. I was down to my last two, having to sacrifice a couple to fuel everything. I was going to need a feast after this was done just to recoup everything I had burned.

The slayer was still relentless, even though he showed signs of fatigue. His punches were softer, as he tried to grab me more often. It was a shame that meant he moved slow enough for me to dodge more efficiently. Even with his body a dark shade of gray from the bruising, he refused to give up. There were scratches, but that skin of his was just too resilient. He noticed that Rose wasn't back yet, so he redoubled his efforts.

The butterflies formed a dome around me, allowing the slayer to strike from all directions again. I bobbed and weaved, long since learning that trying to land an attack here was pointless. He'd either disappear before the strike landed, or I'd do little damage because it wasn't a complete hit. Grabbing him was pointless since he could just disappear as I held him. It was the worst thing to do, as he'd grab me in turn and use his muscles to crush or tear.

This was easily the hardest, most entertaining, fight I had ever had. Even compared to the overwhelming power that Bral (the dragon) had. I knew that it was over once he got serious, but here I was fighting seriously with another and holding my own. This monster was made for war, he was created to repel others of his kind. There were more of these slayers out there, and I wanted to fight them after my evolution. A soft hit landed on my side, as I was rather blind without Rose's support.

I twirled, avoiding the grapple. Fire erupted from my stingers and fist as I expected the slayer to teleport away. He pushed through my flames, grabbing one of my paralyzing stingers. I used my elastic chitin to create a shear and severed it as I backed away. I ducked under the next hit, sending more fire to the butterflies trying to cook them. My body was starting to slow down, as it was pushed from its limits. Rose had gone silent.

A scowl crept across my lips, as I felt I pushed her too far. That I pushed her to the point that she died. I could feel her soul, but she was quiet now. |"Rose!?"| I sent to her, asking her to answer me. Even as I dodged and avoided more strikes. Her connection was slipping, as my eyes widened, you weren't supposed to die! Her connection slipped away from me, to the point I could no longer feel her soul.

I took the hit, that launched me out of the dome of butterflies. I skidded on the ground, barely able to stay on my feet. The slayer hadn't expected me to take that hit, I need a few seconds. I know Rose did not move on, since she didn't die. Her soul was probably burning from using her talent too much. Just like how Kobe was bleeding from taking too much power. If I could find her, I could mitigate the damage.

Butterflies were swarming towards me now, but I had one last trump card with my blood all over the place. I opened my palm towards the swarm, while the slayer materialized at the front to shield his remaining butterflies from my fire. It was a shame that my blood erupted from the ground behind him. Dirt and sand soaked with it rose into the air shredding hundreds of butterflies as the slayer looked back in complete confusion. He turned back to me, receiving a face full of my blood to blind him as he screamed. It wouldn't kill him, but it gave me enough time to rush towards the spot Rose was.

I landed where the pile of petals had been, to find they were gone. There was no ash, no fire, they were just gone. Butterflies were following after me, their numbers in the low thousands now. The slayer didn't need to see, while they could perceive for him. A chuck of debris flew towards me, much like our first fight. I caught it and tossed it away while the slayer fell towards me from above. I narrowly avoided his strike, my body becoming a little sluggish compared to when we first started.

The slayer stood in the small crater he had made, panting and wheezing. I took deep breaths myself, as his butterflies made a net. They would remake the dome, and this battle would be lost. I bit my lip, regretting the fact that I had pushed Rose so hard. She wasn't supposed to die, we should have left sooner. My helmet started to recede, before something pink and glowing cut through the air.

We both turned towards the source, seeing a small dragon the size of a whisper wolf standing atop a building with the sun behind it. Instead of scales, it had countless petals woven into it as though it were flesh. She looked so beautiful and fragile. Soft white petals made up ivory claws, pink petals with red along the bottom for scales. Purple and yellow for the eyes. Green for the wings, but I couldn't connect with her. Rose raised her head and roared, as I fortified my mask. This battle wasn't over yet.

The slayer was confused but recovered as soon as Rose roared. She spat out pink glowing petals that sliced through the air with enough force to make it scream. Hundreds of butterflies were eviscerated as the slayer leapt towards the dragon. I jumped into the air, coiling the muscles in my legs. If Rose was going this far, I couldn't let the battle end on a loss. I spun, as scouts came from my wagon in the forest. I had discreetly called them just in case Rose decided to leave early. Now, they were being used to give me the vision for the perfect heel slam.

I teleported above the slayer, releasing the force in my coiled muscles. All of my weight and force collided with the slayer's body and momentum. He was driven to the ground, his shoulder shattering with a lovely crunch. Rose glanced my way, giving me a nod before screeching at the swarm coming towards us. Her body was shrinking as she eviscerated the butterflies with her petal breath. I just hoped this was temporary and that she'd come back.

The slayer was on the ground, stunned by the pain and so many of his butterflies being slain at once. I landed just a few feet away from him, using my good leg to hop on top of his back. It wasn't pretty, but four fists slamming into the back of his head repeatedly allowed me to keep him from forming coherent thoughts. I wasn't letting him get away, not after everything we had gone through. Rose's body continued to shrink as the swarm was almost on her. She dove into the last few hundred butterflies, exploding in an ethereal flower. The bug at the center fell towards the ground as she reconnected with the Hive. I smirked, |"You had me worried."|

I continued hammering blows into the back of the slayer's skull. |"I'm tired... was that enough? Can I go home now?"|

|"Sure, you did much better than I thought you would. Take it easy, alright?"|

|"Okay~"| She sounded so sleepy, but I was happy that she wasn't dead. Something about her changed, but that could be addressed later. Right now? I had a battle to finish.

Chitin slammed into flesh and bone. Dozens of blows all striking with barely half a second between them. Each reverberation echoed through my bones, as I found the soft flaws in his body to exploit. Each hit slowly knocking the slayer's spine out of alignment so I could paralyze him. The few butterflies that were left floated aimlessly without direction. I just needed to cripple my opponent, then I could work on chewing through his body.

He spasmed, his body suddenly seizing. It was enough to knock me off, and thankfully my leg recovered in that time. I held my arms up, ready, just in case his regeneration fixed the damage I had done. He used one arm to roll over, his chest pointed towards the sky as he grunted in pain. "You, you won!" His teeth were chattering, his legs twitching the other arm lying limply as he rocked on the ground.

"It was a great fight, I'll make certain none of you is wasted." I moved closer, figuring that I could gouge out his eyes and use my tongue to scoop out his brains. More of my bugs were coming closer, some of the giants carried by clusters of scouts. "I'll try to catch the souls of the children. If you let me, I'll try to give you some time to talk to them."

"You, you can do that?" He bobbed his head, his whole body spasming. "What, what are you?"

I knelt beside him, "I'm the Queen of the Vesp. We'll discuss everything once you let me into your mind." I tapped his temple, as he bobbed his head. I leaned over his face and coiled my tongue. Elastic chitin covered the tip much like an arrow, as I decided to make it as quick and painless as possible.

"Thank, thank you. You, you can have everything that I am!" He cried out as I made the connection to him. His mind was strange, as his soul was brought into the Hive. The children still tied to him, as they were brought along with him. The ritual was disgusting, but it was only meant to last until death. His body was dying as I devoured his brain. I bite into his chest, and slid my tongue through his ribs, and pulled his heart out in chunks as I devoured that as well. Then the feast began while the hive version of my mind set about untangling the knots that bound the souls together. I just knew this evolution was going to hurt.