[AoS] The Queen of Swarms (Solo)

The Hive Lands. They were a place that absolutely no one wanted to trudge through. Seen from a distance, it looked like any other strip of the city, with remnants of buildings silhouetted against the horizon. But as one drew closer, they saw that this was no ordinary city. Instead of buildings of steel and glass, these structures looked as if they were made from the earth itself. Every once and awhile, though, it was possible to see glimmers of metal flecks inside of the structures, but these mounds and spires were primarily of the earth.

These were the Hives; a land that few people dared to tread into. Not only were these obelisks fear inducing, the very ground and air hummed with life; a primordial life that had risen up to reclaim what was taken away from them so long ago. The ground undulates and skitters with the sound of insects of various types that are so closely packed, it would be impossible to walk through without stepping on a few. And flying was even worse as those insects with wings regularly hovered in massive black clouds that buzzed from one spire to another. It was a place that these creatures could truly call home.

Few if anyone ever really attempted to explore this world. The few that did, whether out of ignorance, arrogance, or plain stupidity, paid the ultimate price. While most insects would flee from the sight of people, these creatures were very aggressive. They attacked any and all who dared to present themselves. Only a select few had permission even then, that was extremely rare…

…and only at the bidding of their queen.

In the highest mound, the spire that stabbed the sky, a single figure stood in a gap that gazed out over the horizon. The thin, pale skinned beauty, sighed as she rare her fingers through the long tresses of brown hair. The warm sun always felt warm when she first awoke from her cocoon so she was slow to clean off the residue of her old shell. From her back, wings fluttered in activity, shaking off the ooze, before finally resting against her bare back.

Blinking against the rays of the sun, the half-maddened queen chattered and hummed in a language that was far from human. From the corners of her room, small army of insects crept from their hiding places and stopped before her. Agnes tilted her head, switching from side to side in an insect-like manner as she listened to reports from her land. Blinking, she listened intently until they were done. Satisfied that no one had trespassed, Agnes screeched inhumanly and her court skittered away, back into their hiding places.

Flexing her jaw, Agnes inhaled deeply as she looked down upon her naked body. There was something she needed to do and, for a second, she completely forgot what it was. She enjoyed the warmth of the sunlit far too much to care what it could be.

But as she turned, she spied a robe hanging on a splinter of rock. Ah…that’s what it was. Clothes. Modesty. The concept seemed so alien…so distant…so…human…

Agnes was letting her mind drift further and further into that of an insect’s mind, these days. Part of her knew that she should watch that, that she should at least attempt to keep some civility, to wear clothes, to speak in human tongues more often, but it was so much effort. What was the point when all people do is betray you?

She sighed as she turned to eye the robe…a gift brought her by one of the only people she still allowed herself to speak with, her sister Gina. But her wings fluttered as the last of the residue was shaken from her wings and she turned to face the sun once more. Just a few more minutes, she promised herself. Just a few more minutes to warm in the sun…