I wake up from a troubled rest.

There was simply too much on my mind to completely calm down, as good as this tub is.

As a result, I feel terribly strained.

(K)

(E)

(S)

(E)

Weird that they bring this up, but they apparently care very much about my stress.

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(S)

(K)

I bred a normal insect!?

No, no! This is wrong!

They really made me a brood mother.

There is no difference between mine and any of them?

And I even produce them in my sleep?

I feel devastated and surely they notice with those pheromones.

Kyska certainly does and seems to change the subject of our talk.

(K)

At least clothes.

Kyska makes a few steps and takes some fabric she presents me.

They show the same green the uniforms of the soldiers had.

However, the form seems to be some kind of dress.

I take it and find that the back is left free for the wings.

Something that should've been expected.

The points where the different pieces it consists of are linked, aren't stitched but connected with a weird substance.

Due to this rather provisional application, it doesn't look like a masterpiece, yet in the end still decent.

As they have the function of maids the two are insisting to dress me up in it.

(K)

(E)

(K)

I try to walk some steps.

The skirt is ending a bit high at my knees to not apply too much pressure to the stinger and so I have some room for my legs.

(K)

Well, it might be important to get to know this place and it would feel less as if I'm confined here for this one purpose.

I don't really want to think about it.

I prepare myself mentally and with a little urging encouragement from Suki, I finally make my first step out of this room.

They did not promise too much.

We are in some kind of hall that feels as if I'm outdoors, so vast it is.

There are many different rooms around here embedded in the earthen walls.

Thinking that such a place was dug out from nothing is astonishing.

There is a large number of workers around which start to stir and seem to direct their attention to me.

I draw a little back and hide behind Kyska.

Although they are workers and not warriors, they are bulky, bigger than me, and I'm sure they would be able to overwhelm any untrained human.

If you cannot land a decisive blow they would simply overrun you.

Like a stampede of horses, I think.

And no one sane would stand in the way of a running horse.

And here are more than enough around to overrun me.

Fifty?

Sixty?

And there are even some giants around.

(K)

(E)

(K)

Authority?

I really wield power here?

(E)

(K)

(E)

(S)

(E)

At this moment all of them are resuming to do whatever they did before.

(E)

(S)

Suki seems to be excited and I need to say that it looks and sounds impressive.

(E)

Ehm? Wy do those two look this puzzled at me?

(S)

(E)

(K)

She points in the direction of a large gateway.

A bit of light is shining through.

Suki nearly pushes me there, while Kyska seems to be worried that she is committing some kind of lèse-majesté.

Soon I am at this gateway, where four giants wait, but immediately step aside at our approach.

Am I really that important?

Suki pushes me through and I see...

Something unbelievable!

In front of me extends a hall that isn't a hall.

This is its own world under the earth.

In a circular shape, a wide space expands.

It grows wider to the ground and ends up high in a dome. In the middle erects an enormous pillar that connects the ground to the top.

We are fairly high, but the ceiling is a good distance away but the ground far more.

We are located somewhere on the sides of this space.

There are notches and holes everywhere on the pillar and the surrounding walls and not a single point seems still.

And between the pillar and the borders is a large number of some kind of bridges connecting them, yet they are so long I don't understand how such a structure is possible.

Also, some creatures are flying through this space.

Thousands and thousands of glowing stones on the surface light this place up.

Not as bright as the day, but at least as if it's dawn.

The vision is good.

(K)

With this commanding tone and the felt scent of genuine concern behind it, my translucent lids close immediately.

For her second point.

I haven't even thought about it.

Those wings were just inconvenient to me.

I never considered that I could really fly with them.

(K)

It's obvious that Kyska would do everything possible to avoid putting me at risk.

She leads us through vast floors.

They are open and often connect to this great expanse.

At the same time, I begin to realize that this is only the heart of this place and the floors and later tunnels are leading far beyond.

After this, they connect to an endless system that is linking an unbelievable grand world with probably several more of these hives.

So we are descending in the direction to the ground of that space.

But at one point I notice something and become frightened.

Behind us, we are followed.

I try not to look directly, but I can see at least two giants, or guardians as they were called by Kyska, and also around ten workers.

And to make things worse there are even some of these hunters, these bloodthirsty monsters.

