Yeah, like I’m willing to trust you, either. You’ve only been playing nice because I’ve been feeding you blood. Don’t think I’ve forgotten who got me into this mess in the first place, Aspect.
“You think you can get rid of it?”
“I know I can,” she said as she drained her glass and stood. “Follow me.”
All of us stood and returned to the throne room. Magnus took his place, and with a flourish, threw his cane in the air and it vanished. Raven and Eris stood next to Jasmine as Aliria walked over to me.
“Don’t do this, knight…Sampson, don’t let her destroy me!”
You brought this on yourself. You sought to control me, and you should have realized the foolishness of your plan. We could’ve been allies, but you turned against me first.
It bellowed in rage and sank its frigid claws into my heart. I dropped to my knees as pain tore apart my insides.
“Enough of that now, Aspect. Accept your death with dignity,” Aliria said, placing her hand on my chest.
Immediately, the Aspect’s presence lessened, allowing me to breathe again and the pain to subside. I looked up into Aliria’s hornet-stripe eyes and shuddered at the insidious glee in them. “Unfortunately, there is only one way to get rid of the demon whispering in your ear. I must shatter your bonds.”
“What!”
“Mother, no!” Eris shouted and ran over to me.
With a snap, Eris and Raven froze in place, living statues unable to move.
“The hell are you doing?” I went to move, but my legs wouldn’t work. I couldn’t move them.
“Aliria, stop this. You’re going too far. Duran has proven himself; I don’t want to lose a valuable asset.”
Aliria turned and nodded. “I completely agree. Duran will be an excellent addition to our cause, but I want him under my bailiwick.”
Magnus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure this is the right course of action?”
She smiled, a dark, dripping smile as her eyes glinted. She walked over to me and ran a single long finger over my cheek. “Don’t look so grim. This is a good thing. I’m giving you power, and I’ll even let my daughter have you. But you’ll serve much better under my control. Eris is too young, inexperienced. I’ll teach her the proper way to use the mantle of the Hive, but for now, you’re far more useful under me.”
“Magnus, stop this,” I pleaded.
He shook his head, apologizing with his eyes. “I’ll be sure to compensate you handsomely for this slight, Duran. It wasn’t my intention, but Aliria could be right. This may be a boon to you.”
Chitin slithered out of her fingertips and formed spikes at the ends of her fingers. With a press, she stuck them into my chest, and emerald mist drifted from her into my veins. It burned like acid as she pumped more and more of it into me; it traversed through me till it reached my heart and smothered itself over the Aspect’s darkness.
It burned out the Aspect, and with a scream of agony, it fled. “Farewell, knight. For what it’s worth, I had fun.”
Something bubbled up through my lungs and into my throat. My stomach lurched, and I heaved obsidian smoke out onto the gray stone floor. It poured vile from the depths of my organs, as the wisps of hive magic sought out and forced every last shred of the Aspect from my body. I vomited until nothing came out but screams, and I fell to all fours, coughing until my throat burned, raw.
Alert! You are no longer soul bound to the Monarch of the Hive.
Alert! You are now soul bound to the Monarch of the Hive.
Alert! Scorpius’s Blessing Unlocked!
+15 to Constitution and Agility
Unlocked (Hive Mind) Special: Scorpion Tail
“What…what did you do?”
“I made you mine, Duran. Now. Bow to your queen, knight!”
Her will pounded into my psyche and demanded to be obeyed. It was a command, one that I couldn’t disobey.
I fell to one knee under the shattering command of her voice, and I lowered my head despite fighting with everything I had to stop it. She was too strong.
The cold stone sank through my thin cotton pants, but it wasn’t what chilled me to the bone. I was powerless to go against Aliria; her mere voice struck me still and forced me to obey. Eris and Raven hung frozen in place. I couldn’t help them, and they couldn’t help me. I was truly alone against an enemy I couldn’t even fight.
Aspect!
It bubbled from my chest, but gone was the frigid ice I’d grown accustomed to. Now a pleasant warmth spread through my body as a warm, gentle voice spoke in my ear.
