Innverse Stats | Interlude – Queens and Dragons

Name	Text
Rhir	She had been newly formed when she left Rhir. And though decades had passed since that fateful day, when the hope of the Antinium had died at sea, she was still…how old?
Xevccha	Antinium did not care. Nor did the Free Queen of the Antinium measure such things. Time, for Antinium, should not matter. They had discovered a way to break free of age, even of death itself. Antinium bodies could be rejuvenated, and even their spirits put into new vessels.
Xevccha	At least, if they remembered it. The Free Queen felt every inch of her aging, expanded form some days. Experimental techniques, half-remembered, applied incorrectly to allow the Queens to manually birth once more, to accommodate their straining flesh and chitin. All of it had taken its toll.
Xevccha	She was…the Free Queen calculated. At least four decades old.
Xevccha	At least. But also, ‘only’. The Free Queen could remember Queens who had left Rhir twice as old, and they hadn’t even been as old as Bessachidia, the Shaper Queen who had been oldest and greatest of the living Antinium at creation.
Rhir	At least. But also, ‘only’. The Free Queen could remember Queens who had left Rhir twice as old, and they hadn’t even been as old as Bessachidia, the Shaper Queen who had been oldest and greatest of the living Antinium at creation.
Bessachidia	At least. But also, ‘only’. The Free Queen could remember Queens who had left Rhir twice as old, and they hadn’t even been as old as Bessachidia, the Shaper Queen who had been oldest and greatest of the living Antinium at creation.
Izril	If she had been alive, the Antinium would have taken Izril. Even if she alone had been there. She would have overrun the Walled Cities within a decade at most. No, to be fair—two decades. And even if she’d stumbled, she’d have brought at least one Walled City down already.
Walled Cities	If she had been alive, the Antinium would have taken Izril. Even if she alone had been there. She would have overrun the Walled Cities within a decade at most. No, to be fair—two decades. And even if she’d stumbled, she’d have brought at least one Walled City down already.
Bessachidia	But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.
Xevccha	But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.
Bessachidia	But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.
Silent Queen	But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.
Klbkch	But she had died in the water. Along with so many Centenium. And those who had remained, the other Queens—they had died too, establishing a foothold in this continent. Three Centenium had perished, unable to be revived. Nine Queens as well. Each one a loss that could not be recovered from. Klbkch had lost his form.
Xevccha	Now six remained. Six, and three Centenium, one weakened from his days of glory. This is what the Free Queen dwelled on, when she did not eat, or when she was not busy. The haunting, clawing thoughts.
Rhir	She was old. Despite being young. For she had labored in ways the Antinium of Rhir would have never imagined. And—the Free Queen could see it now. How she had despaired. How the other Queens despaired, had fragmented into their old Hives as if they were the primitive Antinium, in the days before the First Queen had unified them, forged them into what the Antinium were.
Xevccha	She was old. Despite being young. For she had labored in ways the Antinium of Rhir would have never imagined. And—the Free Queen could see it now. How she had despaired. How the other Queens despaired, had fragmented into their old Hives as if they were the primitive Antinium, in the days before the First Queen had unified them, forged them into what the Antinium were.
Xevccha	Despair, decay. Despondence. Something else that started with ‘D’. The Free Queen even thought in the language of the other races of the world, not in the pure clicking tones the Antinium used. There was no one to speak it with, besides Klbkch anyways. The new Workers and Soldiers had been created with the language of this continent.
Klbkch	Despair, decay. Despondence. Something else that started with ‘D’. The Free Queen even thought in the language of the other races of the world, not in the pure clicking tones the Antinium used. There was no one to speak it with, besides Klbkch anyways. The new Workers and Soldiers had been created with the language of this continent.
Liscor	So she despaired. An eternal tale, in Liscor, pursuing a dream even the other Queens had abandoned. That was how it was and had been.
Xevccha	Until today. The Free Queen had seen a dream. The Antinium she’d let go, that could have saved their race if she had the strength to tear him apart and kill the closest thing to True Antinium—Bird. She had seen him standing on the walls of Pallass.
Bird	Until today. The Free Queen had seen a dream. The Antinium she’d let go, that could have saved their race if she had the strength to tear him apart and kill the closest thing to True Antinium—Bird. She had seen him standing on the walls of Pallass.
Pallass	Until today. The Free Queen had seen a dream. The Antinium she’d let go, that could have saved their race if she had the strength to tear him apart and kill the closest thing to True Antinium—Bird. She had seen him standing on the walls of Pallass.
Xevccha	What shock! What horror. And—what glory. The Free Queen still remembered it. And it had changed everything. Now, she sat in her chambers and heard the tones of the Antinium language again.
Xevccha	“You disobeyed my orders! There were to be no Prognugators made! This is a violation of my command! Xevccha! Free Queen, an explanation is demanded!”

Rhir

She had been newly formed when she left Rhir. And though decades had passed since that fateful day, when the hope of the Antinium had died at sea, she was still…how old?

