Marigold – A LitRPG

 

Aurum - Year 3       

 

'Well, collars that can drain someone's life essence? This thing seems to be very evil, but I can make good use of it.'

"Boys! Bring me a Wappo!" As soon as my words fell, a small group of soldiers quickly left and returned with a large, healthy Wappo.

Going towards him, I place the collar delicately around his "neck" and slowly move away. Then when it seemed like nothing was going to happen, Wappo let out a squeal of pain as the spikes on the collar started to suck him in.

Soon the inside of the crystal attached to the collar began to slowly fill with a very familiar golden energy. While Wappo seemed very uncomfortable with the situation, but not injured.

'Interesting...' Extending my claw towards the collar, I try to absorb this energy that without hesitation runs into me excitedly, so I decide to do a test, and energize the collar with life energy.

As soon as I energized the collar, the Wappo fell to the ground as it writhed in pain while thorns and roots sprouted from the collar and embedded themselves in the wappo's "flesh".

"Wow! The collar has the ability to fuse with the host's flesh if energized with life energy! This would be very useful for prisoner control!" Said one of the scientists while excitedly writing everything down.

"That's not all! The collar seems to cause a lot of pain when energized too! So it would be very useful for keeping prisoners calm, if we can use the collars on the coliseum animals, we could save a lot of resources!" Said a soldier.

'Damn... I created a weapon... I accidentally ended up creating something that could cause suffering to other species...'

Is my investment useful? Absolutely, but it's not a safe or friendly investment, its sole purpose is to suck the life out of someone until all that's left is an empty shell.

'Damn... stay calm, it's for the good of the hive, the boys are right, this invention can be used in very useful ways.'

"Very well! Catalog this item as a weapon and take it to the development club for further research, we need to continue with the experiments."

"Yes Queen Mother!" said everyone present as a small group of soldiers went to the wappo and ripped the item from his neck, tearing off some of his flesh and skin in the process. Then the soldier gave the collar to a scientist who delicately placed it inside a box with several danger warnings.

Then the box was sealed with wax and glue and given to workers who worked at the delivery club.

Soon the Wappo became obsolete, so the soldiers picked it up and slowly dragged it away without anyone paying any attention, as they were busy setting up the room for the next experiment.

---

 

"Test #64 in progress, this test we are attempting to cause an echo of mana to inhabit a magical formation composed of catalyst crystals inscribed with the intention of serving as the core of a magic wand."

"The purpose of this experiment is to create a magical core that can serve as an intermediary between the magic and the caster, making anyone capable of using a pre-programmed spell."

As soon as I finished explaining the experiment for records, I created a small mana echo attached to the [Featherweight] spell, a spell that makes any item float in the air.

Soon the echo of mana began to float to a large jib made of catalyst crystals, attached to mana batteries and a type of terminal made of wood, crystals and root cables.

The intention of the item is to serve as an intermediary, allowing the holder of the item to be able to cast magic even without having mana or any knowledge of magic, the intention is for him to just activate the item that will do all the difficult work.

Even if it works, the trinket is still very large and not very optimized, but if the experiment succeeds, the magic club would have a new item and a whole new magical principle to study.

As soon as the echo of mana entered the item, the catalyst crystal began to light up, soon the wooden terminal began to shake as magical power flowed through the roots of the trinket, soon the entire machine began to shake violently which caused me to activate my crystal skin and the scientists who were behind a protective wall covered their ears waiting for the explosion that was coming.

but soon the item's shaking stopped, and instead it was enveloped in an aura of glittering energy that caused it to begin emitting a wave of energy that made items around it float in the air.

"A success?!!" shouted one of the wizards.

"Take it easy boys! It's very unstable! I'm going to test it!"

Approaching the item with a bit of trepidation, I tap its terminal and begin trying to activate the spell, soon I see a small wave of energy vibrate within the catalyst crystal before a bunch of strange letters and runes begin to leak from the crystal. .

