Chapter 144 Apollinaris and the adventures’s

Joshua pov:

“And that concludes the report.”

Ristran read it over with a relieved sigh.

“Thank god. It’s just goblins. The last thing I need is another shit storm on top of everything else im dealing with. The sooner I get out of here, the better”

“You're really set on leaving, aren’t you?”

He nodded“Yep, even got a meeting with my replacement tomorrow. If it all works out, I'll be out of here in a month. Just need to temper all the fires till then”

Ristran folded the report and reached towards one of the many tall piles on his desk

“I'd be careful there, Ristran; the tower might-“

*Smack*

“Fall”.I watched as sheets of paper skidded across the floor. Ristran let out a defeated sigh. “This job tests me in the smallest ways.” He started to get up when I stopped him. “ Ive got this, old man.”

“Old man?! Im 32. That is not old!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, grandpa.” Ristran's face twisted as I scooped up all the sheets. As I did, I couldn’t help but read some of them, and boy howdy do I understand why Ristran is stressed. Every sheet had some bleak news scrawled across it: the mushroom epidemic that’s spreading like wildfire, the rampant crime and aggression from the gangs. The Ashdowns retreating from all governing duties. What happened to this place? It used to be peaceful. I scraped some more papers as I went; as I did, one caught my attention. It was a schedule for tomorrow, and attached to the schedule was a job interview. Now, on the surface, that isn't odd, but what stood out to me was that the schedule showed the interview was scheduled for midnight. What job does an interview at midnight? That doesn’t make sense. Now that I think about it, he did mention that he was meeting his replacement for an interview tomorrow; coincidence, probably not. And this guy he’s interviewing the application form has a picture of him. I know it's bad to judge a book by its cover, but this guy was shady as hell: scars all over his face, a smiley-face tattoo on his neck, and those eyes. Those are not the eyes of someone who is kind and caring. Something feels off about this.

I collected up the remaining sheets and put them on a neat pile on his desk.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it!”

“Anytime, old friend,” I said, stretching my back.

“Well im gonna head home. All I want to do now is sleep on ground that doesn’t break my back”

He chuckled “I sure don’t miss that! See ya, old friend.”

I left his office and the guild hall and headed outside where the 4 others waited for me.

“Have you succeeded?” Gordon asked

I nodded. “They are none the wiser. Mission completed; hopefully our queen will be proud of us.”

We all nodded in unison as we all clambered into the carriage. Our next stop: our magnificent queen's other half!

Apolinaris pov:

“FASTER!”, Andre yelled as he sent several ice bolts at me. At the same time, I smashed my hands down, and a vine erupted, writhing around and smashing every one of them out of the air.

“NICE BUT THAT WONT-“

“Im not done yet, RAMPANT GROWTH”

Suddenly, dozens of vines sprouted from the main one and charged at ludicrous speed towards Andre. Tried to counterattack, but the vines were so fast that all he could do was block and dodge.

“Nice! You have me pinned! Now how will you close this battle out?!”

“Like this”. I slammed my hands on the ground again; this time, several small mounds of earth erupted across the training ground “DIRT BATH!”

On cue, the mounds spurted mountains of fine earthy dust into the air, blanketing the training room and dropping visibility to zero, well... for one of us at least. My Vision suddenly darkened as I activated my mana lens. Immediately, Andre lit up bright blue, and with one surprise vine I placed ahead of him, I caught him. He tried to cut himself out, but I tightened the vines as tight as I could until

“COME ON YIELD! DAMMIT YIELD”

“I YIELD I YIELD!” Andre yelled.  A wave of relief washed over me as I cancelled my spells and the room returned back to normal. The vine that caught Andre loosened, allowing him to drop onto the ground.

“Very well done. Your combat sense has improved nicely. Im actually having to try now and catching you off guard is getting difficult”

“Thank you, Andre. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you!”

Andre did a fake gasp “A compliment from you! Who are you and what have you done with the real Apollinaris”

“I'll take it back in a minute”

He chuckled. “Im teasing. Thank you. It's… been a while since I last taught someone”. His eyes briefly looked solemn before he suddenly snapped back to me.

“Now then, for our next exercise we will-“

<Big sis Apollinaris!>

<Yes!> I said, turning to face the nurse

< There are some humans at our gate. They are here to see you.>

I frowned and turned my attention back to Andre.

“Looks like we have to call it here”

He chuckled “It’s fine I too have places to be.”

We both shook hands before we headed out. I made my way to the main living area whilst Andre was escorted out the door. Once he was gone, the nurses and everyone else hid themselves as  I invited the humans in. It took a moment for them to arrive as they trundled up the road from our gate to the entrance. According to our outdoor scouts, the humans were in an old, rickety carriage. So clearly they aren't from an affluent background. Then who could they be? If they are hostile, then they picked the wrong house to try something. The warriors are yearning for a fight

*Knock knock knock* the door rang out. I went to the main entrance. Just before looking around, I took a note of everyone. Several warriors watched, hidden in the many bedrooms. 6 warriors should be plenty.