(E)

(K)

I turn around and promptly all the creatures stop.

They are really here because of me.

A small army.

Then I notice some nurses behind the soldiers.

(E)

(S)

I understand.

They are here for the case that I start to lay eggs so they can attend in that case.

Always ready to react in that way.

I try not to think about this and just proceed on the way.

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

Gaining control?

As much I would love to have my family around.

Something that would give me a sense of security in this strange world.

I am sure it wouldn't work out.

I can't force them to live here.

But maybe she is in some way right.

I am in a position to ask for things.

At least I could rebuild our house.

Maybe send some guards to protect them from the enemy soldiers.

I could even make it so that they can visit me if they still want.

I am afraid if my parents will still see me as their daughter, as changed as I am.

And my six years old brother might be scared of me.

Nonetheless, I would like to know them safe.

At least I could let the insects build a tunnel leading directly to them so that they can escape to me if things become dangerous and I could send them gifts.

This sounds nice.

It would be the best I can have.

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

Why does it sound to me as if they are going to invade this town?

I mean hunters are scouting this place out, incidents that lead to judging guards as hostile and now we are tunneling under the walls.

All that is left is storming in with an army.

(E)

(K)

I am pretty sure it was just bad wording.

But I don't want them referred to as targets.

As this talk draws to an end I note that we reached our destination.

The ground floor.

I pass the last gateway and find myself...

in a forest.

Below the earth.

Maybe you can't call it a real forest, as there are no trees.

Instead giant mushrooms are taking their place.

For me, this is a forest.

(K)

(E)

(S)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

This is a really important place.

As we were farmers I know that the food supply is essential for a nation.

And these insects have them directly in their fortresses.

Not like humans, where peasants are neglectable lives to the uppers and the fields are left out in the open for everyone to attack.

From my own most recent experience, I find this here preferable.

I noticed the moment I crossed the gate that it is in this forest considerably warmer.

(E)

(K)

She points at the pillar and I begin to understand that this whole place is an architectonic masterpiece, made to keep a self-sustaining system going.

Like this, enabling the existence of things like this underground forest here below the earth.

I am allowed to stroll a bit around and am fascinated by these mushrooms.

Especially interesting for me is that there's a river running through this place, somehow channeled to support the harvest in the best way.

Their constructions are impressive.

Many workers are wandering around, plucking weeds.

I try not to come close and disturb them, which just partly works.

Then I detect something.

On the ground crawls a fairly big bug with huge mandibles.

But before I can look closer something rushes past me.

The next thing I notice is that the bug is enveloped by several hunters.

Next, a guardian and workers are closing in, while without me noticing I'm surrounded by an impenetrable wall of eight workers and a guardian.

The bug is ripped apart in seconds and I fall scared.

(S)

(E)

(S)

So my escort made this?

The bug isn't the least bit recognizable now.

What shall I think about this?

Such monsters close to me are scary.

Kyska comes too and soon some hunters are approaching our group with the wall around us.

(Guardian)

(Guardian)

Like that the insects around us are leaving back to the distance they were before.

(S)

I do as they say and ease up.

Yet more because those frightening, big escort insects, who rip living things apart, are gone now.

So the tension leaves my body.

"Plop"

And is instantly back again.

(K)

"Plop"

I lay eggs!

Again!

"Plop"

And again I cannot stop!

They are just coming on their own!

The nurses in the escort are incredibly fast at me.

They again take carefully the eggs, never carrying more than one.

I am on my knees, while Suki is holding me, shifting my position nearly imperceivably to give better access to my stinger.

"Plop"

More and more are coming and like one machinery the nurses are taking the eggs, bringing them to the workers, which transport them away, while the nurse is going back to her old place to be ready to take the next egg.

"Plop"

And there she goes again.

I feel completely wrong and it takes such a long time.

Finally, it ends!

(S)

I am productive?

No, I'm devastated!

(S)

(K)

I tremble and sob and whine and simply don't know what to do despite being devastated.

Suki seemingly panics as she has done something detrimental to my wellbeing.

And I don't know what to do.

What if she is right?

What if my body changes further until I can't stop laying eggs?

This would be hell.

(K)

(E)

Kyska takes me in all her four arms.

(K)

This helps.

I don't know how, but I feel soothed.

(E)

(K)