Into the Hive

The scene was in total chaos when Halyna arrived. The seasoned, albeit young tauren shaman had arrived at an expeditionary base camp located deep within the jungles of the Un'goro Crater. Her horns were pitch black, each extending a foot out from her head, and her eyes were a sharp scarlet. Similarly, her fur was of a red-brown tint. For two years now, she had experience as an adventurer taking odd jobs. She had come out here on a job posted from nearby Tanaris, well aware of the odds, but she never expected to see what she did.

All of the tents were in tatters, the foundations broken and toppled. Corpses lay upon bedrolls, organized neatly in a row by the survivors, who were not doing much better themselves. Many of them were bandaged from head to toe, although there were the unfortunate few who weren't. She grimaced when she saw one human covered in small lacerations, his skin appearing similar to a mottled fur pattern of one of her own kind: pink coated with assortments of red.

Among the many corpses yet unattended to, she saw the slain carcasses of the assailants – the silithid. Despite never having seen any, she was able to identify them based solely on what she had heard about the buggers. The descriptions were perfect; they were like quadrupedal insects armored with nearly impenetrable chitin. At least, these ones were. She had also heard they came in many shapes and sizes. Not all of them were like the infantry bugs she saw here, but regardless, seeing all of this was like a horror story come true.

She walked through the camp, eying the death and destruction around her. The shaman wondered, if she had gotten here faster, might she have been able to prevent all of this? She soon shook her head at the thought, finding now was not the time for speculation. What mattered was that she was here now, and regardless of the damage already done, she might have the chance to fix some of it. To that end, she approached what appeared to be the main tent. She figured that from it's size and it's comparatively superb condition. Though that still wasn't saying much.

Stepping through the flaps of the tent, she was immediately greeted with unnerving stares from the weary individuals inside. There were a dozen souls, mostly humans, as well as some dwarves, orcs, and single gnome. One of the humans in question approached her. He was an older fellow, as evidenced by his white hair and partially wrinkled skin. One of the lens on the glasses of which he wore had been fractured, yet the integrity of the glass had not yet failed, and it was still barely hanging together. The other lens had a few faint blood stains. Short, rough stubble covered the skin along his chin.

Halyna felt a tad awkward in this situation. She was short for a tauren, standing only a few inches short of six feet. Despite being an adult, she had stopped growing in height after reaching that early age of adulthood. Thus, nearly everyone in the tent was taller than her, yet here she was, the only one who appeared to have the courage to continue fighting. But even that little fact was still in question. How could she be fearless in the face of a force that had intimidated those many times more hardened than herself?

“You stumbled into our camp even with all the grisly sights abound, so I must take it you're a mercenary who answered our calls for help?” The human asked her with the coldest stare she had ever seen. She couldn't blame him for being so disheartened at a moment such as this, but it was still very disturbing.

Swallowing her own fear, she returned his gaze with an indignant expression of determination. “I am no mercenary, just an adventurer, but I still would like to help in any way I can.”

“Normally I would ask for assistance in relieving the guards or the medics, but we have realized all of that is pointless. We have nowhere to run to, the silithid have seen to that. This was not the first location of our base camp, but unless something can be done about the threat, this will certainly be the last,” he motioned for her to follow him to a table in the center of the tent, where all the men and women had gathered.

The map was of the entire Un'goro Crater, complete with all the landmarks one would generally know about. There were some additions made to the map, some crudely drawn X's and what appeared to be a gaping maw in the ground, with bony, spiny protrusions jutting from the ground like teeth. “That is the silithid hive,” he said, pointing to the maw. He slowly traced his finger eastward along the cloth, ending up at a representation of the camp. Along the way, there were several, smaller X marks. “These were our former base locations. The silithid pushed us back all the way here. Dozens died trying to hold them off. There are only so few of us now that are capable of battle.”

“So what is it that you need me to do?” Halyna asked, undaunted by the sights on the map, nor by the tale she had been told.

