Valorie assured me that creating the pods would not be a problem.

  As it should be.

  I asked to see their Synthicators. If their chemicals dictated the morphology of each ant, then they were the true center of the hive. Every will must pass through them.

  My other half had been too distracted with trivialities to see what was at stake here.

  This is at least… interesting.

  “No. Mommy! I want to go with you!” the toddler ant whined in my arms.

  Unlike the others, she wasn’t the least bit disturbed by my manifestation. Everyone else avoided my gaze, their bodies shivering.

  Ally protested my attempt at leaving her behind, all of her tiny arms and legs clinging to my torso.

  “Fine. It’s good that we do this together anyway. After all, you will be my grip on this domain.”

  I gestured for Valorie to move out with a flick of my chin. “Let’s not waste what little time we have. I want a thorough review of our capabilities.”

  On the way there, Ally asked to feed on me.

  “I want to see what this other you tastes like. You feel strong.”

  “I should taste the same.” I looked over her eyes and pincers. “Unless you’re drawing on something other than blood. That is a possibility. But tell me, daughter. What is in it for me?”

  Ally turned her purple eyes away, contemplating. It took only an instant for her head to perk back up.

  “So that your domain will be stronger, Mommy.”

  I placed a finger between her pincers, allowing her to draw from it.

  See… It’s naive to believe that she would be anything like a normal human baby.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if she had some memories from the previous queen, or some initial boost in cognitive functions.

  Not at all helpless.

  There was no need to coddle her so.

  She pulled away from my finger after just a few sips.

  “Not to your liking?”

  She glared fiercely at me. “You don’t taste like Mommy. You are not her.”

  “We are the same.”

  “You are different deep down. Not the same.”

  So, these creatures suck in more than just blood. That opens up possibilities.

  “Drink,” I commanded, moving my finger back against her lips.

  She stubbornly shook her head.

  “I want to see what essence you can take from me. Drink. Your Mommy and I are two sides of the same coin—two souls fused as one. In the end we both want the same thing.”

  A small lie, but only on a technicality.

  Ally eyed me suspiciously, then a sharp pain pricked my finger and she resumed feeding.

  Perhaps, naivety has its place and so does coddling.

  The other me might not realize it, but she seemed to have her very own passive [Seduce]. How else does one explain how quickly she draws rabid loyalty out of those around her?

  And the longer they stay the stronger the effect.

  That would account for Mama, Ben, the maids, and The Duke’s behaviors. Even the way Long shifted felt… strange to me.

  Quite impressive, actually.

  We arrived at the Synthicators’ chamber. There were three of them, sitting on large nests in front of a round slab of stone. They had no legs. Instead, all six of their appendages had developed into arms. With their bulbous heads and protruding, orb-like eyes, they were more like insectoid octopi than ants.

  A steady stream of worker ants shuttled Resin Pearls to the slab. The Synthicators worked with clinical, machine-like efficiency, stabbing their syringe-like fingers into the nodules to draw the liquid into their bodies for mixing, and then injecting the resulting fluids into clay jugs that another line of workers whisked away.

  All motion ceased at my approach. The workers sank onto their stomachs. The Synthicators lowered their arms in unison.

  One of them turned to me. His grey, worn carapace was stippled with mottled red spots.

  “Your Majesty. You wish to know our work?” His mental voice was abrasive, grinding against my mind like stone gears snapping into place.

  “I want to understand your methodology.” I set the princess down. She pouted at the loss of height, but I ignored her and pulled a leather notebook out of the bracelet’s inventory. “Is it just chemicals? What mixtures dictate which traits, and will they work for others outside of this hive?”

  “We utilize the Resin Pearls which contain the base forms processed by the masticators. Metals, organics, and magic substrate. These we synthesize within our own bodies, using our knowledge and spells to create nectars that shape the growth and development of our brethren.”

  He stabbed his syringe needle finger into a pearl.