“Hello, knight. How may I assist you?”
I need my chitin.
“Unfortunately, previous access to the Hive Mind has been severed. We can no longer use chitin molding. If you wish to use Chitin Molding, you will need to access the Hive Mind Ability once more.”
Just fantastic. I’d been relying on the ability to mold my Exoskeleton to my whims. Now faced against Aliria, I’d grown complacent, too reliant on my abilities.
I’ve forgotten what made me strong when everything else fell apart. It’s never been my class, my abilities. It’s been the fact that I refused to give in and just die. I survived when Mom, Dad, and Micah were killed in front of me. I survived watching Sophia kill herself. I survived the guilt that ate at me for decades.
I’m a survivor.
And I’ll survive you, bitch. I won’t let you just take what you want from me.
I rose to meet Aliria’s superior gaze with fire in mine.
“No.”
Aliria stepped back. Her foot thumped against the stone behind her. “What? Do as you’re told, knight. Bow!”
Her voice pounded through my psyche and demanded obedience, but I steeled myself, and it didn’t have the impact she wanted. She had no power over me.
I stood and stared her down. “You are not my queen!”
Alert! Class Modification!
Class: Hive Knight (Errant)
The errant is a knight that has broken away from his monarch in order to go off on his own to right wrongs or to test and assert his own righteous ideals.
Alert! You are no longer Soul bound to the Monarch of the Hive.
Her command over me shattered, and I quickly equipped my sword. I took a single step forward as Aliria scowled.
“An Errant. I didn’t think you had it in you. Why are you so bothersome?”
I drew my sword and levied the tip at her. “Just because you have power, doesn’t give you the right to use people like objects. I am not yours to command and you will pay for what you’ve done.”
For the first time, a single drop of fear rippled through her insectoid eyes, and I smiled. “Not so easy when your prey fights back, is it?”
I turned to Magnus, who’d gone back to rest on his throne. “Are you going to interfere?”
He shook his head and tilted his head to Aliria. “This was her gamble, and it backfired. I will not help either side. Settle your differences.”
“I’m going to settle it with my sword through her throat.”
Magnus sat back and placed his hands in his lap, fingers intertwined. “If you can.”
He snapped his fingers, and Raven and Eris appeared next to his throne beside Jasmine and Magnolia.
I tuned them out; they were safe for now, and I had to focus on Aliria. Even as I was, I wouldn’t be able to beat her easily. But I’m not suffering under the penalty any longer. I’m at full strength.
Before we fought, I equipped my shadowsteel armor and lowered into my stance.
Aliria stood, not moving, a half smile on her face.
I charged her.
My sword whipped toward her head, but movement came in from the left, and I stopped mid-swing as Jasmine stepped between us.
“Move, Jasmine!”
She shook her head. “I cannot.”
“Why?”
Jasmine stepped toward me, her arms outstretched as liquid obsidian rushed over her. It craw
led up her face as two points of ethereal green lit up the darkened stone.
“Because I cannot allow you to harm my queen.”
Chapter 29 - Darkest Knight
What?
I stared at Jasmine as the quiet and shy girl I’d come to know transformed into an obsidian nightmare. Two short swords forged of chitin appeared in her outstretched hands. The glossy black chitin formed smooth over her skin, rounded, where mine was usually rough and jagged.
“Jasmine? You’re a Hive Knight?”
“Did you think you were the only one?”
I held up my off hand, relaxing my posture. “Stop this. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She rushed forward so fast, I barely brought my sword up in time. Her twin blades arced towards my head, and only at the last second did I manage to put my sword between us.
I stagged under the strength of the blow and had to take a step back.
Jasmine chuckled through her dark helm. “As if you could. Now I’ll ask you the same. Bow before your queen. I, too, wish not to spill your blood.”
With a jerk, I forced her swords away and stepped back. Shit. She’s strong—and quick. I grounded my stance and glared at her.
“Aliria is not and will never be my queen. I’ll die before I ever bow to her!”
