The familiar walls of the tunnel, the indistinct sensation of multiple information transmitted by pheromones, the scent of home: she was back!
Soon, her senses met those of the cloaked guards near the door, connecting her to the "hive mind." The multiple information relayed so far through the exchanges of pheromones were for the most part of no interest to Xicackna, simply confirming that the hive was functioning correctly. Then, gradually, a feeling of well-being came over her as the news of her arrival reached the rest of the colony and their responses reached her. Commoners emitted buzzing joy at the news that a supposedly lost princess had returned, while nobles relayed more complex messages of welcome.
Then came the presence of the queen herself, powerful, profound. Although it was only a message relayed from Zcarbb to Zcarbb, the priority given to it made it shine among all the others. Unlike those of the other nobles, it expressed no words: only a feeling of well-being aimed directly at Xicackna.
Twirling with happiness, she was able to forget for a moment her torments of the last few days and let herself indulge in this sensation. Then, while letting it twist and turn in her mind, she headed towards the royal room to make her report.
Her passage must have been noticed far throughout the hive by the liveliness of the reactions of the workers, transmitted far and wide. Of course, neither of them interrupted their task, but their abdomens vibrated vigorously, expressing their joy and she returned the favor.
The queen was not the only one waiting for her in the room: all the nobles who had no particular mission at that moment were gathered. Cutting through the crowd, Xafara rushed towards Xicackna:
"You are back! Xicackna survived!"
Showing her joy, she began to walk in a circle around her, leading in her trail a flock of the littlest princesses, who easily followed her in all her escapades. They shouted “Xicackna survived!” like a heady refrain.
The survivor felt more touched than annoyed. Xafara might be a little rough and excited, but she always knew how to cheer her sisters up... when she wasn't trying to do the exact opposite.
The remaining of the princesses and princes also showed their joy, but in a less excessive way. They were aware of the solemn presence of the queen, or perhaps of Xicackna's tired state. It was the sovereign who gently put an end to the acclamations. She invited Xicackna to approach her and took her in her arms, bringing her high enough so that their antennae touched, facilitating the exchange of information. The princess was literally under the queen's eyes: she saw almost only them.
The crowd also followed their conversation, sometimes uttering cries of surprise or indignation as she told her story. Finally, once it was completed, the queen decided to wait a bit before discussing it, taking a little moment to update Xicackna on the latest information from the hive.
There wasn't much to say: a new, more advanced type of exercise to achieve a higher level of mana, new genetic blueprints for the queen intended to design new castes of specialists, like battle mages, technicians specialized in human sciences and enchanting workers…
Then, placing Xicackna on the ground, the queen conveyed her feelings to the crowd: she allowed discussion out loud and sought advice. Immediately, a hubbub arose as everyone transmitted what they had silently exchanged shortly before. Regarding the mysterious creature that had helped her, everyone agreed that it could not be trusted, but there were very varied ideas on what to do next. Of course, the voices of the older princesses eventually gradually rose. Xom-Telba, in particular, vibrated with anger and fear:
"Xubu-Lemonay, killed in one hit by this super-powerful monster? Even though her power had been amplified by her arrival as a raid boss? We must take action... yes, we must find something to crush these monsters before they come and kill us all!"
"Automatic mechanisms for moving?" Xana-Eloba cut her off. "I need it! I have some ideas to design my own version, but I still lack raw materials... It is said that our ancestors had designed automatons to compensate for our deaths in times of war and to increase the productivity of our industries: if we could put ahead of our armies some mechanical Zcarbbs, like the armies that the Humans faced in their historical documentary, we could counter their power with numbers..."
"You will never have the raw materials you need until we take mining territories! This is not the right solution right now. It seems that higher level Humans cannot enter our dungeon, but there is no guarantee that it will always stay that way: the level of the Dungeon will one day become high enough to bring this monster in... And if we don't improve ourselves to avoid this disaster, we will end up killed by other Humans, weaker but with equally insane powers!"
"So, what do you suggest?"
"Better training, better strategies... I also have another idea, but I would prefer to discuss it privately with our mother Xa-tar-Lona first."
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The discussion continued, but of course no real solution emerged: these things took time. Xicackna was perpetually assailed with questions from nobles curious about this or that detail of her adventure, until the queen gently insisted that she be let go, return to her room to rest.
Arriving there, she rolled around in the drapes and other fabrics that furnished her room, finding comfort in these soft and familiar textures. Quickly, she fell into a deep sleep, although disturbed by horrible dreams where monstrous termite mounds blocked the sun and vomited streams of bloodthirsty and disorderly monsters.
Xicackna stretched until her joints vibrated, then looked around with satisfaction. The long period of sleep had finally chased away the anxiety and fatigue, leaving her in great shape to face... her mood darkened. Yes, the war was far from over, it was even just beginning.