Xevccha

Antinium did not care. Nor did the Free Queen of the Antinium measure such things. Time, for Antinium, should not matter. They had discovered a way to break free of age, even of death itself. Antinium bodies could be rejuvenated, and even their spirits put into new vessels.

Xevccha

At least, if they remembered it. The Free Queen felt every inch of her aging, expanded form some days. Experimental techniques, half-remembered, applied incorrectly to allow the Queens to manually birth once more, to accommodate their straining flesh and chitin. All of it had taken its toll.

Xevccha

She was…the Free Queen calculated. At least four decades old.

Xevccha

At least. But also, ‘only’. The Free Queen could remember Queens who had left Rhir twice as old, and they hadn’t even been as old as Bessachidia, the Shaper Queen who had been oldest and greatest of the living Antinium at creation.

Rhir

At least. But also, ‘only’. The Free Queen could remember Queens who had left Rhir twice as old, and they hadn’t even been as old as Bessachidia, the Shaper Queen who had been oldest and greatest of the living Antinium at creation.

Bessachidia

At least. But also, ‘only’. The Free Queen could remember Queens who had left Rhir twice as old, and they hadn’t even been as old as Bessachidia, the Shaper Queen who had been oldest and greatest of the living Antinium at creation.

Izril

If she had been alive, the Antinium would have taken Izril. Even if she alone had been there. She would have overrun the Walled Cities within a decade at most. No, to be fair—two decades. And even if she’d stumbled, she’d have brought at least one Walled City down already.

Walled Cities

If she had been alive, the Antinium would have taken Izril. Even if she alone had been there. She would have overrun the Walled Cities within a decade at most. No, to be fair—two decades. And even if she’d stumbled, she’d have brought at least one Walled City down already.

Bessachidia

But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.

Xevccha

But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.

Bessachidia

But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.

Silent Queen

But after three decades, the Antinium were stalemated. And the Queens were aging, and no more were being made. Age, the issue of reforming bodies, creating new Queens, all of it would have been easy to Bessachidia. The Free Queen knew this, because she had learned from Bessachidia, along with the Silent Queen.

Klbkch

But she had died in the water. Along with so many Centenium. And those who had remained, the other Queens—they had died too, establishing a foothold in this continent. Three Centenium had perished, unable to be revived. Nine Queens as well. Each one a loss that could not be recovered from. Klbkch had lost his form.

Xevccha

Now six remained. Six, and three Centenium, one weakened from his days of glory. This is what the Free Queen dwelled on, when she did not eat, or when she was not busy. The haunting, clawing thoughts.

Rhir

She was old. Despite being young. For she had labored in ways the Antinium of Rhir would have never imagined. And—the Free Queen could see it now. How she had despaired. How the other Queens despaired, had fragmented into their old Hives as if they were the primitive Antinium, in the days before the First Queen had unified them, forged them into what the Antinium were.

Xevccha

She was old. Despite being young. For she had labored in ways the Antinium of Rhir would have never imagined. And—the Free Queen could see it now. How she had despaired. How the other Queens despaired, had fragmented into their old Hives as if they were the primitive Antinium, in the days before the First Queen had unified them, forged them into what the Antinium were.

Xevccha

Despair, decay. Despondence. Something else that started with ‘D’. The Free Queen even thought in the language of the other races of the world, not in the pure clicking tones the Antinium used. There was no one to speak it with, besides Klbkch anyways. The new Workers and Soldiers had been created with the language of this continent.

Klbkch

Despair, decay. Despondence. Something else that started with ‘D’. The Free Queen even thought in the language of the other races of the world, not in the pure clicking tones the Antinium used. There was no one to speak it with, besides Klbkch anyways. The new Workers and Soldiers had been created with the language of this continent.

Liscor

So she despaired. An eternal tale, in Liscor, pursuing a dream even the other Queens had abandoned. That was how it was and had been.

Xevccha

Until today. The Free Queen had seen a dream. The Antinium she’d let go, that could have saved their race if she had the strength to tear him apart and kill the closest thing to True Antinium—Bird. She had seen him standing on the walls of Pallass.

Bird

Until today. The Free Queen had seen a dream. The Antinium she’d let go, that could have saved their race if she had the strength to tear him apart and kill the closest thing to True Antinium—Bird. She had seen him standing on the walls of Pallass.

Pallass

Until today. The Free Queen had seen a dream. The Antinium she’d let go, that could have saved their race if she had the strength to tear him apart and kill the closest thing to True Antinium—Bird. She had seen him standing on the walls of Pallass.

Xevccha

What shock! What horror. And—what glory. The Free Queen still remembered it. And it had changed everything. Now, she sat in her chambers and heard the tones of the Antinium language again.

Xevccha

“You disobeyed my orders! There were to be no Prognugators made! This is a violation of my command! Xevccha! Free Queen, an explanation is demanded!”

Interlude – Queens and Dragons

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