Chapter 149 Desperate Times... (1/2)

Is this some form of ritual suicide now?! Offering oneself up as Bioma.s.s for monsters? Or have the people decided to cast off their elderly as a sacrifice to appease the mighty ant kingdom? The older people are the most scrawny among you! If you want to offer Bioma.s.s then at least throw in some fatties!

Wait! What am I thinking…

Seeing some workers descending towards this person, ready to defend the hill, I rush down to head them off. There is something about this old woman that's making my antennae twitch. The way she has approached, so deliberately and with her hands in the air. It's clear that she came here to find the colony, otherwise she would have run away at the first sign of us, surely? Raising her hands in the air is the cla.s.sic sign of intending no harm, though how she expects a colony of monsters to know that is beyond me.

So the question remains, what does this human want to find and approach us for? Try as I might I can't come up with anything at all.

As she sees me approach and warn away the approaching workers she breathes a sigh of relief and her manner becomes a little excited. She was looking for me? Does she recognise me? Perhaps she saw me in the church… I don't remember her being there but I didn't spend a whole lot of time taking in the crowd.

Her face does seem vaguely familiar though…

When I draw near and stop the old woman also ceases her steps but keeps her hands in the air.

I stand still and watch patiently.

Taking a deep breath the lady seems to settle her nerves before she squares up to me and then … begins speaking.

….

...….

I can't understand you lady! Can't you use mind magic or something!?

For several minutes the lady attempts to speak to me, earnestly pleading about something, gesturing pa.s.sionately with her hands, pointing at the colony, pointing back towards the town.

...

You really came here to talk to a colony of monsters?! As in, just talk with your mouth?! Internally I'm shaking my head at this crazy behaviour. If I wasn't a reborn human this lady would have been ripped to shreds and eaten without getting her message across at all.

Thankfully I have a way to get around this.

Interrupting the monologue, I walk closer, frightening the old woman with my sudden movement such that she leaps back in fear, once again thrusting her hands high in the air.

…

I'm not going to eat you! Shees.h.!.+ People these days…

I move to her side and then use my antennae to tap the back of my carapace. She seems confused at first so I repeat the gesture. The light understanding dawns on her face and she resolutely places her hands in front of her and waves them back and forth. ”No thanks!”

You don't really have any options here lady.

A little more insistently I poke the old woman with my antennae and then pat my back. When she doesn't immediately move I repeat the gesture even more forcefully.

She gets the picture this time. I'll keep going until she cooperates! So she may as well just cooperate.

Reluctance written all over her face she approaches my side and starts in fright when I lower my body down so she can climb on. At the last moment I remember to extend an antennae back for Crinis to grab and s.h.i.+ft the little blob up to my head next to Vibrant, who chitters at my pet, unhappy with her s.p.a.ce being cramped. Crinis simply waves a few tentacles around until she manages to thwap the ant on the head before settling in on her new real estate.

Once my new captive, I mean, guest, has been secured I head over to the ant hill, climb up the side and then descend into the main shaft. Worried that the old woman will fall as we start our vertical journey I make sure to tilt my body as much as possible and extend an antennae for her to grip, two courtesies I had neglected to offer the Queen.

I stop near the entrance to my chamber and prod the human until she climbs off and then I follow in behind her.

I'm a little curious as to how this is going to play out.

When the old woman enters my chamber and sees who is inside she goes completely still with shock seemingly not believing the evidence of her own eyes. It's a fair response really, you wouldn't expect to find your Queen inside a giant ant hill normally.