Trope World - Volume 1 Chapter 41 Escape

My body was weak, it felt like my gut touched my spin, and my skin was burnt and flaking away. I had become monstrously more powerful and weaker. Then I smelled something delicious and filled with dark. I slid a piece of rubble away to reveal wasp pupa’s crispy and fried. I could sense the barest breath of life in them. I snatched the nearest one up and split the exoskeleton open. Like a cracked egg its insides began to leak out. I put my mouth on the crack and began to drink.

I’d like to say I was disgusted by the slimy taste, the spicy after taste, or the way it slid down my throat. That would be a lie. Before I knew it, the pupa was empty. I crushed the shell like an empty beer can and grabbed the next one. A single pupa wasn’t enough to return me to my former glory.

One by one I drank them down. I’d only recovered 15% of my strength, I needed more. While the other wasps toiled freeing their surviving pupa from the rubble, they placed them in a pile. One side were the pupas that would survive, one was those who would die, and the others were the dead ones.

Monster diet lv15; +150CON

I cleared out the dead ones first. Instead of leaving their empty husks behind, I tossed them to my darkness. The nothingness that surrounded me quickly absorbed the matter growing just a little bit heavier. When I reached the one struggling for life, I moved quickly. Their sticky spicy goodness slid down my throat filling me with ever more strength. My muscles were bulking back up and my body didn’t look as withered.

Then I moved to the pupa that were least effected by the lightning. The first one I consumed was better than the ones before. Dark qi and life force filled my body and I couldn’t stop myself from devouring the rest. My body was finally whole again.

Monster Diet lv30; +300CON

“Dammit, where did they go. They were just here a second ago. What could have run off with them?” Her eyes fell on me but there was no recognition. “I don’t know but my queen keeps sending me messages. Apparently, the human is still alive and in the area. Do you think he ran off with them?” Another wasp said in a bored tone.”

“Don’t sound so worried Diana, I’d hate to see you stressed about something.” A piece of rubble rose and shot towards the wasp who spoke before the rubble around them shattered.

“What do you think I don’t care?” Diana asked. I ducked under some of the flying debris and stepped closer to the confrontation. The wasps began to hover in the air as if preparing to fly off. They were without wings and fare more humanoid than most wasps. I could sense that they were in the palace building level. Still they couldn’t see me. Were they pretorians? Diana seemed the most powerful. Her BP stood at 1t. She was the strongest among them. These were the wasps that hit me with lightning. Suddenly, this place became more dangerous. But they had eyes and I was at the advantage. Even if they couldn’t see me, I could look at them.

I made my way to the weakest one in the group and looked into her yellow eyes. As a pretorian her eyes were no longer insectile. They were instead large and a solid shade. Dominate!

When I entered her mind, I was nearly forced out. She immediately became aware of me and was about to speak when I surrounded her in my veil of nothingness. “Where did Margret go, she was right here? Was the human stronger than we thought. Diana we should go see the queen.”

“Go ahead and be sure to tell her we failed to find the human and he’s snatched one of our own. I’m sure your standing in the hive will improve. The human is still here we just need to hit this place hard.” Diana said and flew high in the sky.

Meanwhile, I was exercising all my power to rewire this wasps mind. I needed to leave most of her personality intact as well as her history with the hive. Even her instincts had to go. So, I added another branch to the hierarchy. I called it the dark lord. I didn’t short out her instincts, I just planted a place for myself within them. Then I altered the big picture. I made it the hives goal to produce dark qi to feed the dark lord. In return the dark lord hid the hive from enemies. A simple but effective way to insert myself. My cultivation base was no longer the point. By adding it to her instincts I’d in turn added it to her line. Any eggs she laid from this point on would believe that I was a part of the wasp hierarchy. A position that was as important as the matriarch. I placed my index finger on her forehead and placed one of my eyes there. It would allow her to access the veil of nothingness to a limited degree. Then she looked at me before nodding and leaving my veil.

Around that time lightning began to generate from above. I tightened my shroud and ran for it. The lightning had the backing of 5 palace stage pretorian wasps. Estimated BP 15t. The second I took a step the ground behind me was struck. The force behind the explosion shot me 200 meters west and through a hive. I pushed myself to my feet and ran for it again. More lightning was building for a second attack. This time, I was far away from the shockwave.

It was too soon, how did they already find a way around my shroud of nothingness? The pretorian wasps weren’t done. They flew out in a five-point parameter and began shot down a massive bolt of lightning each. I barely managed to escape before their spell formation locked the area down. Lightning began to fall in massive dark bolts the ground shook as lightning fell like rain.

I stopped and rested as I watched the lightning set a hive building on fire. It was an acceptable loss to get me. Then they saw Margrett. I closed my eyes and looked through the third eye on Margret’s head. “Where were you we thought the human slew you?” One of the wasps asked.

“Just depositing a few eggs. The human was quite receptive and resistant to my venom. I don’t think they or the human survived that.” Margrett lied smoothly. They looked at her with knowing eyes.

“If that’s the case you should have said something, you’re such a ditz.” Diana said. “I’m so happy for you.” She said with a dry tone.

“Yea, we could have just waited for my young to finish him.” She said.

“No, he’s too dangerous!” Diana said and the remains of the hive exploded. She took a breath then looked at Margrett again. “We’re done here.” She said and they flew off towards one of the hives that led deeper underground.