Her shoulders slumped as her head dropped. “So be it.”
Before she’d even finished speaking, she charged me. I was ready for her incredible speed this time, but still she was faster than me.
I blocked her swing and struck with a side kick. The blow took her in the stomach, but she absorbed it easily because of her chitin and stumbled for only a second before she righted herself.
I’m a better fighter than her, but she has the advantage here.
The room was even ground for both of us, smooth stone and wide-open space gave us plenty of room to maneuver and would neither help nor hinder us. But I didn’t want to fight her. She wasn’t my enemy.
“Jasmine, please. We don’t have to do this!”
“I’m afraid we do. If you will not serve and will not stand down, then I will do what I must to protect my queen. I’m sorry. I liked you, but none come before my queen.”
Damn it! There was no getting through to her. I’ll have to subdue her first. I glanced down at the poison running down my blade. Poison Blade is really useless against another knight. I just need to get rid of it. It’s not going to help now. What I need is more strength and speed.
I just needed to buy time. I didn’t want to unleash Will of the Immortal. Despite how powerful it was, it also had a stronger backlash, and I wasn’t trying to kill her, I just wanted to take her out of the fight.
My inventory was filled with dozens of items, and I quickly grabbed two smoke bombs from my burglar’s kit and tossed them in between us. They rolled across the slate and burst with two subtle explosions before they both billowed a ton of smoke that quickly filled the room and obscured both of us.
I knelt with my sword raised and hastily pulled up my interface.
Delete Ability: Poison Blade?
Y/N
Yes.
With it gone, I had two ability points, and I needed to make my choice quick. I flicked over to the ability list.
First Tier List
Aura of the Arachnid
Poison Blade
Exoskeleton
Chitin Shield
Hive Guard
Second Tier List
Chitin Armor
Chitin Sword
Arachne’s Blessing
Scorpius’s Blessing
Mantearia’s Blessing (Locked)
Apocrita’s Blessing (Locked)
Hive Mind (Passive)
Aura of the Arachnid. That’s the one that boosts my Attack Damage, Movement Speed, and Verticality.
It was exactly what I needed at the moment, and I hastily selected it. Chitin Armor was also tempting, since I’d gotten used to having it, but it brought up a very interesting question that I needed answered.
If I could use Chitin Armor through the Hive Mind, why would I ever take the Ability?
“Because through the Hive Mind, you have a greater access to your full range of abilities, but at a greater cost. The corrupted Aspect took on much of the burden for you, and you paid in blood. But I am unable to do as it did. If you wish to use the Hive Mind, it will put a greater strain on your body and stamina.”
So basically, it’ll raise my Battle Fatigue much faster if I use it from the Hive Mind versus just acquiring the ability outright.
“Correct, knight.”
I can deal with it. Besides, I can’t use my new appendages without the Hive Mind. Makes it an easy choice. I selected Hive Mind and accepted my choices as wind whistled straight ahead of me.
Jasmine came crashing through the smoke, her bright green eyes trailing ethereally in her wake as her swords bore down on me. I rolled to the side as chitin struck stone where I’d been. She tore into the stone, sending chips flying to the air from the force of her blow.
She’s really trying to kill me!
I had access to new abilities, but I didn’t want to spam them; my fatigue might have been higher now, but I still had to be cautious of how I used my abilities. I activated Aura of the Arachnid, and a soft green glow bubbled over my skin before fading away.
A timer appeared in my vision, set at five minutes and dropping. Strength flowed through me, and my legs were lighter, surer of foot than before. Power breathed new life into my body, and I easily met Jasmine’s next attack.
I ducked her duel slash, and as I rose, I wrapped my left hand around her wrists, clenching them to my side. With a whisper of thought, I summoned chitin to my hand and punched Jasmine as hard as I could. My fist struck her cheek, just above her chin. Her head snapped to the side under the force of the blow. Smooth chitin chipped from her face as I gouged deep furrows across her jawline.
