Some days, he, Klbkchhezeim, hated Liscor. Hated Liscor and Izril and every miserable species his people had failed to kill in their first war upon this continent. And he wondered when the third war would begin and thought of killing them all.<\/p>\n
It was no longer as easy as it would have been. He was old, now. His body wasn\u2019t the one he remembered.<\/p>\n
The days had long gone when he had another name. Klbkch, they called him now.<\/p>\n
Senior Guardsman Klbkch. And that was just the latest name among nearly a dozen he\u2019d held, many in his people\u2019s tongues that only they knew.<\/p>\n
Klbkchhezeim of the Centenium. No one outside the Antinium now knew what that even truly meant or why it mattered.<\/p>\n
Klbkch the Slayer of the Antinium Wars.<\/p>\n
Now\u2026Senior Guardsman Klbkch, a respected figure of almost a decade in Liscor\u2019s Watch. How things changed.<\/p>\n
How fast. <\/em>He still remembered the first time that he had walked through Liscor\u2019s streets, and every child and adult had hid from him. How they feared him until he caught his first criminal, a serial killer.<\/p>\n Even his partner, Relc\u2014the first time they\u2019d met, the Drake had tried to punch him. He still did, but that was apparently \u2018affectionate.\u2019 These days, they were partners. Even if Klbkch had hit Relc for the first time in their entire career as guards.<\/p>\n \u201cYou punched Relc?\u201d<\/p>\n The Watch Captain stared at Klbkch as he gave her a formal report at the end of the week. Senior Guards didn\u2019t have to report to a Watch Sergeant or a Senior Guardsman like regular Guards. They were trusted enough to act autonomously, even disappear if need be on an investigation.<\/p>\n He was a special case. Both he and the Watch Captain knew it. She was an excellent superior, Watch Captain Zevara. She both respected his role as liaison with the Hive and as a [Guard].<\/p>\n He knew she might have to kill him if war broke out again. Or try.<\/p>\n Even now, it would be easy.<\/em> His blades were the one thing that hadn\u2019t changed over his life. Two silver shortswords. He could sweep them from his sides and kill her.<\/p>\n It was not the first time Klbkch had thought that. But it was a rare thought these days. When he had contemplated his coworkers, and this foreign city, it had been out of self-defense. The Free Hive was meant to be a link between the Antinium and other species. A pact, for both to learn of each other and gain something.<\/p>\n So why did he think of killing her? <\/em>Why Relc? Why everyone he thought to meet?<\/p>\n Why today? The answer was simple.<\/p>\n It was despair. It was the conversation he\u2019d had with his Queen. They\u2019d agreed to reveal the buried door. It would doubtless begin an event that might benefit them, especially if the ruins were cleared.<\/p>\n But that\u2026that was a symbol of weakness. Their Hive should not need to stoop to such measures. They should not be so pathetic.<\/p>\n No resources. No aid. Not from the other Hives. Damn them. Not from the Queens. Nor the other Centenium. <\/em>They were supposed to be Antinium. But it had been ten years.<\/p>\n Ten years of silence. Ten years of being ostracized for thinking differently. Ten years of failure. Almost exactly.<\/p>\n Klbkch had tried. He\u2019d learned to be a [Guard], sat and eaten with Relc, ignored the tricks and earned the trust of Liscor. If that was all, he could consider his job done.<\/p>\n But his Hive had never done what it was meant to do. The Workers and Soldiers toiled, dumbly. They leveled up\u2014a few were over Level 5.<\/p>\n Level 5.<\/em> Children passed Level 5 before they were ten, some of them. Every species levelled, but the only two Antinium in the entire Hive of Liscor above Level 10 were Klbkch and the Queen.<\/p>\n Perhaps the Grand Queen was right and this was all folly. Perhaps this was a mistake. And he was only waking up to it today. But Klbkch knew they could level. They were just not\u2026<\/p>\n True Antinium.<\/p>\n Now, he was losing faith. He was tired. He did the same thing day after day as Izril grew stronger. The Hive did not grow, but struggled in the depths. And he was just patrolling, settling petty disputes.\u00a0<\/p>\n He wanted to sit down and have a glass of\u2026blue fruit juice. Spaghetti, perhaps. And why was he thinking that? The inn. Erin Solstice. The silly games of chess.<\/p>\n He shouldn\u2019t have indulged her, let alone brought Workers on a trip and wasted money on the inn. But it was almost enjoyable. A kind of bright spot in his days of searching for a spark in his mindless Hive. Wasn\u2019t he entitled to one after ten years?<\/p>\n It was a sign, perhaps, that he was growing tired. Losing focus. Perhaps he should ask the Queen, petition the Grand Queen for a Prognugator to replace him.