“So? That''s all? What about my skill?”
Annoyed, Xicackna waited in vain for the System to offer her a new skill choice. Nothing happened.
Kol-Gaar burst out laughing.
Staring at him furiously, Xicackna only provoked a redoubled laughter. Lying on his back, he trembled uncontrollably, mocking the princess''s annoyed and confused look all the more. She could feel that he was releasing all the pressure accumulated during the Dungeon, but she felt annoyed. Especially since this damn System owed her a new skill.
“No but, what an idiot! Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Well, there she went from annoyed to angry.
She furiously pawed at the prince who didn''t even seem to feel it. Calming down slightly, he nevertheless agreed to explain the cause of his hilarity:
“You don''t systematically gain skills at each level. Level 9 doesn''t bring anything of that type and the fact that it''s your fourth class’s level means that you''ve only received one point in your main characteristic. So, Intelligence given your class. And you really need it…”
“Stop insulting me! Not knowing something doesn''t make you stupid! And besides, it''s not very clear what the System means by ‘Intelligence’…”
“The ability to analyze complex facts quickly and accurately, perhaps? In any case, you don''t seem to have learned much in your Dungeon. I guess few of you have gained enough levels... Know that there are two progression curves: the general level and the class. They give their bonuses at the same time. The first three levels gained by having a class will give skills, then it will alternate between a point of the class characteristic and a skill. It is therefore better to obtain a class as quickly as possible rather than gaining levels without having one, because obtaining the next level always requires more XP. Did you follow?”
“Of course: I have 21 in Intelligence now...”
Xicackna''s annoyance did not diminish. First because Kol-Gaar looked down on her under the simple pretext that he knew more than her, then because she really wanted to increase her arsenal with an additional skill.
“Well, in any case that now gives me three unassigned points...”
The shocked look that Kol-Gaar gave her was worth all the ‘idiot’ uttered previously. Stung, Xicackna yelled at him:
“What’s the matter?”
He suddenly gave her a disdainful look and sighed:
“Why are you collecting unassigned points instead of using them?”
“Well... I was thinking that they could be useful later, if I''m in a critical situation. For example, I could put them all in Stamina if I fall from a great height, all in Agility if I have to escape, all in Strength if it''s really essential... and so on.”
“Rah! You princesses, with your mania for accumulating objects, storing them...”
“What? It''s necessary to store to properly manage the logistics of a hive!”
“But not in war: we must use the slightest resource, even if it means wasting it as long as it gives us an advantage!”
“And we sacrifice the future for the immediate, is that it?”
“If we don''t win in the present, there is no future!”
“But if we manage the present badly, we will have trouble in the future!”
Intervening in the discussion, the princess of the outpost brought her point of view:
“I would rather agree with Xicackna: as long as she does not have an essential need to allocate her points, she might as well wait until a need arises...”
“But do you think we have time for these decisions on a battlefield? We must prepare in advance by consuming everything that is necessary!”
“So, replied Xicackna, why don''t you give me XP potions right away?”
Kol-Gaar took a moment to find an answer.
“Because you also need real field experience! Oh, and keep your points aside if you want! Just try to avoid being in danger…”
Giving up, one against two, the prince decided instead to start calculating how much time it would take him to regain his Energy… A half-moon of continuous sleep, apparently… Since the sleep would not be continuous, that would make…
“By the way, can you show me how you make XP potions when we get back?”
Okay, subtracting the time spent entertaining the princess… Well, he would have to count roughly a whole moon…
With relief, Kol-Gaar finally saw the large dome of the hive where the teleportation circle was located appear: they would finally be back after this Dungeon that had nearly been a disaster and this annoying return trip…
The princess suddenly found herself in front of him, her antennas still vibrating from her rapid movement. As usual since the day before, she was totally excited.
“Are you okay? You look grumpy... Well, like usual... Hee! Hee! Hee!”
And immediately she set off again at breakneck speed. Annoyed, he shouted at her:
“Stop that! You''re hurting my eyes being all over the place with your stupid skill! Do you want to use all your Energy?”
She screeched in front of him and he narrowly missed knocking her over. On reflection, he wondered why he had also stopped instead of charging at her...
“Oh, it''s okay,” she said. “I have a crown that doubles my mana, so I''ll just have to wait a day and I''ll have everything back. I''m only using this reserve.”
Xicackna burst out laughing at his dark look.
“Come on, I''ve almost used all of my crown''s reserve: you''ll be fine now.”