  “Requesting permission to resume. Your mandate for the pods has increased our workload. And demonstration is the most efficient explanation.”

  I nodded at Valorie. Her mandible clicked a distinct rhythm, and the stream of workers lurched back into motion. They scuttled past us, eyeing me warily, their bodies shuddering.

  The Synthicator narrated his process as he worked, listing the components used, their interactions with each other and the bodies of the ants. There were chemicals for modifying DNA and hormones, but also magic structured to time release specific interactions. I jotted down the details in the notebook as he talked.

  The other me might find this useful as well.

  “Will our nectars function for others? A complicated query. Simpler solutions may work on generic biology, and a few might work for other ants. But most of our nectars are specialized for this hive alone.”

  He paused, his spherical eyes rotating to focus on me.

  “We are different, and we became so only recently.”

  He injected fluid from his finger into a jug. Then with one hand hovering over the opening, he cast a spell. I saw the flow of magic forming a complex geometric lattice over the liquid within, before fading.

  “I witnessed the divergence myself. Our previous Queen was born… differently. Her progeny as well. They possessed the capacity to draw blood from other creatures and assimilate their traits. Their physiology and caloric needs shifted, forcing me to alter my mixtures and spells to accommodate.”

  “Was this five years back?”

  “Five cycles of the seasons? That could be. It was exactly one brood ago.”

  It made sense. Five years back was when I came to this world. Somehow that had brought assets from The Hundred Years War into the dungeons here and hybridized them with similar items and monsters.

  It doesn’t quite match with all the facts, but that is the most logical conclusion.

  He had served the previous queen, the first hybrid with the Vampire Changelings. It was intriguing that he hadn’t been purged when the new species emerged.

  Perhaps they only wiped out the imprinted younglings because they are like the nobility, and he was just infrastructure. No need to destroy the entire system.

  One still needed the workers.

  I glanced over at Valorie.

  And the guards.

  After the Synthicator was done showing off a few more nectar mixtures for other castes, the fundamentals sank in. I lowered my notebook, retrieving a vial filled with red liquid.

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  My fingers flipped the glass in my hand, sloshing the thick red within. “You mentioned being able to analyze and copy. Would you be able to extract what’s in here?”

  The old Synthicator’s compound eyes zeroed in on the vial. The other two were equally interested, their eyes pulsating with a hungry rhythm.

  It makes sense that they’d hunger for things of power.

  “Give us, we synthesize.” Their voices buzzed in sync, a static chorus in my mind.

  Clink.

  I set the vial down on the cold stone. “Dig deep. Like the demon, this one also has interesting abilities.”

  Then, I placed a sliver of metal beside it, a shard of Long’s jian. “This as well.”

  Bursts of laughter drew my attention. Ally, having gotten bored, was rolling a few pearls on the ground. I gestured for her to return, but she ignored me.

  Stubborn.

  [Shadow Fingers] rose gently around the toddler, lifting her off the ground and guiding her back to me. She giggled, swatting at the shadowy appendages as if they were toys.

  “Now, regarding the formulas for the Princess,” I continued, resting one palm upon Ally's short sprouting hair. “You have my specifications for changes to her physical development regimen.”

  I gazed into the lead Synthicator’s dark orbs.

  “But I want to see what we can do with her magical development as well.”

  No daughter of mine shall be lacking in that.

  —

  We carried fresh nectars to the brood chamber where the younglings were. The place that had been the scene of a massacre in the past; now, only a few larvae and unhatched eggs remained scattered across the dirt.

  “Do I have to feed them?” Ally whined as she waded through a group of writhing white larva, a jug heavy in her hand.

  I knelt down over a white, bulbous grub. Its round segments undulated rhythmically as it crawled blindly over the dirt.

  “You should know what’s being sacrificed.” I said, running a hand over its soft, not-yet-hardened carapace. “And they should know what they’re being sacrificed for.”

