Richard Adams

The last day in Whe'Di was uneventful compared to people offering blood last night. Poor Rex passed out after dragging the worms inside the storehouse. He woke up after Mimi brought the bodies back in the afternoon, and I guess Mark was there to talk to him. Miss Lana gave me the ax, with some more metal powder. She made it clear she wanted me to only give Rex his ax when he was ready. I guess mothers never got too old to protect their kids.

I hung around Red the whole day, watching people keep coming back to offer more and more blood. It was a good thing she was keeping tabs on who gave how much. Lee's parents were stressed out since their 'kid' was gone, but from what I understood the worms were at the next village waiting for us. I knew I could just ask, and we'd be taken there, but I kind of felt like I owed it to Mimi to travel to the village myself. It was weird to say it was my way to apologize for doubting her, but I wasn't sure what else to call it.

Rex hefted Red's box on his back, as the sun got to the afternoon. It was pretty morbid, knowing she chose to use a coffin. Rex even joked about putting a hood on and playing it up that he was Charon. I put a stop to it, but I couldn't say we didn't stand out. I had a large backpack with all the supplies I could carry, Rex carrying some on his hips. We said our goodbyes to the villagers and left. I slowed our progress down by taking a break every hour, but I wasn't built like Rex or Mimi. I couldn't just walk for days on end and still kick a fiend's ass.

It was quiet until Red started giggling, her box rattling on Rex's back. I knocked on the door, "Everything alright in there?"

Red sobered up, "We killed the Slayer~"

Rex tilted his head, "The slayer?"

I let out a sigh, "The passion slayer, the thing that comes from the passion drinkers. Mimi just killed it, do you know what they are, Rex?"

He grunted, "I think I heard of them, but I thought they didn't come this far north."

That prompted Red to explain what passion drinkers were, probably word for word in the monster manual, then regale us with the tail of her epic battle. I almost thought she was making stuff up when she mentioned Rose turning into a dragon made out of petals. Mimi wouldn't lie about a good battle though, especially when she started putting out ideas as to how it happened. She had more experiments to run with Rose but was thankfully letting her rest right now.

It was kind of a bummer to hear that not all the kids were from Whe'Di and that the cult had probably been grabbing kids from other villages. At least they were dead, and Mimi was working on helping the kids cope with what happened. She told us that she would be able to save the kids' souls and put them in her giants. It made the walk a bit more enjoyable, and I found myself grinning as she explained how she was essentially letting them play in her wonderland.

Rex asked a lot of questions, but Red politely answered them and explained how the kids had a choice in everything that was happening to them right now. Then it clicked, "Hey, Red." She stopped talking to listen to what I had to say. "Mimi at the passion slayer, right? Why aren't you evolving?"

"Mimi is still eating the slayer's body as we speak. I'll evolve after she's done, it looks like it will take a few more hours before she's done." It was a little rough gauging how she felt about that.

Rex chuckled, "The slayer must have truly been massive for you to struggle with eating it in less than an hour!"

"She can't even bite through the bones! We're probably going to get even heavier, but it's worth it for that skin and muscle." She went back to talking about the things the kids were doing inside her mind. Night came, and she was still telling us about all the ideas she had for her bugs and how to make them more dangerous. She'd only pause if we had a question to ask. Rex and I were both glad when we set her box down and she hopped out.

Red tilted her head, "Where's the campfire?" Rex said he was on it, while I got the dishes out. Red rushed off to do her hunting.

Rex shook his head after she left, "I thought she would never stop talking."

I laughed it off, "It's a lot worse when she doesn't talk at all. Trust me, she gets very talkative whenever she's in a good mood. I don't think she'll want to spar with you today though."

Rex looked at me, "What makes you say that, Richard?" He was disappointed, not wanting to believe what I was saying.

"Well, she's probably gonna evolve after Mimi is done. It makes her hungry, and she just got done with one of the best fights she's ever had. I know she's going to want to ride this mood for a day or two." I lit the pile of kindling that Rex brought over.

He grunted, "I guess we'll have to spar more to make up for it." He gave me a smirk.

I put my hands up, "We've been walking all day, I'm not used to this much activity. I'm great for short bursts, can we just sleep tonight?"