“Yes, just as we arrive... great...”
It was Ilya-Na again who appeared at the teleportation circle.
“Oh, how are you? Did the dungeon go well?”
“Yes,” said Xicackna, “I even have a new skill, look!”
“No,” said Kol-Gaar at the same time, “it was a disaster. A success but costly and risky.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He looked with annoyance at Xicackna who was running at full speed from one end of the circle to the other while Ilya-Na applauded, amused.
“I almost died and we lost five soldiers!”
Xicackna did not meet his gaze, ashamed of having let herself go, and preferred to watch a flock of birds passing by, their membranous wings beating the air strongly while the feathers of their dorsal crests fluttered in the wind. Ilya-Na lightened the mood:
“Ah, the main thing is that you came back alive.”
“Isn''t there really any way to get the help of other princes right now? I have to continue to do dungeons with this novice, but it''s not easy if I''m the only one thinking.”
“Hey! Xicackna protested, outraged.”
“No, said the mature princess, rolling her eyes, still no one available. It''s the time of the big raids for those of higher levels, while those of lower levels are always in full groups of nobles.”
“Too bad... Let me know if there are changes.”
“As you wish. For when do you want to reserve a next dungeon?”
“In a month, the time it takes me to recover my Energy.”
“Couldn’t you use an Energy potion?”
Kol-Gaar frowned his chitinous eyebrows at this proposal, as if it were the most absurd.
“They are too rare to waste like that. There is no rush...”
“Wait, protested Xicackna, you mean that all this time, you''ve been making me wait for nothing? I want to go home!”
“You''ll come back when you will be authorized. As long as my queen herself doesn’t order me to speed up, I have no intention of changing my pace… And besides, it’s your fault if I’m lacking Energy!”
As the two young nobles glared at each other, Ilya-Na sighed something about “children.” By the time they both turned to her with a look that suspected mockery, she waved goodbye and teleported them to the hive of Xéméne.
After a brief stop at the potion synthesis labs, Kol-Gaar had led them to the observatory where he prepared to go into hibernation. He briefly mentioned the possibility of leaving her at the training ground, without developing the idea further: a subtle threat in case she disturbed his sleep.
As time passed, bored to death despite the new documents that had been brought to her, Xicackna was also increasingly worried: what was happening in Xolona during her absence? Had there been new enemy attacks? New major deaths? Did they think she was dead?
Her worry turned to annoyance: how, in these circumstances, did those of Xéméne dare deprive her of the possibility of reaching her hive? She observed the massive guard blocking the exit of the tower. Without wings, only the rope stairs could allow her to descend from this perch, but they remained inaccessible.
A new determination filled the young princess: she was not going to let herself be locked up any longer!
As a plan formed in her head, she positioned herself in front of the exit, far enough away for the guard to remain impassive. She waited patiently.
When the guard stepped aside to let one of the workers pass, she was ready: using her sprint and invisibility skills, she passed like lightning and found herself on the other side without the commoners understanding where she had gone. Their instructions being limited to preventing her from leaving, they certainly would not think to raise the alarm if she had simply disappeared. In any case, she hoped that their reasoning did not go beyond that stage.
With a maximum of almost seven minutes of invisibility, she let herself slide along the rope bridges and stone stairs that allowed movement in the upper parts of the hive. Using her sprint on walkable land, she quickly ran through the corridors, sinking underground.
Normally, she would have been spotted by scent, but she now knew how to use her "Falsification" to hide it, or at least pass it off as the local scent. No one stopped her.
With barely contained excitement, she realized that she could come and go as she pleased, as long as she didn''t take too long. It was even possible that she could move freely without invisibility, aided by "Falsification", as long as she didn''t come across any nobles because they would then detect the subterfuge.
But leaving the hive was pointless: she wouldn''t know where to go. She had to retrieve her return stone.
In front of her, the massive door to the queen''s chamber was still impressive by its size and the complexity of its ornaments, but also by its army of fierce guards. They were high-level and it was not impossible that one of them had a detection skill higher than D rank. While it probably wouldn’t pierce her invisibility, it might be able to detect her true scent…
Unless, of course, she passed too quickly…
With all the speed of her sprint, she passed the half-open doors right under the mandibles and antennae[1]</a> of the guards. They nevertheless detected the air current generated by her movement and were on their guard, without knowing against what. The gigantic queen, who had previously seemed motionless and lost in her thoughts, turned abruptly towards the entrance upon feeling the tension of her soldiers. Her gaze nevertheless passed over Xicackna without stopping there.
