In the dark hours of the morning a mage and his beasts stood in the kitchen of a hospital. Eight prisoners in varying condition lay or kneeled on the floor. All of them had been disarmed before being brought before the mage. Only one still had both his legs. He was the lone cavalryman taken by the bees. The mage looked at the rider who watched the room of living and dead creatures with clear concern.
"Hive," said the mage looking at the rider. He called forward the familiar looking mad with sad eyes. The broken mans mouth opened and a young queen bee was spit onto the mages bony hand. The mage drew his knife with the other. A set of black claws drove the mans head into the cold floor.
"What!" shouted the man. "Let go? I surrender! I ask mercy!"
"You get to live said the mage," the others are all going to die today or tomorrow. What more do you want?"
The other conscious men shouted and cried. Fearful of the deaths that lay ahead of them. Begging for their lives.
The mage stabbed deeply into his prisoners' ear. He withdrew the blade covered in blood and wax. The bee was placed near the wound and quickly made its way inside the man's head. The rider grunted as the creature penetrated his ear. Then he screamed as he felt acid burn in his skull.
The mage lost interest in the man's pain. The Pail lurker holding the man's head still seemed almost conflicted. It looked to the other prisoners that it was enjoying the mans suffering but hated the fact the bee was the cause. They looked at the mage ho was observing them like cattle. He walked to the two men who had not regained consciousness despite their screaming.
He held the back of his hand in front of both their mouths to check their breathing. He sighed and placed a hand on one on the unconscious solder. The man quickly was turned into a blackened husk. The rats of unusual size dragged the husk to a corner before taring the remains to pieces. He pointed at the other man.
"This one will keep till tomorrow," judged the crazy eyed mage. "move it to one of the first-floor rooms. Its fragile, no nibling. Its not waking up anytime soon and won't have the strength to crawl away even if it does."
A pair of bees flew the unconscious man out of the room. The cavalry man continued to writhe and groan from the floor as the last four looked from their places on the floor. The mage walked over to the largest man in the group.
He still had his elbows and one leg that was not chewed off. He averted his eyes from the pail mage.
"We will bleed this one," declared the mage. "Lock him up in one of the second-floor rooms. We will wait a week for a better moon. Bags remind me to feed him. He won't yield as much if he starves to death."
The mage stopped looking at his captives. He held his own arm in front of himself. He grabbed it with his other hand and let go. He and the solders looked at his thin arm. The handprint didn't leave the arm to the mages displeasure. He walked to a counter were a pile of canteens sat. He took one and took a sip.
He coughed a fit black flehm landing on the floor and squirming in the direction of any living creature in the room for a few seconds before stopping. The mage continued this cycle for a few minutes when he pointed at another of the unassigned prisoners. The mage said nothing aloud. After the mage finished the canteen, he dropped it on the floor. He looked at the remining two solders.
His one human eye looked emotionlessly over the two men.
"Fertalizer," he declared pointing at one. He looked at the other with disinterest. "Lab."
The two men didn't know what that meant but doubted it was anything good. The cavalry man stood up. The prisoners looked at him surprised by his bravery. Until they saw the vacant look on his face and the slobber coming out of his mouth. The men didn't understand what but knew something was wrong with him. He was allowed to limp out of the kitchen by the mage and his creatures. To the mage it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
"Lets get the rest of them to their places," said the mage clapping his hands. All the men except the one who had been pointed at were dragged screaming out of the room. The last man left looked around the room not knowing what was going to happen to him.
His legs had been so chewed up last night he was unable to stand. His left arm was also nothing but chewed bones and shredded flesh. His right was missing past his elbow. He wondered why he had not been assigned.
Had the mage forgotten him. He had pointed at him but said nothing. Just drank form that canteen and coughed. He looked at the mattress at the center of the kitchen. It looked like rats had chewed on it but would have been better place to lay on the floor. He dragged himself across the floor with his stub. Bulling himself onto the mattress. He heard a scream from outside. Fertilizer was wat came to mind.
He rested on the mattress. A little voice shouted at him.
"Offfff! Meat!" squeaked the voice.
The man looked around for the source of the voice.
"Offff!" squeaked the voice. "Dead meat get Offf!"
"Who said that asked the solder," looking for the source of the voice. "I'm not dead I am unassigned! The spirit forgot about me!"
"Massster not-t-t-t-t not-t-t-t-t give you name," responded the voice. "Offff nest!"
"It didn't say anything," shouted the solder. "It pointed and left!"
"Masster gives name," squeaked back the voice. "Dead Meat!"
"What is that supposed to mean!" shouted the solder.
The sound of boots approached the door. The solder looked at the door.
"Offf Offf Offf," squeaked the voice. "Meat dirty nest!"
The door opened and the creatures that maimed him last night pored into the kitchen. Five men who were to withered and rotten to be alive entered. The first one in was wearing the robes of a sun priest. Behind it were more unliving men one wearing a shredded orange coat that matched its shredded face. The dead men descended on the wounded solder eating the man alive. His screams filling the first floor of the hospital.
One displeased rat stuck her head as far into the cotton bedding as her head would go to protect her sensitive ears from the rude two legs racket.