"Your Majesty, do you think it wise to allow the human into the nest?" chittered the attending guard.
Walking up one of the columns of the cave, Prince Obiteron, fiddled with a gold pendant around his neck.
"It is the only option I have left to outperform my brothers. There is no other way," he chittered back, continuing to walk, several more Royal Knights falling into line with the entourage.
"But.. it will be the end of the nest! Surely you have seen the destruction that lone human has caused the Hive?! Is becoming King above your brothers worth destroying the entire kingdom we have built up despite being transported here?!" the attendant pleaded.
With a snap, the attendant was pinned to the wall, a pitch-black hand pressing him against it. The prince looked into the black eyes of his attendant.
"Yes," Obiteron hissed, only one emotion in his crimson eyes.
Ambition.
—-----------
"Sire!" shouted a Royal Knight, skittering into the chamber, bowing before an ostentatious throne.
"Speak," said the 2nd Prince.
Bulkier than his brothers, he toted spindly like muscles under his chitin armor, so much so it bent the callous armor to form around them.
Braxor Trikk, the second prince, but the most likely to ascend to the throne of the Hive through his sheer power and command of the Hive.
"The human that has been decimating our forces on the surface has just infiltrated the Hive entrance. We have lost track of him in the tunnel collapse caused by the 3rd prince, sir!" the knight reported.
Stepping off the throne, the ground cracked under the weight of his mighty body. Braxor patted the slightly nervous Royal Knight on the shoulder.
Every Prince was assigned six Royal Knights to serve them, and Braxor was no different.
"I see," he said in a deep chitter, "What is my little brother up to now? Bringing such an opponent into the Hive… is he so desperate to usurp the throne from me he would use that filthy walking abomination as a tool?" he thought aloud, still holding the Knight's shoulder.
"There is something else you should be informed of your Majesty…" the Knight added.
"What?"
"The human has been spotted in the tunnel leading to the main chamber before the collapse-" the knight reported, only to hear the crunching of his shoulder under the Prince's grip suddenly.
"Ready yourselves," announced Braxor, "My brother's games have gone too far this time."
—----------------------
"Haha! So the human is in the main chamber now? Sounds like a fun time…." Rasha, the first Prince chittered, letting a skull of an animal fall from his hand as he sat lazily on his throne.
"Prince! Your Majesty… This is no laughing matter! This human is dangerous!" a Royal Knight informed.
"Dangerous? Because he can kill a few of the footmen you're saying he's strong? He's just a puny single human, fleshy skin, only two hands, two feet, two stupid eyes. How could he be more dangerous than I?" Rasha said, sneering back at the Knight.
"B-but even so. If he is no match for the Prince, the Hive is still in danger! The man single handedly-"
Rasha rushed forward, grabbing both mandibles of the Knight, stopping him from speaking.
"He's not stronger than I am, so it doesn't matter. Right?" Rasha said in a hushed chirp.
"N-n-no, He pales in c-comparison to the P-prince!"
Rasha snapped one of the mandibles off of the knight, throwing it down to the ground as the Knight dropped to the floor in pain.
"Good, that's what I thought," Rasha walked to the end of the chamber, "Get your lousy asses ready, I'm in a bad mood, now. let's go have some fun…"
—-------
"Ackchoo!" Drake sneezed, sitting up against a wall of earth he had made to close the tunnel, leaving a small crack for air at the top.
"What is the matter, my Lord? Doth, thou have a sickness? Can my Lord even acquire sickness…?" Theodore asked.
"Not sure… Maybe someone is talking about me? Probably Jacqueline… Actually, it's almost dinner. So it's probably Sherry…" Drake said, shivering slightly.
Natto sighed next to Drake, spooning the little amount of food she had been given into her mouth.
"Why is this portion as pitiful as you are?" she asked.
"That was uncalled for," Drake smiled, rolling the black die in his hand, "We don't know how long we are going to be down here, have to ration."
"Why do you not just build upwards and create your own exit?" Natto said, putting the spoon into her mouth once more.
"Well," Drake started, throwing the die against the wall, "For starters, I don't know anything about structural integrity, so I have no idea if anything is going to collapse again if I try."
Drake waited for the die to settle, clicking his tongue when it turned up a 5. A glass-like stone dropped from a flash of light that illuminated the closed tunnel they were currently in.
"Fuck another dud… Three more roles to go…" Drake sighed, "And also the Ants are better tunnelers than I am. The amount of Mana it takes for me to move earth that I don't create is so large I would exhaust myself instantly. Not to mention that because they are also making tunnels, we don't know when or where we might run into them."
"This one sees your point my Lord, but dare this one ask just what art we doing staying in a singular location then?" Theodore asked, "Will it not just be a matter of time before our quarry finds us?"
"True!" Drake agreed, "But, if we are here, where I can tell better where they can attack from, it becomes more defensible and that's more important right now," Drake explained, "I also want to roll for the Guardian Quest I just finished if I'm really really lucky…." Drake said, pulling the die back to his hand with a wind spell by creating a vacuum in his hand.
