Edited by: KenChi死

In the end I was not dreaming, there was a wonderful core right in front of me and I couldn’t eat it if I didn’t want to waste it.

So what did I do? I called workers and told them to bring it back to the hive. If I can’t use it, no one will! No and period! That’s my trophy! My spoils of war!

I came back with the workers to the hive; solider moved to those few camps that were built in the past three days. From those locations drones shall fly looking for other monsters. If they would spot some bigger herds they will inform the warriors that will began raiding. As bigger, let’s call them “communities” will fall, the hunt for monsters living on their own will start. In the meantime workers started building, after my suggestion fenced like location in which captured beast shall be bread. The main features that those animals should have were: herbivores, fast breeding, relatively immune to diseases. For now I have to report back in person.

Once again I stood a few meters from the huge body of the queen. At first she didn’t even notice me, as she was deeply lost in thoughts. One of her limbs was resting over the head of another drone, I can’t be sure, but it may be one of those that I ordered to fly after me and bite the head of the Moloch.

After a minute or two she straightened her body. I caught part of the message she sent to the drone [That’s ..t, Y..o ..ay l..ve]. Slowly my psionical powers are getting stronger. Who knows, maybe I will be able to block the queen’s signals in no time…

* “You were late, so I allowed myself to take a report from that drone.”

I heard her voice in my mind. I couldn’t even tell if she was angry. Her voice is to neutral.

* “I beg for your pardon. I came as soon as I dealt with the most important tasks…”

* “You told me, that you were going to be a commander as you lead my children and Eldest…”

* “…Yes. That what I told. And… I think that that was what I did… Yet by your tone, I deduce that you have different opinion about that matter…”

* “Indeed. Commanders are creatures of highest priority on the battlefield. They coordinate actions of hundreds, and in your case, thousands. May you tell me then, why instead of staying at the back you rushed as the first one? Don’t you know your own value? I can lose those two thousands of children, as long as there death would serve the greater good, but you… you are the only one of a kind… what were you thinking mindlessly risking your life?...”

* “My queen…”

* “Silence!…” Now I know. She was angry… but something is off “…you are not the only creature here that can add pieces of information together. I tired gathering information about you. Every single one of my children has a number. To those numbers lots of detailed information are attached. Like about the day of their birth, whose seed was used to fertilize the egg, how fast they became an adults, all that information would helps me if some new variant would be born, so I could try repeating the process… and… you don’t exist. There is no single information about you being hatched, nor your father, nor the substances that you were feed. You simply appeared… and even that took place at the verge of the colony. You are intelligent, probably far more than you wish to admit, maybe even more than me… you are not acting like a part of the hive, you told me that I was wrong as I said our credo [I am because we are]… What are you, and what is your purpose. Normally I would think that you are a parasite… but then again… why risking your life?”

Now I noticed. In the dark of the room  about two dozens mantises were sitting, waiting peacefully. Crap. How do you store so much data? Do you have a PC hidden behind the corner?! I have to do something… think… what did you do best? How did you manage to get so far? The answer is easy. By lying.

* “… Casualties among your children were the last thing I wanted… Your species intrigues me. You are the first ever being I found with connected minds. So yes, I took form of one of yours, for sole purpose of study, because, you see… I also treasure knowledge. And then I heard your voice. You are… completely self-aware. Yes, it is outstanding. So… I did everything I could to bring your attention to me. Reorganizing part of hive was the fastest way and also brought you benefits. And then we talked. Even if you were mostly asking and I answering, I still got lots of extremely important information… You are so knowledge hungry… your desire to evolve… I wanted to make your wish come true, but unfortunately you have to pick one at a time…”

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I start walking left and right, moving my sickles behind as I was sinking deeper in to the lies. I have to keep talking all the time to sound as trustworthy as possible, yet the whole story needs sense too. I was walking on a tightrope.

* “… it is a bit philosophical, and as I would love to have another conversation with you, discussing that matter would take us a couple of days. Sayin’ it shortly – if I would give you knowledge, I could influence your evolution path permanently shutting some possibilities, and if I would let you evolve, the process of gathering knowledge would elongate. So I wanted you to gain experience in the fastest way possible. If you would claim the land you could focus only on your technological progress. And by doing so, you would gather knowledge… as you would be doing better and better… I would vanish knowing that such outstanding individuals had an ensured bright future, maybe after a few years I would revisit you, under a different form, of course… just to be sure that somewhere something wasn’t screwed… well, that would more or less describe what I wanted…”

* “And what are you?”

