IMPERIUM INSECTUM

 “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I think I can be diva.”

 I smiled and pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t worry. I'll be with you the entire time.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” I pulled her up towards me and kissed her before I started fumbling through loads of menus. There were loads of new notifications, which I pushed to the side. Right now, this is more important. I landed on the conversion process.

I selected yes, and instantly, my pincers shot out of my body, causing a small scream from Apollinaris.

“Its okaHHHHHHy. This is completely NooOOOOrmal!”

Heat surged through my body and to the tips of my pincers. Why is it always so intense?! I pulled her petite frame as close as I could and smiled. This is your last chance. Are you ready?” She looked up at me and gave me a peck on the cheeks. That was The yes I needed as my pincers swung down into her body. She let out a loud scream as I hugged her tight as the burning hot fluid went into her body. Soon, like Sally before, her body started to stiffen, and her blood vessels became pitch black and visible on her skin. Not too long later, her scream stopped, and she became deathly silent. My pincers slipped out of her body as I laid her down on the bed. I gently stroked the top of her head and smiled.

“I’ll see you soon.”

I placed my forehead on hers, and suddenly, the world went pitch black, and I was back in a familiar void.

I glared at the unassuming blue box filled with the same 3 options as before. Crap. I really should have asked her before coming here, but she was still a bit scared. I couldn’t put even more pressure on her already stressed head, could I? Well, what’s done is done. I can't turn back time.

I re-read the options one more time and thought them through. Option 1 could be viable. The only problem is I don’t know how good a job it would do. While I don’t think Sys would set Apollinaris up for failure, I don’t think she would set her up for success, either. My guess is she would go for a middle-of-the-road jack-of-all-trades build, which won’t do her any good in the long term.

Option 3, where I choose for her, will be good, but then again… the conversation we had not too long ago….The whole point of this is to help get rid of those feelings she has. If I just choose everything, it would defeat the point of all this. With that in mind, I selected option 2. I don’t know what she will choose, but I feel this will be the best for her. Whatever she decides, I support her the entire way.

The menu disappeared, and there was a bright flash. Soon, I was back in my room, staring at a large grey cacoon.

<I guess I'm not welcome.>

I slowly climbed out of our bed and headed out. I will have six days like before. I have much to do to prepare for her return and my departure. I headed towards the door and opened it to find Sally waiting for me.

<Sally?>

<Mother..> She looked a bit sheepish. Was she listening in on us?

<Where are you spying on us?>

<W..w..what. No! I would… I was waiting! That’s all!”

I chuckled. Watching her get flustered like this is funny. <What is it sally?>

<I….I wanted to ask you about this weird yellow box that keeps bothering me.>

<Weird yello- OH THAT! HAHAHA My theory was true in the end. Well, what does it say?>

<it keeps telling me to say “a certain word” to begin the tutorial>

Wait, she gets a tutorial? Why didn’t I get a tutorial? What the hell Sys! I’ll have to quiz that runt when I see her again.

<Well, have you said “The word” yet?>

<No, I didn’t know what it was or meant. It could be dangerous for all I know>

I guess that makes sense. Things like this aren’t common in this world. I mean, they weren’t in ours, but we did have plenty of fiction that had something like this.

<Well, go on. Say the word.> She looked at me a bit with concern before finally saying the word.

<System>

Suddenly, a whole bunch of yellow boxes swarmed her. Weird I can see them. Is that because I have one as well?

<AHHH MOTHER! THIS IS TOO MUCH! WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN!>

<Relax, it’s fine. Follow me, and I'll talk you through it all.> I led her to what was left of the living room and explained all the in’s and out’s of the system. It was a very long process, but it was fun. Sally listened like a well-trained dog and asked loads of questions, so I didn’t need to repeat myself much.

<And that’s about it. Is there anything else?>

<I think I get it, Mother. But once more from the top. STATUS!>

A yellow menu erupted in front of us.

<60 points! My daughter has been busy, hasn’t she> Her cheeks started to go bright red.

