Xiox Nest

The hum and hiss that permeated the nest set Aphignat's shell quivering in the most delicious way. The few humans and Vluara they recovered covered their ears at the sounds, some even wet themselves, and he tilted his head slowly at the pleasure the memory brought for him. Creatures smaller than the tip of his finger had flocked here when first they landed, as enraptured by the queen as any subject but without the comprehension of needing to keep their distance. They had taken some adjustments for her to learn to live with them, at least for now. They were simpletons, nothing but dirt even compared to their young. His jaw clenched and he hissed at the memories of shifting walls covered in what the tittering humans called 'spiders'. Pathetic. As he continued his way through the nest, now on foot and at a more leisurely pace, larger Xiox cast dirty glances his way and kept their distance, as if he left some filth in his wake. He lay in the in-between, too fluid to be one of the nest. No, he lived just on the periphery, sacrificing that innate depth in their society to protect their whole world, and that loyalty had never wavered. He would not be so insipid as to call it a 'love' of his people, but those who apposed the life of the hive were to be eradicated without exception and immediately. They would not simply live, they would thrive. The Vluara were simply a waste of space. They were simpletons, expendable, a nuisance, just like the spiders.

American reconnaissance had briefed him on all they knew of his new destination. Weapons had been instructed on the needs of the upcoming mission. Young soldiers had been checked on, old soldiers repaired. Combat practice was currently in session but one could only dismember so many Xiox before one was excused from such things. Yes, he lived on the periphery, an area where he could unflinchingly hurt any, even his own kind, if he felt it was for the good of the hive. Ah, but the queen... His footsteps stopped and he let his head fall back slowly, breathing deep the pheromones that saturated the nest keeping them subservient. It felt nothing to him anymore, too ingrained into his very being to be considered foreign anymore. It was who he was, and his thoughts of the queen... They were who he was. Her strong form and cold heart for all but her family, it made his blood run delightfully hot. His mouth opened and he released a deep, satisfying hiss in the currently deserted pocket of the hive, slowly lowering his chin again before he continued on. Ah yes, yes... Long may she reign.

The nest vibrated with the sounds of the creatures inhabiting its depths. It was morning now on Earth, and most of the Xiox would be settling to sleep, save for the drones that guarded the hive at all hours. The vibrations would be dying into a shallow hum soon enough. Chittering and scuttling would cease, and the pheromones that the queen used to keep her subjects obedient would thin out as she slept as well. For now, though, something in the way the air smelled changed. The queen was calling for Aphignat. She was drawing him to her quarters with a particular smell, just for him.

It made the taut muscles beneath his steel like exoskeleton quiver as it reached him, the speed with which his head turned in attention would be startling enough to make a human rear back in alarm. It was uniquely sweet, the pheromone, and cut through the air like a blade despite the permanent odor of the hive. Crisp, clear, bitter frost from crackling fireplace. Shoulders flexed and snapped open his wings as Aphignat shot off the ground to answer the call. The few finding their way to coves to bed down for the day hissed at the draft his speed cause disturbed them, but he ignored it all, eyes set ahead as he mentally mapped out the quickest way to his queen, only alighting on his feet again as he arrived at her chamber. The smell made his eyes roll slightly- intoxicating- but he steeled himself with years of intense training, covering all signs of his distraction, and only then entered the chamber to answer the call with measured, purposeful steps.

"My beautiful, obedient Aphignat... So quickly you respond to me." the queen hissed pleasantly. She was waiting for him, reclining on a nest of congealed mucus and human skeletons. Her exoskeleton glimmered in the dim lighting of her open chamber door. She moved and beckoned him closer with a curl of a single digit, her mandibles clicking enticingly. "Are your forces ready to mobilize and wipe out the last living creatures on this disease of a planet?"

Ever quiet, Aphignat merely nodded as he resumed his steps to her assembled nest. He didn't so much as look at it, however. It was not strange or of interest to him. Instead, his eyes, devoid of pupils, remained steady on her. Always, they were always ready, to do whatever she wished, and she wished eradication, and they were eager to obey. He wanted a swift victory, however, not days of scraping handfuls off of the earth. Thus, his preparations. It was best not to let the massacre drag on. It postponed the inevitable. Let the soldiers capture rodents if they wanted to have personal fun with them. How Long Will It Live was a favorite game of her forces, after all, though it never interested him much. His steps ceased next to her bedding, not touching it but as close as he could come without doing so, a level of precision almost impressive as his eyes still remained on her. Had her desire changed? Was this merely a test? These preparations? Or did she wish to go early? His head chattered with attempts to predict her, all the while purposely ignoring one specific implication his presence, alone, here with her, as the nest began their rest, could mean.

