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Lair

Chapter 041 - Lightless Afternoon

By Skalsar

>What are you talking about!

She is just a little girl!

My little girl!

Lily is innocent!

The human was raging at the [Paladin], but held back by a [Guard].

>Please, milord, he will just slaughter you too!

>Do you really stand in the way of god?

Your "girl" is corrupted.

Blame the deities, blame the dungeon, blame yourself.

All that doesn't change anything.

The girl has to die as declared by god!

With that, the [Paladin] drew his sword, glowing violet.

Approaching Lily, who was too afraid to even move.

She wanted to faint, but this time she knew that it would be her end if she did.

Even her tears won't come out.

And when the sword fell, it cut through carapace.

Opening a [Black Gate], I appeared before Lily to guard her from the blow.

Like a hot knife going through butter, it ripped apart an arm of mine that wasn't even near the cut.

The cut itself went smoothly through my body and took three legs.

Some of my guts are scattered and falling out.

Looking at me with a grin, the [Paladin] seemed to like the situation.

I could feel the stare. Should I move?

Should I run away? Maybe I should bow?

Could it be the [Paladin] would let us talk about this?

What was this?

My mind is going crazy.

Not from the pain.

Something else.

It's disturbed?

Helplessness is rushing through my mind.

'That thing.. it is stronger than everything we met before.. stronger than every creature inside the hive..', Danar surrendered.

>Told you. It is even protecting its corrupted little mistress.

The lord looked shocked.

He wanted to run in himself, but he couldn't even dare to move an inch.

'Please! Save my girl!', his mind was shouting even if he didn't knew.

This was disturbing, not just for me, for the other hive creatures as well.

>Tell you what.

I don't care for you, [Dungeon Lord], or your little dungeon.

Devour the girl right now and I promise to leave.

I won't return to attack your dungeon.

I swear by my mothers grave.

Was he thinking I'm the [Dungeon Lord]?

Understanding his words, Hivemind was worried.

Our collective mind, that is. I was worried too.

This was a choice between our safety and that of a human girl.

But can I really do that?

Killing her might save us.

But we don't know for sure.

I grabbed Lilys head and cut it from the body faster than Lily could even notice.

My other hands grabbed the body and I started to eat.

This.. was delicious!

Its taste, the consistance, even the chrunchyness of the bones!

Tears wanted to roll out because of the happiness I was feeling right now, but I could stop them.

Lightning struck a near tree.

I didn't even notice clouds gathering in the sky.

Like an outburst, a blue box was visible for everyone to read.

A goddess has marked this area for a great tragedy that took place. While the reason might never be known, the weeping of a woman can be heard at night, whispering through the forest.

>Clever boy.With this last words, the [Paladin] turned around to leave.

The legs of the [Local Lord] gave up as he fell on his knees.

He didn't even seem to have the energy to scream out his pain.

Seems like for some reason, the [Paladin] was only interested in Lily.

And everything I had, was focused on the head in my hand.

Trying to keep the [Soul] from disappearing outside the hive.

I have never imitated life before.

Sure, I can create cores.

Creatures are born that way.

But is that life?

Is that growing up?

No. It is a weak imitation of existing.

We have the ability to evolve and change, but not to live in a human sense.

Rage is flooding my mind. No! I have to focus.

That man, the [Paladin], he doesn't matter now!

Focus!

The thing I'm doing right now, is what we are capable of.

Looking at us, we are evolution itself.

But that is by adaption.

Humans don't work that way.

She is dying, her [Soul].

Right now, magic power is leaving her.

I can feel it.

However much I concentrate, I can't keep it together any longer.

Think!

My body is failing me.

Blood is everywhere.

I forgot to patch up my leg.

The ripped arm is a problem too.

Focus!

I start fiddling with the core.

This is wrong.

I just ate her body, I know it's something entirely else.

A living body, a human body. Something that evolves all the time.

Every second there are maybe billions of changes in the human body.

That's how they grow.

>[Hiveworkers]!I scream.

Why do I scream?

Just what is happening?

It doesn't matter.

The [Hiveworkers] appear before me.

All of them.

'What are you doing, she is dead.

Who even cares about one little human.', Lysk says.

It's understandable for him not to care, after being trapped that long.

Small creatures, three times the size of a hornet.

I desolve them all and take the cores.

Around twohundred cores.

This feels wrong, but I can't stop now.

I intertwine them all.

Twisting them, adding elements.

No, not elements.

The ability to add elements.

She has to grow, not to evolve.

And I have to protect her from harm.

When I'm finally finished, I notice.

The other [Queens] were helping me.

While they don't even know what I'm doing, they focused on keeping Lilys magic power together.

Her [Soul].