His finger pointed to the maw again. “In our early encounters, we discovered a massive beast inside the hive, immobile, as though it were a part of the hive itself. We believe that it is a higher intelligence, a sort of hive mind controlling the bugs from this area.” He traced a circle around the camp with his finger. “The silithid have burrowed into the ground in a perimeter around our location. Everyone, including you, is trapped here. But we have devised a plan that should allow us to escape. A threat to the central intelligence might force all the silithid under it's control to rally to it's defense. Their perimeter will crumble, allowing enough time for us to vacate the camp and head for safety.”

“Then you need me to attack the hive mind,” Halyna said matter-of-factly, to which the human nodded. “But what about me? I will be alone in there, trapped amidst a swarm of silithid! Wouldn't our chances be better if we simply attempted to break out in full force?”

“We all know what would happen, we've seen it with our own eyes. The force surrounding us is the bulk of the swarm. They watch and wait, biding their time to strike us at our weakest. But the hive mind acknowledges the danger of a cornered animal, it dare not attack us here yet. Every slain silithid is a blow that sends the mind reeling, disrupting it's control over the bugs. When one dies, the rest become easier to slay.”

“And that will make my job significantly easier,” the shaman said, and the human nodded again. The way the human spoke, it was obvious that all of these people cared only for their own lives. Whatever happened to her didn't matter as long as they left this place in one piece. But she had been put in the same spot as them. She wanted to do good, so that's just what she was intended to carry out. “Alright, I'll do it.”

There was many a great sigh of relief from the others in the tent. Their cold eyes suddenly became that much warmer with the feeling of hope. That alone almost made her decision worth it, but the true action had yet to begin. She left the camp without another word while the members of the expedition prepared for their great flight. The tauren left with the hopes and lives of dozens on her shoulders, and she wondered whether she would be able to carry all that weight.

The journey to the hive wasn't a long one. Even from the camp, she could see the teeth of the hive in the distance. It was a frightening sight indeed, and she almost considered heading back strictly out of fear, but she wasn't the type to be coerced out of a plan just through sheer intimidation. Along the way, she could see many more corpses. The entire path between the camp and the hive was one giant battlefield, littered with fallen mortals and silithid alike. It was both inspiring and disheartening, knowing that her job would be that much easier, but also knowing many had died to give her this advantage.

It was only a moment later when she was standing before the entrance to the hive. She stood in awe at the gaping maw, seeing how the bone structures surrounding her towered high into the canopy above. Then she noticed the fleshy, organic material coating the walls of the interior. From the way they pulsed, slithered and writhed, she got the feeling as though the hive itself were alive. But she dismissed the thought quickly. The beasts that inhabited this place were a blight that needed to be purged.

Swallowing what was left of her fear, she braved the depths of the hive, her hooves clomping heavily upon the rocky floor. Despite never having fought the silithid before, she wasn't afraid to make her presence known. Stealth was contradictory to the entire point of the mission. The swarm would only retreat here if they knew the high intelligence was under immediate threat, and she was definitely such a threat.

The interior of the hive was dimly lit by a myriad of bio-luminescent pods, so she was still able to see the path ahead of her, but the uncertainty of this whole venture still lingered in her mind. Her body moved separate however, her legs continuously pushing forward, with her hands ready to draw the two axes on her belt.

Halyna then did draw her weapons at the sight of a different bug, one with an oval shaped body, like a beetle of some sort. She stood her ground, awaiting it's attack, but it moved towards her at an agonizingly slow pace, and when it finally did approach her, it was entirely uninterested, passing her by as though she wasn't even there. She gave a sigh of relief at not having to fight just yet, but she wondered when she would. In a place such as this, escaping unharmed would be an impossibility.

For many moments, she descended deeper into the silithid hive, searching for the lair of the bug's leader, but to no avail. The place was like a maze, designed to prevent the silithid's enemies from finding the source of this scourge. It was fortunate then that she did not have those same bugs assaulting her, yet it also made her highly suspicious. What if she had played right into a carefully planned trap by the hive mind? What if it knew she would be unable to master the maze, and that she would die down here on her own?

But just as if to answer her worries, she witnessed a larger mouth at the end of this current tunnel. With no better alternative, she trekked down the path before her, depositing the shaman into a large sort of chamber. The area was lit by those same pods she had seen throughout the hive, but here they came in a greater variety of colors. It was as though she had walked into a giant rainbow. Her guard down, she walked to the center of the chamber, drawn to that area in particular.

