The Swarm

I met with them today. It was deep in the deserts of Egypt, in a secluded region. Being there brought back memories of my days as an Egyptologist.

I followed some of the Swarm into a pyramid, and we went deep underground. The hieroglyphs on the walls seemed to praising Khepri. Figures that the legendary scarab god would be connected to the Swarm.

It was in the deepest chamber that I met Haji. He was one of the few servants of the Swarm with a mind of his own. He would be speaking for them.

"You're the Shadow Man?" he asked.
"Yes, I am," I replied. He seemed put off by my appearance. Can't blame him. It's not every day you see a man who's face is partially composed of darkness.
"So the Nightlanders have finally taken up a servant," he said thoughtfully.
"I'm more than just a simple servant," I informed him.
"What business do you have with the Intrusion?" he asked.
"The world is an ugly place," I said. "Do you agree?"
"I have seen much of the worlds hideousness first hand," he replied.
"Mankind is grotesque," I said. "The modern world is a terrible place. Wouldn't it be great if things could be reset?"
"Where are you going with this?" he asked me.
"Hear me out," I said. "My intention is to recreate the plagues of Egypt, on the greater scale. The entire world will be consumed, and in the end, the only life left will the the servants of the Heralds Of The Plagues."
"And then the servants repopulate?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "And we shall rebuild the world, the way I envision it. But it will take more effort than the first time. We will need more than just gnats and locust. We will need all arthropods of all shapes, sizes, and species."
"I see...," he said.

The Swarm suddenly became very noisy. The sounds of buzzing wings and clicking mandibles surrounded us.

"What are they doing?" I asked.
"They are considering your offer," he said.

Then the noise stop. Haji pick up a large stone gourd leaning on the wall next to him, and lifted it above his head. Then, a large, pitch black wasp, at least two feet in length, flew over to him, and carved something into the gourd with its stinger. Haji glanced at the marking, and then turned back to me.

"The Intrusion has spoken," he said. "They will assist you. And so will I."
"Excellent," I said.
"Who else is in on this?" he asked.
"Have already enlisted the Hound Of Destruction," I said. "Also, the Flickering Queen has offered her help. She wasn't one of the original Heralds, but as I said, I wish for this to be greater than the original 10 plagues."
"And are any opposed to us?" he inquired.
"The Storming Skyborn and the child of the Guide mean to stop us," I said.
"The Convocation was among the original Heralds Of The Plagues, were they not?" he asked.
"We can accomplish this without them," I said. "Also, there another person I encountered."
"And who might this be?" Haji asked.
"He possesses the power of the Bleeding Lust," I said. "But he is not fully under her control. He is able to resist her somehow. He is definitely some one to be worried about."
"Well then, we'll need to recruit the other Heralds quickly."
"Yes," I agreed.





There are many more Gods I need to contact. Until then, goodbye.