Where am I? It’s dark, feels like I’m floating. Feels like I have been here before…

His mind floated around in the dark space, with no way to control himself. The dark space was not completely dark, there was a single beam of light. He seemed to circle around the beam of light, over and over again. On the area the beam lit up, stood some kind of creature. A white chubby larva.

Who is that? Oh, it’s me. Huh. Aha, it’s the character creation screen. I'm finally done with the larva stage. Hmm, this feels quite strange. Expected sliders and different categories, but it’s more like I’m growing or evolving the things I think about. Right, forgot that this is not a mouse and keyboard game. Let’s see here…

Since I’m apparently the Emperor of this Swarm, or so the intro voice said, it would be bad if I died, so heavy armor is a good idea. Some kind of beetle would be nice, but with a few improvements.

Exoskeleton sounds like a good idea. I already have some kind of exoskeleton, just really weak, and it served me well so far, so let’s keep that, but buffed up. Some majestic wings under the back armor, which can split in two and let out the wings. Not having any hands is annoying, so let’s add three claws to each of my legs. Especially big on the two front legs. Now I might be able to climb things too.

Increase the size of my mandibles, add sharp saw like spikes on them. In my actual mouth, let’s make it like a shark. Rows upon rows of replaceable teeth. Hope that won’t cause any problems. Should I have horns or not? I’m probably quite heavy already, and I would like to be able to fly quite some distance, so let’s just remove the horns. Only thing they did was to get stuck in the walls anyway. Finish it up with a black paint job, so I can hide in the shadows.

Something tells me I shouldn’t add too much at once, and have a feeling this won’t be the last time I’m doing this. So, let’s not touch the internal organs. Should have all the essentials already, however, my antennae seems to be less than useful. The others seem to have a way to communicate with each other, and it’s bugging me that I can’t hear them. Make them bigger I guess? Is there anything inside my brain that can help with that? Ooh, something happened inside the brain. This system is quite helpful.

Now what? I’m done. How do I get out of here? Ah, something is....

The Emperor slowly woke up, his body aching and feeling numb. Not just that, he could not move, but only in the way of something restricting his movements, thankfully not being paralyzed. After a quick look around, and getting his sense of touch back, he realized he was still inside the bird.

Whe-where am I? I can’t move?! Did I mess up my body?

Oh god! What is this wet feeling? Did something eat me? Oh no! Never went back home! Ah wait, I crawled into the bird to eat. Guess I just fell asleep inside. Don’t remember it being so small, though. Oh right, I probably grew after my evolution.

However, the main problem still remains. The bird is outside, and it’s a small wonder that nothing ate it and me. Yet. Well, let’s deal with that after I make some more room in here, hehe.

Munching and crunching sounds came from inside the bird. The feathers and skin bulged from the large lump that moved around.

---

Entrance Guard's POV

Another day, another watch. I’m getting too old for this. How much longer until the replacements are fully grown?

Wonder why they never refilled the hole. This is quite dangerous, can’t guard such a big area by myself. Though, I'm sure they know what they are doing.

The single entrance Guard patrolled back and forth. The number of Guards in his squad used to be a full dozen, but now, only he remained. Suddenly, he froze, looking up and down, left and right. He heard something.

*Squeak* *Squeak* *Squeak*

Huh?! What was that sound? Oh no, it has returned! Must warn the-.....

The Guard got ripped to pieces by claws and teeth. A large, brown, furry animal with a long hairless tail attacked the Guard from behind, then it quickly scurried inside the hole. The only thing going through its mind were thoughts of revenge.

Finally, the Guard got the rest he wanted, but perhaps not in the way he expected.

---

As the furry creature continued its violent rampage, killing everyone it came across, the colony filled up with the pheromone smell of panic and danger. It moved without any hesitation, taking the shortest path towards the center of the nest, where the Queen lived. Just like it knew exactly where to go.

All Guards quickly gathered up, moving as one unit to block the invader. They were successful, but not without a cost. They could only buy some time. But for what? They were not sure. In any case, they wouldn’t be able to hold it up for long.

Only the Guard Captain could pierce the skin of the creature, but he couldn’t get close enough. Every time he got in range to attack, he naturally got in range for the invader to strike back, and the invader knew he was the only real threat, and immediately charged at him. The invader was stronger than the Guard Captain, so he had to flee every time.

If the small threat of his attacks got removed, the invader could just muscle its way through the blockade, reaching the Queen, thereby ending the Swarm once and for all. Such a thing was not an option. The Guard Captain had to make sure he lived, since he was the only one there with the power to scare the invader, to make it retreat again. No matter the losses.

He tried to distract it with a wave of ten Helpers. The Helpers rushed out, not showing any signs of fear. They climbed up on the invader's body, but once up there, they were clueless as to what to do. They had no natural weapons. Thankfully, the Helpers did not have to worry for long, because with one roll of its much larger body, the Helpers all got crushed.

After three more tries, the Guard Captain gave up that idea. He knew they had no hope to defeat it. They could only delay. Perhaps a miracle would happen.

---

Meanwhile, the Emperor was busy eating his way out of the bird.

