“She said she needed the sunlight to survive,” Darian paced incessantly throughout the main chamber. “It was remarkable, the impact it had on her. The second she was exposed to the light, it was as though she were completely revitalized. This is a curious development and this trait might have potential for adaptation in the future.” He stopped abruptly and turned his gaze toward Caretaker’s inert form, irritation flashing across his features.
“I do wish you’d awaken from this endless hibernation,” he said, his voice sharp. “I never intended to drain so much from you, but this cycle is unbearable. Consume, proliferate, and adjust the drones. Repeat. Over and over.” He let out a frustrated exhale before shifting toward the hive entrance, pulling himself out of the monotonous rhythm. With a mental command, he summoned the returning drones, watching as they dragged their latest catch—a massive beast—into the chamber.
Darian crouched by the lifeless form, running a clawed hand over its coarse fur. One of the drones scurried past, and he absently traced the contours of its hardened shell, appreciating the texture. It was a small comfort, a fleeting connection to his creations. With a final thought, he sent the drones back to their tasks; there would be many more hunts, and much more biomass... for the colony was ravenous.
In the week or so since his human companion departed, Darian had lost himself in his work. He was consistently producing new workers, prowlers, and even several new children who were proving excellent at securing food for the hive. They were active on the surface, taking down enemies small and large, much like the furry mass of flesh he found himself admiring now. His efforts went beyond simply churning out new Vescarid, he needed to enhance his active forces first. It was through this experimentation that he discovered he could manipulate their forms after they had hatched, so as to prevent the unnecessary waste of obsolete drones. With a mental command, he would send them into a deep hibernation; from there he could use existing biomass to weave a tapestry of new genetic material into their forms. The drones would develop a stone-like chrysalis and depending on the intensity of his changes, they would reawaken within the day, though for more complex drones it took the following day. It was incredibly time-intensive, but he could feed and reproduce between enhancements, meaning little time would be put to waste.
The workers had been modified slightly, improving their natural armor and increasing their intellect to allow them to independently formulate basic defensive strategies without direct commands. They were capable of hunkering down and establishing a shield wall, their bodies of course being the shields. It was clear after the first few hunts, that as durable as they were, there were some creatures, such as this massive predator of muscle, claws, and teeth, that were able to rend them apart with little difficulty. He felt their lives end and though it did not hurt, it caused him a sense of discomfort; an anxiety or apprehension that triggered a deep desire to manipulate his children further so that they may better adapt and thrive.
The shield wall did well to allow his prowlers a modicum of protection, but mostly it allowed them the chance to flee, to relocate, and prepare for a new ambush. The prowlers were not designed for intense face-to-face combat, so he returned them to scouting and hunting small game. Darian had since replaced them as hunters with actual Hunters, in addition to growing his worker count which would never be enough at this rate.
The Hunters he had crafted, took heavily from the initial intruder’s genetic material, the male that had come down with the female human. The man was different, his muscular system was designed for speed and agility. His tight corded muscles seemed to pair well with that tool on his back. It took longer than he would admit to understand that these creatures had no natural weapons and much like the Vescarid, needed to adapt and bring in outside assistance to become increasingly deadly. The tool that man held appeared to launch projectiles, something Darian tried to use himself with little success, but he now understood the purpose of the weapon and would make a superior breed, to honor the fallen elf and his contribution to the hive.
Darian missed his hunters, they were always so busy, fulfilling their duty to the hive and he was eternally grateful for their efficiency. It was better to keep them in the field, only rotating out drones when prey had fallen and needed to be brought back to the nest. The hunters were perfectly capable of doing the legwork, but letting the drones do what they did best, kept a steady stream of food flowing into the hive. He contemplated how to improve his hunter class further, but as far as he could tell, they were perfect. They were quick, had adequate angular armored segments to deflect ranged attacks, their legs were long and multi-segmented allowing for them to raise, lower, rotate, and angle themselves in multitude of directions. He took the elf's projectiles to heart, though not literally, and developed self-regenerating spines along the hunters back. He supposed it could manage a light melee skirmish by rearing up on its hind four legs, but this would not be ideal.
With the thoughts of his busy little hunters, he also missed Fayne. Desperately, Darian had wanted to keep the woman, to find out where her kind came from and bring them back to the hive for more invasive research. He contemplated using her for this, but there was something within him that would not allow it. She had… sentimental value. He didn’t know if he could make anything of value from humans, but he wouldn't know until he tried; besides, wasn’t he made from humans?