Rex slumped, "It's not enough that you wanted to take breaks while we walked, you also want to skip out on sparring. What kind of a man are you Richard?" He prodded me with his words, mostly teasing.

I knew Rex was disappointed but perked up when I got off my ass. I walked over to the coffin, looking at the bugs inside. "Mimi, can you spare someone to spar with Rex?" The answer was immediate, as two of the elite vampires showed up. They were creepy since they didn't even bother talking. One at least had the courtesy to give a small bow to Rex.

"WAGH!" He pulled out his hatchets and started fighting. I watched them spar, a little intimidated by how brutal it was. Rex just loved the intense fight. Red came back about an hour later with some fresh meat from her hunt. I cooked, and it was shaping up to be a nice quiet night.

Red pulled me into her lap pillow after we finished eating. Then she jolted, "Richard, I just realized you weren't there to protect the other body." I tilted my head, "I promised that I'd let you do it if I had a dangerous transformation..." She looked down at me, doing her best to apologize.

I looked up at her, "Well, I mean you weren't alone this time, right? Besides I get to protect you, Red. You are Mimi, so no harm done." There's that smile. The elites were still sparing with Rex, while we stared at the stars. Midnight rolled around when Red called me away from the fire. Rex was sleeping, after finally getting exhausted. One of the perks with Mimi's vampire army was that we didn't have to worry about a night guard.

A quick explanation doused any thoughts that this was going to be a midnight romp. I got a comfortable stump and was politely asked to watch her and protect her while she changed. I wasn't a fan of watching her skin melt, but I kept watch only taking a few glances. I could tell it was doing things for her and chalked it up to a difference in preferences. An hour passed before Red got back up, her skin had a blue tint to it now. Her crimson claws now had a blue band before they turned into chitin, with spines along the forearms. She kept the color that gave her the name, but she was definitely stronger now.

She hugged me, showering me with kisses. She had a couple of elites give her some blood before she asked if she could have some of mine. I didn't want to ruin her mood, and I ended up pretty light-headed. We had our own 'sparring' session shortly after to break in her the new features. After that, she brought a teleporter so we could watch as the kids moved out of the storehouse in the bodies of giants. I was a little worried when some of the parents looked at the scene with uncertainty, but they accepted the kids once one of them tugged at the hem of their mother's dress.

It was touching, especially seeing how each bug had different colors to show who was who. One even had their name spelled out in a pattern, as they licked their father's face. I wiped my eyes since there was some wind tonight. "This is temporary, isn't it?"

Red gave a small nod, "I'm hoping that tier three bugs will allow them to communicate. The Hive has a lot to work with now, and I truly believe it is possible."

I nodded, touched by the scene below. It wasn't perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than letting those kids just die. Mimi didn't have to do this, I kind of felt bad that I said she could, but the villagers would have gotten over it. Now, here we were. How could I have ever thought she'd do what I thought Dixon said she did? I was starting to get overwhelmed when we returned to camp. "Thank you," Was all I could say to her before I went to sleep.

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Mimi

Everything was going as planned. Richard's mental health was peaking, Rex was manageable. The new evolution made me feel as if I was getting stronger after a long plateau. I felt strong enough to tackle almost anything, but I knew how far away Bral was compared to my current strength. Against anything else, it felt as if I could win with ease. My fights would become boring, but I was yet another step closer to my goal. I could take over vampires and modify them for harder won fights.

I looked around the ruined village, the elites carrying bound and gagged pedophiles out of the teleporters. Other disgusting individuals were mixed in. From rapists to those that purchased slaves to mercilessly beat them to death. What I understood from the memories I had obtained, was that these beings were filth in the eyes of those that considered themselves good. The ones that were the most likely to unite against me, should they believe I was evil. Truly, I didn't care about what these filthy had done. Their removal just furthered my approval in the eyes of the 'just.'

Perhaps I would have cared if they had done such 'disgusting' acts to those in my Hive. Why was it that the 'just' didn't take it upon themselves to gather the information and take care of these 'scum' themselves? I knew such questions weren't meant to be asked unless I wanted others questioning my motives. Even Richard had misunderstood such ideas as me testing him. He explained that individuals were weak, and they wanted to live their lives without being hurt. In other words, those that judged were not willing to take risks, and as a consequence 'scum' like these were allowed to fester in the Underground.