Soon a show of small lights takes place in the room, when several small magical runes begin to orbit around the catalyst crystal, I was so amazed by the beauty of the situation that I didn't notice when the item began to vibrate and emit sounds that it shouldn't emit.

"MOM! BE CAREFUL, THE EXPERIMENT IS PRESENTING INAGULARITIES!" Shouted one of the mages as several soldiers started running towards me.

'Huh?' Looking back I could see my children's scared faces, and looking ahead I see a crystal bauble that is shaking a lot and emitting smoke while several white letters made of energy begin to shake and scatter.

'Damn it!'

Soon a large crack appears in the catalyst crystal, and a feeling of extreme danger comes over me, so in a desperate movement I put all my arms in front of me and activate my crystal skin again.

Then a large explosion occurs, throwing me back and making me collide with the soldiers who tried to run towards me, as soon as I recover my senses I look up to see some desperate bees trying to put out the fire in the laboratory, while other bees they begin to grab me and hurriedly drag me away from danger.

"Wait boys! I'm fine!"

"No you're not! Your body has burns and bruises!" Shouted a soldier as he grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the burning room.

Stopping to analyze myself, I could see that my arms were almost intact due to the crystal skin, but some areas such as my legs and waist had suffered burns and bruises, but nothing that was really lethal or harmful.

"This amount of damage is superficial! My peaceful regeneration will heal this in a few days! We need to deal with the fire!"

"That's the least of it! Since the tree fire a few years ago, the research club has developed dozens of means to fight fires, so the fire will be contained with non-flammable foam, water and sand." Said a worker

"I'm more concerned about the magical damage! That explosion spread life energy in a chaotic fashion all over the place! We need to isolate the members present at the time of the explosion and determine if their bodies were not affected by the sub-exposure to high amounts of magical damage." life!" Said a wizard very seriously.

'Damn it! I completely forgot about that, messing with life energy is like messing with radiation, I should be safe, but what if exposure to life energy causes damage or mutations to my boys?!'

As soon as we arrived at the infirmary, a swarm of nurse bees began swarming me, licking my wounds to remove dirt and debris, and using skills and items to heal the open wounds.

After the ward doors were kicked in by a bee in a nurse's uniform, the bee then walked furiously towards the swarm of bees and began muttering.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE SAFETY RULES FOR IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THEM?!" Shouted Ken.

"We were following the safety rules! So much so that the only injured person was Mom, the problem was that she was at the center of the explosion and the soldiers didn't have time to protect her!" One of the wizards insisted.

"What did I tell you?! To keep mom away from dangerous things! If she dies, what are we going to do, huh?! Without her, the hive will collapse and die within months!!" Ken said irritated.

"Stop the drama Ken, it was just a minor accident, I'm more worried about the side effects on the boys than my injuries..."

"What side effects?!" Ken said, letting his concern leak out.

"W-Well... The boys were exposed to large amounts of energy from the pathway during the explosion, and because they have no affinity for [life] I'm worried that they may have suffered some collateral damage..."

"Are you serious!?! Damn it mom! You guys! Isolate the experiment room until it passes the security tests! You send the wizards to investigate if there is any dangerous trace of energy in the room, and you guys!! Stay here, you won't nowhere until you pass rigorous prevention tests!" Ken said while giving orders to several people.

"This is really necessary, I feel good, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with me, in fact I feel even healthier!" Said a soldier.

"This could be a warning of bigger problems, if you feel healthier, it is because you have definitely been exposed to life energy, as in small amounts the energy heals your body, but if you have received more energy than you should there is possibility of the formation of tumors, anomalies or deformities...." Said one of the magicians who was now getting scared.

'What the hell did I do...'

---

 

Aurum - Year 3 - 2 Weeks Later

 

Luckily the damage caused to the hive was minimal, my wounds healed in just over 3 days, and the fire was quickly contained using potions that create foam and spells to smother the fire.