She stumbled back as I disengaged, letting her hands drop as I whipped my sword toward her. Jasmine leaned off balance, throwing her entire body away from my swing as she fell back to the floor. Before she could hit the ground, four slender black limbs crawled from her spine and stuck to the stone as she rolled backward and came up in a high crouch.
Damn it. She’s quick on her feet too. I didn’t know how long Jasmine had been a Hive Knight, but it was clear she’d had a lot more practice than me. I was a better swordsman, but she far outpaced me as a knight. This isn’t going to be easy.
I don’t have a choice. I need to end this now before one of us gets hurt.
With a grimace, I activated Will of the Immortal.
Time halted in its tracks. Jasmine stood still, her arms raised as she readied a slash. Raven and the others stood by the throne, looks of concern frozen on their faces. Only Magnus smiled, staring me down as he propped his leg on his knee.
“Now I understand the impulse, and I even empathize, but using Will of the Immortal is cheating, Duran. Fight her fair. I’ll stop the rise in fatigue, but I won’t reset the cooldown.”
Magnus snapped his fingers, and the world returned to normal, and a timer appeared in the corner of my vision, counting down from ninety-six hours.
I glared at him, but taking my eyes off Jasmine had been a mistake. Her swords came for me, and I was too slow to dodge. They sank into my shadowsteel and scored a heavy gash in the metal from my chest to my waist.
As she pulled back, a soft tear came from my side. Jasmine had severed my sword sash. The green fabric fell lifelessly to the floor as my sheath clanged heavily on the gray stone.
Shit! I kicked the sheath away so it wouldn’t trip me up and went on the offensive. Her duel swords made her dangerous, but she had very little defense save her armor.
All right, it’s time to get serious. I activated Chitin Shield the same time as I called Chitin Armor from the Hive Mind.
Obsidian crawled over my skin like tar and bathed me in darkness as I raised my shield in front of me. I clutched my sword tightly a
nd surged forward to meet Jasmine’s next attack.
Both swords slammed against my shield, and I batted them aside as I thrust with my sword. It landed in the center of Jasmine’s chest and stopped cold. Her chitin cracked under my blow, but I didn’t manage to pierce through.
Jasmine grunted and sucked in a breath. At once, all four of her arachnid limbs struck from both sides. Two of them glanced off my shield, but the other two hit me in the ribs, slicing deep through both sets of armor. The only thing that saved me was the shadowsteel chainmail.
I jumped back as she retracted them, but her attack had been a feint. Jasmine shifted, throwing her hips as a large black tail made of chitin barreled into me. it struck hard enough that my chitin cracked and shattered as the blow lifted me off my feet and flung to the floor several feet away.
The air expelled from my lungs in a great gasp as I landed roughly on the floor and rolled, slamming my back on one of the stone pillars that held up the ceiling. I struggled to my feet as Jasmine came closer, and I saw what had hit me. A long, black tail trailed behind her like a length of thick rope. It coiled around her waist as the tip came into view. Her scorpion tail was capped with a massive stinger; poison welled at the zenith to slither down to the floor in heavy drips.
My back hit the column as I instinctively recoiled from it. So that’s what that blessing does. I need to figure how to fight with my own—and quickly—or she’ll overwhelm me.
I summoned my Arachnid Limbs, as I’d fought with them before. Warmth spread over my back as they formed. Jasmine struck once more with her tail, but I caught it with my spider legs. The tip of the stinger halted just shy of my face, and I heaved a sigh of relief as I lunged forward and slammed the side of my shield into her face. I expected it to strike home, but heavy resistance stopped it cold. She’d blocked my shield with her four limbs just as I’d blocked her tail. The tips of her legs peeled back to reveal sharp claws that quickly latched onto every side of my shield.
“A pity. You fought well, Duran.”
She had me pinned, and I couldn’t react fast enough as she brought her scorpion tail overhead and brought it down on my shield. It shattered through my chitin like glass and sent shards scattering across the stone as they fell, reflecting the light of the sun shining through the stained glass.
Hive Queen Page 40