<\/p>\n He was just so\u2014empty. And no one knew it.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Watch Captain coughed, and Klbkch realized he hadn\u2019t heard a word she\u2019d said. He jerked, and his blades nearly swept across the desk. But he kept his hands folded behind his back.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Watch Captain. You were saying?\u201d<\/p>\n She gave him a surprised look.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you tired, Klbkch?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI may have received less-than-adequate sleep, Watch Captain. The error is mine. Please feel free to dock my pay.\u201d<\/p>\n She almost laughed and raised her brows. The Drake coughed a plume of smoke to one side. He watched her tail, and it was wagging slightly on the ground under the desk. Amusement, then.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I did that to Senior Guardsman Klbkch<\/em>, I\u2019d have to censure Jeiss and Beilmark and all the others. Relc would never get paid. And about the punch.\u201d<\/p>\n He waited. It was a poor act for a Senior Guard, but Zevara just shuffled the report into her stack of notes.<\/p>\n \u201c…I\u2019m sure Relc had it coming. You\u2019ve now joined every single Senior Guard and half the regulars who\u2019ve taken some kind of swing at him. I\u2019ll overlook this with a stern warning.\u201d<\/p>\n She raised her brows, and Klbkch waited for it. Then he realized she was being either ironic, sardonic, or funny.<\/p>\n He had learned to nod along and did so.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, my punishment, Watch Captain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do it again? Relc\u2019s a wild card. If he weren\u2019t a [Spearmaster], I\u2019d have no time for half the trouble he causes. I\u2019m going to consider this as an \u2018interdisciplinary act between partners.\u2019 You two are a good team. I won\u2019t keep you. Get some rest. If anything, you made my day when I heard about it.\u201d<\/p>\n She chuckled again awkwardly, and Klbkch stood there.<\/p>\n Other species still confused him. He had broken a rule, attacked his partner, and half the Watch House had come over to shake his hand or laugh about it. Even Relc had said he was \u2018right.\u2019<\/p>\n Confusing. <\/em>They still confused him even now, after ten years.<\/p>\n It would be easy to kill her.<\/em> But what purpose would that serve? They might be enemies\u2014but he knew her name. Klbkch remembered when Zevara had become Watch Captain, and he had shaken her claw and thought it was good for the city. She smiled at him, and he was lost.<\/p>\n The inn. Klbkch saluted and turned to walk down the stairs. To his surprise, the Watch Captain stood with him. She often went to check the Watch House, but she was deliberately not affectionate or close like the previous Watch Captain was. She was good at her job.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll walk with you downstairs. Are you heading back to your Hive?\u201d<\/p>\n She said it cautiously, for she didn\u2019t know his Hive well. Klbkch nodded and rested one hand on his belt as if he were adjusting it.<\/p>\n Was this a trap?<\/em> He doubted it. But he wondered. This was unusual, and she was better with a sword than all but Jeiss.\u00a0<\/p>\n And she breathed fire. She walked behind him down the narrow staircase, and Klbkch heard the scrape<\/em> of something from below. His foot missed a step coming down.<\/p>\n There were a lot of people below.<\/em> Too many, unless the Watch was mobilizing for riots or some larger activity. Most should be checking out and patrolling places, but he thought he heard a number of bodies. Breaths intaken quickly and a whisper.<\/p>\n \u201c…coming. Quiet! Ready\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ah.<\/p>\n Klbkch\u2019s mandibles rose in a smile. So it was<\/em> today, then. He lightly let his hands fall and knew the Watch Captain was behind him. He hadn\u2019t suspected it at all. He began to reach out for his Queen. Relc was down there. He could see his partner\u2019s tail swishing behind the front desk as Klbkch descended.<\/p>\n Dozens of [Guards] were loitering around. He might make it out the door or the windows. Then? There would be war. Klbkch slowly reached for the sword on his left with his hand as he saw Relc\u2019s head come up. And he realized\u2014he didn\u2019t really want to kill them.<\/p>\n \u201cSurprise!<\/em> Congratulations, Senior Guardsman Klbkch!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Antinium\u2019s hand was on the hilt of his sword. He froze as Relc sprang up, and the Watch House erupted into applause. He let go and saw Watch Captain Zevara stop.