Void Crowne - Book 1 - Intermission 9 (Patreon)

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Table of Contents

Click on the following link for the intermission:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sQuBYAieTXiFQ4vpwn6Du_xgwzQffDo_t8Ykw34_FnI/edit?usp=sharing

Or read the following unformatted chapter on Patreon:

A System City far from Voidlight

Clicking sounds echo through a large underground chamber as the queen of the zelbar on Gaia sits on a throne made of a chitinous material. All while numerous zelbar around the chamber move around, busy at work.

Some of them move from room to room carrying dead humans and other species, others carry materials such as wood and stone, and others are moving to dig into the walls of the chamber to expand it further thanks to the need for additional space. Space to store the hive’s food.

“Over a million of them have been drawn out?” Vex'thara asks, her words echoing through the chamber in the form of clicking sounds. Just like the other zelbar in the chamber.

“Yes, great Queen,” her prime states as he stands stiffly in the center of the chamber, his size far greater than all of the other zelbar around them. “We have also confirmed that the Void Crowne false hive king has just entered a dungeon. The false hive is at its weakest now.”

“Then the plan will commence,” Vex’thara declares, following which orders quickly echo through their hierarchy, and the various zelbar attacking the humans instantly begin charging back to their own nearby System Cities. Then the zelbar pass through the various portals at those cities with their remaining, much smaller forces, and return to the main force at the System City closest to Voidlight.

“The fall of the second false hive shall begin,” Vex’thara states while sitting stiffly on her throne. Just watching all of this happen through her Mythical Skill, Hive Mind, that links her to all of the zelbar under her command.

Under her gaze, the zelbar forces all begin to charge out of the System City in one large wave. Rushing straight towards Voidlight while over a million voidlings are all gone from the city.

Everything goes exactly according to plan when they get near. Vex’thara doesn’t see as many voidlings on the walls as past reports have described. And, while she knows that it isn’t a good idea to underestimate the number of forces in a hive thanks to her own experience overwhelming forces who underestimated her, she also knows that the Void Crowne used to be human. An inferior creature in her eyes.

So there’s no way his voidlings could possibly increase in number faster than her zelbar.

There just isn’t a reality she can see that happening.

Therefore, when she sees more and more voidlings suddenly appearing across the walls, with them all climbing down the walls to attack her zelbar en masse, she feels mildly surprised. But only mildly surprised at first, since she has already sent one and a half million zelbar to attack. A vast majority of her hive.

And the voidlings already have over a million of their number outside of their System City.

Vex’thara watches the assault go down with absolute confidence. Not worrying whatsoever about any chances of failure.

Then things change when the number of voidlings continue to rise. And continue to rise.

And still continue to rise.

The Zelbar Queen’s mandibles twitch twice after seeing their number beginning to catch up to her own zelbar as the two forces clash. Then her talons and wings – a trait belonging only to the queens and specific higher ranked zelbar – twitch as well at the sight of the voidlings beginning to overwhelm the zelbar.

And when the voidlings’ numbers continue to grow past her own zelbar’s numbers, she changes her plans despite her shock and desire to deny the reality before her.

She orders several of her royal bodyguards to go to the battlefield before ordering a retreat once they arrive, giving the main forces time to retreat back.

Unfortunately, since their numbers are too great to pass through a single portal, she loses far more zelbar than she can tolerate.

A loud screech echoes through the chamber as she grips her throne’s arm rest before shattering it in anger.

By the time her forces return to her hive, their numbers are already cut down to two thirds of their previous number. All without dealing significant damage to the voidlings false hive.

It’s a result she cannot tolerate.

“Contact the orcs!” Vex’thara shouts, her clicking voice echoing through the chamber.