<Thank you, mom.>

<Oh, don’t thank me, this is all you. before you go, can you show me what those new titles of your

<Sure, I just need to-> Suddenly, two yellow boxes erupted in front of me.

<Oh my, what a very troublesome title you picked up.>

<Will I be okay?> She said, her voice dripping with concern. I chuckled and gave her a pat on the back.

<You will be fine. I’ll ensure it. Now, let’s take a look at the abilities shop. I'm curio->

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I Let out a deep sigh. <I Guess that’s enough for a day.>  I stood up to get to the door when Sally suddenly grabbed my arm.

<This is… a lot. Can you help me choose what to spend my points on?>

I took her hand and went to my knees. <My daughter. Spend your points however you see fit, okay? Just try to keep the betterment of our family in mind when you do.> Her face became defeated like she had been rejected by a lover.

<Don’t fret, I believe. In you. Also, I just remembered I never properly apologised to you for yesterday, did i?>

<No…Mother, you don’t…”

<I do. You have done so much, and for me to do that to you is unacceptable. So please let me make it up to you. What do you want?”

Her cheeks started to blush again. <c..ccc.cccan we go shopping together sometime?>

<What?>

<Ahhhh, sorry. Forget about it. it was stu->

I placed my finger on her lips. < I'll make plans for the shopping trip. It may be hard because of how I am now. But I'll try.>

<Thank you> She whispered

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

<They are impatient, aren't they?> I quickly turned around and headed toward the door. Sometimes I forget she isn't like my other children. She requires a little biit more attention than the rest of my children.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

“I’m coming. I’m coming” Honestly, some people are very-

<Mother!> I snapped my head around to see Sally calling me. <Mother. You can't go out looking like you are.> She pointed to my body, and it finally dawned on me. <Ahhh. You go get it; then I’ll be close by.>Sally nodded and sprinted past me. While I casually followed, I needed to be more focused; this evolution has affected my head more than I thought. I need to take it easy for a while.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I made it to the main area where the entrance was and hid myself out of sight. Didn’t want to startle whoever it was hiding in the doorway. Sally ran to the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

“Who is it?”

“Sally, it's me. Is Diva available? I need to speak to her now. I can't put this off any longer.”

Sally turned to me. I let out a long sigh and walked to the door. I guess I can't ignore Andre anymore.

“What is it, Andre?” I said, pulling the door open. The man's eyes bulged as he looked up to see me. I guess I'm taller now.

“Oh Diva…. You Look different, taller…. You are Diva correct.”

I chuckled, watching his confused expression. He looked a bit like a meerkat with those eyes. “Yes andre it’s me. Come in, I imagine you have lots of questions.”

“U-huh” He said as he walked into the house and towards the surprisingly undamaged kitchen, where we took our seats.

“So, Andre, State your business.”

“Right…… did you always have 4 arms and a tail?”

“Hahah, no. They are new additions. I’m still adjusting.”

“I see. And the wings are they..”

“Andre, why did you come here? You send this couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Alright, alright. I want to enquire about 3 things. The first one is. When are we getting the first supply of mushrooms? Titus has been on my ass about this?

Hmm, good question. Sally was supposed to make them, but she’s a little busy at the moment, and the only one we had is gone, so there is no way we can grow more, even if we wanted to.

“I’m sorry, Andre, but you and Titus are just going to have to wai-“

<Mother.> Sally interrupted

I looked up to Sally, who had just finished pouring a glass of water on us both. <Apollinaris left you a few mushrooms. Not many, but there are some. I think around 20 or so.>

<Is that so? That girl… and to think she believes she not contributing anything.>

“English, please. Not all of us speak Insect.” Andre said with exasperation.

“Sorry. But the amount I can give you now is very small. I am having… supply issues at the moment.”

“Diva…”

I raised my hands. “That's the truth and the whole truth.”

Andre let out a sigh. “I'll take what you have at the moment,”

“Tell Titus what I'm giving him now is a deposit. The rest he will get later.”

Andre let out a long sigh. “You talk like dealing with him is easy, Diva. Fine. I'll buy you time to sort your stuff out, but he won't be placated for much longer.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry I was busy. Now, what else is it you wanted to talk about.” I discreetly waved my hand to Sally, who quietly left the room to get the mushrooms.

