Nerco, Gaile, and Flora had gotten through the rift back to Byrgenwerth safely as the rift sealed behind the three. Realizing she was safe in the waking world, Flora broke down into silent sobbing as her mother enveloped her in a loving embrace.
"Shhhhh… It's okay sweetpea, you're safe now. They can't hurt you anymore." Nerco said as she comforted her daughter who had been through hell in the nineteen total days she had spent in the Hunter's Nightmare.
"What… what took you guys so long!?" Flora exclaimed as she looked at her parents with an angry glare that both of them had been expecting.
"It's my fault Flora," Gaile said in a sad tone. "I was adamant that you were okay and that your mission was just taking longer than expected..." Gaile paused for a moment as Flora's glare softened ever so slightly.
"What about you, Mom?" Flora asked, looking at her mother expectantly.
"I knew something was wrong when you had stopped communicating." Nerco said with a pause. "You aren't one to cut off communication with anyone." Nerco said as she pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.
Elsewhere within the Breeder hive, Maria awoke to find much about her had changed. Growing on her body was an armored layer of bony chitin that was a mix of pitch black and flecks of crimson red. Running a hand along her smooth stomach she wondered, "What happened to the eggs she laid inside of me?"
In response, a sibilant voice invaded her mind. "Sssssseeeerve the Queeeeeen," the voice spoke in her mind before she noticed a Patronus Elite crawling toward her. Using its sharpened beak, it bit through the organic restraints that held her to the wall, freeing her. Bowing to its new queen, the Breeder stuck close to her.
Maria was greatly confused, "Shouldn't this thing be trying to force me down and fill me with its brood?" She thought to herself as she observed the docile beast. Before long, Maria began to feel a growing sensation in her loins as she let out a groan of discomfort. "Agh! What is this sensation!?" Maria thought out loud as the breeder rose from its lowered position and spoke once again within her mind.
"Breeeeeeeeed..." was the one word it spoke to her and her eyes widened in horror. The sensation she was feeling was her other half's urge to breed for the sake of the hive. "No! I wont! I'm not a monster like you… I'm not..." She started to speak before a familiar voice spoke out.
"Human." the voice spoke as she turned on a heel and found the Queen walking towards her the brown and violet layers of chitin growing on her form blended in with the rest of the terrain in the birthing chamber. "You aren't human anymore." She said as she continued to advance on Maria who stood her ground.
Looking at the Queen with a questioning expression on her face, Maria spoke freely. "What do you mean I'm not human anymore? WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?" She yelled out as the Queen merely smiled at her.
"You have been chosen to take the next step in evolution… To become something far more than just human…" Grimm said with a devilish smirk as Maria began to glare daggers at the woman.
"What about the eggs you laid inside of me? I never passed them and they couldn't have just vanished," Maria asked as the Queen once again smiled at her.
"What, you honestly thought those were eggs?" The Queen's smile widened just a hint, as if amused by the mere suggestion. "I suppose they were, in a sense. They're a special kind- only Queens can lay them. They're meant to be broken down and absorbed... a sort of nutritious meal for any future Queens." Grimm's explanation lingered in the air, the meaning behind it swiftly becoming apparent.
Maria swallowed thickly. "So. I'm like you now?"
Grimm's smile widened just a bit more. "Yes and I'm sure you've started feeling it right about now."
Maria once again glared at her. "Yes… I have started to feel it." She"said as she shifted her legs. "Can you tell me what this sensation is?" Maria asked as she once again shifted her legs, trying desperately to hide the fact that whatever the sensation was, it was having an effect on her.