This was the explanation I told to L, as these worms would inherit the letter from their host's old life. They nodded, stirring the broth. Eggs were to be added after it had cooled, and these 'scum' would be forced to drink. L spoke up, "Your ideas are fascinating, I doubt my kind would have ever thought about hunting 'filth' such as this."

I gave a small nod, "The risk is higher for your kind. Your body could be damaged, and the rotting flesh would kill you. You are unable to do magic, making children your best alibi for lingering among a different race. Your value has gone up since it appears my vampires can drink your blood as readily as any other."

L nodded, "It is fortunate to hear such things. As you have requested, we shall fix this village up and communicate with your elite vampires."

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"Are you not upset that you are essentially cattle to be slaughtered on my whim?" I tilted my head towards the tiny creature.

They continued stirring the broth, "It is not the optimal future we desire, but you have expressed a willingness to allow our growth. We understand that your bugs can slaughter our kind with ease, and we lack the proper tools to defend ourselves in these forests. We only desire to live and make more of ourselves. We also do not believe you would slaughter us based on a simple whim. You are a logical entity, and you would likely warn us before taking such an action. We only hope that you might willingly allow us to spread outside this village one day."

"The notion has been considered, and if your race proves its loyalty, I will see your kind making more villages. Cultivation of crops is important, and there is so much left untended. Your value will increase if ichor worms are created and under my control. Though said value depends on how potent having such parasites in place might prove."

"Vampires are physically weak, and such fast bodies gaining strength will make them quite potent. We are also curious about the results." A few of the 'volunteers' were stirring in their bindings. A few of them were awake, trying to understand where they were and what was happening. "Are you certain it will be fine for them to listen to our conversation?"

"If they attempt something, I will bring them into my mind and make them desire what we seek to do. I have already confirmed their 'foul' deeds. Blissful memories for most, some are stained with regret, but I believe people do not care how much a being might regret their actions. The phrase, 'Justice must be served,' comes to mind."

L poured the broth into a bowl, "Such a self-indulgent concept. It completely ignores the stimuli and environment that might have driven these entities to commit their 'crimes.' They have done wrong, let us not ask why but only focus on the fact that something must be done to stop them from doing more of such actions." It was refreshing to talk to a creature that understood the difficulties I had with morals.

"I feel we will get along rather well. Are you certain you are not a hivemind?" I asked for the second time.

L let eggs fall into the broth, stirring it and moving to the first 'volunteer' They pulled the gag down, "Drink." They pressed the liquid to the person's mouth. It was almost amusing to witness the idiot spit the broth out, and cover L's face. Some vulgar words were said by the volunteer, with claims that the broth might be poisoned. L drank it to prove it wasn't poison, but there was only so much fear a tiny individual could instill. "Last chance or you will be made an example of."

I politely waited for L to answer my question, while the volunteer told L to crawl back from whatever hole they came from. Caves were nice and safe, with natural fortification. L also didn't understand why such a thing was considered an insult, but they made good on their promise. Flesh crawled, as the worms made the muscles stronger. They gently set the bowl down and began beating the man's face until their jaw was broken. A broken jaw was hardly an issue with what we'd be feeding them. L pressed the bowl to the now crying man's mouth forcing him to drink or drown.

L pulled back after the man received the amount needed. "Thank you for your patience. In a sense, we are a hivemind. We are many different worms connected and conjoined as one after we take over our host. That said, we are more individually orientated. I do not sense of feel when others of my kind are in a body close to me. I cannot communicate with them through a network, as you do. We are simply worms that grew smart from the ideas and potential our host once had."

It was useful information to know. I adjusted the fire beneath the broth, as L fed more of the volunteers. "How long does it take for the eggs to mature enough to take over a host?"

L tilted their head, "We believe it is accelerated through physical trauma and food intake. These are tests we will be studying ourselves. I will explain the situation and accommodations to those that take over their host." One individual tried to use their magic to cut their bindings. They were sent to the wonderland for a few years and tortured. They came back giddy, and more than happy to drink the broth by the time L made their way to the individual.