I walked over, opened the door, and was met with 3 unfamiliar faces and 1 I did recognise. And by the look of it, she did too.

“I know you…. From the tournament… Gwiynn was it”

She nodded.

“To think you were our queen's other half. It makes so much sense now,” she said with gleaming adoration. Wait, queen other half!

“How do you know that?!” I glanced at the group. Did they figure out who I am? Is diva okay? This is bad really bad! Suddenly, a man with 2 swords stepped forward.

“GET BACK”

“Easy! Easy! We aren't here for any mischief. We were sent here by our queen, Diva. After we attoned for our sins, she gave us a second chance. Our mission is to throw off any scent about Diva's hive and assist you in any way possible.”

I watched the 4 of them; they didn’t look like they were up to anything. Still, I cant be too cautious; I'll speak to Diva. In the meantime, I'll invite them in so they are contained if they try to attack

“I see. " Well, follow me,” I said. I opened the door wide and let the 4 of them in. I led them to the main living room and sat them down.

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked.

“To be offered something from our queen's consort. How could we refuse?” they said with more enthusiasm than a 5-year-old in a candy store. Their behaviour is odd. Could what they were saying be true? I wanna test their reactions to something. I looked to the side and nodded on cue; 2 nurses crawled out of the woodwork. I watched the 4 trying to gauge their reactions. Nothing. Usually there would be some shock, but they just acted like it was another Wednesday. Could it already be from exposure to the hive?

I need to confirm this with Diva.

I closed my eyes and tapped into the hive weave. I followed the weave to the top. Where I pulled on Diva's mind. Immediately, she connected with me.

<I see you’ve met my new subordinates>

<I have. A little warning would have been nice.>

She chuckled. <I apologise.I forgot; I'll explain.>

She explained in detail what happened and how they came in contact. To think she’s gotten to that level of control with her weave.

<I see. I don’t know what shocked me more: the fact you can do that now or the female here isn't pregnant.>

She scoffed. <I do have some sort of restraint. >

<There better not be any sort of restraint the next time we meet. I want ALL of you.>

<Don’t say such things, or I'll fly over right now.>

<I might just ask you to-

“Miss Apollinaris”

I snapped back to the 4 in front of me, all of whom held steaming cups of tea in their palms.

<Ahh sorry>

Their heads twisted in confusion. Oh wait, insect speak

“My bad. I was communing with my partner. Yes, I understand why you are here.  One moment>

<The coast is clear; you can stop hiding now!>

On cue, dozens of insects fell out of the woodwork. The 4 stared in awe as they all returned to their duties.

“I didn’t even notice anything amiss.” The hunter said. I chuckled “Ive made them practice. But enough about them. Why are you here….”

“We were told to report to you once we arrived back in the city.”

“I see. " Well then…report away,” I said, getting comfortable in my chair.

He nodded and began his report. There wasn’t much to be said except that he had successfully moved the scent away from the hive and that the guild doesn’t suspect much is going on in the forest beyond some overly active goblins.

“That’s great news. If only I had something positive to report back to diva”

“How so?” Gwiynn asked. I let out a deep sigh.

“Im not sure if she told you this, but im investigating the ash down bombing and who is trying to kill me. And neither have gone anywhere since I interrogated and executed the dianthus family”

“Wait, that was you?! Word on the street was that it was family murder suicide where they all went in flames, house included. But in fact Y…y..you k…killed them,” Gwiynn spluttered.

I nodded. So that’s the rumour they created. That’s a fairly good one.

 “You of all people shouldn’t be surprised. You remember what happened to little Annie”

Gwiynn gulped as she nodded “How could I forget….”

“I hate pure spirits with a passion. I wont rest until all those pieces of shit are  all unrecognisable charred meat in that god-forsaken city!”

Suddenly black smoke erupted from my hands. I took a deep breath. “Sorry, I get agitated talking about them. Please, for your sake, and the furniture, don’t mention them to me.” They all nodded in unison. That ability is still a wild one ive tried training, but training when you're pissed off beyond hell is difficult. Gahh, I don’t want to talk about this any more!

“Is there anything else you want to discuss”

Joshua shook his head. “Not at the moment, but if it isn't too much, ask. Do you want us to comb through what you have already? Maybe with a fresh pair of eyes, we might see something you’ve missed. Our queen says we are to assist you in any way possible ”

I sighed “It's worth a shot, I guess”

Penn’s log

Diva dolls

So recently, Diva has made 4 new additions to the hive, and I must say they are quite the interesting bunch. Their origins aren't much to talk about. Long and short of it is that they are all Diva's rape victims, her first few actually, and thus their mental capacity prior to transformation was practically zero, making them the ideal blank canvas for the conversion processes.