"The sensation you're clearly feeling in force is your instincts telling you to breed. It wont go away unless you give into them." Grimm said with a pause as she walked toward Maria, the smile never leaving her face. "It will endlessly eat away at you until you give in and breed… I should know. I tried to fight it at first, but in the end I gave in... And the pleasure I felt was intoxicating!" Grimm said as she snaked her hand between Maria's legs and found her lower lips, grazing a clawed finger against the opening of her slit, She inserted a single finger, as one became two and finally three as she pleasured the young Queen who was moaning in bliss with a deep shade of crimson on her face. Maria hated to admit it, but this woman was good. Grimm continued her ministrations as Maria continued to moan in bliss before she felt something emerging inside of her. Grimm rapidly withdrew her fingers from Maria's soaked slit as her ovipositor emerged from between her legs. Maria gasped in surprise as she stared at the egg laying organ that had emerged from within her depths, before Grimm ran an exquisitely soft hand along its length. She grasped it at the base making Maria let out another moan as she felt incredible sensitivity on the organ. Grimm purposefully began to stroke up and down the length of her ovipositor, causing Maria to continue to moan as she was thrust into a whole new world of pleasure. Before long, Maria began to thrust her hips into Grimm's hand, making Grimm's smile widen more still as Maria gave into the pleasure she was feeling. Without warning Maria went over the edge into an abyss of pleasure as she discharged a large gout of warm, sticky, orange goop from her ovipositor. Letting out a sigh of contentment Maria noted that the sensation had died down considerably as her ovipositor began to recede back into her depths.
"Haah… I… Gods that felt amazing!" Maria stated with a blush as Grimm smiled.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself little Queen." She stated with a pause. "But now it is time for you to embrace your instincts… It is time for you to breed."
Flora was trying her hardest to stay asleep through the night, but her dreams were filled with the terrors of the hive. She found herself affixed to the wall of a birthing chamber as the Breeder that had first impregnated her advanced on her. Its long, thin ovipositor extended from its abdomen as its tip probed for her entrance. Finding it, the creature slid into her depths earning an involuntary moan from the girl as it bred her. It pumped egg after egg into her womb before it stopped altogether and Flora awoke with a terrified scream.
"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" She cried and in a heartbeat her parents were in the room with her. Nerco rushed to her daughter's side and held her in a comforting embrace.
"Hush now… Everything is alright… Know now that you are safe and they cant get you anymore." Nerco said warmly as she kissed her daughter on the forehead and left her to sleep.
"H-Hey Mom… Could I talk to you for a bit… just the two of us?" She asked as Nerco nodded and sat down on the bed to Flora's left while Gaile wordlessly left and headed for his and Nerco's master bedroom. Alone with her mother, Flora was silent until Nerco spoke.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" She asked as Flora looked down at herself.
"I… Nevermind. It's nothing…" Flora said as her mother shook her head.
"Whatever you're wanting to talk about is not nothing Flora." Nerco said knowingly as she scooted closer to her daughter.
"I wanted to talk about what happened while I was trapped in the hive… I feel like its the only way I'll ever be able to get over it."
At this, Nerco sighed. "You don't have to talk about it if you really don't want to." Nerco said with a pause before she continued to speak, "I have a general idea of what was done to you and I want more than you know to go back and burn that hive to ashes"
Flora looked at her mother with an unreadable expression. "So what's stopping you surely you're powerful enough to do the deed" Flora said as her mother shook her head. "For starters, your Father would never allow me to go alone and risk myself like that."
At this, a glare worked its way onto Flora's face. "And yet he allowed, even encouraged me to go on a suicide mission!" Flora said before she let out an exhale of breath "Only for me to get raped by monsters and filled with their eggs!" Flora said harshly as Nerco let out an audible sigh, "You know full well there was no way of knowing what would have happened." Nerco said with a pause, "None of us could have known Flora."
"That doesn't change the fact that it happened Mom!" Flora said angrily as her eyes began to glow ember orange. "You don't understand Mom! And you wont understand either not unless you experience it!" Flora said as her mothers eyes too began to glow.