Yes, this is better. I can finally move my body.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

He made a sniffing sound. However, without any actual nose, it served no real purpose, since he 'smelled' with his antennae.

What is this…? Panic, danger and ENEMY?! What is this? How and who? Feels like something is talking… Ah, I see. Pheromones. I can understand it now. But why is it here? Am I not on the outside?

The Emperor quickly crawled out of the bird. A familiar sight greeted him.

Oh, this is my room, but it is a lot smaller than before. No, think I'm the one that got bigger.

Good, with the main problem solved, I can stop worrying about my life. Don't want another giant creature attacking me. They must have carried me inside while I ate or slept.

But then, what is this danger signal I keep sensing. Is the nest under attack? That can’t be. We have hidden ourselves quite well, with our tiny nest entrance and all. Maybe other insects? I doubt we are only ones around. Ah, maybe another player invaded me? I should hurry to the Queen either way. Can probably turn in the hunting quest she gave me. Wonder if I get anything for the bird. I didn't kill it, but do they know that? They clearly gave me the bird, since they put it inside my room.

After taking three steps, he fell flat on his face. The new and unfamiliar body was twice the size of the old one, and four times as heavy. Not to mention, the claws on his feet kept getting stuck in the ground. It was the horn situation all over again, except much worse!

Ugh, this will take some time to get used too. Maybe I overdid it? Better walk slowly and carefully until I’m used to it.

Had he known the danger the Queen was in, he would have run as fast as he could to save her. However, he did not, and seemingly nothing could stop the rampaging creature.

---

Hercules's POV

Turning back the time to the birth of Hercules.

Floating in the dark…

Feels like I have been like this before, a long time ago. I remember now. It was when I was born. It seems I managed to follow Master to his new place.

Hm, I can move.

The larva quickly wriggled his way out of the protective membrane surrounding him. As expected of a veteran of being born as a larva. Hercules was then picked up by the Helpers, and brought to the mess hall to be fed by the Feeders.

One fully loaded Feeder walked up to him, inserting the feeding tube into his mouth. After the Feeder thought the larva had enough, the Feeder withdrew his feeding tube. However, Hercules knew that the more food one got as a larva, the stronger one would become. The larva stage built up the foundations, and a strong larva stage made every other stage easier. So Hercules did what anyone would do, and latched onto the tube with his small mandibles, forcefully sucking out more liquid food from it.

The Feeder, panicked by the sudden pain in his tube, started thrashing around, making strange sounds of pain. The Feeders used the very sensitive feeding tube, filled with nerves, to sense the amount of liquid passing through, and that way, helping the Feeder to control the output. A Feeder's life was usually devoid of any kind of pain, so imagine the shock when a small and blind larva suddenly bit it in the most sensitive spot.

The larvae usually only showed kindness and were grateful for the food. The Feeders loved their task in the Swarm, feeding the cute little babies were a great source of joy for them. Now this... this was a first. What kind of monster was this larva?

Hercules refused to let go, biting down with all his power, and continued this barbaric act until the Feeder was completely deflated. The Feeder laid on the ground, twitching in a mix of pain and shock. Hercules noticed nothing more came out, so he let go and wriggled his way to a new Feeder. Sadly, he never got far enough to find one, since two Helpers picked him up. After a great amount of effort, the Helpers managed to carry Hercules back to the general sleeping quarters, where he immediately fell asleep. The two Helpers body's ached, but they could continue to work. As long as they never had to lift something that heavy again.

Hercules had just eaten enough to feed ten average larvae.

Hercules woke up, opening his eyes by instinct. Surprisingly enough, he could see! Another surprise was that four pairs of small, chubby legs had grown out, allowing him to move around on his own. They were not fast, but better than wriggling around.

Instead of the ant like legs the Emperor got, Hercules had more caterpillar like legs. However, caterpillar got some strange legs. They got three pair of pointy legs at the front, on the thorax, which are the true legs. Then they got some other legs at the abdomen, the middle part, which are stumpy and fatter, called prolegs.

The number of legs depends on the species, but it's important to remember, the Swarm are no normal insects. They are the Swarm. Any resemblances are only on the surface. Hercules only had the four prolegs, no pointy legs, and he was no caterpillar either, even though he kinda looked like one.

Already got legs? That was fast. Maybe I’m not the same kind of beetle anymore. Lots of other larvae around me, but none of them have any legs. Some got larger mandibles though.

Now what to do? Eat and sleep again?

Hercules did not have to think much more about that subject, because two Helpers noticed he was awake and carried him to the mess hall again.

Oh, what are those? They are feeding the other larvae? I see, that's one of those from yesterday. Hope they are not mad.

Hercules walked up to one of the Feeders and noticed it had a slightly disfigured tube. The Feeder took a few seconds to recognize the larva, since they all looked virtually the same when newborn. However, they could recognize the larvae somewhat, with the help of smell, size, attitude and the personal pheromone signature. The Feeder stomped its feet, a hint of anger appearing in its eyes and then it suddenly sprayed liquid food all over Hercules's face. The Feeder turned and left, going to feed some more kind-hearted and less greedy larva.