“Yes…. The other thing. Those girls you captured. What's happening with them? I can't keep them any longer because they are starting to become a problem.”

“Bring them over here. It's about time we got close.” Andre rolled his eyes. “Speaking of women. Titus is ready to hand over those women you asked for. He just needs a time and a location.”

Already? Well, I guess he moves fast. Let's see, the original plan was to take them to the warehouse, but I plan to leave soon. And Apollinaris will already have a lot to deal with. Ideally, the best location would be at the original hive, but that’s a location I want to keep secret at all costs unless…

“Do you know anyone good at people smuggling?”

“that’s Titus’s area, I'm afraid.”

“dammit. Fine. I have an idea in mind. I'll relay the details to you. If he is down, I'll double his supply.”

“Diva…”

“Trust me!”

He let out a long sigh. “Fine. But it’s your head, not mine. People like Titus don’t like it when they fuck with them.”

“I’m not fucking with him, and Andre, don’t think I'm being naïve and stupid. I am very aware. More than you could know….” The air between us became frigid. Andre started to shuffle in his seat.

 “Sorry, that wasn’t my intention, believe me. It comes from a place of concern.”

I let out a long sigh. “It’s fine. I overreacted. I’ve been doing that a lot lately. You’ve been a great help, and I shouldn’t bight your fingers like that.”

The air warmed up again between us again as we settled back into the groove of things.

“It’s fine. It’s not the first time that has happened, and it certainly won't be the last. Now, Let's get back on track and move on to the third and final thing.

 A long time ago. You asked me to find someone to look into that mask for you.”

“Yes, I do remember, but it feels like ages ago, though.”

“Yes, quite. Well, they are available now to see you.”

“Fantastic, we can schedule an appointment for tomorrow. I have a few things to attend to today and—"

Andre gave me a deadpan stare. I let out a long sigh.

“Now?” I asked with a defeated tone. He didn’t reply, only continuing to stare. He’s not letting me get away that easily, is he?

“fiiineeee. Give me a moment. I need to put something on so I can at least pass as  human.” I left the room, headed upstairs and started getting changed. It took me a while Seeing how most of my clothes don’t fit me now. But I was able to cobble something together that I personally don’t think looks half bad.

“DIVA SOME TIME TODAY, PLEASE!” he yelled from the bottom floor.

“Coming! Be patient!” I took one more look at myself before heading out the door and bolting down the stairs just in time to see Sally giving a box to Andre.

“thank yopu sally ill give thease to- What….Is…… that?” He said, pointing towards me. Sally turned around, and her eyes bulged.

“Mother…. What are you wearing.”

“Why? What's wrong with it?”

“It looks… awful.” Andre interrupted, “I've seen diseased stray cats that look better than you. I can't believe you're okay wearing something like that…”

I looked down at my clothes. Was it really that bad? I mean, the material isn't great, But I did my best. I couldn’t find any clothes that fit, so I had to use the bedroom curtains and a bed sheet to make a rudimentary tunic and hooded cloak. I thought it looked good.

“It’s not that bad, Andre.”

“You look homeless! And where is your tail! Have you got rid of it!”

“Better, actually” I pulled the cloak up to reveal my tail wrapped around my stomach like a snake.

“See. Hidden, and it gives me protection.”

“*sigh* lord, give me strength. Let’s go already,” He said with a disappointed expression. Was it really that bad?

<Sally?>

<No comment>

You too, as well. I let out a sigh and walked down the stairs towards the door

<Mother. I gave Andre 19 of the 20 mushrooms we had>

<19?>

<I kept one hidden. I have an idea. Can you ask the nature workers to come here?>

I closed my eyes and sent a quick order through the weave.

<They will be here shortly.>

<Thank you, mother.>

“Diva! A voice yelled.”

“Alright! Coming, coming!”

<Keep this place safe, Sally. I trust you!>

<Y…YES! Mother! I'll make you proud.> I quickly closed the door behind me and ran to the waiting carriage with a pissed-off-looking man outside it.