\u00a0<\/p>\n She, and perhaps only one or two other [Guards], had noticed his hand move. Senior Guardsman Jeiss, the best swordsman in the Watch\u2014blinked\u2014but then he laughed. And he applauded as Klbkch turned, confused.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is going on? Am I being pranked? Again?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Relc, accusatorially now, angry. It was clear this was not an ambush; no one had bows, and no one was armed. Yet everyone had been waiting for him.<\/p>\n \u201cNot this time. Senior Guardsman Klbkch, apologies for the surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara broke in, glancing at him as he straightened. She seemed to realize his mistake and quickly nodded around.<\/p>\n \u201cRelc, you idiot. Didn\u2019t you drop a hint?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? I did! Captain Z\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t call me that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking about the old days all patrol! And how long Klb\u2019s been in the Watch, and that we should end our patrol early\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Relc protested as the other [Guards] laughed at him. Klbkch hesitated. He never knew what to say, but he had found honesty worked.<\/p>\n \u201cI believed you were trying to get me to buy you snacks. Again. And skip work.\u201d<\/p>\n More laughter, and now Jeiss and Beilmark, partners, laughed as Relc turned red. Zevara herself issued a rare laugh and shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s my fault for trusting Relc. Alright, settle down. We\u2019re going to make it quick. Evening patrol has to go out, but we\u2019re all gathered today, and we had a little whip-round to celebrate you, Klbkch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe? What is the occasion, Watch Captain Zevara?\u201d<\/p>\n She had produced something from her bag of holding. Klbkch turned to her, and part of him still suspected a trap. But he somehow knew it wasn\u2019t a weapon she brought out of the magical bag. He stared at what she held.<\/p>\n It was\u2026a badge. A bright, blue-and-silver badge for Liscor\u2019s Watch. It had the symbol of their city on it, a building over waves. It was a replica of the one on his chest that he would take off when he was off-duty. But his was plain iron, battered and worn.<\/p>\n This had silver and bright azure paint. It looked expensive. Zevara offered it to him.<\/p>\n \u201cStraight from Rafaema\u2019s forges. It\u2019s not much, but we also have a reservation at Wishdrinks with your name on it. We know you\u2019re always busy with your Hive, but you\u2019re booked during your patrol time at the end of the week. We\u2019ll all drop by.\u201d<\/p>\n A badge? Wishdrinks was an expensive pub fashionable with younger Drakes and Gnolls. Klbkch stared at the badge and looked down at his own.<\/p>\n \u201cIs my own badge so poorly maintained that it has become an issue for the Watch? You should have alerted me earlier, Relc. Watch Captain, I apologize for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n And the laughter grew. At his expense, Klbkch was sure, but he held still as even Zevara laughed. Relc took over.<\/p>\n \u201cKlbkch, you idiot. It\u2019s a gift.<\/em> Don\u2019t you know what day it is?\u201d<\/p>\n Senior Guardsman Klbkch stood there blankly, then he realized. They had remembered it too.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTen years. Well, it\u2019s not exactly<\/em> ten years, but it\u2019s close enough to the day the Antinium entered Liscor. We thought this was the day to celebrate it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlus Beilmark has her birthday next week, so we\u2019re making room for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeiss muttered, and his Gnoll partner kicked him in the leg.<\/p>\n \u201cYou idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n People were chuckling, and Jeiss raised his claws in apology, but Klbkch just stood there. Zevara was offering him the badge, and he automatically took it with two of his fours hands. He turned it over and saw how it was expensive. Fresh steel, delicate paint. Someone had even written his name in tiny, gold lettering around the bottom.<\/p>\n Senior Guardsman Klbkch.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n It was the first gift he had received in his entire life for doing his job. He had been offered thank-you gifts from a boy he\u2019d saved from being run down by a horse. People he\u2019d saved from being mugged or attacked. Co-workers had offered him trinkets.<\/p>\n He used to turn them all down because it was unbecoming of a [Guard] to take them. Then, on advice from Relc, shared them instead if they were edible.\u00a0<\/p>\n This\u2026was a marker.<\/p>\n \u201cTen years.