“At least we captured his friends. They’re in the holding area on the fourth floor of that hive over there. Once they finish processing, we will be rich in horse flesh. My mouth is watering at the thought of trying ogre for the first time.” Margrett said.

“Is food all you think about. Same old Margrett.” Diana said with a slight smile on her face. The other pretorians chuckled as they flew. Margrett winked and sent me the all clear. They flew to the massive hive leading to the depths of the hive where the queens, queen mothers, and the final level where the Matriarch resides in secluded meditation.

My eyes opened. I could always come back here. But the hive wasn’t my concern. The war above and my companions where all that mattered to me. I walked up the wall of the hive making use of my nascent control over gravity. On the fourth floor I stepped in and made my way to the only qi signatures that weren’t dark. Black and dark weren’t the same. I peaked into the room to see a pretorian watching the group. They were paralyzed by the wasp sting and kept alive. The elf was n.a.k.e.d and one of the wasps was busily rubbing red honey over his body. “Why are you messaging the meat? I thought we were going to grind him up.” One of the wasps asked.

“Queen Maxine wanted this one alive. You know her fetishes.” One of the wasps shivered. “I don’t envy this one. Did you here about pretorian Maxine? She was found with her head gone. They are saying it was the human. A good thing Diana crisped him. The report is saying that Margrett stuck him before hand but he’s resistant to our stings. Crazy shits those humans, am I right.”

I placed my hands on them and used quake. Their bodies spasmed and I grabbed the nearest humanoid wasp by the mandibles. I twisted and the exoskeleton cracked. I placed my leg on her chest and pulled the head free. I stepped back barely avoiding the tail stinger. Three powerful palace level cultivation bases slammed down on me. I drew Lucifer and cut down the nearest one. Then I buffed my sword with oppressive blade and slashed through the last two. I collapsed to a knee and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

This was a simple rescue mission. Hopefully, the hive wasn’t aware of my actions.

I went to Sirius and squeezed at his wound. Green venom oozed from the wound. He had been given several doses. Stings littered his body. I had no idea how to help them. Its not like the wasps had an antidote to their venom.

“Jump start their qi pathways.” Margrett said through the eye on her forehead. I nodded and pulled a spirit stone from my singed bag of holding. Those bags were sturdy.

I gave each of them each a spirit stone and watched as they began to shit and piss themselves. The smell was horrible, and it was all diarrhea. It was just their bodies’ way of cleansing the poison. “Gross, I don’t want my squirmy wormy anywhere near that.” Margrett said. I chuckled as my friends began to twitch and move again.

“Melchior is that you?” Riku asked before dry heaving. This was truly the 2nd worst smell I have experienced. Riku managed some rain magic and quickly soaked the area. I stepped on the wall narrowly avoiding the stream of filth. It flowed down to the second floor.

“Oh, Matriarch what is that horrible stench.” I waited a few more seconds. “It’s everywhere, it’s in my mouth.”

“I’m guessing its time to leave.” Farron said as he slowly rose to his hooves. His backside was covered in feces, piss, and matted hair. None of my companions were in good shape.

“I told you we shouldn’t have followed her.” Everon said.

“Yea, well at least I know the way out now. Let’s go.” I said. I could see the resentment in my squad mates’ eyes.

“Max wasn’t completely full of shit. She killed her other and is going after the last of her sisters. She’s managed to copy your dark shroud and once she kills the queen, she’ll be whole again.” I raised an eyebrow at Riku.

“What do you want me to do? This isn’t our mission. We’re on a mission to infiltrate the angel’s castle and damage his position in some way.” I said. I wasn’t ready to fight a demon or even a queen.

“If you don’t kill her now, she’ll replace the Matriarch and invade the surface.” Riku said.

I took a breath and felt wearier than I’d let on. “I will leave you four here and finish the mission myself. I don’t want to, but I will.” I said.

“I’m not staying here. If you want to Riku then suit yourself.” The two centaurs nodded their agreement.

“Fine, I’ll go myself. I forgot humans, centaurs, and elves are cowards.” Riku shouted.

“Onis are dumb brutes who only care about destruction.” I said my voice devoid of emotion. “Nothing you say will change the fact that we can’t win. If we go down there the Matriarch will rip through my shroud and then we’re finished. The angel can more than likely do the same. I’m only at the qi condensation stage. I’m not ready for either fight.” I said.

“You either find a way or an excuse. I’m glad you have your excuses handy.” Riku said. I let out a sigh then touched his head. An eye appeared on his forehead and with it my shroud covered him. It wouldn’t last forever. He would need to find a safe place to hide and let it recharge.

“Try to survive until the war on the surface is over. This is all I can do for you.” I said.

“You’re a coward.” Riku accused.

“This battle can wait. If she’s going for the Matriarch, it could take decades for her to stabilize her position. I have spies in the hive. We aren’t ready to open this theatre.” I said.

“Thank you for the shroud, I’ll make better use of it than you ever did.” Riku said. I sighed and turned my back on him. He leapt from the hive and flew towards the opening leading to the depths.

The climb out was of little consequence. We made our way up and we made it to the door leading out. A massive white door covered in magical symbols was all that separated us from the next battle. I placed a hand on the door, and it opened. As the door opened Everon caught my eyes.

“Do you think he’ll live? You said it would be decades before Max could stabilize her position. Is that true?” Everon asked.

“No, that number was pulled from thin air. I have no idea when they will invade. I know they aren’t invading now. The undead are our priority not the underworld wasp nest.” I said.