chapter 1144: broodmaw queen

archer and the broodmaws traveled through the dense jungle while the monsters chittered to each other. it did not bother him as they couldn't hurt him as he admired the primal underbrush.
he spotted bones of other creatures littered the ground and after an hour; they arrived at a hole. archer looked at it as the mantis-like monster looked at him before glancing at the entrance.
"'she's in there?" he questioned with narrowed eyes. "if you're trying anything dodgy, i will burn you to ash."
the broodmaws trembled before backing off as he jumped off its back and made his way to the entrance. when he got close, the smell of blood hit his nose, which caused him to think, "they must kill a lot for it to be this strong.'
archer stepped into the broodmaw colony, finding himself in a massive, shadowy cavern shrouded in darkness. almost immediately, he sensed the creatures stirring, their movements converging on his location with unnerving precision.
reacting quickly, he cast mana manipulation and vanished just as a swarm of broodmaws crashed into the spot where he had been moments before. their frenzied attack met only empty air, leaving them momentarily disoriented.
'stupid monsters, but can't blame them,' archer mused with a chuckle.
as he made his way through the winding tunnels of the colony, archer noticed all kinds of broodmaws skittering about, their monstrous forms illuminated by the faint, eerie glow of fungi clinging to the walls.
eventually, he arrived at the first chamber, where a gruesome sight awaited him. mangled corpses of dead monsters littered the floor, their bodies torn apart. smaller broodmaws swarmed over the remains, busily butchering them, their sharp claws slicing through flesh. archer used his magic to block out the smell as he continued walking down the tunnel. half an hour later, he arrived at a massive chamber where a massive broodmaw queen was at the center, guarded by fierce-looking ones.
he stepped forward, the shimmer of his invisibility fading away, revealing his presence to the creatures in the cavern. a ripple of panic surged through them, their shrieks echoing off the walls.
'here we go. now let's capture these fuckers for the domain.'
the queen's glowing red eyes locked onto him, blazing with fury as she lunged to strike. archer sidestepped her attack, his movements calm and calculated. without a second thought, he hit it with a weak nova punch that sent it crashing along the ground before crashing into the wall.
afterward, archer approached the downed broodmaw while warning the creature, "stop attacking me or i'll kill all your children."
the queen let out a piercing hiss at his words; the sound reverberating through the air and causing the surrounding monsters to back off. following that, he continued, "i've heard you're strong and dangerous, exactly what i'm looking for. now, you have two choices: serve me, or die."
when the monster heard this, she got a fascinated gleam in her red eyes as a woman's voice echoed in his mind, 'what do we get from servitude?'
archer's grin widened before he replied, "safety, strength, and a new home away from this continent."
the broodmaw struggled to stand until he cast aurora healing on it. the violet light washed over it and healed the creature's injuries as she replied, 'we accept. food was getting hard to find and other monsters were appearing who had been hunting us.'
following that, archer opened a portal to the unused part of the domain and spoke to the broodmaw, "make yourself a home, there's plenty of room and food but don't hunt any humanoids. if you do, i will kill you all."
he laughed before speaking. "i'm here to see your leaders. i have an offer for them."'
the commander stared at him with his brown eyes but soon nodded. "follow me, the king and queen will want to meet the prince's savior."
when archer heard this, his eyes widened in shock as he thought, 'grak's a prince?! oh shit, that's something new.'
the vorrukhm soldiers motioned for them to follow, their spears lowered but their watchful eyes never leaving him. without a word, they led him through the dimly lit tunnels, the sound of their heavy boots echoing off the stone walls.
as they approached a massive archway, two guards stepped aside, revealing the bustling heart of the vorrukhm stronghold. stepping through, archer paused, taking in the sight before him, hundreds of vorrukhm going about their business.
some hauled massive crates, others sharpened weapons at glowing forges, and groups of warriors sparred in open arenas. archer quickly noticed that someone had carved the buildings and other structures into the stone.
'impressive,' he mused while glancing around. 'i'll have to give them something similar in the
domain.'
the soldiers led them through the underground world until reaching a palace-looking building. while walking, archer summoned vivienne, the ant queen who greeted him with a big smile as she hugged, "it's good to see you master, i missed you."
when the surrounding vorrukhm saw her, they panicked and went to attack. the redhead smirked before deflecting several attacks while countering with several powerful punches that caused booms to ring out the underground world.
"how dare you raise your weapons to my master!" vivienne exclaimed as her red eyes
glowed.
she grabbed one of the soldiers and ripped him clean in half with a scream, but grak pleaded with archer, "friend, stop her, please!"
he looked at the vorrukhm prince and nodded before speaking. "vivi, stop and come here."
when the ant queen heard this, she quickly stopped beating up the soldiers and appeared beside him while cleaning blood off her hands. archer chuckled before sending most of his mana into the injured vorrukhms.
their wounds healed, drawing a sigh of relief from their lips as the soldiers began escorting
them toward the palace.
[drop some powerstones, comments, and gifts to help the novel grow; i appreciate all the
support you can give]