Chereads / The Habitat / Chapter 29 - The King of the Termites

Chapter 29 - The King of the Termites

"I've always wondered how it felt like to fly." Christian said.

His newly-found power has driven his strength to multiply, giving him the ability to be able to fight the weary butterfly queen with only his own.

"This suck." Said the weary queen, yawning. Putting her tiny hands in front of her mouth.

Everyone looked at Christian who transformed without them knowing for their attention were occupied by the seemingly endless battle.

Gloyd looked at the rampaging termites inside the eastern border who Alex kept occupied, protecting the hive from them. "Kent, the screech happened when the queen of the termites died. Can Christian do something about this?" said Gloyd who's worry about Alex, catching his breath. "Please do something about Christian, I'll help Alex." Gloyd said, after noticing Alex on his knees. He flew in an instant, below, tearing the termite's skin who was about to land a strike on Alex as its mouth opened. Kent nodded and flew nearer to where Christian is, so he could hear what she says.

"Everyone!" shouted Christian, who exchanged a series of attacks towards the butterfly queen. "Leave me here, and protect the other borders, I felt like Ivan's group in the Western border needs some help!" He shouted. Everyone immediately ran towards the other border, taking the Northern route. Resounding footsteps of tired but determined individuals echoed in the area, even with its open space as numerous survivors ran swiftly to aid the others.

"Christian! Now that you're the queen of termites –" Kent couldn't finish her sentence as Christian's face changed into a grossed one. "What??!! Are you kidding me??!! Termites??!! Those gross insects are what I am now?!!" Christian grossed.

Kent put her palm on her forehead, "This is going to be bad."

"Yes?" Kent continued.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! I will kill that Gloyd myself after this!" Christian said, moving away from the butterfly queen for a while, to comprehend the situation. "I need to stay calm. I need to stay calm. We're in the middle of the battle. "We're in the middle of the battle. We have to survive. We have to survive. This is no time to be grossed out." Christian kept talking to himself. "I will deal with Gloyd later, what were you talking about?! Earlier?!" Christian said as he tried to deal an attack with the weary butterfly queen and as expected, was dodged in an instant. "I couldn't believe she is agile, I thought, she's tired and sleepy." Christian whispered to himself.

"When we defeated the termite queen, the termites who are attacking the ground went on a rampage, as if they are now uncontrollable!" shouted Kent.

"Of course, they're uncontrollable." Said the weary butterfly queen, in a slow voice.

Christian stopped his attack, moving backward. He looked at the butterfly queen for a moment, trying to hear what she's going to say.

"Unlike the queen bee, We, the other three queens, do not summon these creatures, instead give birth to them." Said the weary queen.

"So, when we die, the creatures can't think of anything and go berserk instead. They needed a new queen. And this guy…" The weary queen looked at Christian. "Is the new queen." She continued.

"And what am I supposed to do with that?" Christian said, confused.

"I don't know. I'm not their queen." The weary queen replied sarcastically, still sounded exhausted.

Christian flooded himself with thoughts. The others who transformed after injected with a strange liquid said that they also inherited the knowledge of doing things that the past creatures did. That means, I should know what to do in order to save them by stopping the termites who are rampaging on the ground.

Christian stopped thinking as he heard a lout scream coming from the ground. It was Alex. Christian looked at where the scream came from and saw Alex spit out blood.

"The hive!" Kent's eyes were bulging.

Christian put his anxious gaze towards the hive, Although, he has difficulty on seeing in the dark earlier, acquiring the termite queen's power has given him a boost on his limited view and saw that the hive is completely safe, protected by Gloyd and Alex themselves. Then why? Christian thought.

Christian thought of a bloody one as he hoped it's not true. Were some of his classmates defeated and the hive was attacked in some borders? Christian thought, extremely worried. He couldn't even dare to look at the weary queen and focus on his battle. Thankfully, the weary queen stopped attacking, too.

"Kent!" Christian shouted. Kent was now on her knees, crying, sobbing so hard that it's like it came from a baby, just after it has been born.

Christian flew swiftly towards Kent, kneeling on top of the earth wall, crying. "Kent! Calm yourself! This is no time to cry!" Christian shouted. "What about everyone, Alex's spitting blood, and the hive! It wasn't attacked here!" Kent said, crying. "Then find where it has been attacked! You can't just cry here, acting so weak! You are our leader! I know how hard it might be this for you, but we're in the middle of the battle! We have to survive this!" Christian shouted, even with their distance being not far, trying to compose their mayor's feelings.

With her now exhausted wings, Kent gathered her strength again and flew swiftly towards the other borders, trying to find which part of the hive has been attacked.