The princess became visible again. The queen, surprised, let out a sharp cry and made a movement of recoil, although this gesture did not make her recoil.
Immediately, about twenty elite soldiers fell to the ground, sliding down along solid wires from the heights. Only a quick order from the queen prevented them from taking unfortunate initiatives against the intruder: they seemed able to detect her without difficulty.
With an air of disappointment at not having been able to massacre her, the massive soldiers climbed back onto their wires, winding them behind them. Xicackna swallowed: these creatures were more monsters than Zcarbbs. Entirely dedicated to the protection of the queen, they would not have hesitated to kill the princess, however noble she may be.
“What are you doing here?” the queen wondered. “How did you get back in?”
“So… Sorry to come to you without permission, but I really have to go: my mother and the whole colony must think I''m dead. I''ve learned a lot of things and I thank you for that, but I have to go reassure them...”
She held out her cupped hands, hoping to receive the precious stone, the key to her return. However, the queen made no move in this direction. An amused smile stretched across her face, her eyes narrowing mischievously.
“Leave already? But, you''re still one level short. If you reach level 10, you''ll move up to rank ‘E’ and you''ll then be better able to survive the terrible dangers that await you. I can''t decently let you leave before that.”
Xicackna felt desperate. Faced with the power and majesty of the queen, her arguments evaporated like snow in the sun. She knew she was right, but she didn''t know how to convince the queen. The excitement she had felt during her fantastic escapade dissipated.
Xèl-tar-Lomenia was shaken with laughter. Could queens also make fun of people?
She held out her gigantic hands and Xicackna climbed on them, quickly finding herself hoisted up to the height of those large, calculating eyes that immediately captivated her. A queen, even from another hive, was truly a being apart from the rest of the Zcarbbs. In any case, that’s what she was telling herself at that moment.
“Don’t worry, little one: your queen knows you’re alive.”
Zcarbbs weren’t in the habit of lying, especially queens. However, Xicackna gave her a most suspicious look. She pulled herself together, seized by the fear of having been disrespectful. The queen didn’t seem to hold it against her, however, and on the contrary, was amused by it.
“Ah, you don’t believe me? If I want to keep you here, I don’t need any excuse: it’s my right. Know that I communicate well with my stupid sister… uh, I meant your queen. In fact, we even get along a little better than before… Well, when she doesn’t say something like ‘take good care of my salt mine’, for example… Your little recall necklace was very useful to me in developing an inter-dimensional communication system. The only problem is that its activation cost is too high to use it frequently.”
She furrowed her eyebrows, mumbling something like: “And there are some who waste their energy on stupid messages intended to provoke me…”.
Turning her attention back to the little princess, she saw her eyes widen with terror and immediately understood what was going through her mind. Raising her eight eyes to the sky, she reassured her:
“But yes, your stone is intact: we did not dismantle it to learn more about its functioning. We are not those science freaks from the hive of Yolbèrè. Consider yourself lucky to have been sent here rather than to Queen Xèr-tar-Lorè... She would not have been content to study this object from a distance and with caution... but perhaps she would have learned more than me...”
Seeing a dangerous glint of greed in the queen''s eyes, Xicackna decided to change the subject of the conversation before she changed her scientific methods to her detriment:
“And so, what did my queen Xa-tar-Lona say?”
“Oh, she agrees that I keep you until level 10. She rightly believes that it is a very good experience for you. She mentioned new discoveries in the field of dimensional travel, but she didn''t have enough energy to tell me about them in detail...”
Scowling, she muttered something that Xicackna didn''t understand, then became audible again.
“Anyway, for now, take advantage of this quiet period to rest. From the report of your adventures in the Dungeon, you must have already understood that these are dangerous places, even at low levels, places to be taken seriously. So, continue training while waiting for Kol-Gaar to regain his Energy. Return to the observatory as soon as you have regained enough strength. Don''t hesitate to come back and see me if you want to talk again: it gives you good training in discretion... and I''m going to add a few instructions to my personal guard to prevent them from killing you...”
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[1]</a> In French "au nez et à la barbe", (approximatively “right under their nose and beard”) but they don''t have a beard and, unlike the nobles, they don''t have a nose either (their perception of odors goes more through the antennae: the nobles have a heightened perception since it goes through two different organs).