Final Choice

“You have no choice, Raymond,” the broodmother explained calmly, “You can continue working for Master and have children of your own, or I can kill the two of you now. I’ll use your soul to craft a new logistician, while I’ll find some use for her as well.”

“A new me will just be an empty shell,” Raymond snickered, “It won’t possess my knowledge and secret techniques.”

“A shell is adequate. The soul-mending plan was your greatest use, and all we need now is your aptitude for managing supplies.”

Raymond recalled a legend about the soul-mending plan when it was brought up, a confidential secret of Soremburg that even he himself had only heard a few words about. However, he pushed the thought aside and spoke without a change in expression, “You’d best be careful. Every Scholar is a disaster waiting to happen.”

The broodmother just hummed and broke off the connection. In the meanwhile, a few more bees...