IMPERIUM INSECTUM

<Mother, wake up, its midday.>

I slowly rose out of my bed.

<Thank you. You can go rest now>

I looked towards the girl as he flew inside of me. She was still out cold from our morning together. A wave of pride washed over me as I rubbed her belly. I know I should feel bad for what I did to her, but It was impossible to do so, and speaking honestly, I don’t think a part of me could ever feel sympathy for a human again. It's amazing how fast your morals and way of thinking can change. I sighed. Oh well, no point wasting brain power on things that don’t matter anymore.

I slid out of bed and towards the door. I didn’t bother putting on my cloak, mainly because it stank like shit, and being naked didn’t feel that weird to me. Before I left, I took one last look at her. Her stomach had grown a bit since I impregnated her. I'm going to need to hurry and get food sorted before she gives birth. I left one of my children to keep an eye on her. She is way too pregnant to run away but let's not take any chances

I had a lot to do today, and at the top of that list was to secure the food I already had. I made my way out of the cave and into the main camp area. The sun was hanging high in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew the stench of death towards my nose. The bodies of the bandits were still strewn all over the place.

<this place is a tip> I said as I looked over the camp. Bodies and pools of blood littered the ground. Flies were starting to collect around my food. I can't have this. I summoned 50 of my children.

<Make sure no flies enter the hive; Show them that this area belongs to me!>

<Yes, mother!> They all said in unison as they went to attack the other flies. Let's just say. It was a very one-sided fight.

I strolled towards one of the nearby bodies and dragged it into the sleeping quarters.

<That’s one; now for the rest.>

 I spent the next half hour moving bodies into the cave. Turning the camp from a horror movie set to a place only the insane would want to live. Perfect for me.

In that time, The “battle” between my children and the other flies had ended. We didn’t suffer a single casualty.

<We vanquished the intruders!>

<That was easy. I want another fight!>

<I hope mother will praise me!>

They all cheered at their recent victory.

<All right, settle down you lot.> Their cheers quietened as they focused their attention on me. <Great job, all of you. I have another task for you. Keep this place secure whilst I'm away. New hive members are growing in there, and they need protection. Do you understand?>

<YES>

<Good>

I summoned 100 more insects to help keep the hive safe. This should be enough to help keep the place secure at the moment.

With that job completed. I moved on to the next item on the list. The bandit storeroom. I want to know what goodies they kept in there; who knows, some of it might be useful.  I made my way from the outside camp to the store room.

<let’s see what goodies await me>

I pushed open the wooden door, and entered a room full of crates, wooden barrels and chests. I looked towards the walls, and they had an assortment of weapons mounted on them, ranging from bows and short swords to large war axes and great blades.

I looked around the room and found a makeshift crowbar. I swiftly picked it up and started opening the crates. 3 large crates took up one side of the room. Around those crates were small wooden containers. I  swiftly opened all 3 crates with my crowbar. Each crate contained a range of items, From clearly stolen clothes to lots of dried and salted meat and alcohol. The clothes ranged from simple work clothing to ornate expensive dresses and suits, and judging from the blood stains some of them had; I think I know how they got them. The alcohol was alcohol. I wasn’t that interested in it. Now dried meat. That was something that had definitely caught my eye. I pulled a long brown strip of what looked like pork and ate it.

 

 

It had a salty, tangy taste to it. It wasn’t a culinary masterpiece, but it would do in a pinch.

I opened one of the small wooden containers and found it was filled with jewellery. I opened the rest and found exactly the same thing. A deep sigh of disappointment left me as I moved on to the chests. The chest was made of dark wood and had metal strips bolting it all together. Annoyingly, the chests were locked. I could look for the key, but nobody has time for that. Using my crowbar and all my strength, I forced the chest open, breaking it at its hinges. Gold, silver and bronze coins flowed out from the chest and clattered loudly onto the ground

<These fuckers were loaded!>

I watched as coins trickled onto each other. There was no way I could spend this much money. In fact, I couldn’t spend it at All. Seeing this much money reminded me of one of the cases I worked on a while back. I was investigating a drug business that was running a meth empire out of a disused trailer in the desert. Long story short, we caught them because they didn’t launder their money properly, if at all. Someone will catch on if I start spending this money without making it look legit. I closed the chest and opened another. It was again filled with money. You're telling me, They got all this money by looting? No way. I refuse to believe that. I opened up all the remaining chests, and they were All the same. I stepped out of the storeroom. I wasn’t ready to begin dealing with all the issues, that money would cause, But it's nice to know that money isn’t going to be an issue for the meantime.

I walked out of The cave and into the forest. I had completed my second task of the day, now for the 3^rd and most arduous. Finding a large amount of food. I walked for several minutes into the forest, getting as far as I could from the camp. Before I can properly start searching for food, I have to know what can and can't give me resources. I looked over towards a tree, and an idea hit me.

I hurried towards the tree and punched it as hard as I could. Chunks of tree bark splintered all over the place and bounced off my armour. I grabbed a small strip of tree bark and thrust it into my mouth. It had an incredibly dry And bitter taste. Thankfully, my new teeth were able to deal with it.