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara looked at him, and he glanced up and saw her light purple eyes watching him. As if, perhaps, she knew what this day meant to him. How could she?\u00a0<\/p>\n How could she know the exhaustion that had been in his soul before his people had even come to Izril? <\/em>The frustration of a war fought twice to no avail?<\/p>\n And now, ten years of failure. Ten years of looking for a single mind in his mindless Hive? For an Antinium like him? But all Workers and Soldiers did was become Aberration. He patrolled a city that was not his own, and that\u2014<\/p>\n That was the only reason he\u2019d stayed sane these ten years. His hand curled around the badge. Gently, Klbkch replaced his old one with the new one and put the old one in his belt pouch.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLooking good. We should put you in clothing though, Klb, my man. Especially for Wishdrinks. Imagine if I walked in with only underwear?\u201d<\/p>\n Relc spoke to laughter, and someone elbowed him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s because you\u2019re ugly as shit, Relc. I bet you Senior Guardsman Klbkch\u2019s handsome for an Antinium.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake turned and kicked the [Guard] who\u2019d said that. Zevara shouted before a fight could break out.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, that\u2019s enough! Relc, you\u2019re already in trouble. Stop causing trouble or I\u2019ll order Klbkch to punch you again. We\u2019ve taken enough of Klbkch\u2019s time\u2014we\u2019ll see you at Wishdrinks.\u201d<\/p>\n Her comments were greeted by laughter, and everyone began to get back to work. But they stopped to pat Klbkch on the shoulder or shake his hand. Since he had four, it was quick. And they smiled, and Klbkch was soon walking through the streets of Liscor.<\/p>\n Senior Guardsman Klbkch. His new badge shone, and of all the Antinium, he was the one whom people greeted. The one they knew. Some still hated him.<\/p>\n \u201cGuildmistress Tekshia. Good evening.\u201d<\/p>\n An older Drake grunted and ignored him. Klbkch walked through the crowd of faces, alone. Unique. Lost.<\/p>\n He was never alone. His Queen was always there. He was no longer unique. His body was a Worker\u2019s.<\/p>\n He knew his purpose, to restore his people. <\/em>But his Hive was filled with silent Workers and Soldiers. Not one spoke to him. Only Aberrations spoke, to scream.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kblkch stood among them as he descended from Liscor\u2019s streets into the subterranean lair. He stood in a passageway where a hundred Workers and Soldiers passed him every second. His hand tightened around his new badge, and he realized he\u2019d forgotten to put it with his gear. He held it and screamed in the darkness of his Hive.<\/p>\n \u201cDo something. Say something\u2014where are your souls? You mindless, fake Antinium!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n His Hive stopped. Every Worker and Soldier stared at him, and he sensed their fear and saw a thousand heads turn and bodies shrink back, limbs draw inwards. A thousand Antinium who lived and died for the Hive, and not a single one worthy of a detail or name.<\/p>\n Klbkch turned away. He walked to his quarters to rest. To rest and put the badge down and stare at it, the first gift he had ever accepted. He sat there for a long time until the Queen asked why a disturbance had occurred. Then he apologized and got back to work.<\/p>\n He wanted to visit the inn. He was tired. He wished he could tell Erin more, but she was a lost girl from another world. She didn\u2019t know who he was, and perhaps if she did, she would fear him rightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHow much longer?\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t know. Klbkch sat there, just for a while longer. Head bowed, no longer hoping for the day he and his Queen had labored so long for. He wondered what kind of party they\u2019d have at Wishdrinks. He held the little badge in his hand, and he was so tired and lost that he could not feel it.<\/p>\n The day, at last, that his Hive began to change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some days, he, Klbkchhezeim, hated Liscor. Hated Liscor and Izril and every miserable species his people had failed to kill in their first war upon this continent. And he wondered when the third war would begin and thought of killing them all. It was no longer as easy as it would have been. He was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693081,349],"tags":[],"twi_volume":[11693130],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-13566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-1","category-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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