I was just staring at the changeling, it was just cowering there staring back at me. This could be a problem, if the changelings hurt those they feed on. I don't really know what the case was for that... Experiment time I suppose...

"I wonder what it already is feeling from me? Hmm... well, I do love knowing about my own current mental state... could be nice to have one around... as long as there's no mind magic going on..."

I bent over and picked up the changeling, it flinched slightly at the contact. The dogs looked worried for the changelings safety, and while the crowd was quiet about it they also looked uncomfortable about me taking it. I noticed that there was a small amount of green blood on the ground where it had been cowering, it seemed that one of the sheeple had already gotten to the changeling before the dogs had been able to protect it. That explained why it looked like just being in contact with me was a pain, it was hurt. That, or my emotions were somehow bad for it to eat.

I carried it away without a word, the crowd dispersing when they realized there would be no bloodbath today. The changeling was still looking at me with fear and pain, but it was also not even trying to resist, basically becoming a ragdoll in my arms. Well arm, as it, and pretty much everything else, was so small that I could lay it on my arm like most evil guys did with their cat.

"Yes, Mr. Bigglesworth, There is no way anyone could exploit my one, obvious weakness to defeat me! The world is mine! Muhahah!"

Now there was confusion mixed in with everything else on the changeling's face.

"What? A guy can't have a sense of humor?" I asked snarkily at it, trying to get it to open up.

"But... no one has told a joke..." It tried weakly, looking like it was afraid I was going to hurt it for talking.

"Oh, so I can't think of funny things? Is that it?" I asked in a false reproachful tone. It's eyes went wide and it went stiff for a second, before I began laughing at it when it relaxed and started to pout.

A few minutes later it was still pouting, but we had reached the portal area. The changeling looked confused at the slab in the ground with the strange marks on it, but we had teleported before it could really focus on them. It gasped as the slab disappeared only to find a grand, if under furnished, throne room. Gnarl was waiting for me nearby, trying to find a target of me and the minions to attack and conquer, and was about to start talking about this place he had 'found' or something but stopped when he saw the bug in my arms.

"Sire, While I have no qualms with you getting a pet, I do have to ask why it would be a bug, they are filthy creatures after all..." Gnarl said, eyeing the changeling that I still hadn't dropped yet.

"Hey! I'm NOT a pet! Or filthy! I keep myself very clean, thank you very much!" it shouted back at Gnarl, who just raised an eyebrow at it and then turned to me with the same expression.

"I found it being almost killed in the village. I would rather not have an entire hive try to kill us if it's important." I told him, he nodded at my reasoning.

I then took the changeling to the infirmary, to treat its wounds and answer some questions. Aside from the obvious, what it was doing in the village, as it was most likely gathering love and was caught, hence the damage in general. The changeling was getting more and more antsy, like it was afraid that something would happen to it... not that anything would, as it hadn't done anything to upset me.

"So, what is your name?" I asked as I set it on a bed, minions with comical white hats with red crosses running up to heal it.

"Umm... It's Chitter." it said without looking me in the eye watching the minions closely as they tried to bandage her up.

"What is the name of your queen, if I may ask, Chitter?" I asked, trying to get a bit more of an understanding of its hive.

"Her name is... Uhh... I'm not sure I should tell you..." Chitter said looking suddenly suspicious of me.

"Fair enough. Now for an awkward question, You see I can't really tell what your gender is, and I don't like thinking about you as an 'it' so..." I asked with no hint of discomfort in my voice.

Chitter blushed at my question and said "I don't blame you, to outsiders we do all look alike, so, ahem... I'm a girl."

Ah, so she was a she, good. "Now, I'm going to leave you here until you're healed. Don't worry, I have no bias against your kind, you will be safe here as long as you don't hurt any of my minions." With that I left the small, hurt changeling behind and returned to the throne room.

"Sire, There is something I think you need to see, if you wouldn't mind...?" Gnarl asked me as soon as I entered the throne room. I was somewhat interested in what he wanted me to look at, normally he would just ask for me to invade somewhere nearby.

"After clearing out some more debris from the basement of the tower we found a door. It wasn't there in the old tower, and we don't know where it goes." Gnarl told me as he led me into the minion pits, down in the chasm that was behind the coffin that I was in before. At the bottom of the pit was a big black door, which was somewhat ajar, leading to a staircase that wound down into the darkness.

"Shall I get a group of minions to accompany you in the exploration of this? Or would you like to go by yourself?" Gnarl asked me with a straight face, being completely serious.

I stared at him for several seconds, the both of us just staring each other in the eye without blinking. I was waiting for Gnarl to show literally any sign of joking. He wasn't.

"Gnarl, I will not be going down there until I know what's there. Send a team of minions and then maybe I'll go, but until then there is zero chance of getting me to go." I told him, like I would explain something to a small child.

"Yes Sire, my apologies for suggesting such a stupid thing!" Gnarl said with not even an ounce of sincerity.

I would attack a smaller country when I found one, but for now my knowledge of the surrounding area wasn't up to snuff. Though... recent events did give me some ideas... hmm...

Author's Note

Hopefully the end of shorter chapters for a bit, if there is anything you wish to see don't hesitate to ask, if I can fit it in and it makes sense than I will.