A few minutes after Genji left the nest, Igani came out with a satchel made out of her webs, carrying her items. There wasn't much since she had given up anything too clunky to carry.
That left only her mother's bio-crystal from Genji and some dry food meant to last Igani a few weeks before she had to hunt again. It was so irrelevant that Genji tossed aside the bark-like jerky and returned the crystal to his storage.
"But what are we going to eat?" Igani protested, reluctant to part with her food. It might not be a delicacy, but she worked hard for it. It felt wrong to throw it away like that.
"We'll hunt when we are hungry. It's not like animals are that rare," Genji replied.
"B-b-but won't that offend the Beasts?"
"No, we'll be fine as long as we don't touch their main forces."
"How do you know that?" Igani had an unconvinced look in her eyes, wondering if this was Genji's assumption of the Beast's attitude.
"Because I made a deal with one of their beast kings."
Genji's nonchalant answer caused Igani's jaws to drop, questioning if she heard it correctly. This was beyond anything she could have expected since beast kings were beings of absolute dread for her.
Rather, she had never considered communicating with them, treating it as an impossibility due to the insurmountable gap in their power. After all, why would an elephant care for the words of an ant? She would be lucky if she didn't get crushed right away for being a nuisance.
"If it makes you feel better, know that the Beasts also hunt for food." Genji noticed her disbelief and comforted her with another piece of information. "After all, they have to eat somehow, right?"
"Ahhhhh, yes?" Igani answered in a confused tone, again having never considered this issue. Before this, she had always regarded the beasts as natural disasters, coming and going as they pleased.
If anyone was unlucky enough to encounter them, then they could only lament their bad luck and move on. But now that Genji put this into perspective for her, Igani realized that they were living beings just like her, requiring food and water daily.
That raised the question of what they ate to sustain themselves. It couldn't be the sentinels since they were all machines and didn't have good energy conversion ratios. Nor could it be the Parasites since they were dangerous to consume.
Granted, Beast Kings were strong enough to disregard these issues, but the typical beast tended to avoid them. That left only the Zergs, Celestials, and other beasts, whichever one was most convenient for the day, as targets for hunting.
"Wait, won't hunting their own weaken themselves? Why would they do that?" Igani asked, considering all this.
"It's not as much as you think since they mostly hunt wild animals. You know, the ones native to this planet?"
"Oh, those." Igani had a moment of enlightenment, recalling the weak prey she cautiously hunted. At the time, she assumed all animals belonged to the Beast faction and was worried about retaliation, which was one of the reasons she went into hiding. But now that she knew better, Igani can rest assured, knowing her future meals were safe to eat.
However, what Igani didn't know was that Genji wasn't referring to wild animals when he said hunting. If she had known, it was uncertain if she could dare eat her meals. Of course, this didn't take into account the irresistible smell of roast meat against Igani, who had only eaten raw meat her whole life. After all, that was how Bruce initially became obsessed with it.
"Alright, get on." Genji patted Bruce, who expanded to accommodate the 2-meter-wide spider.
"Get on? Aren't I too big? Won't I fall off?" Igani marveled at the size manipulation but didn't move. Bruce might have gotten larger, but it wasn't enough to comfortably fit her. Plus, spiders weren't exactly meant to ride horses, which made her hesitant.
"Not if you strap yourself onto him." Before Igani could ask any more questions, Genji grabbed and tossed her onto Bruce's back. Genji also followed, vaulting himself up into the main seat.
"Just in case, grab her as well," Genji said, noticing the swirls in Igani's dazed eyes. Igani had never experienced being airborne before, so the toss had made her dizzy.
Bruce neighed in understanding and conjured multiple tentacles to tie Igani down before bursting out with his top speed.
"Where am I?" Igani asked as she recovered from her muddleheadedness. "And why is there an earthquake?"
"Don't worry about it." Genji pushed a jaw-breaker into her mouth, hoping it would distract her enough to prevent a case of motion sickness.
"Mmmmmm." Igani closed her droopy eyes and savored the treat, but this only backfired as it concentrated her senses on the constant shaking beneath.
Suddenly her eyes burst open and rapidly darted about, catching only glimpses of the blurs zipping by. An ominous feeling swelled in her mind as she jumped to the only explanation for her current situation.
"AHHHHHHHHH. I've been kidnapped!" She let out an ear-piercing scream before fainting from fear, having forgotten everything Genji had said prior.
