Her Majesty's Swarm

Fall of the kingdom

The Arachnea crossed the Aryl River to the north and south using the same method, leaving the Kingdom of Maluk without any more major defenses. There were still a few fortresses between us and the capital, but they wouldn't last long. Each of the fortresses was isolated, making some sort of protective circle around Siglia.
"Another one down," I said as we felled yet another fortress.
The air was thick with the scent of blood. My Ripper Swarms carried off all the corpses, which would soon be made into meatballs and then stored or placed in Fertilization Furnaces.
Watching the soldiers' remains-clothes, armor, and all-be reduced to mincemeat should have disgusted me or frightened me out of my wits. The stench of death and the smacking sounds of viscous fluid mushing together would be enough to make anyone vomit.
But there I was, watching it all happen while nibbling down on a sandwich.
I'd made them using ingredients the soldiers left behind in the fortress.
The fillings were ham and cheese. Lately, all I could get my hands on was dry jerky and hard bread, so getting to eat soft, warm sandwiches full of cheese was quite the treat. I savored each bite as I watched the Worker Swarms make their meatballs.
"Hey, Sérignan." "Yes? What is it?" Sérignan, who was standing at my side, snapped to attention.
"Want a sandwich?" "No. I could not hope to eat of Your Majesty's food," she said, sneaking a glance at my meal.
So knights like toasted sandwiches, too. What a cute little tidbit of lore.
"You can have one. I made too many." "You honor me, Your Majesty!" Sérignan lunged at the sandwiches like a puppy that'd been thrown a bone, chowing down on them with gusto.
The Swarm, Sérignan included, didn't particularly need to eat. There was no maintenance cost for units, no matter how many were made. No matter how delicious I made these sandwiches look, Sérignan wouldn't need to eat them.
But I suppose even the Swarm wanted to eat for the sake of pleasure sometimes. Thanks to the collective consciousness, they were able to taste the sandwiches vicariously through Sérignan and myself. That said, Swarms were born from jerky and raw meat and ate human flesh... it was dubious whether they found a toasted sandwich tasty at all.
"Do not worry, Your Majesty. We are honored to experience the same flavors you do," piped a Ripper Swarm.
Apparently, even my flicker of doubt had spread through the collective.
"All right. That's good, then." For the time being, they raised no objection to any of my actions. They did as I ordered, accepting my reasons without argument. There was no conflict in the collective consciousness, that much was clear.
Was I becoming more Swarm-like, or was the Swarm being influenced by me? I couldn't quite tell.
But for now, we had a war to win.
"The northern and southern units are in position." As I ate my sandwich, I confirmed that the other units were ready to attack Siglia through the collective. The Kingdom's resistance on the other fronts had been poor, and all the civilians had been killed. Every living person in both the rural and urban areas had been slaughtered and made into meatballs, leaving their towns bloodied and empty.
I was still fighting this war as though it were part of a game. The game dictated that so long as the enemy had units remaining, I couldn't claim victory. I stuck to those rules, and exterminated everyone in the Kingdom of Maluk. The Swarm trampled villages, towns, and fortresses alike, savagely and without warning. No one was allowed to live.
The people of this world couldn't hope to match the Ripper Swarms' speed. By the time any villagers, townspeople, or soldiers noticed the Swarms approaching, they were already done for. Scythes and fangs were fast upon them, ready to reap them like the crops they were.
My Swarms took no prisoners. They attacked in waves, conquering every settlement and structure in their path. The young, the elderly, the injured, and the sick-all of them were reduced to lumps to be placed in our furnaces and stores.
Even I had to question my capacity for such cold, hard choices. We were killing human beings, after all. My comrades in this world were the Swarm,
but biologically speaking, I was human. Yet I spurned the idea of living among mankind, instead siding with the Swarm to slaughter my fellow man.
Was this the right thing to do? Probably.
I had sworn to the Swarm that I would bring about the victory they craved, and I intended to keep that promise. Even if it meant turning against my own species. I killed plenty of humans in the game; this is basically the same thing. Yeah. It just feels a little more realistic, that's all.
"Are you anxious, Your Majesty?" Sérignan asked.
Evidently, she had sensed my inner conflict.
"No, I'm not anxious, Sérignan. I just hate them. I hate the Kingdom of Maluk for sending the knights that killed Linnet. More than that, I hate them for standing in the way of your victory." I stuffed the last piece of the toasted sandwich into my mouth and got up.
"C'mon, Sérignan. Let's go. We're one step away from triumph. After this is done, we can figure out what to do next. If any other country messes with us, we'll just eradicate them too." We toppled the four remaining fortresses, leaving no survivors. Soon enough, we were standing before Siglia.
I set up a new FOB just outside the capital and used the gold we had obtained through pillaging to unlock new siege weapons. I aimed my new Carrion Cannons-the upgraded version of Bone Trebuchets-in Siglia's direction.
The Carrion Cannon launched decayed flesh. It poisoned any units within the impact zone, and caused nearby structures and facilities to decay.
Although its firepower was low, those secondary effects were nasty. It was one of my favorite weapons. As for the design, it looked rather like an insect and was adorned with decaying flesh. Like most Arachnea constructions, the thing was pretty grotesque.
Once the Worker Swarms had finished setting up twelve Carrion Cannons, it was time to begin our assault. It was clear that Siglia's citizens weren't ready to evacuate. If anything, refugees were probably rushing into the capital, assuming they would be safe within its walls.
As I observed the city before us, I thought to myself:
Looks like we'll have plenty of meat in the near future.