The biggest problem was the appearance of anomalies in my boys, there were many people in the experiment room, and the explosion emitted a lot of "radiation", causing some anomalies in the boys.

The cruelest were wounds that appeared on the skin, or super painful lumps, the guilt consumed me so much that I needed to do something to help them, and the result of that was me injecting more life energy into them to try to correct these mistakes.

Ken thought this was a stupid idea, since it's like injecting more poison into someone who's been poisoned, but healing magic is a little more complex than that. By using healing magic in an orderly manner and with the right purpose, I can do exactly what I need to do, and thanks to that I was able to cure the boys.

But even so, it wasn't perfect, some people still have pain and unique physical conditions that shouldn't exist, and it's all my fault, some anomalies are really bad, but others are even interesting.

Some magicians became more "tuned" to the energy after the explosion, being able to see it better, smell it and even taste it. Some soldiers gained enhanced senses, as if they had an eye in the back of their head, and some scientists became more focused.

These positive mutations are rare, and only happened to a minority of people in the room, while the majority of mutations are negative, such as loss of hearing, taste and senses, muscle weakness, reduced speed, and lack of appetite.

It was all my fault, I shouldn't have conducted such a dangerous experiment, I knew the risks and was willing to expose myself, because even if I was bombarded by a wave of life energy it wouldn't cause any real harm to me, but the Boys are susceptible to this damage, and I am useless for not being able to permanently reverse this damage.

'What have i done? My babies, I hurted my babies...'

Their pain is real and very pronounced, like a bell that rings through the link every moment, the beacons said they could suppress this pain and "anesthetize" the link, so I couldn't feel this discomfort, but I needed to feel it , that would be the only way to remember the consequences of my actions.

My babies are hurt, they were hurt by no one else but myself, they pretend that they are fine and that the anomalies are not an obstacle in their lives, but whenever I feel the tiredness, pain and discomfort coming from them my heart sinks. in the chest with remorse and guilt.

The solution for the injured was to give them a solution of medicine and health drops, as well as priority in gaining xp, since my hope was that when they evolved they would "Return to normal", losing their negative characteristics.

Now I was inside the nursery, looking at several cute little larvae that were happily feeding on a nutritional mixture made specifically for them.

'Forgive me... I'm may not be the best mother out there... But I'm trying, I swear I'm trying... please forgive me.'

I wasn't talking to anyone, just trying to discharge my negative energy by looking at some babies, the energy of these little guys always brings me joy, but today not even their cute movements and juicy faces cheered me up.

"Mom, are you okay? You've been looking at the baby soldiers for almost an hour...' Said Simus, who came to the side.

Simus had now evolved into a [Nest Weaver], a very unique class that basically turns him into an expert in building larvae breeding and care units. The class allows him to create a special type of silk that is highly resistant to wax and can be used as a recycled nest-building material. Silk can also be easily corroded by an enzyme that bees can produce, so the breeding units They are very resistant to invaders, but very easy to be removed by other bees.

Simus also has his own team of nest builders, and now that Ciel is with Hilda he is second in command of the nursery.

"Hello Simus, I'm just feeling a little...Guilty I guess."

"I see! Is this because of the explosion that caused strange mutations in some members of the hive?" Said Simus bluntly.

"T-That's exactly why, I feel guilty for putting them in an uncomfortable situation, I feel imposing for not being able to reverse 100% of their mutations, and I feel... inadequate as a queen."

"Don't say that! No one blames you! They were only exposed to the explosion because they came out from behind the protective mesh!" Said Simus

"Because they were trying to protect me... Simus, sometimes I think you guys would be better off without me, you know, if I locked myself in my room and just let you guys take control, maybe the colony wouldn't be going through a period of famine, Maybe then the hive wouldn't be in constant conflict over the future of the hive, and maybe no one would have gotten hurt because of me..."

"Stop being a whining larva!" Said Simus while bending his arms.

"Whining larva?"