  The larva raised its head. I lifted it, staring into its round, black eyes. It already possessed a slight sheen of purple, proof of its connection to me, but I cast [Seduce] on it anyway.

  I had plenty of mana.

  It’s not a waste to ensure unit production is secured.

  “Your mommy is always so sensitive about not knowing and betrayal. But I should know: it’s far worse to be trapped by fate. I had experienced that hell enough times.”

  I moved down the line, casting [Seduce] on the three others slated to become birthing pods.

  Ally followed in my wake, pouring the specially synthesized nectar into their circular mouths. She eyed me warily as they drank.

  I grinned back at her.

  No words needed. I had already told her what needs to be done.

  She quickly looked back down, clicking to converse with the larvae in their own tongue.

  They snuggled against her legs in response.

  My right index finger turned sharp, forming a razor tip. With a quick motion, I sliced open my palm. Dark crimson pooled in the cup of my hand, and I held it over the mouth of the first larva.

  It slurped up the liquid. Dark veins webbed beneath its translucent skin.

  Valorie skittered toward me, her spiked feet cracking the ground.

  “Your Majesty! There’s no need to feed them directly. The princess will grant them essence through the Heart Stone!” Her mental voice blared, vibrating with panic.

  I calmly moved my bloody hand to the next larva, noting with detached interest that the blood refused to clot.

  They can drain someone dry if they want to.

  “I want to reward them for their lifetime of service. It’s better to do so personally. Then they know who set them on their path.”

  As the last larva drank, I caught a flicker of sadness on Ally’s face. Her jawline tightened and her small fists clenched, evoking a tightness in the depths of my chest.

  “There’s… no other way? I can take it, I think.” Ally stammered.

  She really did take too much of your blood. Perhaps some drops of [Virtuous] leaked through.

  A worker ant brought over a strip of sinew and wrapped it around my hand to staunch the bleeding. I patted the swollen cheek of the larva before slowly rising.

  “Then you’d waste her agony. It’s the way of the world. The helpless many are sacrificed so the powerful few can prosper. Repeat across worlds, and lifetimes. An unbreakable truth.”

  My fingers tapped my chest as I walked up beside Ally.

  “Don’t worry, your mommy is always trying to be the One for the Many. So futile. So pointless.” A dark amusement curled my lips. “But it makes the meal sweet.”

  I flicked my chin to Valorie, indicating for us to leave. There was so much more to see today.

  “I prefer that to the bitter.”

  —

  We moved deeper into the nest, entering a cavernous chamber where several ants clung to the rough stone ceiling. Their abdomens were distended into massive, translucent sacs, turning them into living stalactites.

  This was the colony storeroom, and these living storage tanks could hold nectar for months without spoiling.

  But my attention was drawn to the ground. Sitting in shallow, excavated pits were a row of crystalline ants. Their carapaces had hardened into something resembling quartz or diamond, fracturing the light in the room. They sat motionless, their faceted hands clasped together as if in deep prayer.

  They were glowing with varying intensity and colors.

  “So these Crystal Maidens store mana for the hive?”

  “Yes, we can draw on the mana when we’re close to them or through the Heart Stone.”

  “Where does the mana come from?” I asked, then paused as the realization sank in. “Magic Stones.”

  Valorie nodded.

  My brow furrowed. The Duke had taken the magic stones the demon troops had dropped. I hadn’t realized it’d be useful here as well.

  An oversight.

  I stepped closer to one of the maidens. She was glowing a soft, pulsating blue.

  “So the brightness indicates the amount of mana, and the color indicates elemental affinity?”

  Valorie dipped her head again.

  I narrowed my eyes, examining each maiden, shifting between my physical vision and my [Demon Sense]. There was something else. The intensity of each Crystal Maiden’s mana glow corresponded perfectly with the brightness of her soul.

  Have the ants inadvertently figured out a way to convert Mana to Soul Points?

  A thrill shivered down my spine.

  That would make things very interesting.