“I'm coming, I'm coming.”

I quickly climbed into the carriage, and so did Andre. And before I was even settled, the driver shot off, and soon, we were out of my compound and making our way into the town.

“Did we have to do this now?” I asked. Andre gave me an annoyed look before letting out a defeated sigh.

“Yes. This person is very… Particular and hates having their time wasted. Caution when you meet them. They are very…. Eccentric.”

I rolled my eyes. This is either gonna be tediously boring or stupidly dangerous.

“Can't wait!”

10 minutes later….

“We’re here”

I looked outside the window to find ourselves in a dark, rundown part of town. Weirdly enough, it reminded me of my detective days. Yep, I've seen a  fair few homicides happen in places like these. I looked towards Andre, who also looked fondly at this sort of place.

“Remind you of something?” I asked casually. He looked at me with a soft smile before opening the door.

“A little bit. Reminds me of my childhood. He took a step down before giving me his hand.”

“Let's go.”

I took his hand and left the carriage. I followed him closely as we turned down another dark alleyway before approaching an ominous green door.

“Oh, before we go in.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out my mask.

“I’ve been holding on to it since the incident at the orphanage.”

“thank you….” I took the mask and quickly shoved it onto my face; the familiar pain of all my titles being suppressed hit my head, causing me to yell in agony.

“GAHHHH DAMMIIT I FUCKING HATE THIS THING!”

A Small chuckle escaped Andre as he knocked on the green door, and someone slowly opened it.

“River?” a deep, gravelly voice said.

“Knight”

The door closed, and what sounded like dozens of bolts being undone rang out.

“Master is waiting.” Said a deep, monotone voice. I looked towards the man, who was nearly as tall as me. His face was covered in deep scars, and his hair was matted and greasy to match his pale and unhealthy-looking skin. But what really made my skin crawl was his eyes. They were pale. However, this pale was different. I’ve only seen these sorts of eyes on people who have been dead for a long time. Just what is this guy?

“Diva?”

I snapped out of it just in time to see Andre, and that thing stood in the door waiting for me.

“Coming.”

I looked away from him and headed through the door. Immediately, the passageway turned into a steep set of stairs that took us deep underground. Whoever this person is, they are quite the recluse, aren't they?

We kept going down some more until finally, we reached the bottom, where there was another green door. The man reached into his torn jacket, pulled out a set of keys, and quickly opened the door.

“Master, they ar-“

“YOU INCOMPETENT MORON! I’VE TOLD YOU PLENTY OF TIMES TO KNOCK BEFORE YOU WALTZ IN HERE! DO IT AGAIN, AND I’LL USE YOU NEXT IN MY EXPERIMENT.” A high-pitched feminine voice yelled out.

“No….master….Please” His monotone voice had changed. There was a slight twinge of fear in it. Just who was this person. We walked into the room, and we were immediately greeted with the smell of burning flesh and blood. I looked around and noticed several large glass vats filled with green fluid and some tortured eldritch abomination growing in them. The room itself was a mess: boxes, papers and books were strewn all over the place, and what I hope is just water in puddles on the floor. All of this is topped off with the odd blood stain here and there. And I thought I was insane….

“Well, don’t just stand there, Lurk! Bring them over.” The voice yelled again.

He looked towards us and signalled for us to follow. What has Andre gotten me into now? We kept walking deeper into the dungeon from hell, past more scenes straight out of a Merry Shelly book, until we finally reached the rear, where a table with 4 chairs awaited us.

“Be with you in a minute. I’m just dealing with something-“ The voice came from behind a door a door ahead of us.

 “WAGHHHHHHHAAAAAA HELP ME! SHE’S CRA-”

*tZZZZZZTZZzzzz*

“BE QUIET!” She yelled, shutting up the tortured voice.

“I have guests.” The voice said before the door swung open, revealing a girl with messy blonde hair and eyes so unhinged and crazy they would make even the average crazy person scared. She wore a blood-stained and dirty lab coat and a pair of glasses on her head. On her hands, she wore a thin pair of leather gloves that had seen better days and around her stomach was a tool belt filled to the brim with blood-covered instruments that I could not even begin to imagine what they were used for.