"Yes! No one here blames or refutes your choices, but many are already irritated because of the way you act, you keep thinking so much about what you did and what you could have done differently that you don't stop to look ahead and see what It's happening now! You're only seeing the negative side of things! Did you know that the research club was fascinated by the mutations? volunteers.”

"What?! Why would they do that, it's too dangerous!"

"It's very useful! Negative mutations are no death sentence, while positive mutations are extremely useful, if we could create a legion of soldiers with enhanced senses we could reduce the number of injuries and increase the XP gain! If we created one entire generation of mages with the same attunement to mana as mutated mages, we could make great advances in magic, besides the fact that negative mutations are a powerful weapon, if we could create a spell that generates negative mutations on purpose, we could halt effects negatives on our enemies." Simus said as he skillfully sewed a chainmail made of silk.

"That- Don't you think this is too dangerous?! We don't know the implications of such an experiment! What if we create individuals with irreversible physical disabilities!?"

"Mom, the proposal is that the experiments be carried out on aphids, and only after promising results would we test on members who volunteered, but I'm sure the hive is more than willing to sacrifice some members for the future and prosperity of the hive. " Simus said.

"That's not a good thing!!"

"Isn't it? So you're telling me, that if you could sacrifice yourself so that no one in the hive would ever get hurt again, you wouldn't do it?" Simus said in a doubtful tone.

"T-That... I..."

'I would, if I could give purpose to my sacrifice I would certainly do it, if my children could live peacefully and prosperously until the end of time at the cost of my life I would close the deal without thinking twice.'

And why do they think the same way? If I am willing to sacrifice myself for them, then they are also more than willing to sacrifice some lives for the future of the hive, when doing the math it seems reasonable, sacrificing some members for the future of the hive, but when I think about the pain, in the fear, in the sensation that pulses in the link, my body and soul tremble at the base.

"I don't know Simus, you are all an extension of me, little fragmented parts that have self-awareness, but are still connected to me, I feel everything you feel, I can feel the fervent faith you place in me, the adoration and confidence, and I feel suffocated by it, I don't think I can be the person you need me to be, but I can't delegate this task to someone else."

"No one expects you to be a perfect mom! We just expect you to be the mommy!" Said Simus happily as he fed a larva with a kind of bottle filled with a special liquid.

"Maybe... I just hope I'm not as bad at this as I am at everything else..."

"Well, at least you never abandoned us, I guess that counts for something, doesn't it?" Said Simus

"He, I think-"

'Mom, danger, we have humans entering the forest.' Emi said via the link.

"Humans?! What are they doing here?!"

Accessing the memory that Emi sent me, I soon managed to see a large group of humans, they were wearing armor with a strange symbol and carrying purple flags with the same golden symbol engraved on it. The humans were riding horses while carrying torches and things like backpacks and swords.

'Radio! Send a red alert to hive! All members outside the hive must return immediately!'

As soon as my words landed on the link, I received an "immediately" from Radyo, followed by a mental itch that caught my attention.

'Red alert, all members must immediately return to sector A, no member with authority lower than Leader is allowed to leave region B, Threatening humans have been sighted entering northern region H, Red alert, all members must immediately return to In sector A, no member with authority lower than Leader is allowed to leave region B, Threatening humans have been sighted entering region H north."

Soon the entire nest began to go on emergency alert, soldiers began to fly to the outer area while all the working classes began to enter the deeper parts of the nest while a large number of royal guards began to arrive at the nursery.

"Queen mother! We are isolating this area due to the red alert, stay here at all times and do not leave until the situation is clarified!" demanded a royal guard before leaving and starting to close the nursery doors.

Because the nursery holds the future of the hive, it is one of the highest priority and security places, and now that I am here it has become the most important place to protect, causing all the hardworking troops to begin joining the around the nursery in a kind of barrier of flesh, while soldiers and royal guards stood ready.

'Damn, what are these humans doing here?'