"I'll get something good maybe…" Drake sighed, throwing the die again.
"That does not answer this one's query, my Lord…. Why must we be in a defensible position?" Theodore asked again.
The die bounced, tapping against the stone of the floor and eventually the wall, tumbling to a stop at 1, another flash brightening the dark tunnel. The light revealing Drake's face, bent down into a frown.
"Because I'm not sure if I can protect you if we go out into the open… I already almost killed you in the tunnel. And with everything, I'm not sure if they have more variants that could possibly see through your concealment skill. I don't want to risk your life because I can go on a rampage," Drake said, gripping the die before tossing it at his feet once more for the final roll, "I don't want to make a preventable mistake….again."
It had been weeks since Theodore had been taken hostage by Stewart, but the memory of it, and then the same thing happening again to Claire under his watch still burned the image of both deep in his mind.
Drake wouldn't allow it to happen again if he could help it. If that meant staying in a hole for a little bit, and clawing their way out bit by bit or waiting until he was able to inch his way towards a higher level. Or their last resort, waiting out the tutorial timer. He was prepared to do so.
His party on the surface was safe, he knew that. Bjorn would keep them safe until the tutorial ended. And they had enough food to last until the end even without rationing.
"My Lord…" Theodore said in a hushed tone, "Such events were not thous fault. Such a monster. No one except the creator themself could have foreseen it. Please do not trouble thouself with such guilt. This one chose to follow my Lord no matter what may happen, and regardless of happenstance."
Drake sighed, looking at the last roll. Another dud. Picking up the die and stone, he walked over, extending his hand to Theodore.
"You're a fool, Theodore… But I can get behind that," Drake smiled.
"This one would have it no other way," Theodore smiled back.
They both grinned in mutual understanding in the dark only the faint glow of crystals from the main cavern peeking in through the air hole crack illuminating them.
The sound of crunching broke up the moment, both turning their heads to a scowling Natto.
"You two were made for each other… I am truly on the edge of my seat as to what will happen next…." she said as she chewed her food, slurping another bite from her spoon.
"Aweeee missing out on the touching moment Natto?" Drake said walking over to her.
"What are you doing? No, do not touch me!" she shouted.
"Don't be shy come here for a, nice, big, hug!" Drake laughed.
"Cease! You still reek of insect filth!!!" she screamed trying to push herself away from Drake.
Their moment was broken abruptly as the wall Drake had put up began to crack, his head snapping to the wall as his arms glowed in ethereal blue. Drake instantly shot forward grabbing Theodore, his endowment changing his hair to a deep orange glow.
The wall began to crumble a pitch-black ant of stature uncomparable to the previous ones on the other side, its crimson eyes locking onto Drake.
"Fuck."
[Braxor Trikk Level 29]
The Prince's mandibles chittered as it rang throughout the tunnel, its arm tearing at the walls.
He's trying to take down the tunnel! Drake cursed.
Drake quickly parsed his only option.
Shooting forward he placed a carrier bubble made of wind around Theodore, Natto having just enough time to infuse herself into Drake's body, her utensils and food dropping to the floor.
Drake rocketed forward trying to grab the Prince's arm that was gripping the wall, but the Prince was fast. At least faster than Drake was currently without his endowment.
Flying past the Prince that dodged his grip, Drake whistled, instantly seeing the entourage around him.
[Nibyu Kikk Level 29]
[Vimyr Kikk Level 29]
[Uucyu Kikk Level 29]
….
..
.
[New Subjugation Quest! Subjugate 18 Royal Knight Tyrant Ants [F-Rank]
[Reward: Experience, TP, Rare Weapon of your choice]
Suddenly out of the tunnel and careening for the base of the cavern Drake spotted several Royal Knights, but no other new variants.
He was halfway to landing before another Ant stopped in front of him, its mandibles spread wide as it chittered loudly.
Drake's eyes widened as the monster appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He having no time to register the blip on his aura sense.
[Rasha Trikk Level 29]
Scowling, Drake flexed his aura, the monster flinching under the increased pressure from his Tyrannical Aura and the titles that boosted its effects.
"Hold on tight Theo!" Drake shouted, his hair turning to black, as he flipped 180 degrees around to grab Theodore in a fireman's carry, the wind bubble disappearing.
In its place a bolt of lightning shot out, aimed right at the Prince.
The bolt flew forward crackling with power as it traveled the short distance towards its head before the spell suddenly vanished, another Ant appearing in front of Rasha.
[Obiteron Trikk Level 29]
"Where the fuck did you come from?!" Drake shouted, but didn't stop his plan, another magic circle of bright yellow formed as a bolt manifested and vanished, Drake's hair shimmering to the same brilliant color, "Doesn't matter, smell ya later!"
Drake flexed his aura again, expecting Obiteron to freeze as well, but was unfortunately surprised when the monster clacked its mandibles together, almost sneering, and reached forward for Drake.
"Does this fucker have an item for everything?!"