"Might I suggest separating the individuals into groups based on similar body types? From there wait two days and kill one from each group until you find the worms taking root. I feel that would be the most effective way to establish a baseline to begin experimenting."

L considered my input before nodding. "That seems like the best course, it is unfortunate that we cannot make these things happen instantly."

I shrugged, "Patience is important, I have bugs nearby if anything is needed. I'll be leaving as we discussed, you are capable without me aiding you anymore?"

"Thank you for your help and your time. We shall finish this task by ourselves. We know even if we die, others of our kind will live on as they have been infected."

I smiled at them, before hoisting my wagon over my head. It was easier to just hold it in that position and carry it. I used my new flames to give my momentum a boost, and began running in the direction of the next town. My travel speed had doubled, allowing me to breeze through the forest. The larvae and bugs had been filled to the brim as multiple nodes were made to contribute. I had learned from the last death march and gave each node fifty more bugs than I felt was needed. Smaller clusters were sent out in order to find the optimal location for the node to be placed. Then they would conjoin in the upcoming days.

The night was passed with my death march, as I kept tabs on the worms and the other hives. It was still incredibly quiet, but that made it easier to focus on the tier two bugs undergoing a metamorphosis inside my wagon. It was going to take an entire twenty-four-hour period, but I could feel most of the practice templates succeed. The passion drinkers and the slayer were one entity, and their connection was exactly what I needed to breach the hurdle I had been stuck at. Tier three didn't need to be more independent, they needed to be both a singular entity and closer to the Hive as a whole.

Red was assigned the task of dealing with the king. They were going to talk soon enough, wasting an hour of my time might make the difference between survival and failure. Dixon whispered to the node I had in the corner of his room. There had been a low chance of me winning against the passion slayer, but failure to acquire its traits would lead to my defeat against whatever was in Fis'Ton. Something was coming, and all I knew was that it could slay dragons.

That little bit of information was more than I had gotten from Dixon about the subject for days. Something was interfering with Dixon's ability to witness the future. Someone in the village that I wouldn't know until they killed Dixon. The prime suspects were the runesmith, the death priest, and even Dixon himself. They had all been to Eclipse once before, and I knew Charles was a subtle bastard. He might even have a pact in place to have Dixon be killed when a certain condition was met. A condition that would be met once I knew what I was up against.

There was nothing that could be done, besides preparing for whatever would be coming as if I were fighting a Bral in a rematch. The day was spent traveling, and I found the town of Wud'Der right when I was supposed to converse with the king. This confirmed that Charles had eyes and ears on the path I was taking. He was watching my progress with discreet interest and likely knew that Red was conversing with him right now. I was connected to the main Hive, with the Hive version of myself directing everything.

The first of the tier three bugs were made, their forms freed from their cocoons of silk. New variants were possible, new castes could be created. The Hive would deliberate on their names, as many of them developed minds on par with genius children. Many of them were lesser personalities, not fully awakened as the named ones. Closer to the copies I had given Argus, that weren't given proper names. The debate raged fiercely as I moved towards the walls.

Experiments were done in the background, as I pushed open the gates. This town had done repairs already, it would be my first real chance to pull off my demon act. Where were the guards, however? The gate doors groaned against my strength, as I heard moaning and screaming from the population. I could breakthrough, but there were people on the other side. My scouts made it over the walls to give me vision, what I saw gave me pause.

Prismoid spores clung to everything, growing with wild abandon. Dense motes floated about the air, collected by those few people that could still stand. They were sickly and diseased, the entire population infected with the same fungus grown on their own bodies. It was too late for some, but the majority was laying around a single individual resting on a platform. A bard wearing the same quilt Richard had. The emblem of Eclipse was proudly displayed on his shoulder, as he strummed his lute. The people walked in time with the song, moving similarly to puppets, their eyes glazed over.

My wagon was pushed back, while I teleported closer to the bard. He continued playing his song, magic filling the notes with every string. The music tried to infect me, but I denied it finding purchase. I looked at the individual's soul, finding he was a lord as Argus had described. "What is the meaning of this?" I looked around, at the festering mounds, and the dead all around me. The ground was black with vampire blood, many of the homes were starting to fall inward, and the whole population was kept enthralled in this man's tune.