Halyna's ear twitched at the sound of movement other than her own. She looked around the room to see the colors disappearing one by one, until all the ground other than the site on which she stood had been shrouded in total darkness. This had definitely been a trap, and as such she drew her axes in defense, awaiting her new enemy. For a second, she felt the ground quake beneath her, but she paid it no mind when she knew for a fact there was a threat right in front of her.

She saw the attack coming, only she didn't. Something was moving, and it moved with such speed that it struck her weapons from her hands in a single blow, then recoiling before she could witness it. Halyna cried aloud in pain as something slapped her wrists, the unexpected pain causing her to drop her weapons. She looked down to search for them, only to find them gone. The enemy had disarmed her and compromised her fighting capability in just a few short seconds.

“Show yourself!” She boldly called, demanding to know who or what her enemy was.

Halyna didn't expect a response, but that was exactly what she got. The ground all around her lit up in yellow, highlighting a path for the shaman. This, too, was odd, but it was better than nothing. She followed the path, noticing that the intended route lead her to an elevated piece of land, like a sort of shrine or throne. When she perched herself atop the high ground, the lights behind her vanished, then replaced by more in front of her. This was a pure, colorless light, and it detailed perfectly exactly what her attacker had been.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the creature in front of her, a purple, giant, faceless mass, pulsing and beating like a heart. To her, it almost looked like a brain of some sort, and that thought lead her to the revelation that she was facing the hive mind itself.

As soon as she came to that conclusion, the source of her prior pain made itself known: tentacles. They were long, thin, and smoothly rounded, and possessed the same color as the mind itself. The tendrils shot forth at her with such speed that she was helpless to react. They forced their way inside her clothing, tearing away her protection and her dignity, soon leaving her nude and vulnerable before the high intelligence of the silithid swarm, but without leaving a single scratch on her body. She spotted what appeared to be a pod on the mind's mass, and watched it split open, allowing another bundle of tentacles to spring loose.

But these ones were different. They still possessed the usual color, except that they were transparent, and they glowed brightly. The shaman fell to her knees in helpless awe as these new tendrils approached her. They numbered in the dozens, and quickly came within just inches of her. One of them braved the gap, and touched against her forehead. It felt warm, almost soothing, and was accompanied by a most unusual sensation, as though it were reading her very soul. The tenseness that had pervaded her body began to relieve itself, and she got the feeling as though the hive mind was not a malevolent being.

Boldly, she reached out to touch that same tendril, poking it slightly at first, expecting it to recoil. But it gave no sudden movement, and then she stroked it, inviting the rest of the tendrils forward. They began to encompass her body, wrapping around her arms, her waist, her thighs and her tail, as though the mind was embracing this vulnerable female in front of it. Any doubts about whether it was hostile or not faded, and she grasped the first tentacle, kissing the very tip of it before it wormed it's way past her lips.

Halyna leaned forward, welcoming it's embrace as the tentacles wrapped around her naked body began to writhe and slither, like a gentle caress of her entire being. She lovingly sucked on the tentacle that had invaded her mouth, her tongue dancing around it. The tendril did not possess a disgusting taste; on the contrary, it was a wonderful taste, and possessed an aroma of equal splendor. Through the movement of the tentacles alone, she could feel the emotions that the hive mind exhibited. It had been pleasured by her invitation of the first tentacle, and it moved to return the favor.

She gasped when one of the tentacles brushed against her nipples, but the sound was obviously muffled. Regardless, it could sense her excitement, and a growing warmth and wetness radiating from her mound. In response, another one of the tentacles slithered into her eager sex, exploring her depths, drawing a delighted squeal from the shaman. It was of a decent size, but there was something else about that tentacle that brought her greater pleasure. It, too, radiated an intense heat, as though there were a living fire in her loins. The tendril slithered forth until it filled her entirely, then began thrusting in and out of her with great power.

It then occurred to her how odd it was, the thought of mating with a silithid. Yet here she was, being fucked by the hive mind itself. She had been with several males, but she didn't believe that this creature possessed a gender. That didn't stop it from making love to her, however. She even wondered if love was a concept the silithid understood. It's reasons for doing this to her were wholly unknown, but that made it all the more exciting. The tentacle in her tight cunt moved with speed that a tauren could never possess, and it did so with such power that put all of those bulls to shame.