"You say I've never experienced it?" Nerco asked, "Your father raped me once on the past Flora." She said in a neutral tone of voice. "But he was under the influence of his beasthood when he did it so I was able to move past it and forgive him." Nerco said, her eyes glowing like embers in a pit of dying coals
Flora's glare softened and the glow of her eyes died down as her mother's words reached her and she found herself hugging her mother in a tight embrace, "I'm sorry..." She said several times as the glowing of Nerco's eyes died down and she returned the gesture, "It's fine sweetpea I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, not after what you've been through." She said as she was let out of the embrace by her daughter who had laid back down to try and go back to sleep, before her mother bent over and kissed her on the forehead before she got up and headed back to their bedroom.
Needless to say Flora slept soundly through the rest of the night.
Nerco however, was still walking the hallway to her room to rejoin Gaile when she noted that one of the guest room doors normally closed was just slightly ajar and as she reached out to open it the door flew open and a clawed hand grasped her wrist and jerked her into the room she had started to let out a scream when a second hand flew over her mouth stopping any noise coming out.
Nerco's violet eyes were set in a piercing glare that quickly softened as she stared into the pale green eyes of Maria who lowered her hand and backed away into the shadows of the room, "Maria what are you doing here at this hour?" Nerco asked as she blinked several times, "Calling in that favor." Maria said firmly as Nerco blinked once in confusion, "Can it not wait until the morning!?" Nerco said in a tone that betrayed her annoyance as Maria walked into the light cast through the window by the full moon in the sky outside as Nerco gasped, "Maria what..." Nerco paused as she stared wide eyed at her former mentor and lifelong friend, "What is it you want?" Nerco said firmly as she recognized the chitinous armor of the Breeders growing on Maria's form, "I want you to kill me Nerco..." Maria said flatly, "While I'm still myself... I want you to kill me." Maria said firmly as Nerco shook her head, "Maria no... I killed you once before you cannot ask me to stain my hands with your blood a second time... I refuse." Nerco said as Maria narrowed her eyes into a glare.
She advanced slowly upon Nerco as her other half began to take over before she lunged with the aid of the Quickening and pinned Nerco against the wall next to the door before engaging the Keeper in a rough but passionate kiss that Nerco found herself reciprocating as Maria broke the contact with Nerco who's eyes were half lidded with a crimson blush burning on her cheeks breathing heavily, "What... What the hell was that Maria!?" Nerco said as Maria backed away with a look of shame that showed in her eyes far more than on her face, "Please Nerco... I don't want to do harm to you or Flora... So please... End it." Maria said before an unknown force dropped her to her knees with a groan of discomfort.
In response Nerco found herself quickly moving to see if Maria was alright as she could see Maria had her arms wrapped around herself before her whimpering came to a close and she surprisef Nerco tackling her to the ground as sickly chartreuse yellow eyes glowed in the darkness of the room as Maria stared long into Nerco's violet eyes before she engaged Nerco in another rough but passionate locking of lips that she once again reciprocated as Maria licked her lips in a predatory fashion as she could just faintly see Nerco's breasts through the thigh length nightie she was wearing which had gotten hiked up around Nerco's hips when she fell backwards all the while Nerco let out a surprised gasp as she felt Maria's hand rest on her abdomen directly where her womb was located inside of her body before the hand snaked down and grasped the waistband of her onyx black panties before pulling them down exposing Nerco's womanhood as Maria licked her lips once again as her ovipositor emerged from between her legs.