*Sigh* "Seems like I underestimated her timidness," Genji said, removing his energy-coated hands from Bruce's ears. "Maybe this is for the better. Who knows how she will react if she's awake."
"Neeeiiiighhhh," Bruce agreed but also wondered if Igani was worth all this trouble.
"Don't be like that. She might be the only Zerg who dares to help us."
To this, Bruce could only roll his eyes. Wasn't this only the case because his master coerced the spider into it?
"That doesn't change the outcome. You might not believe me, but most queens would rather die than cooperate with me. All they care about is killing people and getting stronger. Don't you think they're vicious?"
'Master's being hypocritical again. It's not like he's any different.' Bruce made no comments, but that didn't stop Genji from patting his head.
"Hey! Just because you didn't express it doesn't mean I can't sense the disdain from you. I know you're thinking something bad about me."
'You and your senses. Don't you have anything else you can do?'
"Got to entertain myself somehow, even if it means talking to you. It's just not that interesting since I'm doing all the talking."
Bruce snorted in response and sped up, unwilling to entertain Genji's musings any further. He could only listen to his master's strange ramblings for so long before he got tired of it.
A few hours later, they stopped to rest and eat. As Genji set up the campfire, Bruce went out to hunt, trying to decide what to have for the night. After some pondering, Bruce eventually settled on a stegosaurus, which he swiftly killed and dragged back. With Genji's help, it wasn't long before many pieces of meat hung over the fire, filling the air with an appetizing aroma.
This aroma wafted over to Igani and tickled her nose, causing her to stir. A few seconds later, she shot to her feet and screamed, "Noooo, don't kidnap me! I don't have anything."
Igani observed her surroundings for a few seconds before she spotted Genji and let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew. So it was all a dream. That's good. For a while, I thought a monster made of blood had kidnapped me just to torture me. Seriously, what kind of deranged creature would strangle someone with their tentacles while they are sleeping and throw them around like a rag doll? Luckily, that was only a nightmare and I don't need to experience it again. I'm awake now!"
At this moment, Igani noticed Genji and Bruce giving her a strange look. "Hmmm? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something weird?"
Genji exchanged a subtle glance with Bruce before shaking his head. "No, it's nothing. You must be hungry. Here, have something to eat."
The moment Genji passed over the cooked meat, Igani's attention was captivated by its golden brown color, sizzling golden fat, and mouthwatering smell.
All other thoughts instantly vanished from her mind, leaving only a fixated trance on the roast before her. It smelled so good. It looked so good. She wanted to eat; devour it; tear it apart piece by piece and savor it until the end of time. That was all she could think about.
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Eventually, this temptation broke her rationality, causing her to pounce on it like a starving lion and disregard the possible dangers of this unknown food. To her, none of it mattered. If it was as good as it smelled, she didn't mind giving up her life to have a taste.
And a taste she did, as kilograms of meat disappeared into her mouth at a rate so fast that she couldn't possibly have chewed it. At the end of this unnatural feast, Igani slumped over with a round stomach and let out a satisfied burp.
"That was the best meal I've had in my life. I'm content even if I die now."
"Wow, she might be more extreme than when you first tried meat," Genji said to Bruce with a light chuckle.
Bruce tipped his nose into the air, showing immense pride in his culinary skills. 'And you doubted that I can become a master chef. See this? I bet not even master chefs can get people to eat like that. Doesn't that mean my skills are better than a master chef's?'
"Now you're just being narcissistic. How can you compare her to those people? This is Igani we're talking about. You know, the same spider that agreed to go against Silver Empress for a few pieces of candy?"
When Genji put it that way, Bruce couldn't help but pity the Zerg queen. For something so little, she had joined this capacious pirate ship. This was why it was important to have standards. Only that way could one avoid these pitfalls of the tongue.
"Since everyone's finished, let's clean up and continue moving."
Bruce nodded and skillfully disassembled the roasting rack with his tentacles before handing the pieces to Genji for storage. Next, they smothered the fire before Genji remounted Bruce.
"Igani, get up. We're moving again."
"Okay," she groggily said and slowly pushed herself up. As she approached them, she opened her eyes and saw Bruce's tentacles waving around him. This caused her to freeze as the memories of her nightmare came rushing back to her.
"What's wrong? Did you eat too much and get a stomach cramp?" Genji joked lightly as he followed her gaze.