Diva explained the process is similar to what she did to me, but unlike my transformation, they had no say in the changes. How the process actually happens is a mystery, but figuring that out isn't what we are doing today. We are here to talk about our 4 new additions.  Ive been studying them in the proving grounds, trying to understand the length and breadth of their abilities. Here are my preliminary findings. We'll start with the only male….female….whatever; it doesn’t matter

Tarsis

Tarsis is the group tracker and ranger. His sense of smell is unparalleled among anyone out of the hive. During study, I found that they could track a scent for what felt like an indeterminate range and potency. For example, I tied a piece of scented meat to a worker and tasked it with flying sporadically for 12 hours. Afterwards, I waited a day and then sent Tarsis out. he was instructed to use only scent to find the worker. He found the worker and brought it back in 3. The worker was hidden deep in a cave. With several waterfalls in its path. By all measures, the scent should be gone or dispersed enough that the task was impossible, and yet he found it.

On top of his hunting prowess. His combat capability is incredible as well. He can move, dodge and duck with incredible speed, which, combined with his dual shard casters, which can pierce through 3 25 cm walls with ease, makes him deadly at long to mid ranges as a fast, hard-to-hit target

Personality-wise, he is aloof. And happy-go-lucky, almost childlike in some ways. And like a child, he is obsessed with his mother diva. Always cosying up to Diva and insisting on being next to her at all times, to the point he shows symptoms of depression when he hasn’t seen her. im sure this behaviour is due to the fact he is the only unit currently that can have sexual intercourse with Diva.

Malvena

She is the main attacking force out of the 4 loads of strength, loads of armour, and a powerful weapon. Strength-wise, she is on par with 6 warriors, and her durability is several octaves more than the warriors as well, thanks to her ablative armour that regenerates as quickly as it's damaged; doing damage that sticks is a tricky task, making her a fierce foe to contend with. In testing, she sustained 4 hours of continuous attack from the spitters' acid attack before the test was suspended, not because she got injured but because the subject got bored and walked out of the testing ground.

 Her weapon is also powerful; it’s a multipurpose tool capable of forming into anything she desires. Examples seen in testing include war hammers, whips, scythes, and long blades. ball and chain. And each of these weapons is wielded with extreme proficiency to the point it looks effortless

Personality-wise, she is the most tame of the group. Quiet and stern and the disciplinarian of the group; however, this changes as she enters battle. When she gets into action, she becomes wilder, more feral, an un satiated beast that craves violence.

Verida.

Verida is the group support. She has no offensive weapons like her other siblings, but then again she shouldn’t need them. Verida is the intel gatherer, infiltration and support. Verida can mimic her surroundings, allowing her to blend in and stealthily move around. This, coupled with vocal mimicry, allows her to mimic the voices of people she’s heard, making her great at misdirection.

If stealth, subterfuge, and infiltration aren't applicable, she shifts to a more supportive role; she can produce an array of pheromones. Some induce sleep in humans, some violence or sadness. This manipulation of emotions, coupled with her psychic abilities, makes her an amazing intel gatherer. During testing, Verida was left alone with me. The test was simple; I had chosen a number randomly that morning. Her job was to extract the information from me. And let's just say she got the number and a whole lot of emotional baggage as well. Whilst the test was a success for her, it was a personal failure for me

Verida also possesses the ability to sing. These songs have been shown to elicit behaviours in existing hive units. Further study is needed on this. Maybe replication is possible?

Personality-wise, she is soft-spoken and gentle, friendly almost, but I cant tell if that's genuine or a persona she puts on to help extract more information. Out of the 4 she is the one I keep my eyes on the most lest she manipulates me into doing something I don’t want to.

Mori

And lastly Mori. Mori is the group magician, and boy does she let you know it. Every moment of hers is spent talking about magic,  studying magic and/or practising magic; it's almost frightening the way she gorges on anything magic-related. But the fruits of that obsession are showing.

During testing mori was able to channel a spell for over 8 hours straight; the record is 4. The only reason she stopped at 8  was that the spell she was channelling was a ring of fire spell. I stopped her when she carved an 8-meter doughnut in my proving ground. Azuura was also not very pleased

Well, besides her own innate magical prowess. She can also transfer her power to nearby units; the extent of this requires further study. But from quick examinations ive found that she can turn nearby units into a sort of receiver for her spells, allowing her to cast them from range. Whether or not this stacks with her Magic Sceptre, which boosts her spells' power, is unknown at the moment.

And if that was not enough, she has access to a new magic school dubbed rather boringly as hive magic. What this magic is, I don’t know. Mori has kept this a closely guarded secret.

Personality-wise, safe to say Mori is mad, so incredibly mad that it's scary. Her obsession with magic drives everything about her to the point where it's scary, and what's worse is that if she finds anything even remotely magic-related, she will hyperfixate on it. I had to call Diva to pull her out of my lab as she was obsessing over my magical tools

And those are my preliminary findings. Of the 4, the one that scares me most is probably Tarsis. Whilst the others have their quirks. Tarsis’s obsession with his mother is something else. There is nothing he wont do for Diva; actually, it would be easier to ask him what he wont do. Which is very little, if anything at all.