Lair

Chapter 016 - A Loyal Minion

By Skalsar

I'm curious again.

What is a human?

Is it just prey?

After consuming many of them "Hivemind" still doesn't have much information about the topic.

They seem to be everywhere in the world outside the hive.

Working together to stay strong.

But still they travel everywhere, endangering themselves.

Getting killed over stupid things.

Killing each other over stupid things.

They get weird skills and seem to have a small amount of intelligence.

Like their tools and stuff they do.

Yet, they aren't able to speak.

Well, they have their stupid voices to communicate with eachother.

But besides that, they are ignorant to what they simply call monsters and animals.

I met a cute little rabbit today.

We spoke about quite some stuff. Like what herbs are useful in the forest.

It was called a [Horn Rabbit].

[Horn Rabbits] are strong rabbits with a horn on the forehead with which they impale enemies.

Sure, I killed and ate it later, but he knew that.

He knew he couldn't escape and thought if he had to die here he could as well chat with me.

I liked him.

So I left his [Soul] intact.

Only devouring the flesh was weird.

Patching up the dead head so that the magic power wouldn't leak out.

By slowly converting some magic power to a small core, I created a basic vessel.

Fiddling with the core, connecting the magic power from the head to it.

Desolving the head, growing the core bigger.

Eating some of the magic power.. it looked too delicious.. sorry there.

Well, when I was finished, the little [Horn Rabbits] [Soul] had a core to stay in.

I'm going to create a [Drone].

Oh, wait. It should be better to make him a [Hiveworker] first and let him gather experience.

Since he was a rabbit and has his [Soul], he should become stronger that way.

'Right?'

'Sure! Thank you for your concern! I can't believe I'm given such a chance!'

The little core was pulsating. He couldn't speak, but everything in the hive is connected.

If a core has a consciousness, it can talk with its mind just like that.

To other beings with a consciousness in the hive at least.

'Done!'

After hatching, a strong [Hiveworker – Rare Variant] was born.

Much bigger than normal. More of the size of a [Drone] already.

Seems like a creature is stronger if its [Soul] is intact, but because I fiddled with the core too.

That's new to "Hivemind".

But I should be careful with it as it consumes much more magic power.

'Well my [Queen], how may I serve you?'

'[Queen]?'

'Oh, that's how the humans call you. Sorry. "Hivemind" calls you a breeder, right?'

'Ah! So thats what they call me! Huh, funny.

We don't have genders, but humans are giving us names which imply them.

I'm refering to "Hivemind" as he too. Weird.

Well, call me however you like. Just go out and devour some magic power from plants.'

'Alright [Queen]!'

Heh. I like it somehow.

I will be called a [Queen] from now on.

It really sounds strong.

I'm even more curious now.

What if I were to catch a human, could I learn more about them?

Guess I will try!

After opening a [Black Gate] I step through and arrive to the human village.

Everything is dark, but I can see clearly.

Through I switch my vision to allow me to see life energy and magic power.

Did I mention this skill before?

The name of it is [Enhanced Vision – Energyflow].

It turns the colors of this world into a strong black and highlights materials in grey.

Living things are colored red, but plants are green. Magic power is blue.

If the magic power is strong, it turns purple.

Like this I travel through the village and look for a human that is to my liking.

Most of them sleep around this time.

So it should be easy to pick one.

I open a door to what they call a house and step inside.

A doglike monster greets me, asking me to leave them alone after connecting to my mind.

It's called a [Guardian Beast], it says.

Seems like it's not nice to go into a house without being allowed to.

My bad.

'Sorry about that.'

Maybe they call me a monster, but I'm not that kind of a monster that enters a home uninvited.

I leave the house and look around some more.

You know, because entering ones home in order to take something that's not yours is wrong!

At least [Guardian Beast] said so.

Next building is called an [Inn].

Travellers sleep there.

It should be alright, right?

They aren't at home here. Just staying in order to sleep.

After going in, I'm looked at by two big humans and a little girl.

Yes, I knew they would be here, because of my vision enhancement and their loud voices.

I didn't understand what they were talking about through.

Voice is still something abstract to me.

"Yeah, sure! I bet she even gave them treasure before kicking them out the dungeon!", a male voice was laughing.

"If you ask me, they were just exhausted after defeating a slime.

A [Collector] came to take their equipment, but created an illusion. End of story."

"And the boy [Explorer] just crawled out thinking it was the real deal."

Two male voices were laughing.

"Bet the girl didn't want to ruin him for running away without her, since they were comrades."

They were talking too fast.

Only thing I understood was [Collector], illusion and [Explorer].

I wonder if they could mean 'my' [Collectors].

But how could they know what name I gave them?

Well, whatever.

The girl fell asleep as soon as she saw me.

I believe.. what was it called..?

'Fainting!', my new [Hiveworker] tells me again.

Thats right. She fainted.

He isn't here, but because we are connected he can communicate with me over great distance.

One of the two man trembles.

Then he starts shouting.

It's annoying so I make him go silent.

That is.. I make the obsidian thorn appear and cut him in half.

Devouring his magic power while I'm at it.

The other man doesn't dare to move or talk anymore.

Much better.

First I pick up the little girl.

She looks yummy.

Her body is a bit short. Her long hair is shining golden in the weak torchlight.

The fabric she is a bit weird though.

"Hivemind" says she is one of these very delicious small ones.

Hm. Maybe I should eat her and get another human to satisfy my curiousity.

'Please don't eat her..'

Huh..?

That wasn't anyone connected to me.

Who just spoke there?

'Hello? Anyone?'

Nobody reacts.

Weird. I devour the magic power of the other man kill him and take the girl with me. I don't want to eat her right now. Maybe after my experimentation. After opening a [Black Gate], we return to the lair.

Maybe I should see if it's possible for a human to learn talking first?

But that could take quite some time. As already mentioned, humans are stupid.

>EEEK!

She fainted again.

Just seconds after she woke up.

That's kind of annoying.

I lay her down in the [Lair] and get a [Aqua Terror] to produce some water for me.

The ability to produce elements is quite useful I guess.

Maybe I could try to fiddle with my body to produce some elements too?

But first things first.

I take the produced water.

For that, I have to enclose the water with a bubble made of magic power, similar to producing the shape for a core. Otherwise it would vanish too fast.

I then dissolve the bubble and let the water drop on the girls head.

She wakes up and screams.

I slap her with my left hand.

She shuts up and stares at me quietly.

That's much better.

I nod in approval.

She nods too.

Very good.

For now, lets start with removing that fabric.

I want to check if she is damaged in any way. Don't want some defect for my experimentation.

She is called a female. Her features are underdeveloped. Still a child.

When human girls mature, their breasts grow.

She is looking confused now.

'Can you hear me?'

...

Guess not.

I try to touch her mind a few more times, but she doesn't react to it.

You have been marked as a heretic for capturing a blessed vessel.

Huh? What is this?