He smiled at me, giving a slight bow. "Greetings, my future queen." The song continued, "The current King has decreed that this shall be your first true test." The message and everything were immediately passed to Red. "You are earlier than expected, but perhaps I was simply told the wrong time." He coughed, using his magic to force his fingers to play. "Perhaps, this was just another possibility I wasn't made aware of."

Charles wasn't explaining a damn thing, and the Count suddenly showed up. It was comforting that we were going to get Gray back, but it was an excellent deflection to stop me from asking about what was going on here. I narrowed my eyes, "Who do you serve? If I am your future Queen, and Charles is your current King, whom will you listen to?"

The bard smiled, coughing as he let out a few laughs. I could hear his lungs crackling as he forced himself to continue. "I do not know, anymore. You are in front of me, so I am tempted to say I serve you, my future Queen."

His magic had infected all those around us, none of them could even hear what we were saying, they couldn't even process it. All that was on their minds was the song the bard continued to play. "Do you wish to die? Stop playing that song."

He softly shook his head, "No bard will ever leave a song incomplete. I do not wish to die if I might be spared."

"What is your name? What was your purpose here?" I established a link with the spores, glad I had eaten the prismoid cluster in the Underground. There was too much for me to control without complete access to my Hive, but I could use them to create direct links to the spores on these people. Many of them were close to death, if I had come tomorrow they would have died.

The Bard closed his eyes, "My name is Eci'Peter, born in Eclipse and given an offer by the king of demons himself. I was raised and trained from the streets, to become a herald. I knew my purpose was to die in service to the crown, and that was the pact that was made. A wonderful deal for a magic so weak. It was all an orphan could dream of and more. I do not regret what I have done, nor the purpose for which I was given. My task was to influence the population as a piper should and let the fungus fester. To repair the damage the vampires had dealt so that you might claim this town as you did the villages."

Charles was giving me this town on a silver platter, giving me the chance to simply move on after destroying the spores. I bit my lip, knowing that I could start killing off all the spores right now. The people could die, and it wouldn't be my fault. I would have a whole town to fill up, and use as needed. Then I heard the tone and fluttering notes truly listened to them instead of the magic. It was filled with emotion, longing, and pain. "What song are you playing?"

A sad smile filled his face, "Prayer, to the True You."

Cleaning up this town and letting its people perish would be the easier, more cost-effective option. I wasn't certain if these people would live, even if I interfered. They might all need a healing stinger, it would cost so much time... I was supposed to prepare for battle, to prepare for a fight against something that could kill a dragon. I might need every second of every day. Why was I hesitating here? No one would doubt me if I said I found this place in this state. Even Richard would understand after explaining the situation.

The last notes of the song were played, silence filling the air. The gasps and pained breathes of the dying all around me. I didn't cause this, it wasn't something I had to fix. Why wasn't I leaving? I had established connections to the prismoid growing on the flesh of everyone still alive. It was that action that made me realize I had already made my decision. Whether it be because of spite towards a king that would force me to comply to his whims, true compassion for the race of the one I loved, or so many other frivolous things that shouldn't matter. I was the only one here that could save these people.

All of them were hurting, each breath was painful. There were hundreds to save, and that was the choice I decided to make. I closed my eyes, as my magic spread out. This was a different kind of battle, I convinced myself that I was simply making my magic stronger for the fight ahead. Just another reason to add towards doing this. The bugs in my wagon were sent out in search of prey to be hunted. A proper test for the new third-tier bugs. My ears flicked when the bard started another song, "Who said you could play another?" I glared at him with intensely glowing eyes.

He let out a small laugh, "You made your decision, and I wish to help." The pain the others felt was eased by his notes, "Please allow me to serve you, my Queen." They were light gentle notes, still filled with sadness, but with notes of hope. "This song is named; Fallen Angel."

I rolled my eyes at the brazen title, not enjoying what he was suggesting in the least. There was work to do, and with the thirty minutes I had left with the full weight of my Hive, I would do as much as possible.