Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking-Chapter 828: The Bothered Empress

Chapter 828: The Bothered Empress
--
"I wonder why..." The Bug Empress muttered to herself.
She’s at home, standing at the peak of her spire, gazing at the world...her world. Her eyes were dull and unfocused, like something was deeply bothering her from within.
With her arms crossed and the biting wind breezing past her, she wondered why she felt this way.
She couldn’t think of any reason. Looking around, everything was fine. Her family was doing well, her children were doing what they’re supposed to do as usual, the whole nest wasn’t idle, and the hive mind thrummed with its usual activity too.
Nothing warranted the strange emotions she’s feeling right now. So why does she feel bothered? Where exactly does this stem from?
Shh.
A silent presence announced itself. It was gentle and quiet, yet very attentive.
The Bug Empress didn’t need to turn around to see who it was; she knows it’s her husband. A constant, reliable, and silent presence that always appears even when she herself doesn’t know she needs him.
She allowed herself to smile, even just for a bit.
The tall frame of her mute husband stood resolutely behind her, offering companionship and care. She leaned on his chest and sighed in comfort. Despite the cold and hard carapace that her husband’s body was made of, she felt his warmth, nonetheless.
His long and wiry fingers gently caressed her shoulders. His palms then soothed her waist, then her stomach. The Bug Empress nearly purred in contentment.
He always does this whenever she’s stressed or in pain. A habit that stayed even after all the tragedy they went through.
"I’m okay, just...bothered, for some reason," she whispered, not because she didn’t want to confide in him or bother him with her worries, but because she knows he could and will hear her.
He didn’t speak. He couldn’t. Not since he became like this. But his attentiveness and his love and care for her transcended words themselves. He doesn’t need speech for her to understand what he’s trying to say.
She knows. She always knew.
"You know I can’t do that." She smiled sadly and sounded a bit exhausted yet still stubborn. "Without me, everything falls apart. This is my responsibility to bear. But I will be fine."
A slow and deliberate action from him caught her attention. She focused and saw him holding up a finger. An image appeared on his fingertips, a face that she’s all too familiar with.
"Pelle? What about him? Is he getting restless again?" She asked.
Anuman, her husband, nodded softly. He made gestures that only the two of them could understand. It’s his unique way of communicating with her.
She chuckled after decoding what he’s trying to say.
"I suppose that’s my fault then. Fine, let him have some fun. Maybe check out the human frontier too; I just don’t trust those pesky creatures."
According to her husband, their firstborn—Pelle, the Prince of War—was getting restless again. Although he doesn’t complain to anybody or in the hive mind, to Anuman’s eyes, it was clear. Pelle was bored at home.
He’s been relieving his boredom through abusing the other bugs, fighting them, and even nearly killing some. He says he’s fine, but those who had been accompanying him lately would disagree, but not vocally; they could only swallow their complaints because he’s their prince.
But Anuman noticed. He always does. That’s why he suggested to her to let him out and have some fun. He’s grown and could protect himself. Besides, he had his own troop to protect him in case something bad happens.
And so, upon being convinced, the Bug Empress relayed her orders.
The movement was instant. Pelle responded immediately and was already clamoring to pack his gear. Although he doesn’t show it, he is excited. His emotions didn’t slip from his parents’ notice, of course.
Once again, the Bug Empress allowed herself to smile a little.
But even after all of this, she still couldn’t shake that gnawing sense of something at the back of her head.
She hoped that she was really just imagining things or that this was her just getting restless.
Otherwise, she’d have a lot of headaches again.
**
The past 200 years or so were boring and monotonous for Gibson.
During that time, all he’d known was the junkyard he built beneath the main fortress of the space marines.
It hadn’t always been a junkyard. It used to be just a rather large and empty room. One that he occupied to make and test out his inventions.
His main goal was to make a weapon so strong that it could blast the Bug Empress to nihility. Of course, that’s easier said than done, so he tested a lot of things and needed a lot of materials.
Once Gibson started, he hardly stopped. His mess started as just some waste, but as time passed, it formed into hills of rubbish and scrap metal, truly turning this place into a junkyard.
And just recently, he allowed himself to rest and pause to take a look at what he’s achieved so far.
The bitter part is that, even after 200 years and some, he’s still not done. Not even a single prototype was made. Worst, he already ran out of spaces to build because of how much waste he accumulated so far.
The only upside is that, at the very least, there’s progress. Gibson almost has the final blueprint. He’s just lacking that final spark.
But as an inventor, he knows just how elusive this final spark of inspiration can be. It’s not something that would come to him so long as he desperately wished or chased after it.
And once again, he’s got no space left to work.
That’s why, instead of forcing it, Gibson decided to take a break instead. He’d been working hard for the past 200 years already. He deserves it.
So, with a quick swap with his clone, Gibson returned to the council HQ. He left his clone to deal with the mess he left behind and didn’t even feel bad about it.
Sure, he traded places with his clone, who used to manage the paperwork, but Gibson didn’t mind. He could use a break from all his complicated inventions, and frankly, he kind of missed dealing with this annoying paperwork.
If he gets bored by them, he could always just send another clone to handle them instead while he relaxes.
The first thing he did after returning to the HQ was to sleep. He hasn’t slept or even napped in the past 200 years; he even almost forgot that he could do it.
He slept like a log for about a month straight, snoring loudly and all that.
Then, he woke up extremely refreshed.
After waking up, he allowed himself to slow down. He enjoyed about a barrel’s worth of coffee because he missed it. He didn’t drink it straight from the barrel, obviously; he’s not a brute. He went at it cup per cup while checking e-mails, catching up with the events he missed from his time away, and other s that he barely paid attention to.
He also received feedback from his clone, the one he left to clean up his mess.
Apparently, while he was sleeping, the frontier faced a rather serious attack. Reinforcements from bugs arrived, and edly, the Bug Prince of War has been sighted.
’Took him a while,’ Gibson muttered as he received the .
Frankly, Gibson had foreseen this happening. However, his estimation was off because Pelle’s arrival was later than he anticipated.
Still, it wasn’t so bad. At least he’s here now.
Was his presence something for space marines to be worried about? No. Not really.
The weapons he left there could scare the Bug Empress away. Pelle, as talented and as fierce as he was, fell short of his mother’s strength. So if he truly pushes, the space marines wouldn’t mind humbling him a bit.
So yes, Gibson wasn’t all too concerned. Let him vent and have some fun; it’s not like he’d achieve something remarkable anyway.
Still, if an emergency ever arises, the clone would be there, so there’s truly no need to be so worried.
After this, Gibson went to his office, dealt with the paperwork that had accumulated so far, and did it in a flash.
Afterwards, he left and paid his friends a visit.
Urek and Berk were already there.
Even though they haven’t seen each other in a while, they acted as if no time had passed at all.
If anything, both of them looked much better compared to the last time they actually hung out.
Urek was no longer lethargic and gloomy. He was energetic and slightly mischievous, even, just the way he’s supposed to be. Berk was also glowing. He carried himself with ease and comfort.
All of this had something to do with the divine cloning art. With their clones freeing up their schedules, they could focus on the things they’re passionate about, and that made them feel at ease, something that’s reflected in their appearance.
Shortly afterwards, Pat and Nick joined them. And these two had the most profound transformation compared to the rest...