Nerco stared at her in horror as she realized far too late that Maria was losing herself to what she had become as Maria buried her ovipositor inside of Nerco earning a moan of pleasure from her as Maria began to thrust her hips forward pushing and pulling her ovipositor into and out of Nerco's depths as her moans were muffled by the closed door though Nerco had one last bit of hope as she concentrated to the best of her ability as she attempted to contact Flora through their mental bond but found that she could not reach her no matter how hard she concentrated before Maria thrust her hips forward with more force as her ovipositor pushed through Nerco's cervix making her gasp sharply as orange sized bulges began to travel up the ovipositor and into Nerco's depths as she thrashed in Maria's iron grip to no avail as the first egg popped out of the ovipositor into her womb as her walls squeezed down on Maria's ovipositor like a vice as Nerco fell hard into an orgasm she hadn't wanted causing a smirk to curl onto Maria's lips, "Mmmn... With how tightly you're squeezing my ovipositor you must be enjoying yourself quite a bit." Maria said as she let out a pleasured sigh as muscle contractions through the length of her ovipositor pushed more and more eggs into Nerco's womb which for the Queen was immensely pleasurable though Nerco herself was repulsed that this actually felt pleasurable to her, "You're wrong... As if I would ever enjoy something like this!" Nerco yelled out defiantly which caused Maria to frown, "Your lips say you don't enjoy what's happening but the body doesn't lie Nerco." Maria said as she pumped a total of sixty eggs into Nerco's womb before unleashing a gushing load of warm sticky orange goop inside of Nerco making her shudder at the sensation before Maria suddenly looked up as the floorboards outside the guest room creaked and licked her lips in a predatory fashion, "Flora... Don't come in here run away dammit!" Nerco tried once more to connect mentally to her daughter but it was to no avail as the door was gently pushed open and Flora walked through the threshold.
Flora had taken maybe five steps into the room before she was within reach of Nerco's left hand as she grabbed hold of her ankle grabbing her daughter's immediate attention, "M-Mom?" Flora said as she stared at her mother, belly swollen with eggs with wide eyes that betrayed the horror she felt, "What the... How did... Oh god did one of those things find a way here?" Flora asked as Nerco groaned in discomfort, "Ma...ri...a... Flo...ra... Run... Maria is..." Nerco tried to warn her daughter of the impending danger in the room but her warning came far too late as a chitinous hand wrapped around Flora's face from behind preventing her screaming to alert her father.
Flora did her best to struggle in her assailant's iron grip before she felt the tip of Maria's ovipositor brush against her entrance which caused her to struggle with redoubled efforts which amused Maria somewhat, "That's a good girl... I do enjoy it more when you put up a good struggle." Maria said as she started to tease Flora by pressing her tip against Flora's entrance with gentle force not enough to slip inside but enough to make her start thrashing in Maria's grip again before Maria herself grew bored and decided to move along with things as she quickly sheathed her ovipositor inside of Flora's depths making the young hybrid let out a muffled moan as Maria still held her hand firmly over Flora's mouth as she thrust her ovipositor into Flora's depths making her let out more muffled moans though Maria stopped when she felt Nerco grab hold of her ankle, "You've already defiled me Maria... Let my daughter go please, she's been through this hell enough times." Nerco said in a pleading tone to her former mentor turned monster and for a fraction of a moment Nerco saw remorse in Maria's eyes as the bulges of her eggs could be seen travelling up her ovipositor, "Nerco... Forgive me..." Maria spoke as she had regained control though for how long Nerco didn't know before without warning Maria started to thrust into Flora's depths again as her eyes regained their former sickly chartreuse yellow coloration before she hilted her ovipositor inside of Flora the tip slipping past her cervix with a muffled scream from Flora who knew all too well what came next for her.
Maria started to moan in pleasure as the bulges of her eggs began to travel up the length of her ovipositor disappearing inside of Flora's womanhood as the first egg popped out of the ovipositor and into Flora's womb followed by another and another still as tears flowed freely from her eyes as she was once more thrust into the hell she thought she had escaped.
Several minutes had passed as Maria pumped her sixtieth egg into Flora's womb before she discharged a massive load of the same goop from her bout with Nerco inside of her making the young girl shudder before the ovipositor was withdrawn from her depths and retreated back into its sheath inside of Maria's depths with a satisfied exhale of breath Maria hefted Nerco and gently carried her out the open window while her Patronus subdued and carried Flora behind Maria as the two carried their acquired hosts to the site of their future hive.