Duplicity

But it felt uncomfortable. As if the wasp would rise again to take its revenge the moment I turned my back.

I watched it uncomfortably for a few seconds before gathering the courage to slither off its back. Cold shivers ran along my spine as I took in the crumpled heap that was once a formidable creature.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." I shivered.

«Don't. It is best to kill it. You can't keep it as a pet.»

"Do you have to be so morbid?" I chastised.

«Morbid? I'm not the one playing around with the dead.» Sensei retorted.

The wasp was still alive and it wouldn't drop dead immediately since it still contained mana. Failed evolution or not, it would keep its life. But with the constant energy drain and the lack of its own will, it would starve to death eventually - if I didn't kill it first. 

I gave the wasp one last wary look before slithering over it to the unconscious creatures lying on the ground. Although I wanted to eat it while it still contained its precious energy, there were still things I had to do.

Half evolved creatures should taste better than normal ones, right?

Since I only picked creatures that looked strong, the ones I rescued were as varied as they were many. I took a bite out of the closest creature, an eyeless, green scaly bipedal monster with fanged maws and series of protruding spikes along its back - and nearly balked at the foul taste of its meat. 

Ah, what I would do to get something decent to eat once in a while? 

Then, I turned to the next creature, a bristly spider and the large scorpion covered in barbs. After biting the scorpion like creature I wrapped myself over the blood and began to use [Mind Chain]. 

I didn't want a repeat of the wasp, so rather than panic at the sudden onslaught of its memories appearing before me, I calmed myself and began to experiment.

I wanted the creatures to clear the tunnels and break out all over the hive so I put myself in the mind of the scorpion. Its subconscious was filled with torturous scenes of panic and fear after being captured and repeatedly stung.

But I infused my thoughts into it like a soothing balm, showing it the memory of myself passing through the Hive core's tunnel path. But when I came to the end I cut to the memory of my time outside the hive. Rather, than show it the real end of the tunnel - the endless maze of horrid imprisonment chambers and bleak grey walls. I imagined the tunnel ending in endless lush greenery like the memory of a dream. 

I pictured the staggering forest of the Labyrinth, the wide expanse of lichen covered trees, the mysterious fog and numerous lights, with the many sights and sounds captured vividly. All of that and more, which would be available to them once they dug past the rubble tunnel to the other side. 

When they awoke, they would have the knowledge that the exit was right at the end of each tunnel and they would rush towards it with hopeless yearning. It was a cruel dream filled with the promise of hope and escape, and only the truly desperate would heed my false memory and chase it.

I released the scorpion and moved on to the next creature, repeating the gaslighting memory sequence until I had imbued the same idea within every creature. Then I regained control of the wasp and disappeared into one of the tunnels myself.

-------------

My wasp crouched at the end of the tunnel overlooking a chamber. The rough patched over wall was a flimsy form of protection and I easily poked a hole through it with a single barbed claw, to see inside. 

With a perfect vantage point from above, I watched the gathering of wasps below. It was the egg room located at the end of one of the tunnels and it was much larger than the one I'd seen prior. I watched the lithe wasps handling the eggs along with the hunting wasps that shadowed them, bringing with them their usual delivery. 

My focus was not on the hunters but their smaller counterparts, specifically the wasp who was an accomplice. It seemed it would be a while before the hunter wasps left and the workers were alone, so I changed tactics and switched tunnels.

This one was overlooking a host chamber where I spotted a lone carrier wasp emerging from one of the holes in the ground. It was the last of the group to leave and I suspected it was one of the wasps placing additional eggs. 

I waited silently and watched it with malice. As it buzzed its wings, it rose higher in the air, coming ever so close to the tunnel's flimsy seal. I retreated some paces backwards before breaking out into a sprint. The wasp's agile legs clattering loudly before shattering the flimsy seal as it burst out of the opening. 

I reached out for the flying wasp, grabbing it in mid-air. Its wings beat hard as it struggled to fly against the pull of gravity, but with both our weights the lithe wasp soon plummeted. I hung on to it its thorax, twisting the limbs that flailed in the air to hold on for grip. It tried to defend itself repeatedly aiming for a single spot on my wasp's thorax, so I tightened my grip on its arms, twisting them both out of their sockets. 

The wasp let out a hideous screech, its flight derailed, spinning uncontrollably in the air before rotating upside down.  It took out the last of its coordination, and we crashed into the chamber wall. I took little damage but I nearly slipped out of grip but not before tearing off one of its membranous wings. 

There was a crash as we tumbled to the ground. 

It didn't get up. 

I went over to it and covered its head with my mandibles. There was a crackle as its exoskeleton shattered. Blood pooled, wet and sticky as the virulent taste filled my unhinged mouth. The empty chamber filled with hideous cracking noises as the link between its head and torso was severed.

〚You have defeated LV9 Ivenium Hesperia〛

〚You have earned 40XP〛

I released what was left of its head.

Too messy.

With the wasp dead I quickly got to work on destroying the eggs, adding another 22 to my collection. Once I was satisfied, I dragged what was left of the wasp's corpse with me and disappeared into the tunnel once more. I made the wasp eat it in the tunnel, away from sight so it could regain a little bit of its energy, thus extending its life for a while more.

Returning to the former tunnel, the egg room was now quiet. All the bustling had subsided, the hunter wasps had gone and there was only one carrier wasp left. I watched it for any signs of suspicious activity and all was quiet for a while, until it pushed open a hidden compartment full of eggs. 

That was my cue to attack.

I descended down from the ceiling, sprinting over to it before it knew what was happening. To keep its secrets, I didn't kill it right here. I pulled it into the tunnel with me, leaving the secret compartment open for all to see.

It struggled desperately, crushed wings beating fervently to fly away. But inside the tunnel its dying screams were not heard. I pinned it down striking it repeatedly in the thorax until it was a dented mess of broken shell and fragments of shattered limbs.

〚You have defeated LV10 Ivenium Hesperia〛

〚You have earned 45XP〛

This time I didn't eat the corpse and took it with me back to the Hive core. I passed by the creatures that were still unconscious, placing it inside the tunnel that ended in a dangerous drop. In the false memories I planted, there was no room to leave a warning, or else I risked shattering the illusion I created. 

In the event of my plan working and the creatures entered every tunnel looking for the exit, when they reached this one, I wanted them to run across the wasp's corpse right in the middle. 

I propped it up like a mannequin, making it look as intimidating as it could. It would serve as a deterrent or a stop gap so they would pause instead of rushing off to their deaths. 

However, I was having trouble. It wasn't exactly intimidating after getting pummelled beyond recognition, and everything I did to straighten it out only mangled the corpse more.

  "Don't say a word." I complained in frustration, anticipating Sensei's sarcastic remarks.

«I wasn't going to, but I'm deeply disturbed. Mentally scarred even.» 

"You're not helping!" I grumbled.

There wasn't anything more I could do to fix the corpse. I only hoped the creatures stopped in time and missed the drop at the end of this tunnel entirely. 

Later, I left the hive core, joining the other builder wasps as they travelled along the corridor. It was about time I returned to my original cavern at the top layer of the hive. 

I wondered if any of the hosts there had woken up yet.