Absorbed in strategic thoughts that led nowhere, she pulled towards her the amber door that closed her room. The hallway was obstructed by the body of a mature princess who blocked access to her room. She recognized the midnight blue color that characterized both Xorpha's shell and clothing. Or rather Xor-Pha, now. With her molt, her body became bulkier, particularly in the abdomen, which would continue to grow over the next few years to facilitate the molt of the day she became a queen. If she could always stand on two legs, knowing her she would probably never make the effort.
She communicated a short message to the obstacle, congratulating her on her growth and gently pointing out that she was preventing her from getting out. Immediately, the mass stood up and turned around, presenting her with a barely awake face.
Before Xor-Pha could communicate, she was jostled by Xafara who rushed into the room, instinctively forcing Xicackna to step back.
"Ah, are you finally awake?" asked the excited girl. "That damn Xor-Pha refused to let me pass because you were sleeping. Phew!"
"Which goes to show," added Xilofane who had also just appeared, "Xor-Pha has more consideration for others than one might suspect. I too tried to hold Xafara back, but it took Xor-Pha blocking the way to finally get her to wait a little... When are you going to calm down?"
"Shut up dwarf!"
Replied Xafara with verve before turning kindlier towards our young princess:
"I’m so glad you’re still alive! We have already lost too many people and I like you... well, even if Xor-Pha or Xilofane died, I would be sad, but probably less than if you died: you are nicer."
"Let's just say that she doesn't give you what you deserve every time you come to disturb her peace."
The young barbarian ignored the reply and emitted a small, high-pitched whistle. Immediately, a flock of little princesses burst out from the corridor, increasing the invasion of Xicackna's room. Full of life and madness, they ran around the older princesses or after each other in some immature games. There were also a few little princes, although they mostly kept to themselves, having their own games. They were nonetheless running in all directions.
Before the owner of the place had time to be indignant at this sudden encroachment on her private space, two little princesses approached her. They clumsily carried a tray above their heads, presenting it to her as a gift. Xicackna squinted at it, observing an unstable pile of small red circles rising from it.
Her eyes lit up immediately and saliva came naturally to his mouth, a few acidic drops falling to the ground, perforating the hangings that covered it and polishing the rock below. But she didn't notice it, only having eyes for these appetizing spheres.
"Mushred[1]!" she exclaimed, "recognizing the little round mushrooms. My favorite!"
She immediately grabbed some and popped it into her mouth and chewed it slowly, savoring the spicy flavor of the treat. Although deadly to most creatures, this mushroom was a delicious luxury treat for the Zcarbb nobility.
Her sisters smiled as they watched her eat with a blissful look on her face. When she came to her senses, she was slightly ashamed of having indulged her gluttony.
"I… T… Thank you, will you… take some too?"
They responded to her with signs of denial, being very amused by her reaction. It was Xafara who answered for them:
"No, no, it’s all for you. After everything you endured in the monster lands, I thought it would be good for you to have your favorite food again."
"But, during the Disaster the majority of our specialist mushroom cultivators died. This species is so difficult to reproduce that this pile must represent our entire current consumable stock."
"Shut up and eat. Anyway, I always found them too spicy for my taste."
Gluttony winning out, Xicackna did not need to be asked twice, putting two into her mouth at once. While she savored her mouthful with passion, despite the shouting of the young Zcarbbs, Xilofane spoke:
"It was Xafara who organized everything. She said that everything had to be done to make you forget the monstrosities you encountered. It’s true that I myself still tremble at the memory of the story of all these horrors… She thought that your favorite treats would cheer you up. She also thought that being surrounded by Zcarbbs would help you feel at ease after such a long period of solitude surrounded by danger. I have to say that I was more doubtful about the idea of bringing all these screeching larvae."
Xicackna looked at the happy mess that surrounded her. Normally, she would never have tolerated anyone entering her room without permission, or causing disorder. However, this painful environment was indeed pleasant in her present situation. Without responding directly, she simply expressed the emotion of her joy while enjoying another handful of treats.
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[1] Word-for-word translation from the Zcarbb language. As it is a species endemic to Zcarbbs hives, there are no names in other languages. A certain number of tree species and mushrooms are found in all Zcarbbs colonies, even the most isolated. It was once assumed that they obtained them through trade, but recent discoveries call this theory into question. It appears that Princess Zcarbbs are capable of storing and regurgitating seeds and spores. The rare dissections of one of them proved the existence of an additional stomach, without gastric juice, absent in the rest of their species. This contained seeds and spores whose essences corresponded to the endemic cultures of the Zcarbbs, as well as a few others depending on the regional cultures of their original colonies.