  I need to check with the Synthicators on the Maidens’ development later. If we have enough of them…

  “Your Majesty. Are we… concluded here?” Valorie’s mental voice pressed against my mind, anxious and clipped.

  I paused. The Crystal Maiden I had been looming over was vibrating violently. Her faceted hands shook against each other, making a faint, high-pitched chiming sound like glass teeth chattering in the cold.

  Sensitive things.

  I smiled, backing away from the row of glowing figurines. “Alright. Let us give them space.”

  A gentle breeze drifted through the cavernous room, emphasizing its emptiness. Only ten distended storage ants hung from the ceiling, and only five Crystal Maidens sat in the pits below. None of the hanging stomachs were full; none of the crystals shone particularly bright.

  This place was nowhere near capacity.

  “Valorie, where are we in Avatince? If we are close to the eastern side, I can get plenty of supplies here to grow the colony.”

  Once I give the word, the Consort would certainly provide.

  “The name sounds familiar. I can consult the Stone Speakers. However, we have not ventured above ground in my lifetime.”

  Her words jerked me to a stop. “You haven’t…. Is there even a way up to the surface?”

  “There is. But we avoid it because of the dangers. Humans war upon us on sight.”

  “Can’t you disguise yourselves better now?” I gazed down at Ally. If she wore a puffy dress, Ally would look human enough, and the Vampire Changeling part of them must surely give them options.

  “Yes, we can form an infiltration squad and scout up top if you wish.”

  “Do it. Just scout, no hunting or killing. I need to know where we are on a map.” My eyes roamed about the practically empty cave. “We fill up this room, and I can get magic stones as well.”

  Valorie dipped low to me. “I’ll report immediately once it is done.”

  “Still… How did you survive down here? Do you farm?”

  “The dungeon god provides…”

  —

  We stood in front of an unnaturally smooth section of the cavern wall.

  The surface was covered in scrawled chalk lines—crude, primitive depictions of animals, forests, and stick-figure ants, like toddlers drawing on a blackboard. But beneath the graffiti, the material was unmistakable. It was grey, flat, and cold to the touch.

  It felt like modern concrete, reminding me of the first level of the corrupted Bloomsil dungeon, where we had seen the remnants of a high technology era. An era that could even be Steve’s time.

  Valorie pointed to a small glass dome embedded high in the rock, and then down to a spot on the dusty floor that had been swept meticulously clean.

  “The Dungeon god shows us visions here.” Valorie explained, her mental voice feeling reverent. “An image appears floating in the air. We stand here, and the wall opens to reveal passage to another place.”

  “An image of what?”

  “A map that shows where we need to go to collect things. The place can be different, but sometimes they’re the same. It’s always just one floor. ”

  “What kind of things?”

  “Weapons, armor, corpses, food, stones… We bring them back here. Then the image shows what we need to put back into the area, and we keep the rest.”

  My hand paused at exploring the surface of the stone.

  They go in. They clear the bodies. They restock the weapons and loot.

  This isn’t a gift from the gods.

  They are the reset mechanism.

  These ants, the Masticators, the Synthicators, even the Heart Stone, it all felt too logical. Too artificial.

  Had they been created by whoever created the dungeons?

  I squinted at the dome. Inside the glass, I saw the glint of copper wiring, tubes, and multi-layered lenses. I stroked the open cut on my cheek, the stinging pain sharpening my focus as images from a long faded life surfaced.

  That was very much a camera.

  I stepped onto the cleared spot on the floor.

  Bzzzz…

  A mechanical hum vibrated through the walls. The lenses in the dome rotated, focusing on me with a cyclopean stare. A beam of green light shot down, strobing over my nightshirt, and my face.

  Hssss…

  A small square section of the concrete wall slid aside, revealing a steel box embedded in the rock. Inside was a panel of keys made of a clear, red material. Plastic.

  And on those keys were numbers, not Avatinian numbers, but numbers from distant memories…

  Numbers that appeared on my UI.

  A keypad.