The loud, wet squelching sounds made by the tentacle as it moved within her were music to her ears, echoing throughout the chamber. She continued to suck the tentacle in her mouth, appreciative of what the hive mind was doing to her. At the same time, her other hand was free enough that she could reach down and rub the fleshy little button above her sex, amplifying the already monstrous ecstasy the tentacle was giving her. Her eyes rolled back as a massive orgasm washed over her, the shaman's entire body shuddering from it's strength.

Halyna could feel her body go slightly limp, but she was supported by the tentacles' hold all around her. More and more, however, she had to relinquish control of her own body to the hive mind. She was tiring, and that climax just served to push her further into the hive mind's clutches. The thought then occurred of what would happen when all of this was done, but the idea soon faded. The ecstasy she felt was too great for rational thought to continue. Her body desperately sought more from the creature, and her mind wasn't too far behind. Her pussy walls clamped down powerfully on the tentacle inside her, attempting to milk it of it's hypothetical seed. But this was not an act of procreation. She still didn't even know what all of this was.

Even through her climax, the tentacle was still fucking her at the same pace. A second tentacle even joined the first one in her loins, stretching her to capacity. They pumped in and out of her in a perfect, harmonious rhythm; one would thrust inside as the other was slithering back, decreasing the interval between thrusts. With the way they slithered, they rubbed her clit with every push, and every push meant another jolt of euphoria. The tendril in her mouth remained, even though she had stopped sucking at it. She still stroked the length with her tongue, albeit lazily, and in response the tendril danced with her, tickling the cute muscle. A slight giggle rose from her lungs, the sound vibrating through the tentacle.

She felt her tail being lifted by the tentacle that had taken control of it. The shaman never even noticed that until she felt another tendril prodding at her back door. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she realized she had never been taken in there before. The tentacle pushed it's way inside her tailhole, causing her a great deal of pain, though it was fleeting. She nearly screamed, but stifled the sound because of it's futility. She knew by now that this thing wasn't trying to hurt her. At least, it wasn't doing so on purpose. The tendril in her rear began pumping her like the ones that had invaded her nethers. It felt painful and invasive, unlike when the tentacle from before slithered into her pussy. She was being touched in places where no man had been before, where she would not allow any man to go.

Another orgasm rocked her body, this one far more intense than the last. The two tentacles in her cunt were joined by a third, resulting in the pleasure mounting up more than ever. She completely lost every sense of intelligence, her mind at this moment only capable of comprehending pleasure. Even the pain in her tailhole had subsided, replaced with further ecstasy. The hive mind had done a better job of satisfying her than any man she had been with before. Never in her life had she been fucked so silly, so utterly. All the strength in her body had been robbed, but she didn't need it right now. She was in the safety, comfort, and support of the silithid's embrace, and as far as she was concerned, that was enough for her.

Then she came again, but this was different, new. Instead of a single orgasm, there were many, more than she was capable of counting. All of them were enormous and powerful, coursing through every fiber of her being. Her mind went blank, her limbs limp, her senses dulled. Her vision began to fade as she drifted into unconsciousness. The hive mind had ravaged her thoroughly, completely dominating her comparatively tiny body. Whatever would happen to her next, she didn't know. Whatever did happen next, she didn't mind. Whether she would be set free, or become a puppet on it's string, she would welcome it. There was no choice but to.

Halyna began to peacefully drift into slumber, content in the embrace of the silithid tentacles. They practically blanketed her, keeping her warm inside the dank, dark, and cold interior of the hive. Slowly, she felt the tendrils leave her abused orifices, and a saliva coated length stroked her cheek. Her love juices had spilled rapidly onto the ground below, pooling around her. The tentacles that had invaded her sex began to spread those juices along her fur in an awfully erotic manner. The whole ordeal had left her cunt and tailhole deliciously strained and sore, but it was a recovery that simple sleep would account for. And she was certain there would be no further harm to her.

Her eyes closed shut, and sleep took her, just as the hive mind had taken her.