Adacic watched him with a smile beneath her features. She was pleased, excited even, for this upcoming extermination of both the Vluara and the humans. Even if the humans had not wronged her and the Xiox personally, they had proven to be nothing more than a nuisance, and a waste of a perfectly fine planet. "I have grown fond of this globe," she commented to Aphignat, her claws idly scraping against the hallow of a femur sticking out from under her. "I think it will make a fine new nesting place for my colony, despite the frequent sunlight. With enough manipulation, perhaps we can give ourselves better tolerance of the sunlight for future generations. One less obstacle." She was musing now, her tone light and pheromones matching. She focused her jet black orbs on him again and said, "you are an exceptional specimen, Aphignat. Always so ready to serve me, to live, fight, and die for the hive. Your efforts and devotion have not gone unnoticed." She slowly rose to stand from her nest, forcing him to step back a pace.

It was rather surprising how graceful he managed to make the three step retreat look, putting a respectful amount of space between the two of them. He lowered his head enough to show the back of it to her, a subservient gesture. "You honor me, My Queen," he clipped quietly, knowing full well not to argue. As he righted himself to stand once more at attention and remain attentive, his mind was already attempting to work out which candidates would best be suited to bear offspring that could survive this world. Until that generation, there seemed to be many pockets around this world in which they could safely nest as the sun passed over them.

The queen made a small clicking sound, like a soft chuckle, and raised a clawed hand to his head. Her scabbar-tipped fingers very lightly graced the back of his smooth skull and she simply seemed to admire him a moment. "A fine specimen indeed," she said again, then dropped her hand. "I have been thinking, Aphignat, that perhaps it is time to consider bearing offspring. I am getting old, after all and cannot live forever. I am not an abomination like Scavrous." she hissed. "And I am not blind to his desires to mate. But he is nothing compared to you." She tilted her head at him and gave another little hiss and clatter of her pincers. This time, she stepped back. "The humans have had a quiet night, and will have an uneventful day as well... The quiet before the storm, so they say. Let them enjoy their last day on this planet. You will enjoy it here with me." She eased herself back down into her sticky nest and made room for him to join her, watching him expectantly.

For the first time in his short life, Aphignat's brain went completely blank for an imperceptible moment, too short for anyone to notice but an agonizing amount of time for him. The back of his head still tingled where she scraped it, though he gave no sign of noticing it. He was dwelling on her words. When the implication finally rooted itself in his mind, his body moved of its own accord to once more step up to her bedding but this time, stead of stopping, he took another step onto it and with an impressive level of grace, climbed into the space she had left open. He did not, however, lay, instead he took up a half kneeling position next to her, a hand on either side of the nest allowing him to perch over her. A hiss was echoing deep in his chest, a noise he had never for so much as a moment assumed he would be honored to make. But, again, he knew full well not to argue. He was not arrogant, never presuming he would be chosen among the horde, but his queen was old, and wise, and strong, and she would have thought this out and if this is what she chose, this is what she would have. Claws dug into the mucus around them, splintering a femur on one side that had the unfortunate position in his claw. If she would change her mind, he would obey, he lived to be loyal to her after all. And it was only by her grace that he lived. She was a head taller than him and most likely twice the weight. His mouth had opened, a string of deep clicking sounds rolling out of him as he watched her and echoed in her chamber, but he took no notice. His claws had released their grip on the nest and were gripping her exoskeleton, soft scrapes of hard claws on harder shell, and he all but pounced on her invitation.

The act itself would take hours, and the sounds of their union would be heard throughout the hive. The pheromones in the Air would change slightly as well... To something less than what they had been as the queen was claimed by the smaller Aphignat. By the time they were finished, both of them were gashed and marred, a result of their attempts to cling to one another and successfully copulate through two very sturdy sets of exoskeletons. Normally the queen would have ripped off Aphignats head at the end... But the tradition would have to be suspended for now, simply because he was the best and most loyal Xiox in her entire fleet. He was simply too valuable to lose. When they had finished and separated, the queen remained in her nest and watched him as he prepared to leave her chambers. "Get some much needed rest, Aphignat. As soon as the sun goes down, I want every breathing creature on this orb that is not Xiox ripped to shreds. Bring me as many pelts and body parts as you can."

Noticeably worse for wear than his queen, Aphignat paused his exit long enough to turn and bow to her again, a motion as perfect as he had performed hundreds of times before. "My pleasure, My Queen," he promised, not as automatic as before, not as flat and concise. No, now it was, as had been heard rarely before but occasionally, tinged with an eager expectancy, an actual desire to battle. This had changed nothing, he still found it his life's greatest pleasure to serve her, and this is how he did so best. He righted himself, turned, and left, closing her chamber behind him. As he made his way through the nest this time, there were no hisses. Many were asleep but those who were not were not angered by him this time. No, this time, they whispered as he past. He reeked, he knew it. But neither his scent nor the whispers reached him. He was far away, in the Americas, skinning a hundred Vluara for her walls and a thousand humans for her floor.



Back to:
Broken Skies
Broken Skies: Play Areas