IMPERIUM INSECTUM

<HARDER PENN> I yelled. Penn threw a jab at the warrior, who easily caught it in his clawed hands.

<GYAGHHHAAAAA! WHY DO YOU MAKE ME DO THIS!>

<Because defending yourself is important. You can't count on me or the hive always being there, so you gotta be able to hold your own.> weve been out here training for the last few days. It was originally going to be Sally's job, but she’s evolving at the moment, so I'm taking over.

The warrior let out a very slow slash at her that she managed to dodge.

<ha! You missed!> in respsonse, the warrior swept his leg through hers, knocking her to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

I chuckled and signalled for them to go again. In the meantime, my mind turned to Sally. To think she evolved, I didn’t even think it was possible for my subordinates to do so, but if it then this changes everything. Levelling now has to be a priority for them.

I wonder if it's like my evolution, will it come with a radical appearance change? I hope so, I'm looking forward to seeing what her new look will be, but until then, I have things to focus on here.

The addition of those 2 new mages will be a great boon, especially for the workers. If they inherit the ability to change sizes, then logistics shouldn’t be a problem. Hell, we might be even able to move the tunneler above ground. Speaking about him and by extension the hive ive ordered the expansion of the hive. Right now, the tunneler and Azuura are extending our arterial tunnels in all directions to help expand our territory. Right now, the tunnels will be used for logistics and travel, but I have plans for the future. They aren't concrete yet, but they involve us finding a more permanent hive. Whilst this place has served us well, we will need an area that is more fitting for me as the hive queen. But that’s the future now, however, let's focus on me and the massive amount of notifications ive been ignoring

300x silkwrith juveniles slain 10000xp awarded 250x silkwrith jesters slain 15000xp awarded 2 x slikwrith commanders slain 10000 xp awarded 500x silkwrith workers slain 5000xp awarded 40,000 xp awarded (+ 20,000 bonus xp) Total 60,000 xp awarded

Congratulations, you have levelled up 10 times. Level 33 -> 44 40 ability points awarded!

Mystery in the East Challenge completed! 30 points awarded Total ability points available 194

I could feel my eyes popping out of my skull. 194! damn I'm rich! I quickly closed the menu and headed straight to the ability shop.

Paralytic venom.	With this nifty little upgrade, your venom won’t kill people but immobilise them instead. Cost 5 points FLASH SALE! Pick up this ability for 0 ability points
Molting.	A beautiful dame like yourself always has to look her best. With this little trinket, you can do just that by shedding away that ruined shell. Giving you a brand new one and refilling your health, MP, and stamina Disclaimer: Shedding requires 6 hours at level 1 and at least 2500 Biomass. Increasing the level lowers the time it takes. Cost 40 points
Enthral.	Girls like you have a habit of twisting people around your finger. Now, with this ability, you can use your pheromones to enthral people, making them more susceptible to your way of thinking. Be careful, though, not everyone is as weak-willed as they look. Cost 60 points
Big [Birth]a.	Hehehe. Let's keep this one a secret, shall we…. Cost: 250 points FLASH SALE! Pick up this ability for 35 points!
Psychic Translator. (New)	Don’t you wish the voices in your head could be heard by everyone? No? Well, don’t worry. This ability allows you to brute force the hive weave into weaker minds. Cost 20 Points FLASH SALE! Pick up this ability for 10 points.
Psychic Presence	That weave of yours sure is handy, isn't it? Well, wouldn’t it be a lot sweeter if you could control weaker minds like they were your own kin? Well, look no further, this is the skill for you. Cost 20 points
Internal gestation chamber	That chest cavity of yours truly is bottomless, huh? Well, GOOD NEWS with some of that free space we can add in an internal gestation chamber. This nifty little chamber allows you to keep a singular unit ready to go at any time, just release it and watch it grow into an adult spontaneously! Cost 50 points
Psychic Shriek	Debilitate your foes with this ability. Brute-force the weave into their minds, making them easy pickings. Cost 20 Points
Breeding Cycle	Love breeding? What am I saying? Of course you do. Well, with this ability, you can enhance the process. (Once purchased, the 3rd week of the month, you enter your breeding cycle during this period, the cost of each unit is slashed in half, and the reproduction of unspecialised eggs is greatly increased. On top of that, your body produces a unique hormone that lowers the gestation time by half. However, during this period your Libido is greatly increased so is your stamina and recovery) Cost 75 points
Hive martial arts	Basic kicks and jabs are beneath a queen like yourself. What you need is a bespoke martial art that utilises every single part of you. COST 30 POINTS

Woah okay! Let's pause for a moment I get sales now? since when? Has it got to do with the system upgrade sys got? It must be?