Darian took time to settle his mind, and the best way he knew how to do that was by butchering the carcass before him. He began by removing the chitinous spines that had impaled the creature, a long, narrow spike, the handiwork of his newest hunter breed. His face still unable to mimic human emotional gestures, he internally smirked at how well the test run had gone. He removed the pelt and directed a drone to drag it to the room he had housed his ward in, before she grew sick in the darkness. If she ever returned, she would want this luxury, this comfort.
While focused so heavily in his work, he would pause to sample different cuts of meat, taking time to assess the purpose of each fiber. He butchered the meat with meticulous precision, analyzing its structure, and its strength. The bones resisted him as he attempted to break it, testing its durability; their density a challenge even to his superior strength. Bone’s would work, but Darian could not understand why creatures would not simply develop exoskelletons.
It gave him ideas, a new creation, one that could match the apex predators of the region. Something that could block tunnels with its body, that could take many hits and return them in kind. It didn’t need to be fast, for the Hunters could support it at range, and even the prowlers had the hit and run tactics to face off against for agile foes. He swirled the ideas around in his mind and had set himself to the task of spawning one when an aggressive surge of telepathic energy vibrated through his core.
The connection was alive with tension, threads vibrating in disarray. He closed his eyes, drawing deeply from his core, and focused on the mental tether that bound him to his creations. He visualized this connection as a giant web, with strands reaching out to connect with each one of his children. The dull grey threads numbered in the dozens and he felt with his tremor sense, a drone pass by him, marching along as though it were unconsciously tugging along the small grey string behind him.
Several earthy green threads extended beyond his view, likely those of the prowlers. The light within the thread pulsed further out, more vibrant and dynamic. Their energy was calm, the threads barely stirring, and what little did make it back to him was hard to understand. The prowlers patrolled to the far reaches of the hive’s periphery, alert for intruders or prey. These connections were muted at such a distance, and Darian urged them back toward the nest with a mental nudge, coaxing them closer to strengthen his telepathic hold.
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It was the light green cords of the Hunters that blazed brightest now, pulsating with erratic intensity. These were not the steady flow of drones engaged in routine tasks. No, these were surges of alarm, sharp and frantic, pulling at his consciousness in a desperate attempt to call his attention.
Darian dove into one of the connections, his consciousness snapping into the Hunter’s perspective. The Hunter's sensory input overwhelmed him for a moment: sights, smells, vibrations, it all flowed through him as his mind tried to translate what he was experiencing. Darian was created as part of a larger picture, and with that in mind he had been given a broader range of senses that functioned at a lower level than more specialized Vescarid. The Hunter was created for specific tasks, so when he assumed control, it was like a kick to the head; that is until the connection was complete and they had merged into a single consciousness.
One drone let out a high-pitched, telepathic burst of urgency as something unexpected entered its field of view. A searing ball of light streaked through the air, slamming the Hunter he was occupying. Pain ricocheted through the connection, taking less of a physical form and more of an overpowering negative response that caused him significant displeasure, perhaps even anger. Darian recoiled instinctively, but he pressed deeper into the link and guided the Hunter toward the direction of the attacker.
The fire had nothing to catch flame to, but had caused significant damage, and Darian watched the worker drones assemble in front of the Hunter in a defensive stance. He mentally nodded in approval, pleased to see them growing into their roles. As the smoke cleared, he heard a vaguely familiar voice, not a hard thing to do when he had only ever heard the voices of two mammals.
“Fuck yeah, blast those bug bastards!” RangerDanger cheered.
Darian focused the eyes briefly on the Elf before returning his gaze to the caster; a red skinned woman, the first humanoid he had seen with natural weapons in the form of horns atop its head. The female’s hands began to spark with arcane energy, readying another spell, leaving him mere moments to react. Understanding little, but aware of the threat, Darian sent a command for the Hunter to attack the primary threat. Without hesitation, the Hunter lowered its body, dropped its head to the ground and exposed its back, barely peeking above the defensive workers. A row of thin, deadly needles protruded from its carapace, made from the very chitin that protected the creature. Taking no time to manually aim, the Hunter instinctually launched a volley of spines at the sorceress.
Each spine hit with deadly accuracy, but to his dismay, the tiefling sorceress was uninjured. The attack had only been able to interrupt her offensive casting and force her to erect a barrier between them, causing the spines to shatter on impact. They seemed to break her wall, but she was no worse for wear.
Changing tactics, the Hunter adjusted targets and Darian had to admit he felt a bit of satisfaction when another volley of spines went careening at the familiar elf. Seeing it coming, RangerDanger took evasive action but was sent tumbling to the earth when a spike lodged deep into his thigh, jutting out several inches through the other end. There was little blood as the spike plugged the wound, but Darian had successfully disabled one of these invaders.