I have to deal with the termites myself! Christian thought. However, I can't focus well because the butterfly queen might attack me. His thoughts added.

The butterfly queen saw how Christian's expression changed. Brows meeting at the center, shaking hands and his eyes garnered enough wetness that will soon turn into water. The butterfly queen sighed, slowly. "Go on. Think." She said, Christian's face soon turned into a completely confused one.

"I've grown tired of this battle." The queen said, yawning. "Unlike the ant and the termite queen, I wasn't into this. You can say, I was just blackmailed, forced to participate. Violence was never my way of actions into settling things. But I can't risk the lives of my people into being killed by those countless monsters. It just happened that participating, is the best way to put my deaths of my people into minimal." The weary butterfly queen muttered, yawning still. "I was sad that the termite queen has died. However, that just means she's weak." The butterfly queen said, yawning.

Acting so empathetic, innocent, and kind in the former, but it all changed when she said the termite's queen was weak. Christian thought.

"That's why I'll stop this façade and this pointless battle. Go on, think on how you can control and finally stop those rampaging termites." The weary butterfly queen said as she ordered her troops to retreat, beautifully, and elegantly.

Christian tried to comprehend the unexpected moment, but he has no time for that. Just thankful, that it turned out that way as he saw the beautiful butterfly monsters, with their colorful wings flew away from them, from the battle.

Christian immediately flew above the termites who continues to rampage below. He saw Alex, being held by Gloyd as he was getting weak, spitting blood. Innately Christian sent out waves around the hive, were all of the termites have been placed. The termites immediately stopped as they recognized their new queen. In that moment, the uncontrollable termites' rampage has been put to an end as Christian has took over control onto the past queen's powers, declaring himself as the new King.

Gloyd looked at the termites stopped and gazed above, seeing the new King completely controlled the situation. He gestured thank you by mouthing it with his mouth and putting his hand on his chest – a deep-hearted gratefulness.

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A whooshing sound looped in the air as Kent flew swiftly even with her exhausted body. Not letting even an ounce of detail of a possible evidence of the destruction of some parts of the hive. Kent let out a bunch of little bees and let them inspect everywhere, to speed their search on a fallen comrade.

Kent reached the Southern border in a few minutes and witnessed that the Eastern border has been barren with life as everyone who were assigned in that area weren't there. Ken't heightened senses has even heard her beating heart, as anxiety took over her brain, worried of her missing classmates. "Were they all eaten? I can see the evidences of the border being attacked, but where are they? Surely, they should be lying bodies around here. Being eaten is the only thing I could never let happen to them. But Kent also looked on the brighter side as she continues to fly with a fleeting speed. If there are no bodies here, then they must have escaped and went to a safer location, away from the battle that they couldn't have won. Not long when a familiar color of red and black has occupied Kent's gazes as she saw the unconscious Belle who was lying on the ground around a bunch of termite's dead bodies, lifeless. Kent's eyes bulged as she witnessed Belle's body covered with numerous wounds, blood almost all over her body. Kent landed in an instant, "Belle?" she said, trying to check if she's still alive. Kent put her ears on Belle's mouth where she heard a little ounce of a tiny breath. Kent smiled, a smile of relief as she witnessed the breath of life, coming from her unconscious classmate.

Kent immediately carried the unconscious Belle carefully and went to the Western border as she flew.

The cold breeze of the seemingly peaceful night touches Kent's skin, ignorant of the battle, the battle they put their lives into. Kent looked at the three moons above, hoping that they could experience their peacefulness living with the others above the celestial heavens, away from the dangers below.

Not long when Kent reached the Western border with Belle. Kent was shocked but thankful that everyone was safe in there, some were covered in a web but their faces were not, to prevent themselves from dying from suffocation. The stationed guard bees greeted their queen as Kent landed on the earth pathway.

Kent extended her arms as she gave Belle to the others to cover her wounds, and they immediately followed. Maeje was there and she specializes in healing everyone. Her knowledge of medicine, from herbal to non-herbal has been witnessed by many even in their past world. "Oh my god, Belle!" Maeje ran towards her unconscious friend. "

"Can you help her?" Kent said, looking extremely worried to the wounded Belle.

"I don't knooow." Maeje said as she witnessed Belle's current condition. "No! I can and I will." She then said. Maeje looked at the guard bees and ordered to bring her some materials to aid the wounded Belle for a moment. Maeje instructed the specific plants that can be seen throughout the marshland. "Stay strong, Belle." Maeje whispered. "Now go!" Maeje ordered the bees where the bees immediately flew and gathered the materials for her.

Kent squatted on top of the earth wall, looking extremely tired. However, seeing her classmates all safe was an aid to her wounded heart. Tired and exhausted, she gave out a smile.