Then they fell into an awkward silence, all staring at each other, but making no movements. This stare-off lasted for some time before Genji finally broke the silence with a single question.
"So...You are getting on, right?"
----------------------------------------
"Waaaahhhh, this is so scary! Mommy, save me!" Igani cried out as Bruce ran forward without pause.
"Just bear with it. We're almost there," Genji comforted her and offered a mint.
"But it feels like I will be crushed."
"Then tie yourself down with your webs. It's not like you have to hide within his tentacles."
"But my webs aren't strong enough to hold on."
"It can't be helped then. It's either this or you knock yourself out again. Your choice."
Given these choices, Igani steeled her resolve to endure the bumpy ride. While she could sleep through the miserable experience, she couldn't afford to miss their mealtime. That was the only thing motivating her right now.
Compared to that heavenly banquet, this discomfort was nothing. For the sake of food, Igani pushed on, doing everything in her power to suppress her looming dizziness.
When night fell again, they arrived at an open area full of nutrient-rich soil and plants. Genji observed this location for a few minutes before nodding with satisfaction.
"This place looks good. Let's do it here."
"Yeah, let's eat!" Igani exclaimed, her mouth overflowing with drool.
"No, not that. I meant setting up your nest," Genji said, pointing at the center of the field. "You do that while we prepare the food."
At the mention of her nest, Igani realized that they had already entered the midfield of the Zergs. No wonder they encountered so many swarms recently.
"Can't we eat first?" She asked with pleading eyes.
"Nope. Bruce needs some time to hunt so you'll be waiting anyway. You might as well get started now so we have a place to sleep. We've been traveling nonstop these past two days, so it would be good to get some normal rest instead of small breaks."
"Fine." Igani agreed with Genji and asked for her mother's bio-crystal. Taking this, Igani walked into the distance and channeled her mental powers.
A few minutes later, a chunk of the crystal broke off and infused into her body, forming a small pile of flesh which she spat out. Igani buried this pile and pumped more bio-energy into it, causing it to grow rapidly.
Soon, a large fleshy cocoon the size of a house appeared in their sights and pulsated like a heart. Igani sent out more commands and shaped its interiors before throwing the crystal into an open slot. The flesh around it clamped down on the crystal and started draining its energy.
Feeding on this energy, a fleshy tube grew down from the ceiling and hung over an open room. A bulge formed at the top and expanded with time, reaching a point where the bounds of the surrounding flesh could no longer hold it. This excess weight pulled the tube down to the ground, stretching it as the bulge slid out.
When the tube peeled away, a human-sized egg came into view. This was the workers' egg, a construct full of tens of worker units. It would take a few hours to hatch, but once it does, Igani could leave the nest-building duties to them.
However, Igani didn't stop there as she instructed the nest to lay another egg. The workers were foundational to the growth of the nest, and the more there were, the faster the other facilities could be formed.
After spawning a few more eggs, the smell of dinner reached Igani's senses and distracted her from her operations. Throwing all nest-related thoughts out of her mind, Igani dashed out, her eight legs scampering across the ground at her fastest pace.
Unfortunately, this pace was far from fast, forcing her to endure the smell for the next few minutes. It was at this moment that Igani regretted not training her body. If she had done that, wouldn't she be able to enjoy her food that much faster?
"Why the rush? The food is still cooking," Genji said, noticing her rough, uneven breathing.
"But meat!" She exclaimed, all her eyes reflecting the bright flickering flames.
Seeing this fixation, Bruce nodded in acknowledgment and threw her a small piece. 'Welcome to the club, little one.'
"If I didn't know better, I would think you two are from the same cult with how obsessed you are about your meals." Genji ignored their antics and took his food aside, finishing rapidly before meditating.
After they finished their meals, Genji retreated inside the fleshy nest for the night. Although it felt weird to sleep on a heated floor that occasionally pulsed with life, Genji managed to get some rest.
The following morning, Genji awoke to the scampering of feet and the chirping of crickets. Looking up from his corner, he spotted hundreds of miniature bugs moving around and shaping the interiors. Many of them dug away at the rocks, forming tunnel systems lined with the flesh of the nest.
Amidst this crowd, Genji found Igani, who was directing everything from above.
"How long will this take?" He asked.
"The nest should be done in three days," she replied.
"Can you speed it up?"