Further chaos ensued as another new humanoid clad in a shiny carapace came barreling toward his drones. Though its head was also armored, there appeared to be a second layer underneath. The creature had a fierce predatory build and its secondary skin was coated in copper-colored scales. As it bellowed a war cry, it revealed a row of razor-sharp teeth, of which were the least of Darian’s worries. It was the tool held in the hand of this lizard-like man that caused Darian grief.
The dragonkin held a shield in one hand and a heavy mace in the other; something he had purchased with the specific intention of combating heavily armored foes. Colliding with the shield wall of drones, he began smashing and crushing the much smaller workers, each blow causing cracks that spread like lightning along their already reinforced carapace. The workers began hammering at his legs to little avail. Though they returned many more strikes than they received, his armor was at a clear advantage to theirs, and it only served to limit his coordination and cause minor discomfort.
The tiefling sorceress cursed as the tank made contact with the enemy, fizzling her lightning spell and forming a series of arcane darts to work down the larger foe. She wanted to chain the lightning off of her opponents, but despite her tank’s significant collection of health potions, it was better to avoid friendly fire.
Darian commanded his drones to pull back and they began to retreat, still maintaining the shield wall, still launching spikes at the enemy, but focused primarily on defensive combat. The Hunter’s tether to him was rapidly fading and the thought of losing such a valuable member of the hive was greatly distressing him.
The sorceress dashed to the side to flank the Hunter, another arcane shield at the ready until she could make her shot and put an end to this monster. She cut off the flow of mana from her core to her shield, knowing there would be enough mana within the spell to protect her from a last-ditch attack, and began summoning another ball of flame. When enough power had been funneled into the attack she threw her arm forward to let loose.
A series of deafening cracks smashed into her from the rear as the tiefling’s shield faltered and the shrapnel from a volley of chitinous spears peppered her in the back, one skewering her palm. In terrible pain, but ever the professional, she dipped between two large trees and took a glance in the direction of her attacker.
A second Hunter arrived on the scene, with five drones leading the way, flattening the shrubs and miscellaneous foliage that stood between them and the invaders. “We have a problem guys, check your six!” she shouted as another stream of spikes lodged themselves in the tree she was using as cover.
The dragonkin dropped a drone and quickly followed up with a killing blow on a second. “I swear, if that rogue left us high and dry, I’m going to crack his skull” the tank grunted out as a drone slammed into his side, the shield absorbing the impact and damage, but dropping him to a knee. As if frenzied by his disadvantageous position, the two other drones swarmed around him and began hammering him as fast as their little claws could go. The damage was negligible, but there was no way he would be able to return to his feet with these deceptively heavy bugs relentlessly pummeling him. “A little help?!” he pleaded from within the pile of workers.
Right on cue, the sight of the rogue unstealthing and leaping from the branches behind the Hunter caused RangerDanger to forget his pain and return to his insulting boasts. The trash-talking would, however, have to wait, as another figure unstealthed in response.
From the shadows, a prowler struck. The sleek, spider-like drone intercepted the rogue mid-air, tackling him to the ground in a whirl of limbs. The rogue’s scream cut through the forest as the prowler’s fangs snapped inches from his face. His arms strained to keep the creature at bay, the daggers locked against the prowler’s mandibles.
Ranger, unable to stand to his feet, grabbed his bow and nocked three arrows, sending them whizzing through the air with a multishot. Each one found its mark, burying deep into the side of the Prowler that had downed his teammate. He watched as the rogue leapt to his feet and created distance between his opponent, neglecting the Hunter in favor of a better position.
With a burst of strength, the tank blew his cooldowns and sent the workers flying off of him before retreating to the ranger. The sorceress also dashed from her cover to take up their rear. She couldn’t protect them all, but she could shield herself, and use her body as a temporary barrier. The rogue doubled back and took position beside his allies as well, each member of the party ready to make their final stand.
“You really screwed us over with this one didn’t you Ranger?” the Rogue spat.
“I’m sorry guys, I know I fucked up, but there were only three of those shielded bugs last time I was here, I don’t know where all of this came from. This is insane!” his voice cracked with those words, clearly overwhelmed with fear and frustration.
“If we’re going to get knocked back with that death debuff, we might as well get what experience we can. Try to kill anything you can. Don’t die without taking some of them down with you” The tank stood proud, shield up and mace at the ready as the two converging forces enacted their pincer attack.
The creatures descended on the adventurers, Hunters prepping another volley as the workers rushed forward and the prowler took position. Just as it all seemed over for them, the clouds parted and a beam of white light engulfed all four of them, a warm healing wave coursing through their veins and revitalizing them. They were far from topped off and were certainly shocked, but there was hope.