Hive Queen by Sinclair, Grayson (positive books to read .txt) 📕

and I reached his brain. I obliterated his entire skull, and it still wasn’t enough.

I sank to all fours, my breath came in ragged gulps as sweat dripped down to sting my eyes and drip salt onto my lips.

Why? Why? Why?

I didn’t have an answer.

After a long time, I stood from Nose’s corpse, my arm covered in blood and worse to nearly my bicep. I ripped a stretch of relatively clean strip of cloth from Nose’s shirt and wiped the gore from myself.

As I turned back to the others, I tossed the rag aside and stared everyone down. Not a soul moved, even dared to breathe. It was quiet as a mausoleum. Everyone gaped at me.

I was about to scream when a notification slammed into me.

Alert! Arachne’s Blessing Unlocked!

+15 to Strength and Agility

Unlocked (Hive Mind) Special: Arachnid Limbs

The rush of power to my body melded with Eris’s high as she rode her orgasm and left me weary and energized at the same time.

I didn’t know how to feel about it; my rage still burned too brightly for me to make any form of rational thought. I had to let it out, or I’d go mad.

A tortured scream filled the silent room as I tried to tear my vocal cords. A dozen shrieks of surprised flowed with my scream and sank into the stone, never to escape.

By the time it faded away, I rubbed at my aching throat and sighed, letting the rage flood away to cool detachment.

Put it aside. It won’t help you here.

I stood and walked center stage.

“Let’s get one thing straight!” I shouted to the stunned crowd. “There’s been a regime change. I’m the godsdamned king now!”

A twisted laugh rose from my heart.

“I’m starting to like you now, knight.”

***

The first day was pretty easy. I’d asserted my dominance, and most of the prisoners left me alone to work. I slammed the pick down, chipping away at the rock looking for iron.

It wasn’t the first time I’d worked the mines; it was a skill nearly every adventurer had to pick up at one point or another. Whether mining for mana crystals or precious metals, swinging a pickaxe was a necessary skill on Nexus.

I just wish I’d kept up the practice. I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and stepped away from the craggy rock. The constant physical exertion kept my mind from wandering most of the time, but as I settled into a rhythm, I had nothing to do but think.

Eris loves me. That’s an immutable fact. She wouldn’t betray me without cause. And I could guess at what that cause was. The Arachne queen. That new blessing.

I pulled up my interface and looked at the Hive Knight class, quickly finding what I was looking for.

Arachne’s Blessing: +15 to Strength and Agility

Arachnid Limbs Unlocked

Scorpius’s Blessing (Locked)

Mantearia’s Blessing (Locked)

Apocrita’s Blessing (Locked)

 

So that’s what they are. I meant to ask Eris but didn’t get the chance. So she slept with the Arachne queen to gain her blessing.

It happened so soon after she nearly died. She had to have a good reason for it. I believe that. I have to, or I won’t survive.

I couldn’t take losing her. It would kill me.

With a too-heavy swing, I stopped mining. Time for a break. My pick clanged against the ground, drawing a few curious eyes, but they swiftly turned back to their tasks as I went to the table.

The rough wooden chair scraped on the ground as I sat down and poured a cup of water. It was stagnant, barely drinkable, but I drank three cups before sitting back in the chair to rest for a moment.

I really didn’t mind the punishment as it was so far. I could handle manual labor all day long, and after my brutal display, no one wanted to get within six feet of me for fear I’d do the same to them. But those were the easy parts—the hard part would be after a few days when I’d be starving.

I wasn’t allowed food, and even though I had plenty in my inventory, I couldn’t touch it.

Though I was relatively obscured in the tunnels because the guards never dared come down here, I couldn’t risk eating for fear that the others would turn me in for a chance to gain favor.

Some of them would be more afraid of me than the guards, but not all of them. and I couldn’t risk it, not right now at least.

Raven will get to Magnus eventually. All I have to do is be patient. I didn’t like relying on Magnus to facilitate my release, but he probably had the best chance of doing it without bloodshed. Should the worst come to pass, I’d call the Gloom Knights, and we’d slaughter everyone. Not an ideal plan, but I’ll do it if it comes to that.

I was lost in thought when someone joined me at the table I was at.

He was young, but that told me nothing. Tall and thin. His shoulder-length greasy and lank dark hair covered his lean, starved face and bloodshot brown eyes.

“The fuck are you?” I asked, fire in my voice.

“A friend, hopefully,” he said with a smile.

“I don’t need friends, so get out of my sight before I get angry.”

The man held up his hands, his eyes softening. “I promise, I mean no harm. Name’s Maus.”

I stood up, knocking over my chair in the process. “Don’t care. Leave. Now.”

He nodded. “Fair enough, but come see me if you change your mind. I have an interesting proposition for you.”

Maus left, and I went back to work, carving through rock a sliver at a time.

By the time it was time to call it quits for the day, I’d worn