 

Great, It's nice to know I'm not strictly a carnivore, though I still prefer meat to anything else. I looked back towards the tree. If we really do start to struggle, We can just eat the forrest

“HEEEELLLLPPPPP”

I snapped my head in the direction of the screaming. It wasn’t too far away from where I was. I cautiously made my way to the cry for help. I heard more screams and grunts as I got closer.

“PLEASE....SOMEONE.....HELP”

The shout came from behind a group of trees. I crept up to the trees and peeked behind them. There was a giant wolf currently on top of what looked like a very small girl, wearing a huge red and white spotted hat. The wolf snapped and growled at her as she used her arm to fend off it’s attacks.

The wolf was the main thing that caught my interest. It had a slightly green and brown glow to its fur. The glow was brightest around where it touched the girl. Interesting.

“PLEASE HELP. I'M GONNA DIE.” She summoned A green orb that appeared in her free hand. But it immediately died out. Instead, the wolf's fur started glowing a bit greener. It was absorbing something from her.

“HE..HE...HELP…I ..DONT..WANT…TO DIE”

Yep, you are definitely going to die. And that’s definitely a “you” problem. I turned around to walk away. But then I stopped. Is this really the best course of action? Don’t get me wrong; whether she lives or dies here, it Doesn’t matter to me. In fact, I wouldn’t mind it if she died; her screaming is starting to get annoying.

 I rubbed my temples. Let’s stay objective. Saving her would be a good idea. She probably has knowledge I don’t have, and saving her will make her indebted to me. A debt she will feel morally obliged to pay. Thinking about it, Why should I stop there? I could befriend her and make her completely loyal to me. Yes, a servant to do whatever I want with. I felt a grin creep on my face. And if she resists, well, My eggs could always make use of a second home.

“HEELLLP…… I DON’T THINK I WIL….”

Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. I walked up closer to get a better look. This is a good chance to use my [Bestial call] ability.

I felt my vocal cords begin to rub together as a low rumble began to form in my chest. The vibration got more and more violent, causing the rumble to get louder and louder Until.

*GRRRRRRRR*

I let out a deep growl; it wasn’t too loud to attract anything else, But it was loud enough to get his attention. I came out from behind the tree. The wolf had all but stopped attacking the girl and was fixated on me.

“Easy big guy”

I walked steadily out from behind the tree. At the same time, I quietly summoned one of my children.

<Quickly fly over and attach yourself to him. On my signal, Pump as much venom as you can into him> I whispered.

He did as he was told, flying low into the grass and quietly making his way there. The wolf was none the wiser.

“How about you let her go, friend?” I gave my most friendly grin.

The wolf looked at me cautiously but still walked over to me. I gently walked over to him and gave him a gentle pat on the head. The wolf looked at me briefly before dropping his head down, letting me rub it more. I gave the wolf some of the best pets I've ever given, causing It to start wagging its tail. He’s such a good boy. I want to keep him, but as of right now, this girl is more important. In a flash, I wrapped my arms around his neck and dragged him to the ground. The wolf started kicking and fighting me, but it was too late.

<NOW!>

<YES>

The dog howled as my child bit him. I held him still as he struggled in my arms. Soon his struggles went limp as blood started pouring from his mouth onto me. Eventually, he passed away. I dumped its body onto the ground and walked up to the girl. Upon closer inspection, she was definitely not human. Her skin was a pale grey with small patches that were a lighter shade of grey. What I thought was a hat, was actually a red and white mushroom cap, attached to the top of her head. Is she some sort of fairy? The sides of her face were surrounded by short brown hair, and she wore circular glasses. I looked towards her body; she was mostly naked, only having a makeshift leaf bikini covering her breast and privates. Speaking of breasts, Hers were quite petite. I wouldn’t say flat, but close to it.  

“th..th…thank you.”

I snapped out of my trance and looked back at her.

“No problem.” I stuck out my hand and gave another friendly smile.

She tentatively grabbed my hand. I pulled her up to the ground and wiped away any dust on her. She was way too short, only coming to halfway up my chest.

“My name is Diva. You are?”

“Ermm……Ah… it's” She started shaking on the spot.

I crouched down to her level and rubbed her head.  Causing her to flinch; shit, I shouldn’t have done that.

“Come on now. I don’t bite, well, most of the time anyway.”

She looked at me, and she stopped shaking.

“I….i…..It's Apollinaris.” She squeaked out. Why is she so nervous? I haven’t done anything that should elicit this reaction. Then a thought snapped through my head, and I brought up the description of [herald of the end].

 

Yeah, that’s probably it. I let out a sigh. I want her to work for me, that’s true, but I want her to follow me willingly. Ruling through fear could work, but it will only take me so far. For my plans, I need her to follow me willingly, or it just won't work.

“I know I can be quite scary, but I really don’t intend to harm you. Look, you can stay at my camp and rest up. In the meantime, let's walk and talk with each other.”

I gave her my hand again. She still looked quite apprehensive, but she took it.

I gave her a friendly nod and walked back towards my home. So much about finding food. Let's hope you are worth putting the time into.

---

What apollinaris looks like. Well, close to it, anyway. I should probably have some art made.