"The only way to do that is to spawn more workers, but it'll be costly. Without a specialized breeding ground, the cost ratio of bio-energy to units is really low. If I do it that way, I might not have enough bio-energy to create an army."
Genji considered the issue for a minute before saying, "Do it. Pump everything into building the nest. I want it done by tomorrow."
Igani didn't know how to react when she heard the deadline. To achieve this goal, she would have to spend everything on spawning worker bugs. But what about defense? There would be nothing left for it, essentially making her a paper tiger. The nest might look impressive from a distance, but it would collapse under the slightest force.
"Don't worry. Isn't it just some energy? I'll get more for you. The nest won't be undefended for long." Genji saw her reluctance and reassured her.
Hearing this, Igani let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. If it's you, it should be easy to kill some animals. Then I can slowly expand and-"
"I think you're misunderstanding something. I won't be hunting normal animals, but other nests."
"Uuuhhhhh-what?"
"Don't forget. We're aiming for an army that can fight an empress, not a normal queen. If we develop your way, we will never reach that level. So I need you to send out scouting parties and find the nearby nests."
"Right now?" Igani asked, seeing Genji not moving from his position.
"Yes. Where else am I going to get those bio-crystals from?"
"But how will you deal with their armies? Without your own army, won't you be overwhelmed by their numbers?"
"I have my ways. For now, just find the nests and tell me about the queens under Silver Empress."
"My sisters? What do you want with them?"
"To kill them, of course," Genji bluntly said, knowing kinship between queens was nonexistent.
However, Igani's reaction told a different story. *Gasp* "No, I can't! They're my sisters. How can I betray them?"
"Can you not be like this? They don't even care about you. Remember how they treated you last time?" Genji rubbed his forehead, exasperated by Igani's antics.
"But-but-but, they're still my sisters. No matter how badly they treat me, aren't we still family?" She asked with teary eyes.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you might be the only one who feels that way."
This caused Igani to burst out crying as she accepted the cruel reality in front of her. Deep inside, Igani knew what her "family" thought of her, but she didn't want to accept it. It felt cold, heartless even, to regard each other as only weapons of mass destruction, graded solely on their ability to spawn units for battle.
She hated everything about it, which was why she maintained her optimism, hoping it would eventually get through to them. But after so long, she knew her endeavors were fruitless, leaving only a veil of self-deception behind. Still, it didn't feel right to betray them like that.
"Alright, alright. Just tell me what it will take to change your mind."
"I-I don't want to betray them," she cried out.
Genji noticed her wording was 'don't want to,' instead of 'can't,' implying that she wasn't completely against the idea, but had her own difficulties. In situations like these, Genji just needs to give her a small push to convince her. Realizing this, Genji placed a bag of candy in front of Igani.
"This...What are you trying to do? Let me tell you, I won't give in to your temptations."
Without another word, Genji added two more bags, causing Igani to hesitate. After staring at the pile for a few seconds, she forced herself to look away. However, this only made the subtle glances from Igani that much more obvious.
Genji walked around and placed three more bags in her sight before crossing his arms. "What about now?"
"I...I..No!" She rejected before her resolve could waver further.
"That's a shame then. I don't have anymore so I can't increase the price." Genji shrugged and reached down to pick up the bags.
Seeing this, Igani felt a sense of loss and wondered why Genji gave up so easily instead of increasing the bid. Igani knew Genji had more candy because she had seen at least 8 types.
'Come on, can't you increase the amount one more time? As long as you do that, I'll immediately agree with you.' Unknowingly, Igani's thought process had changed, accepting the candy as a business deal instead of a bribe.
As Genji picked up the last bag and turned to leave, Igani's anxiety heightened and her heart ached with loss. She racked her mind, trying to find a way to salvage this negotiation when she said something beyond her expectations.
"Two meals!" Igani blurted out, not realizing she said this until after the words left her mouth. Too embarrassed to refute her own words, Igani continued with, "As long as you increase my meals to twice a day."
"Your words, not mine," Genji said with a smile after a short pause. Then he waved his hand and walked away, preparing for his next attack.
'Did I set the price too low? He didn't seem that fazed by it.' Igani couldn't help but wonder when faced with Genji's casual attitude toward her proposition. However, this doubt was quickly replaced by the thought of delicious meat that would soon fill her stomach twice a day. 'Who cares? As long as I get my food.'