Grr… Bastard. I will get you for that one day. Hercules thought, as he did his best to consume the liquid food all over his body. Thankfully, he had a long tongue, so he could lick his entire face. To get the stuff that fell to the ground, he simply took a bite out of the ground, not caring much about the dirt he also devoured.

Not having learnt his lesson, Hercules walked up to another Feeder. The Feeders did not pay attention that anything except the larva they were currently feeding, so no one, except the one with a disfigured tube, knew about the fact that this larva was a biter.

The Feeder reached out with its tube, lowering it inside Hercules's mouth without any reason to be suspicious. It fed the normal amount and then began to withdraw the tube, just like it always did.

Hercules repeated the same thing he did yesterday. Biting down on the tube, forcing the food out. The Feeder was just as shocked as the last one, and could not free itself. For one, it did not want to hurt any larva, so it did not attack. It could also not try to escape, because the iron grip on the tube prevented any such actions. It could only tremble in pain and endure, hoping it was all over soon. To use a human example, it was like clutching someone by the balls. No, not those balls; the eyeballs.

The Helpers rushed to the scene, and as soon as the Feeder got drained completely, and Hercules finally letting go, they picked the unruly larva up and brought it back to avoid anymore incidents. Hercules went to sleep as soon as he hit the ground.

Next time Hercules woke up, he had doubled in size, and a horn grew out from his forehead. The horn was black, pointy, but not very long. Maybe if he rammed something as hard as he could, he could do some damage with it, but for the most part, his plump body covered the vast majority of the horn.

Like before, the Helpers that always stood inside the general sleeping quarters, watching over the larvae, noticed his movements and picked him up. Thanks to his increase in size, three Helpers got drafted for this task. Even with three Helpers, they still struggled greatly, and they fell down as soon as they arrived at the mess hall, dropping Hercules in the process. While death had not claimed them, they were thoroughly exhausted to the core.

Hercules rolled out into the mess hall area, thankfully avoiding any other larva. He got up and walked towards the nearest Feeder with his cubby legs. While the Feeders normally only paid attention to the larva they were feeding, the commotion this larva had caused were too much for them to remain ignorant. They all had a hint of fear in their eyes. The one that Hercules chose, stretched out the tube and let Hercules suck the liquid food storage dry, without resisting, thereby saving itself from the horrible pain. Hercules drained another one before he felt full.

Hercules walked over to the mess hall entrance, but the Helpers he had arrived with, where now gone. No trace of them left.

Those three Helpers did not get up for a long time. They only recovered the moment before Hercules decided he was full, wanting to leave. They managed to sneak away unseen, letting some other Helpers deal with the big larva, that had now grown even bigger after feeding. It took four Helpers to carry him home. As usual, he fell asleep the moment he hit the ground.

That night, something special happened.

Where am I? It’s dark, feels like I’m floating. Feels like I have been here before…

Hercules now experienced the same thing the Emperor did before. Inside the beam of light stood his current form.

Is that me? What am I? Why do I look like this? I should be a mighty beetle. Not... this caterpillar like form. I won't get any lady bugs with those chubby legs and this plump body, consisting only of rolls after rolls.

Hercules's body transformed into his old beetle form. But he was not done there. If he had this mysterious ability, he would use it to make a few adjustments...

Yes, that’s more like it. Two slightly curved long horns, but different sizes. The longer one planted firmly on my thorax, and the smaller one on my head, so it follows my head movements. Filled with sharp spikes between them, so I can crush and cut up things larger than myself. Some way to sense if I got something between them too, like some kind of hair.

Much larger and stronger mandibles that will slice up my food with ease. Get rid of these stupid chubby legs, give me back my old legs. I only want six legs. Small spikes and claws on my legs, so I get a better grip. The upper back armor will have a golden color, the rest black. Now I almost look like I used to, except a little bit more dangerous. What wonderful dream.

The surprise and shock Hercules felt when he woke up, was hard to describe. In short, unlimited happiness. His dream had come true. He had transformed into the mighty beetle he created in his sleep. Though, there were some regret mixed in as well.

Ah! Why didn't I improve it even more!?

However, his joy didn’t last long, because he could feel the signals for danger, panic and enemy. He quickly understood that his home was under attack. He did not feel much loyalty to his current home, since all he had done was eat and sleep, but his Master was here somewhere, so he had to at least check it out. Hercules rushed out to find the enemy, and was endlessly shocked at what he saw. Bodies ripped in half, blood everywhere, organs on the walls. In short; chaos filled the tunnels.

Lucky!

Hercules stopped a few times to eat a snack. Then he remembered his purpose and sped up, moving towards the source of the signals.

Hercules reached the Queen's chambers and saw the enemy. A single, big furry creature with big teeth, currently chomping on a Guard. It was almost at the Queen. A desperate meat shield wall protected her, but they would not last much longer.

Since Hercules used to live in a similar body, he did not need time to adjust to his new and more powerful body. For some reason, he could not stand the sight of the scared Queen. He needed to protect her! Make her happy again! Even if it cost him his life! He charged into battle straight away.