“Oh, it's you. Andre. You're late. I hate people who are late. It’s a sign of an ignoramus.”

“Nice to meet you as well Penelop-“

*THWACK*

Before he could finish, she had thrown what looked like a piece of chalk at him.

“It’s Penn. Call me that again, and I’ll use you as a guinea pig for my tests. Let's see. How fast can a man run when his balls are being tased? I'm quite curious.”

Andre raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry, Penn, Anyway, I’ve brought that friend I mentioned,” He said, gesturing to me.

“This is it? You told me they were some sort of high-class merchant, not some Loon wearing something they found in the garbage.”

This bitch...

“Yes, her. Due to some recent changes, she had to go through this.”

“Whatever,” She said as she took a seat at the table.

“well? Are you just gonna stand there? Sit down.”

I glanced towards Andre, who shrugged and took a seat. I did the same.

“Now, what’s the problem.”

“The problem is this mask”, I said. “it’s a special mask I found that hides some……. “properties” that I have. It’s useful and helps me blend in, but it's very painful to use. So I want to see if someone can make it a lot more user-friendly.”

She let out a long sigh and held her hand out.

“Well, aren’t you going to give me the mask? This sort of thing is child’s play.”

I let out a pained scream as I pulled the mask off my face.

“here,” I said through gritted teeth. I placed the mask in her hand. However, instead of taking it, she just kept staring at me.

“What's the matter with you! Look, if it’s about how I look, then-”

“You perfect”

“What?”

“everything. You are perfect!” the mask gently fell onto the table.

“Can..I...t...touch you?”

I looked towards Andre, who was just as confused as I was. Just what is this crazy lady talking about

“I don’t think that-

“PLEASE! I beg you.” Her eyes had changed from  the crazy demeanour to that of a child asking their mother to buy them something

“S....sure.”

She let out a relieved sigh as she slipped off both her gloves. I pulled away a part of my tunic and gave her one of my arms.

“Thank you.”

Her hands trembled as they approached mine. Just what is wrong with her? She acts like she found the holy grail or something. Eventually, her hands made contact with mine.

“Such firm chitin, if I had to guess, around 20 no 30 mm thick?”

Her hand started to trace around my arm, following the small gaps.

“Wow, what is this stretchy material. I’ve never seen it before? And why does it have holes in it periodically? Do the holes improve movement? So many questions, and these claws are so sharp. Puts most manabeast to shame. I haven't seen anything close to this level of sharpness before.

She pulled her hand away and picked up the mask. She was breathing heavily.

“You are a beautiful creature. I must know more about you.”

“The mask....” I said, bringing the topic back to where it started.

“right.... sorry.”

She picked up the mask, and suddenly, her eyes started to glow bright blue.

“It's a magical artefact. A mask of covertness is what I’m getting. This is a valuable artefact. Where did you find it? Something like this you don’t just find.”

“does it matter?”

“no. Well, the reason why it causes you a lot of pain is because the mask is actually removing those attributes and temporarily storing them in the mask. Hmmmmm. I’ll see what I can do, but no guarantees.”

“Thank you. How much will this cost me?”

“Around 100 gold pieces.”

“PENN! Even you know that a ridiculous amount.” Andre yelled. “surely 25 is more-“

I raised my hand and stopped him.

“100 gold is clearly too much. How about a more mutually beneficial deal.”

“I’m Interested.”

“Clearly, you have an interest in my body. So, in exchange for your services. You get access to my body.”

“Interesting… for how long.”

“3 days”

“1 week.”

“4 days”

“How about this. A more permanent clause. All my services For all access. I want to know everything.”