And just now, we insert it into the cores, creating an egg.

Spreading the [Soul] through a network of intertwined cores.

I never succeeded in creating a human creature before.

This might be the nearest I will ever reach though, using the [Summon Soul] skill.

And still it might not be even close, while being ahead of humans by far.

Hatching, we can see the final moment.

Shadows twisting around her pale flesh, forming a black dress around her fragile body.

A [Formling] variation with the ability to form a body.

A small girl, formed after Lily.

I shall call it [Banshee], because Lily is dead.

I could only bring back her form and memories.

'What happened?', she finally asks confused with her mind, looking for someone.

Just why did I do this?

I don't understand at all.

Bringing back her [Soul], binding it to the hive, Lily could never be Lily.

Such a thing is impossible for human beings, it will destroy their human mind.

I hate myself for trying.

My legs give in.

My core was scratched.

My magic power is failing me.

Is this how dying feels?

Guess I may take my leave now.

I feel kind of satisfied, since at least I tried my best.

But I still hate it.

The lord followed us through the [Black Gate] and watched.

Crying with his sword drawn.

Not even knowing what I was doing, he had driven his sword into my core and waited for me to die.

>Lil..? My little Lily..? My cute little Lily..?

He let go of the sword and enclosed the [Banshee] called Lily in his embrace.

I open a [Black Gate] that will take them to the village, before my consciousness starts failing me.

But a scream escapes Lily as she scratches out Odas eyes with her clawlike hands.

>How dare you hurt Nydar!

How dare you attack our hive!>Gaaaaaah!

Lily's knowledge about humans is flooding us.

This is so wrong.. Why did I do it..

I want this to be undone..

And then, Odas gets cut down.

>Just kidding.>Didn't really believe I would leave this corrupting dungeon be, right?

You have been acknowledged as a new race, by acquiring a human level of knowledge.

Lily's knowledge about the blue boxes enters our mind.

Danar was shocked the most about that.

Even through he ate countless humans, he never learned about these blue boxes.

And now it was revealed that it was childsplay.

Literally.

Human children play games with their parents to imagine them.

They teach them how to see everything that happens as a blue box.

It's an ability that every living being has from birth, given by the deities.

And now, every creature in the hive is able to do so too.

I was slowly dying, seeing everything around me being slaughtered.. but a blinding white light wouldn't let me sleep.

'I finally understand it.

Seeing it like this is schocking.

Finally I understand what her vengeance really is.

The others won't understand and I surely won't tell them.

For trying to kill Lily with that champion.. I despise them.'

With that, the glowing white, stopped weeping.

She approached me with a crying smile.

Kissing me on the forehead.

'This is my last gift.', she whispered.

Then came the colors.

Red, yellow, blue, green, purple, grey, gold, ... I can't even see all of them.

So many, so bright, so blinding.

Even the [Paladin] stops doing his slaughter and watches in awe.

They are grabbing the white deity.

Ripping at her.

Like claws trying to pull her away from the hive.

>Beautiful..

They can't completly reach here. Not even see.

Just blindly grabbing everything, reaching for her magic power.

A weird kind of magic power that is.

I understand.

These are the deitys. All of them.

And a moment later the deity is ripped to shreds.

Taken out of the hive.

The weeping of the goddess has vanished from the region.

They destroyed her. They destroyed one of their own?

I don't even know how she was able to get in here.

She just appeared, while the other deities can't even see inside.

With this.. I may finally sleep, right? Dead end.. Right..?

My eyes growing heavy.

My mind growing slow.

But what was that annoying voice again..

I want to sleep a little bit longer..

>Told you. It is even protecting the corruption.

'Please! Save my girl!', Odas mind was shouting even if he didn't knew.

This was disturbing, not just for me, for the other hive creatures as well.

>Tell you what.

I don't care for you, [Dungeon Lord], or your little dungeon.

Devour the girl right now and I promise to leave.

I won't return to attack your dungeon.

I swear by my mothers grave.

Was he thinking I'm the [Dungeon Lord]?

Understanding his words, Hivemind was worried.

Our collective mind, that is. Opening my eyes, I was worried too.

This was a choice between our safety and that of a human girl.

But can I really do that?

Killing her might save us.

But we don't know for sure.

I grabbed Lilys head and ...

'Wait.. This..', I stutter.

>Nydar?!'You have to kill her.. I'm sorry Nydar.', Danar tells me.

'I believe it is a lie.', Nyr says weakly.

>Again..?

The [Paladin] looks at me irritated.

>You can even talk?! Ha! This is a first! I will make sure to slaughter you slowly and enjoy your screams!<, he says with a crazy look in his eyes, as he lifts his sword again.