* “That’s a tricky question. Nothing is truly as it appears, and even the simplest questions may have many answers. So is in my case… I can’t truly and fully answer that question… because even I am not really sure what I am. I have many form, I can become pretty much anything I desire, I can change my skin, I can change my desires, I can change my goals. Somewhere on the way, I almost forgot how my true face looks like… But… if I may…”

I morphed my body. I started my silly excuse from showing myself as not the enemy, so they wouldn’t jump at me from all sides. Now, will they believe me?

Exoskeleton was cracking, shrinking and vanishing back to my body, abdomen relocated, middle pair of limb vanished.

Soon I was standing in my human form, only with antennas over my head. Why? Those allowed me to keep my psionic ability and thus communicate with them

* “… you are a maker?”

* “The name that we use to describe them is ancients… and no. They vanished and no one knows why. The form that you see is simply called human, and all humans can do is suspect that they were somehow related with the ancients. And… I am also not a human. I hit my own path of evolution, that allows me to take any form I wish… but yes, originally I was a human.”

* “Then… your knowledge… how much do you know?! Are you stronger? Faster? Smarter? If they vanished and you stayed it means that you have adapted! That you have surpassed them… that..”

* “Not necessarily. We don’t know how they vanished, but if it was a natural disaster, then last few chains of evolution could be broken, and our own evolution could follow in a different direction. All we know, is that they exceed us in magic and technology. We are exploring ruins that they left to gather there knowledge… I am part of the team that was sent here in with this task. We have opened the door that lead to your hive, and as I was swarmed all I could do was stop looking for artifacts, and began analyzing you. You should know the rest of the story.”

* “Team… there is more of you here?”

* “Yes. But I am afraid that my connection was cut off… the door had one switch that turn it on. I think that looking for a different path outside may take months…”

* “How do you think… how long were we living here… We know many passages to different corridors… there are also weaker walls that templars could break…”

* “… apparently… we can help each another… I can’t really make a decisions as I am not in the charge of the expedition… but what would you say if…”

Everything went much better than expected.

Pov change

It has been over three days since Zari was left alone with monsters. The emotions – anger and sorrow were eased a little. No, not because he wasn’t important or everyone made up with the idea of loss, but because they were professionals, and they had a job to do. There will be a better time for sorrow. In the guild, with a mug in hand. Zari, even as he had a hard personality, was liked by most.

So everything was going more or less smoothly. Marika was wiping from time to time when no one was watching and enthusiastic flames in Gisele’s eyes faded. Even Gustav was more grumpy than usually. He was regretting, that he was such an ass toward the kid.

But nothing more could be done…

They were walking through the very wide corridor. As the archmage told them, they should be somewhere around half of the way to the next layer.

They peaceful march was stopped by Daralon

* “EVERYVODY STOP!”

Adventurers frozen on command. The mages needed some more time for processing information.

And they stood like that

* “What’s going on?” Tiger man became inpatient.

* “Hm? Oh, you can come a bit closer… I wouldn’t mind seeing your corpse… that would happen if you won’t move in three… two…”

Tiger-kin jumped away

* “One…”

The wall exploded. It was literally blown, as if hit by a tank.

Dust was everywhere and good minute was required for it to settle down. Battle mages took a stance in formation, Gisele and An’targor moved to the first line carrying warhammers.

But instead of apocalypse from beneath the wall a single man walked in to the light… A very dusty man.

* “Jesus Fucking Christ…” words which meaning no one could understood could be heard “… Anabel, It was our first and last ride! He? What do you mean by [I am sorry]?! Keep your sorry smell for yourself!... bloody templars… you are as sophisticated as a moose’s carcass.. and I can’t see because of this dust! Where are we? Hm? What do you mean by [in destination]!? Destination was supposed to be achieved when we would find the rest of my tea… they are all around me, aren’t they?”

The dust finally fell completely, the men used the sleeve of his equally dirty robe to wipe part of the sticky powder from his face. Even if he was completely covered in dirt and a hood was over his head, there was no mistake about it…

* “Za…” Gisele began but was over shouted