“Why” I asked. “Why are you so interested, and what do you have to offer me?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

She let out a long sigh. “Perfection. It is a thing we all strive for. It’s the most basic of human desires to be the best we can be. However, no matter how hard we train and educate ourselves. We are limited by this flesh. This useless, inefficient meat sack we call a human body. It takes too long to mature to reach its prime, and when it finally reaches its prime, it only has 20 or so years before it begins to fail. It's awful. I hate it. Why can't I be perfect? Why must I be shackled to this awful corporeal body? I refuse to accept it! So, all my research has been focused on making the most perfect lifeform, and the reason why I want to research you is that I believe you may be the key to that.” She stood up, walked to a nearby wall, and pressed a secret button. The wall started to collapse and fold away, revealing a wide array of weapons and what I guess are magical artefacts.

“As to what I can offer you. In my skills, there is no one more versed in magical artefacts and weaponry than me. You name it, and I can make it, adjust it, Fix it.”

I looked towards Andre. “Is what she said true, or is he talking out her arse.”

“It’s true she was once the president of  The Union of Magicians, wizards and Warlocks or UMWW and graduated top of every subject at the Enigma University of Magics, the best school in the world. To put it in perspective, all the weapons held by the king's personal royal guard were made and developed by her.”

“If she’s so good, Andre, why is she here in some backward town.”

“because somebody snitched.” She interrupted, “Some goody two shoes caught on to me experimenting and reported me. I escaped and fled, but I lost everything and all that research. It’s why I have to do odd jobs, for Andre's sake. I used to work with kings, you know.”

“Fine, one last question. But let's say you create said life form. What then? What will you do with it?”

“I’ll migrate my body into it, and finally, I'll have what I've always wanted. I'll be perfect.”

“Sounds admirable….fine. But I want a mutually binding contract, okay, nothing less.”

“Of course.”

“I believe that’s where I come in.” Andre said, holding a pen and paper.

“You just keep that shit on you?” I said. He just let out a smile and started writing.

“Now then, let's iron out the details.”

Some time later…..

“Right from the top. The parties involved in this contract, Diva and Penelope.”

“Andre…”

“No nicknames or it won't work. Now where was i. The parties involved agree to a mutual exchange of services. Diva is to provide access to her body and, by extension, anything related to it in exchange for the services of Penelope, which is access to the research she already has and will conduct, creation and management of any magical artefacts she finds or spells she creates. Additionally, Penelope will share access to her perfect lifeform once it's created. If any party attempts to harm the other directly or indirectly, they will be killed painfully and slowly if either party attempts to destroy or harm the other property in a perceived malicious way. They will be killed painfully and slowly.“

“Do you both agree to those terms.”

We both nodded.

“Good. Sign here”

He handed us both a pen, and we signed Our names.  

“Good, and I just need to sign here as the adjudicator of this and… done!”

The paper suddenly erupted into a gold light and flew in between us. Suddenly 2 golden shackles shot from it and went around our necks, binding us together before quickly and swiftly disappearing along with the paper.

“Well, that was fun. However, I think I'll leave,” Andre said, getting up from the chair. “I’ll pick up those “packages” we discussed earlier, Diva. You two kids have fun.” He gave us a wave before finally disappearing.

I smiled as I stood up from the table and slipped out of the makeshift clothes to reveal my true self.

“Well. What do you want to know?”

-------

Penn’s log date 10/07/xxxx

“ha..ha…hahahahHAHHAHAHAHAHAH FIINALLY! To think the breakthrough I needed would just waltz in through my door. If there is a god, I thank him for delivering this bountiful gift to me. Okay, let's backtrack a little bit. The subject who calls herself Diva Is exactly how I imagine the perfect life form to look like. Fast, strong, agile. No faults or discrepancies anywhere. Up until now, I have been trying to combine the properties of a human with that of an insect to create the ultimate life form. But every attempt was a complete utter failure I was beginning to think this endeavour was a waste of time. But low and behold, look at what stumbles through my door uninvited. She’s perfect. From the arms to the table, everything! Was she created like that, or is she something entirely new? Whatever it is. It doesn’t matter because of her; I’ve thrown all my old projects out the window. This is all that matters now.”

“AAAAAAGHAAA HELP MEEEEEEE”

“Well, most of them, anyway.”

“NO GET AWAY! I'LL BEHAVE, PLEASE DONT KILL-”

*end of recording*