What does your conscience say? — 'You should become the person you are'."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
"THE COLONY REQUIRES THIS SPACE, THE LARVA MUST BE SAFEGUARDED."
"I understand that, but if..."
Speaker Ant shook its head and interrupted Mara's plea.
"RESOURCES HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXPENDED, THE COLONY CAN NOT UPROOT ITSELF AGAIN."
"Well then, how about a compromise?" Mara rubbed her temples. "The hill you've constructed is damaging our home, why not work with us to build a place where we can all live?"
"THE COLONY STANDS ALONE, WE ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO..."
"Hey, Speaker," Ven bonked the teched-up ant on the head. "I'm considered weak out here, and without me, you'd still be stuck in a giant worm..."
"...THIS DECISION IS BEYOND MY AUTHORITY, WE MUST VISIT THE QUEEN."
A wave of motivated ants hefted Ven and Mara into the air, a river that carried them into the depths of the colony.
"What the heck is going on!" Mara squirmed, the forelegs of a dozen ants wrapped up in her fur. Other insects propelled the hoard forward, a smooth ride that left an itch on her skin.
"They're not very patient, this is their version of public transport." Ven leaned back, relaxed in the mass of ants. Eyes closed, he was the picture of ease. Mara flinched as one of her handlers shifted its grip.
"We'll it's creeping me out..."
"I kind of like it, they just take you where they know you're going, no questions asked."
"I suppose..."
"Think of it, 'Taxi-Ants' on every corner." Ven laughed. "You just holler your destination... and you're off!"
"What's a taxi?" Mara frowned. "A transport of some kind?"
"Oh... right," Ven shrugged. "Something like that, but it would be a good way to get around a city, right?"
"It would, but I think people might be a bit reluctant..."
Ven fell silent at her words, brow furrowed. The ants around then came to a halt, and Mara was deposited next to a monstrous creature. A swollen ant, larger than a house and surrounded by an army of bulky soldiers.
"Greetings Mara, a friend of Ven," The Queen whispered into her mind. "And greetings Ven. What brings you to our home?"
"Greetings," Mara bowed her head, face hidden by her hair. "We wish to negotiate a compromise between ourselves and your colony."
"A compromise?" The Queen's antenna curled upward. "Of what kind?"
"You guys are messing with the locals too much," Ven patted a hand on the Queen's tree-sized leg. "Survival for a technological society like yours requires cooperation with others."
"Exactly!" Mara pulled a complicated technical map from her pouch. "See here... your construction has damaged vital aspects of our city!"
"Hmmm..." The Queen leaned forward, her multifaceted eyes a collage of reflections. "Interesting. Apologies, we failed to recognize these primitive installations as technology..."
"Well... could you fix them?" Mara's head tingled, a sign of a future headache
"Of course! The drones are acting as we speak," The Queen nodded. "We will retrofit and upgrade your city's waste disposal!"
"Oh, well that's nice of... wait what!"
***************************************************
"It's gone Fen..."
Lyra stared up in misery, forlorn and destitute as she crouched on the marbled road. Her favorite food stall... enveloped by a massive anthill.
"We will have our vengeance!"
A wicked gleam entered' Lyra's eyes as Fenrir growled. For the first time, Lyra's bloodlust had risen, driven by the taste of food she'd never experience again.
"We will!"
A spear manifested in Lyra's hand, forged from blue fire. Her mouth parted in a howl, a wrathful echo that brought a rush of pleasure.
"See little pup!" Fen barked. "It's good to fuel the rage, it brings us power!"
Lyra stepped forward, intent on the destruction of the hive, when a laugh rebounded in her ears. The sound flowed past her defenses and slammed into Fen's collared body.
"My dearest Granddaughter, you've hardly changed at all..."
"Who..."
A rainbow of light slammed into Lyra's shoulders, a force that brought her to the ground. Teeth pressed in a grimace, she raised her head.
"Little Fenrir, you've been a very, very bad dog!"
An armored man, white-haired and one-eyed, walked up to Lyra. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his only eye locked onto her own.
"They've shackled you," The man flicked a hand and Fen's collar vanished. "There, now you're as you should be!"
Fenrir's body expanded, a puppy became a wolf. Despite the return of her power, the legs behind her body were limp on the ground.
"Who are you..." Lyra ground out, a bubble of red on her lips.
The man frowned. He extended his hand, as if he reached for a bug.
"NO!"
Fen howled, a rush of icy fire that surrounded Lyra's frail body. The man's slap landed, full on the wolf-kin's chest. Breath fled her lungs in a stampede as she soared through the air. It refused to return, even as she slammed into a solid wall.
"You dare speak to me, mortal?"
"Wha... what..."
Her lungs burned, locked in a refusal to breathe. Lyra twitched, a questioning gaze toward her wolf.
"Who is that.."
"My grandfather... Odin..."
"Yes, and you should learn to watch your tongue," Odin scowled at Lyra as he walked to her prone form. "Once I've stripped the two of you apart, I'll find a proper place to shove your valueless soul..."
Odin reached out, but his hand closed on only air. Lyra's vision blurred. She found herself well behind the angered god, a familiar hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, young apprentice," Arthur's grip gave a squeeze of comfort. "Not even the gods walk easy in this city."
The errant knight cast aside his cloak, rusted armor bared to the world. His sword was absent, but Lyra had never seen him use it anyways. Her teacher stepped forward to face Odin's enraged glare.
"How dare you lay a hand on my pupil!" Arthur jabbed a finger toward the red-faced god. "Don't you know who I am?"
"I don't care who you are!" Odin stomped forward, teeth ground to sparks. "All mortals must bow to the might of Heaven!"
A golden shimmer rippled through the air, sourced from Arthur's eyes. It paused Odin's march and colored the sky. The rusted knight reached for his absent sword.
"I am Arturus Ard'ri Pendragon... I bow only to the worthy."