FLASH SALES! Randomly, certain items in the store will go on sale. For a random discount. These discounts will be available for around 3 days before disappearing. Don’t worry about missing a discount; items can be discounted again. How long that will be is a mystery.

Okay, so now my system is employing FOMO tactics to make me spend, dammit, sys, where did you even learn about that stuff to begin with? Fine, I'll play your game, sys! First, let's pick up everything on sale.

Are you sure you want to purchase Paralytic Venom Big [Birth]a. Psychic Translator. For 45 points?

Yes please. Like many times before, I felt a searing heat all over my body, especially in my brain and around my crotch. It felt like I was burned at both ends. The heat was most intense around my crotch, whatever big Bertha is. I'm both scared and excited.

I closed my eyes and fought through the heat. Eventually, the heat faded away, leaving me a mess in my room.

“You would think that would get easier….”

I slowly shook off the pain and turned my attention back to the shop. I had 155 points to spend. In that case, picking up the other psychic abilities for 40 points, but then again, that combat skill looks nice. Enthral is also a nice option, but how often will I use it? Once in a while, maybe? It's nice, but I think I'll wait till that’s on sale.

Moulting is looking more tempting and tempting, but then again, that skill looks like something that I would also need to put points into to get the maximum benefit, and at 4 points an upgrade, and let's say 10 levels to max it out, that’s 80 damn points in the long run. I'm better off spending those 80 points on upgrading my actual recovery stats instead of dumping them into this ability.

So that leaves the gestation chamber. I'm gonna skip this for the meantime. It’s a cool-looking ability, but as of right now, I can't think of any benefits of that. And at 50 points, it's definitely a wait-till-sale item.

<I guess the decision is simple then….>

Are you sure you want to purchase? Psychic presence Psychic Shriek Breeding cycle Hive Martial Arts For 145 points?

<Just do it already> the menu snapped away, leaving me alone in my bed. I braced myself for the heat, and boy, did it come. I let out a deep, exasperated gasp for air as the changes began. I could feel my body change, my muscles, pincers, claws, and tail all of them seared like the surface of the sun, and with that heat came more connections, more muscle, more neurons firing. I could feel it. There was more control over my body than I have ever had in my life.

“Aghhhhaaaa!” I screamed as I dropped to all fours. Just what the hell is…. AGHHHHHAAAA! I yelled as a torrent of information was drilled into my head in mere moments. It was agony, yet exhilarating, as what felt like hundreds of years of instinctual information was finally released to me. This is big.

<Diva… Are you okay?> I glanced up to see Penn and the warrior staring at me.

I gave them a smile.<I get it now…>

My legs and arms spread apart, my pincers shot out. They pointed forward with a slight arch backwards, like they were ready to strike, and finally, my tail coiled backwards like a cobra ready to strike. My clawed hands and feet dug into the ground, giving me better traction. I get it. This form uses all of me. like this I'll be able to….

Suddenly, my vision was seared by the heat exploding in my head. The world around me pulsed and shifted in a spectrum of colours. As it did, I felt another sense awaken, touching the world around me. It was similar to the hive weave, yet different. If I had to describe it, it was more physical, more tangible. This is my psychic sense; I could feel it. I spread the force outwards as I did penn shivered

<w…what was that…. You touched me without…..Dont do that again, please>

<No…promises>.

Ability condensation Psychic presence Psychic shriek Psychic translator Have been combined and condensed into Alvearix Psionics

Ability Condensation Paralytic venom has been added to venomous carapace

I stuttered as the heat subsided and settled in my core. This time, there weren't any drastic sensory changes, but I could feel a small something bubbling deep inside me, ready to explode. I look forward to my first cycle.

<im guessing it's over?> Penn asked as she approached me. She stopped at my side and gently tugged on my pincers and tail.

<Hmmm, they aren't much different, but they feel firmer and more disciplined.>

I nodded. <I feel that change as well> I said, moving off my hands and feet.

<Now all I need is something to fight. I need to test out my newfound abilities. Something tells me this time wont be like the others…>

Suddenly, I felt something tug on my mind. It was one of my scouts.

<Intruders 4 approaching. They look strong….>

The gods must be listening to me. <Penn, did you get that?>

She nodded < I'll head into the hive and get everything set up. Try to keep them alive. I want to experiment on them a little bit.>

I nodded.<With this new and improved body, that shouldn’t be a problem for me.> My mind reached into the hive, and I summoned 30 warriors to follow me. They won't be needed, but it's nice to have insurance. I turned towards their general direction before dropping to all fours again.

As I did, I felt my leg muscles tense along with my arms and chest. I took a deep breath in, and just as I exhaled, I took off faster than ever